their orbits, the phase-space distribution remains conserved for very long times. Core scouring changes the orbit distribution: only radial orbits allow for close passage past the galaxy center and thus only stars on radial orbits can reach the vicinity of the central binary black hole and get ejected. Consequently, the orbital structure left behind in the core after core scouring is predicted to be strongly biased in favor of tangential orbits, while the ejected stars contribute to enhanced radial motions outside the core [@Quinlan97; @Milosavljevic01].

That stellar orbits around black holes are predominantly tangential is predicted not only by SMBH-binary models. The traditional picture for the formation of non-core galaxies through gas-rich mergers leads to an enhanced population of tangential orbits as well, because the new stars that form from gas that falls in during/after the merger are likely to end up in a rotating structure that is supported by near-circular orbits. Likewise, the changes in the gravitational potential induced by an (adiabatically) growing black hole that is fed by gas reshape stellar orbits toward becoming more tangential as well [@Young80; @Goodman84; @Quinlan95].

Previous dynamical studies addressing the distribution of stellar orbits in the vicinity of SMBHs focused mainly on 