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GCIRS 13E
Observation data; Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Sagittarius
Right ascension	17h 45m 39.73s
Declination	−29° 00′ 29.7″
Distance	26,000 ly; (8,000 pc)
Other designations
	WR 101f
Database references
SIMBAD	data

GCIRS 13E is an infrared and radio object near the Galactic Center. It is believed to be a cluster of hot massive stars, possibly containing an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) at its center.

GCIRS 13E was first identified as GCIRS 13, which was later resolved into two components GCIRS13E and W.^[3] GCIRS 13E was initially modelled as a single object, possibly a binary system.^[4] It was even classified as a Wolf-Rayet star because of its strong emission line spectrum, and named WR 101f.^[5] It was then resolved into seven Wolf-Rayet and class O stars.^[6] The highest-resolution infrared imaging and spectroscopy can now identify 19 objects in GCIRS 13E, of which 15 are dense gaseous regions. The remaining four objects are stars: WN8 and WC9 Wolf-Rayet stars; an OB supergiant; and a K3 giant.^[2]

The motions of the members of GCIRS 13E appear to indicate a much higher mass than can be accounted for by the visible objects. It has been proposed that there may be an intermediate-mass black hole with a mass of about 1,300 M_☉ at its center. There are a number of problems with this theory.^[7] However, the true nature of the cluster remains unknown.^[2]

GCIRS 13E is a small cluster dominated by a few massive stars. It is thought that massive stars cannot form so close to a supermassive black hole and since such massive stars have a short lifespan it is thought that GCIRS 13E must have migrated inward toward the central black hole within the past 10 million years, probably from about 60 light-years further out than its current orbit. The stars are possibly the remains of a globular cluster where a middleweight black hole could develop through runaway star collisions.^[7] GCIRS 13E could also be a dark star cluster which forms in the inner Galaxy if the evaporation rate of stars from the cluster is faster due to a strong tidal field than the depletion of the black hole content though ejections.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b Blum, R. D.; Ramírez, Solange V.; Sellgren, K.; Olsen, K. (2003). "Really Cool Stars and the Star Formation History at the Galactic Center". The Astrophysical Journal. 597 (1): 323–346. arXiv:astro-ph/0307291. Bibcode:2003ApJ...597..323B. doi:10.1086/378380. S2CID 5664467.
^ ^a ^b ^c Fritz, T. K.; Gillessen, S.; Dodds-Eden, K.; Martins, F.; Bartko, H.; Genzel, R.; Paumard, T.; Ott, T.; Pfuhl, O.; Trippe, S.; Eisenhauer, F.; Gratadour, D. (2010). "GC-IRS13E—A Puzzling Association of Three Early-type Stars". The Astrophysical Journal. 721 (1): 395–411. arXiv:1003.1717. Bibcode:2010ApJ...721..395F. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/721/1/395. S2CID 119297604.
^ Zhao, Jun-Hui; Goss, W. M. (1998). "Radio Continuum Structure of IRS 13 and Proper Motions of Compact H II Components at the Galactic Center". The Astrophysical Journal. 499 (2): L163. Bibcode:1998ApJ...499L.163Z. doi:10.1086/311374.
^ Coker, R. F.; Pittard, J. M. (2000). "An X-ray binary model for the Galactic Center source IRS 13E". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 361: L13. arXiv:astro-ph/0008091. Bibcode:2000A&A...361L..13C.
^ Van Der Hucht, K. A. (2006). "New Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars, and candidates. An annex to the VIIth Catalogue of Galactic Wolf-Rayet Stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 458 (2): 453–459. arXiv:astro-ph/0609008. Bibcode:2006A&A...458..453V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065819. S2CID 119104786.
^ Maillard, J. P.; Paumard, T.; Stolovy, S. R.; Rigaut, F. (2004). "The nature of the Galactic Center source IRS 13 revealed by high spatial resolution in the infrared". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 423: 155–167. arXiv:astro-ph/0404450. Bibcode:2004A&A...423..155M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20034147. S2CID 15806243.
^ ^a ^b Schoedel, R.; A. Eckart; C. Iserlohe; R. Genzel; T. Ott (2005). "A Black Hole in the Galactic Center Complex IRS 13E?". Astrophys. J. 625 (2): L111 – L114. arXiv:astro-ph/0504474. Bibcode:2005ApJ...625L.111S. doi:10.1086/431307. S2CID 10250848.
^ Banerjee, S.; P. Kroupa (2011). "A New Type of Compact Stellar Population: Dark Star Clusters". Astrophys. J. Lett. 741 (1): L12 – L19. arXiv:1110.4103. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741L..12B. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/741/1/L12.