Special Universe Talk: Statistical mechanics of self-gravitating N-body systems

by Scott Tremaine (IAS Princeton)

Tuesday 17 Nov 2015, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Berlin

seminar room E.0.11; extension building (MPI für Astrophysik)

There have been many attempts to apply the powerful tools of statistical mechanics to self-gravitating N-body systems such as star clusters, galaxies, and planetary systems. Scott will describe why this is difficult, some notable failures and successes, and recent work on two arenas where these tools offer new insight: the distribution of young stars in the central parsec of our Galaxy, and the distribution of orbits of exoplanets. Venue: Seminar room at MPA (extension building)