Simulating the Post-Merger Evolution of the S-Star Cluster

Following Akiba et al.'s (2024) proposal that a recent merger created the S-stars, and Wang & Zhang's (2024) evidence for such a merger, this research would fill a crucial gap by simulating the subsequent 10 Myr of evolution. While Akiba et al. showed how mergers can initially populate the inner region with eccentric, inclined orbits, we need to understand how these orbits would evolve to match today's observations. Using high-resolution N-body simulations that include stellar evolution, relaxation processes, and perturbations from the surrounding stellar disk, we'd predict the present-day distribution of orbital elements and compare this against actual S-star data. The key innovation is incorporating realistic stellar mass distributions and long-term dynamical effects to see if the merger scenario truly produces the observed isotropic inclinations and eccentricities. This could either provide strong support for the merger hypothesis or reveal that additional processes are needed to explain the S-star cluster's current configuration.

References:

1. Evidence of a past merger of the Galactic Centre black hole. Yihan Wang, Bing Zhang (2024). Nature Astronomy.
2. On the Formation of S stars from a Recent Massive Black Hole Merger in the Galactic Center. Tatsuya Akiba, S. Naoz, A. Madigan (2024). Astrophysical Journal Letters.