Abstract
We consider the fate of a dense cluster of compact stars — neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes — embedded in the nucleus of an active galaxy. The combined effects of two-body dynamical relaxation (the “gravothermal catastrophe”) and star-star collisions and coalescence can drive such a cluster to a relativistic state in a Hubble time. When the core becomes sufficiently relativistic, the cluster inevitably undergoes catastrophic gravitational collapse to a supermassive black hole. This process leads naturally to the birth of supermassive black holes of the “right size” to explain quasars and AGNs: 106 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 109.
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Shapiro, S.L. (1986). The Birth of AGNs and Quasars via the Collapse of Dense Star Clusters to Supermassive Black Holes. In: Giuricin, G., Mardirossian, F., Mezzetti, M., Ramella, M. (eds) Structure and Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 121. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4562-3_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4562-3_9
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