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This astrophysics seminar explores how gas-rich environments fundamentally reshape stellar dynamics across multiple astronomical scales. Learn how gas influences everything from binary star systems to nuclear star clusters at galactic centers. The lecture examines how the Bahcall-Wolf distribution must be reconsidered when accounting for gas effects, potentially increasing rates of tidal disruption events in galactic nuclei. Discover how gas interactions challenge traditional binary classification systems based on Heggie's law, introducing a "shielding radius" concept that extends the soft-hard boundary and increases the likelihood of common envelope formation. The presentation also touches on implications for globular clusters with multiple stellar populations and, time permitting, examines the von-Zeipel Lidov Kozai mechanism in gas-rich environments like active galactic nuclei. Gain insights into this cutting-edge research connecting few-body dynamics to stellar cluster evolution through the lens of gas interactions.
