10291(  1) - 04/02/04 11:10  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      10291
                                                       Version: 1
                                                       Check-in Date: 02-Apr-2004
                                                                      11:09:41

1.Proposal Title:
The Distribution of Stars Around the Massive Black Hole at the Galactic Center
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle  4. Parallel Pointing Tolerance
AR               13        <none>
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5. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: Dr. Farhad Yusef-Zadeh            Northwestern University
   CoI: Dr. Howard A. Bushouse            Space Telescope Science Institute             N

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6. Abstract

We believe that the Galactic center provides the best opportunity for investigating
the distribution of stars and gas in the immediate vicinity of a supermassive black
hole, at a level of detail that will not be accessible in any other galactic
nucleus. We propose to utilize approximately 150 HST NICMOS archival images to
investigate the nature of the surface brightness distribution within the inner few
tens of arcseconds of the Galactic center. In particular, we will examine the claim
that there is a deficiency of stars within the inner 1 arcsecond of Sgr A*. This
could be evidence of the core radius of the nuclear stellar distribution or it might
be due to the depletion of late-type stars with high mass-to-light ratios. Yet
another possibility is ejection of stars from the central 1 arcsecond by a past or
present binary black hole.
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                                                10291(  1) - 04/02/04 11:10  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  10291

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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