Workshop: Gas Dynamics and Star Formation in the Extreme Environment of Galactic Nuclei, Ringberg

In recent years, observations have made huge progress in observing Galactic Nuclei of nearby galaxies in multiple wavelengths and high resolution. Especially the use of integral field units enables us to get an accurate representation of the structure and dynamics of the multi-phase interstellar medium as well as the stars in the extreme environment close to supermassive black holes. In this Ringberg Workshop, we are especially interested in what we can learn from our knowledge of the local ISM, what physical processes are the most important to describe the dynamics and physics in general, how stars are able to form under these conditions as well as the relation between nuclear star formation and feeding of the central supermassive black hole and (the onset of) nuclear activity cycles. Due to its proximity, our own Galactic Centre (GC) is an ideal laboratory for studying the relevant processes under these extreme conditions. Research on the GC has recently made huge progress: Detailed observations of the orbital parameters of the so-called S-stars allowed an extremely accurate determination of the mass of the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The recently detected fast moving gas cloud G2 will pass the SMBH at a distance of only 2200 Schwarzschild radii within the next couple of years, with the exciting perspective to directly watch how SMBHs accrete material over the forthcoming decade and to probe the density distribution and the thermodynamic state of the hot accretion flow in the immediate vicinity of the SMBH. Theoretically predicting this unique process is essential for future observing campaigns. We will also discuss questions like: What kind of accretion mechanism will be triggered by such an event? How does this compare to other objects like nearby Seyfert galaxies, etc.? The workshop is supposed to bring together selected international experts working on the physics of Galactic Nuclei to discuss recent advances and is organized as a joint workshop of observers and theorists, located at MPE and MPA. The workshop is co-funded by the Excellence Cluster Universe. Link: Workshop website and registration http://www.ism-spp.de/conferences/pgn2013/