1/5/2009 2:00 - 3:30 PM
SgrA*, the super massive black hole candidate at the Galactic Center, presents the nearest example of the AGN phenomenon, and the best opportunity to study black hole physics, accretion, and strong GR effects in detail. Within the past several years there has been a great deal of progress on modeling the innermost accretion regions of SgrA* with linear resolutions much less than the Schwarzschild radius. Recent 230GHz VLBI detections of SgrA* have angular resolutions that are beginning to constrain these models and, hence, fundamental black hole parameters. Multi-wavelength monitoring campaigns are refining models of flaring structures and setting expected size and time scales for variability. The goal of this special session is to bring together researchers in theory and observers across the spectrum to discuss the present and future prospects for pinning down the existence of a super massive black hole, and its characteristics. We also plan to address the issue of future technical advances that would significantly advance the field.
Organizer: Sheperd Doeleman, MIT-Haystack Observatory
