Astronomy Colloquium

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

4:00pm to 5:00pm

Online and In-Person Event

Stellar Evolution in AGN Disks

Adam Jermyn, Flatiron Research Fellow, Flatiron Institute,

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are powered by accretion disks surrounding a central supermassive black hole. Stars can both form in and be captured by these disks. Gas from the disk can accrete onto embedded stars, while also changing the usual stellar atmospheric boundary conditions. I will describe some of the unusual kinds of stellar evolution of stars embedded in AGN disks (AGN stars). Under a wide range of circumstances AGN stars become very massive, reach the Eddington limit, pollute the disk with metals, and evolve into compact remnants. They also accrete substantial amounts of angular momentum, potentially generating Gamma Ray Bursts and rapidly rotating black holes.

To view this talk via YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zYBv_IqFp2f9huYQA1VSw

For more information, please contact Jim Fuller by email at jfuller@caltech.edu or visit http://www.astro.caltech.edu/.

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