ar X iv : a st ro - p h / 05 03 44 1 v 1 2 1 M ar 2 00 5 The Stars of the Galactic Center

We consider the origin of the so–called S stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the very center of the Galaxy. These are usually assumed to be massive main–sequence stars. We argue instead that they are the remnants of low–to– intermediate mass red giants which have been scattered on to near–radial orbits and tidally stripped as they approach the central black hole. Such stars retain only low–mass envelopes and thus have high effective temperatures. Our picture simultaneously explains why S stars have tightly–bound orbits, and the observed depletion of red giants in the very center of the Galaxy.