We investigate the dynamical interaction of a central star cluster surrounding a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and a central accretion disk (AD). The dissipative force acting on stars in the disk leads to an enhanced mass flow toward the SMBH and to an asymmetry in the phase space distribution due to the rotating AD. The AD is considered as a stationary Keplerian rotating disk, which is vertically extended in order to employ a fully self-consistent treatment of stellar dynamics including the dissipative force originating from star-gas ram pressure effects. The stellar system is treated with a direct high-accuracy N-body integration code. A star-by-star representation, desirable in N-body simulations, cannot be extended to real particle numbers yet. Hence, we carefully discuss the scaling behavior of our model with regard to particle number and tidal accretion radius. The main idea is to find a family of models for which the ratio of two-body relaxation time and dissipation time (for kinetic energy of stellar orbits) is constant, which then allows us to extrapolate our results to real parameters of galactic nuclei. Our model is derived from basic physical principles and as such it provides insight into the role of physical processes in galactic nuclei, but it should be regarded as a first step toward more realistic and more comprehensive simulations. Nevertheless, the following conclusions appear to be robust: the star accretion rate onto the AD and subsequently onto the SMBH is enhanced by a significant factor compared to purely stellar dynamical systems neglecting the disk. This process leads to enhanced fueling of central disks in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and to an enhanced rate of tidal stellar disruptions. Such disruptions may produce electromagnetic counterparts in the form of observable X-ray flares. Our models improve predictions for their rates in quiescent galactic nuclei. We do not yet model direct stellar collisions in the gravitational potential well of the black hole, which could further enhance the growth rate of the black hole. Our models are relevant for quiescent galactic nuclei, because all our mass accretion rates would give rise to luminosities much smaller than the Eddington luminosity. To reach Eddington luminosities, outflows, and feedback as in the most active QSOs, other scenarios are needed, such as gas accretion after galaxy mergers. However, for AGNs close to the Eddington limit, this process may not serve as the dominant accretion process due to the long timescale.

We report the results of a long-term spectroscopic monitoring of the FS CMa type object MWC 728. We found that it is a binary system with a B5 Ve (T eff = 14000±1000 K) primary and a G8 III type (T eff ∼ 5000 K) secondary. Absorption line positions of the secondary vary with a semi-amplitude of ∼20 km s −1 and a period of 27.5 days. The system's mass function is 2.3×10 −2 M ⊙ , and its orbital plane is ∼13-15 • tilted from the plane of the sky. The primary's v sin i ∼110 km s −1 combined with this tilt implies that it rotates at a nearly breakup velocity. We detected strong variations of the Balmer and He i emission-line profiles on timescales from days to years. This points to a variable stellar wind of the primary in addition to the presence of a circum-primary gaseous disk. The strength of the absorption-line spectrum along with the optical and near-IR continuum suggest that the primary contributes ∼60% of the V -band flux, the disk contributes ∼30%, and the secondary ∼10%. The system parameters, along with the interstellar extinction, suggest a distance of ∼1 kpc, that the secondary does not fill its Roche lobe, and that the companions' mass ratio is q ∼0.5. Overall, the observed spectral variability and the presence of a strong IR-excess are in agreement with a model of a close binary system that has undergone a non-conservative mass-transfer.

We perform high resolution direct N-body simulations to study the effect of an accretion disc on stellar dynamics in an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We show that the interaction of the nuclear stellar cluster (NSC) with the gaseous disc (AD) leads to formation of a stellar disc in the central part of the NSC. The accretion of stars from the stellar disc onto the super-massive black hole is balanced by the capture of stars from the NSC into the stellar disc, yielding a stationary density profile. We derive the migration time through the AD to be 3% of the half-mass relaxation time of the NSC. The mass and size of the stellar disc are 0.7% of the mass and 5% of the influence radius of the super-massive black hole. An AD lifetime shorter than the migration time would result in a less massive nuclear stellar disc. The detection of such a stellar disc could point to past activity of the hosting galactic nucleus.

We report the results of spectroscopic and photometric observations of the emission-line object AS 386. For the first time we found that it exhibits the B[e] phenomenon and fits the definition of an FS CMa