A numerical study of stellar discs in galactic nuclei

Understand

We explore the dynamics of stellar discs in the close vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) by means of direct $N$-body simulations.

• We show that an isolated nuclear stellar disc exhibits anisotropic mass segregation meaning that massive stars settle to lower orbital inclinations and more circular orbits than the light stars.
• However, in systems in which the stellar disc is embedded in a much more massive isotropic stellar cluster, anisotropic mass segregation tends to be suppressed.
• In both cases, an initially thin stellar disc becomes thicker, especially in the inner parts due to the fluctuating anisotropy in the spherical component.