AbstractHigh-resolution adaptive optics observations of the inner 0.5 pc of the Milky Way with multiple intermediate band filters are presented. From the images, stellar number counts and a detailed map of the interstellar extinction were extracted. The extinction map is consistent with a putative southwest-northeast aligned outflow from the central arcseconds.An azimuthally averaged, crowding and extinction corrected stellar density profile presents clear evidence for the existence of a stellar cusp around Sgr A*. Several density peaks are found in the cluster that may indicate clumping of stars, possibly related to the last epoch of star formation in the Galactic Center. An analysis of stars in the brightness range 14.25 < magK < 15.75 shows possible signs of mass segregation.
Millisecond Pulsars as Probes of Mass Segregation in the Galactic Center