Title: Collisional Dynamics in the Milky Way: What Can Present-Day Observables Tell Us About Initial Conditions?
Abstract:
In this talk, I will provide a broad overview of collisional (chaotic) dynamics in dense stellar environments. The talk is divided according to two main themes: (1) stellar multiplicity and (2) mass loss. We cover the full spectrum of star clusters in the Milky Way and, more generally, gravitationally-bound and chaotically-interacting configurations of stars (i.e., from a few up to a million) within the larger Galactic potential. Along the way, we present several techniques for using present-day observables to constrain the initial conditions at the time of cluster birth.