Bahcall-Wolf solution

The Bahcall-Wolf solution describes how stars or objects near a supermassive black hole distribute themselves over time. It predicts that, through gravitational interactions, these objects tend to form a specific density pattern: more densely packed closer to the black hole, with their number decreasing with distance. Specifically, the solution indicates that the distribution follows a power-law profile, meaning the density drops off predictably as you move outward. This model helps astronomers understand the structure and behavior of star clusters surrounding black holes, especially in the central regions of galaxies, by illustrating how gravity shapes their arrangement over long periods.