Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T16:02:08.598Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Masers as probes of massive star formation in the nuclear disk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2007

F. Yusef-Zadeh ,
R. G. Arendt ,
C. O. Heinke ,
J. L. Hinz ,
J. W. Hewitt ,
P. Pratap ,
S. V. Ramirez ,
G. H. Rieke ,
D. A. Roberts  and
S. R. Stolovy
...Show all authors
F. Yusef-Zadeh
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
R. G. Arendt
Affiliation:
CRESST/UMBC/GSFC, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA email: [email protected]
C. O. Heinke
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
J. L. Hinz
Affiliation:
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 USA email: [email protected], [email protected]
J. W. Hewitt
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
P. Pratap
Affiliation:
MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA 01886 USA email: [email protected]
S. V. Ramirez
Affiliation:
IPAC, Cal Tech, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA email: [email protected], [email protected]
G. H. Rieke
Affiliation:
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 USA email: [email protected], [email protected]
D. A. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
S. R. Stolovy
Affiliation:
IPAC, Cal Tech, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA email: [email protected], [email protected]
M. Wardle
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia email: [email protected]
B. A. Whitney
Affiliation:
Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80301 USA email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

OH(1720 MHz) and methanol masers are now recognized to be excellent probes of the interactions of supernova remnants with molecular clouds and tracers of massive star formation, respectively. To better understand the nature of star formation activity in the central region of the Galaxy, we have used these two classes of masers combined with the IRAC and MIPS data to study prominent sites of ongoing star formation in the nuclear disk. The nuclear disk is characterized by massive GMCs with elevated gas temperatures, compared to their dust temperatures. We note an association between methanol masers and a class of mid-infrared “green sources”. These highly embedded YSOs show enhanced 4.5μm emission due to excited molecular lines.

The distribution of methanol masers and supernova remnants suggest a low efficiency of star formation (with the exception of Sgr B2), which we believe is due to an enhanced flux of cosmic ray electrons impacting molecular clouds in the nuclear disk. We also highlight the importance of cosmic rays in their ability to heat molecular clouds, and thus increase the gas temperature.

Keywords

Maserssupernova remnantscosmic rays
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 3 , Symposium S242: Astrophysical Masers and their Environments , March 2007 , pp. 366 - 373
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

References

Caswell, J. L. 1996, MNRAS 283, 606CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Candon, J. J. 1992, ARA&A 30, 575Google Scholar
Cox, P., & Laureijs, R. 1989, The Center of the Galaxy 136, 121CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Buizer, J. M., Radomski, J. T., Telesco, C. M., & Piña, R. K. 2005, ApJ Supp 156, 179CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frail, D. A. et al. 1996, AJ 111, 1651CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaensler, B. M. et al. 2004, ApJ 616, 383CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghez, A. M., et al. 2003, ApJ, 586, L127CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gusten, R., & Downes, D. 1981, A&A 99, 27Google Scholar
Hüttemeister, S. et al. 1993, A&A 280, 255Google Scholar
Karlsson, et al. 2003, A&A 403, 1011Google Scholar
LaRosa, T. N. et al. 2005, ApJ 626, L23CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lis, D. C. & Carlstrom, J. E., 1994, ApJ 424, 189CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lis, D. C. & Menten, K., 1998, ApJ 507, 794CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liszt, H.S., & Spiker, R. W. 1995, ApJS 98, 259CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lockett, P., Gauthier, E. & Elitzur, M. 1999, ApJ 511, 235CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marston, et al. 2004, ApJS 154, 333CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menten, K. M. 1991, ApJ, 380, L75CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, M. & Serabyn, E. 1996, ARA&A 34, 645Google Scholar
Mori, H. et al. 2004, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly 35, 3705Google Scholar
Nord, et al. 2004, AJ 128, 1646CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Odenwald, S. F., & Fazio, G. G. 1984, ApJ 283, 601CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oka, T. et al. 2005, ApJ 632, 882CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paumard, T. et al. 2006, ApJ 643, 1011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedlar, et al. 1989, ApJ 342, 769CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierce-Price, D. et al. , 2000, ApJ 545, L121CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pihlström, Y. M. & Sjouwerman, L. O. 2006, JPhCS 54, 77Google Scholar
Reach, W. T. 2006, AJ 131, 1479CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robitaille, T. P., Whitney, B. A., Indebetouw, R., Wood, K., & Denzmore, , 2006, ApJS 167, 256CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robitaille, T. P., Whitney, B. A., Indebetouw, R. & Wood, K. 2007, ApJS (in press, astro-ph/0612690)Google Scholar
Schödel, R., Ott, T., Genzel, R., Eckart, A., Mouawad, N., & Alexander, T. 2003, ApJ 596, 1015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, H., Hora, J. L., Marengo, M. & Pipher, J. L. 2006, ApJ 645, 1264CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stolovy, S. et al. 2006, JPhCS 54, 176Google Scholar
Tsuboi, M., Okumura, S. K. & Miyazaki, A. 2006, JPhCS 54, 16Google Scholar
Uchida, et al. 1992, ApJ 398, 128CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, M. 1999, ApJ 525, L101CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Roberts, D. A., Bower, G., Wardle, M., & Goss, W. M. 2002, Cosmic Masers: From Proto-Stars to Black Holes 206, 212Google Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Hewitt, J. W., & Cotton, W. 2004, ApJS 155, 421CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Muno, M., Wardle, M. & Lis, D. C. 2007b, ApJ 656, 847CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Uchida, K. I. & Roberts, D. 1995, Science 270, 1801CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Roberts, D. A., Goss, W. M., Frail, D. A., & Green, A. J. 1996, ApJ, 466, L25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F.; Roberts, D. A.; Goss, W. M.; Frail, D. A.; Green, A. J. 1999, ApJ 512, 230CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yusef-Zadeh, F., Wardle, M. & Roy, S. 2007a, ApJ submittedGoogle Scholar