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Scientific paper
Jul 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004hst..prop10415s&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #10415
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Hst Proposal Id #10415 Agn/Quasars
Scientific paper
The Galactic Center's distance of only 8 kpc provides a unique opportunity to study the interaction of a supermassive black hole with its environment at a level of detail not possible for other galaxies. We propose to observe the inner parsec of the Galaxy in the Paschen alpha line with Camera 1 of NICMOS in order to study the kinematics of ionized gas in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole coincident with Sgr A*. Our previous GO program 7842 yielded detailed Pa alpha images revealing complex, filamentary structure at 0.16 arcsec {0.006 pc} resolution. However, proper motions could not be robustly derived from that data set due to the fact that the two epochs were spaced only 7 months apart. In order to follow up on preliminary results showing evidence for high proper motions within 2'' of Sgr A* and to characterize the rest of the central parsec, we propose to obtain two additional epochs within Cycle 13 so that the dataset will comprise independent measurements of the proper motions ranging from intervals of 5 months to 7 years, with the 7 year interval giving a 1 sigma accuracy of 45 km/s. These will be combined with existing radial velocity measurements to provide the first complete characterization of the kinematics of the ionized gas in the central parsec. This is crucial to interpreting the relative importance of gravitational forces, stellar winds, and possible accretion onto or outflow from the black hole. These observations may possibly lead to the first direct observation of gas in the process of accretion {or ejection via a jet} associated with the Galactic Center black hole. The kinematics of the gas may also imply that accretion may be inhibited, and this could explain the low luminosity of Sgr A*.
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