IAUS405 — IAUS 405: Traversing the Galactic Center in Space and Time

The Galactic Center (GC) plays a pivotal role in the evolution of the Milky Way. It is instrumental in mapping and understanding the central regions of quiescent galaxies since it is the closest galactic nucleus to us. It serves as a unique test bed for both stellar dynamics in an extremely dense environment as well as magnetohydrodynamics in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). It is fundamental for studying star formation, because the conditions of its interstellar medium (magnetic fields, temperature, turbulence) are unlike any other place in the Milky Way. Despite many detailed multiwavelength studies of the central regions of our Galaxy, we still have many open questions concerning its history and future evolution. This symposium will bring together experts working on both observational and theoretical studies of the Galactic Center so that they can “traverse” this exciting region from Sgr A* and the surrounding dense nuclear star cluster to the central molecular zone and back, covering about eight orders of magnitude in spatial length. Looking at the Galactic nucleus from this vantage point will uncover details of its past processes and potential future. We will explore the remarkable progress made since the last major meeting of the community—the Galactic Center Workshop in Granada (April 24–28, 2023). We will examine exciting new results, including those from JWST and GRAVITY/ERIS at the VLT, as well as insights from ALMA and MeerKAT.

Topics: Galactic Center, supermassive black hole, nuclear star cluster, nuclear stellar disk, central molecular zone