Origin of the central parsec deficit of bright late-type giants

Determine the physical origin of the observed deficit of bright late-type giants in the central parsec of the Milky Way, including the relative contribution of repeated interactions with a past jet from Sgr A* and other mechanisms such as tidal stripping, stellar collisions, and disk interactions.

Background

The paper addresses the pronounced depletion of bright red giants and supergiants near the Galactic center, despite the cusp-like distribution of fainter late-type stars. The authors examine whether repeated passages of red giants through a past jet from Sgr A* could ablate and heat their envelopes, thereby making cool giants appear as hotter spectral types without removing most of their total mass.

The simulations show that repeated jet crossings can produce shocks, modest envelope ablation, and substantial surface heating, potentially contributing to the apparent lack of cool giants and excess of hot stars. However, the results do not establish that jet interactions are the sole or dominant explanation, and the broader physical reason for the observed stellar deficit remains unresolved.