Hypervelocity

Abstract: The mass of extraterrestrial material accreted by the Earth as submillimeter particles has not previously been measured with a single direct and precise technique that samples the particle sizes representing most of that mass. The flux of meteoroids in the mass range 10(-9) to 10(-4) grams has now been determined from an examination of hypervelocity impact craters on the space-facing end of the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite. The meteoroid mass distribution peaks near 1.5 x 10(-5) grams (200 micrometers in diameter), and the small particle mass accretion rate is (40 +/- 20) x 106 kilograms per year, higher than previous estimates but in good agreement with total terrestrial mass accretion rates found by geochemical methods. This mass input is comparable with or greater than the average contribution from extraterrestrial bodies in the 1-centimeter to 10-kilometer size range.

Abstract: We study three processes that eject hypervelocity (>103 km s-1) stars from the Galactic center: (1) close encounters of two single stars, (2) tidal breakup of binary stars by the central black hole, as originally proposed by Hills, and (3) three-body interactions between a star and a binary black hole (BBH). Mechanism 1 expels hypervelocity stars to the solar radius, R0 = 8 kpc, at a negligible rate, ~10-11 yr-1. Mechanism 2 expels hypervelocity stars at a rate ~10-5(η/0.1) yr-1, where η is the fraction of stars in binaries with semimajor axis ab 0.3 AU. For solar mass stars, the corresponding number of hypervelocity stars within the solar radius is ~60(η/0.1)(ab/0.1 AU)1/2. For mechanism 3, Sgr A* is assumed to be one component of a BBH. We constrain the allowed parameter space (semimajor axis, mass ratio) of the BBH. In the allowed region (for example, a semimajor axis of 0.5 × 10-3 pc and a mass ratio of 0.01), the rate of ejection of hypervelocity stars can be as large as ~10-4 yr-1, and the expected number of hypervelocity stars within the solar radius can be as large as ~103. Hypervelocity stars may be detectable by the next generation of large-scale optical surveys.

Abstract: We study three processes that eject hypervelocity (>10^3 km/s) stars from the Galactic center: (i) close encounters of two single stars; (ii) tidal breakup of binary stars by the central black hole, as originally proposed by Hills; and (iii) three-body interactions between a star and a binary black hole (BBH). Mechanism (i) expels hypervelocity stars to the solar radius at a negligible rate, ~10^{-11}/yr. Mechanism (ii) expels hypervelocity stars at a rate ~ 10^{-5}(\eta/0.1)/yr, where \eta is the fraction of stars in binaries with semimajor axis a_b<~0.3 AU. For solar-mass stars, the corresponding number of hypervelocity stars within the solar radius R_0=8 kpc is ~60(\eta/0.1)(a_b/0.1 AU)^{1/2}. For mechanism (iii), Sgr A^* is assumed to be one component of a BBH. We constrain the allowed parameter space (semimajor axis, mass ratio) of the BBH. In the allowed region (for example, semimajor axis of 0.5x10^{-3} pc and mass ratio of 0.01), the rate of ejecting hypervelocity stars can be as large as ~10^{-4}/yr and the expected number of hypervelocity stars within the solar radius can be as large as ~10^3. Hypervelocity stars may be detectable by the next generation of large-scale optical surveys.