A New View at the Galactic Center Region - Methanol Emission in the Sgr A* Environment

Details A New View at the Galactic Center Region - Methanol Emission in the Sgr A* Environment A New View at the Galactic Center Region - Methanol Emission in the Sgr A* Environment

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21320408s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #204.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.267

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Scientific paper

Methanol possesses a rich mm spectrum allowing the reliable determination of both density and kinetic temperature from radiative transfer models. It is formed on dust grains, evaporated by UV radiation and shocks, and destroyed by gas phase chemical reactions. As the nearest galactic nuclei that can be observed in great detail, the center of the Milky Way has often been regarded as a template for understanding physical processes governing the extragalactic nuclei in general. It is a dynamic environment where existing energetic processes affect the chemistry on the grain mantles, promoting the formation of complex organic molecules. However, little is known to date about their distribution within the central 30pc.
We present the results of our surveys of methanol emission in the central 10'x12'( 20pcx25pc) of our Galaxy, observed at three different frequencies with the JCMT and the IRAM 30-m telescopes. We discuss the morphology of methanol emission and its correlation to other tracers, in particular to those processed on the grain mantles (e.g. NH3, SiO). The possible scenarios that could be accounted for a rather puzzling lack of methanol emission in the inner 5pc are examined. We also present preliminary results of radiative transfer analysis using the LVG code specifically tailored to methanol. Such analysis allows us to measure the distribution of density, kinetic temperature and abundance, and thus to gain insight into the processes which form and destroy gaseous methanol in the Sgr A* region. Furthermore, the understanding of the molecular clouds structure can contribute to the resolution of the longstanding problem of star formation in the central parsec, as recent studies by Wardle & Yusef-Zadeh (2008) and Hobbs & Nayakashin (2008) indicate the importance that giant molecular clouds close to the Sgr A* have in the formation of young stellar population in this region.

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