Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
The conditions within the nuclear bulge (NB, R ~ 300 pc) of our Galaxy are extreme: less than 0.1% of the volume of the galactic disc contains more than 10% of the total ISM and stars. There are indications that star formation in the NB is not a continuous process, but rather undergoes cyclic variations. Details of the current and past star formation processes and the stellar content of the central parsecs - especially the ratio of old to young population - are not very well known (Mezger et al., 1996).