Using three-dimensional , moving-mesh simulations , we investigate the future evolution of the recently discovered gas cloud G2 traveling through the galactic center .
We consider the case of a spherical cloud initially in pressure equilibrium with the background .
Our suite of simulations explores the following parameters : the equation of state , radial profiles of the background gas , and start times for the evolution .
Our primary focus is on how the fate of this cloud will affect the future activity of Sgr A* .
From our simulations we expect an average feeding rate in the range of 5 - 19 \times 10 ^ { -8 } M _ { \odot } ~ { } \mathrm { yr } ^ { -1 } beginning in 2013 and lasting for at least 7 years ( our simulations stop in year 2020 ) .
The accretion varies by less than a factor of three on timescales \leq 1 month , and shows no more than a factor of 10 difference between the maximum and minimum observed rates within any given model .
These rates are comparable to the current estimated accretion rate in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A* , although they represent only a small ( \lesssim 5 % ) increase over the current expected feeding rate at the effective inner boundary of our simulations ( r = 750 R _ { S } \approx 10 ^ { 15 } cm ) , where R _ { S } is the Schwarzschild radius of the black hole .
Therefore , the break up of cloud G2 may have only a minimal effect on the brightness and variability of Sgr A* over the next decade .
This is because current models of the galactic center predict that most of the gas will be caught up in outflows .
However , if the accreted G2 material can remain cold , it may not mix well with the hot , diffuse background gas , and instead accrete efficiently onto Sgr A* .
Further observations of G2 will give us an unprecedented opportunity to test this idea .
The break up of the cloud itself may also be observable .
By tracking the amount of cloud energy that is dissipated during our simulations , we are able to get a rough estimate of the luminosity associated with its tidal disruption ; we find values of a few 10 ^ { 36 } ~ { } \mathrm { erg~ { } s } ^ { -1 } .