3D adaptive mesh refinement simulations of the gas cloud G2 born within the disks of young stars in the Galactic Center

Abstract

The dusty, ionized gas cloud G2 is currently passing the massive black hole in the Galactic Center at a distance of roughly 2400 Schwarzschild radii. We explore the possibility of a starting point of the cloud within the disks of young stars. We make use of the large amount of new observations in order to put constraints on G2's origin. Interpreting the observations as a diffuse cloud of gas, we employ three-dimensional hydrodynamical adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations with the PLUTO code and do a detailed comparison with observational data. The simulations presented in this work update our previously obtained results in multiple ways: (1) high resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamical AMR simulations are used, (2) the cloud follows the updated orbit based on the Brackett-$\gamma$ data, (3) a detailed comparison to the observed high-quality position-velocity diagrams and the evolution of the total Brackett-$\gamma$ luminosity is done. We concentrate on two unsolved problems of the diffuse cloud scenario: the unphysical formation epoch only shortly before the first detection and the too steep Brackett-$\gamma$ light curve obtained in simulations, whereas the observations indicate a constant Brackett-$\gamma$ luminosity between 2004 and 2013. For a given atmosphere and cloud mass, we find a consistent model that can explain both, the observed Brackett-$\gamma$ light curve and the position-velocity diagrams of all epochs. Assuming initial pressure equilibrium with the atmosphere, this can be reached for a starting date earlier than roughly 1900, which is close to apo-center and well within the disks of young stars.

resubmitted to ApJ after referee report, 13 pages, 11 figures

References in corpus (13)

• PLUTO: a Numerical Code for Computational Astrophysics
• The Two Young Star Disks in the Central Parsec of the Galaxy: Properties, Dynamics and Formation
• Magnetized Gas Clouds can Survive Acceleration by a Hot Wind
• Properties of the Remnant Clockwise Disk of Young Stars in the Galactic Center
• Galactic Centre stellar winds and Sgr A* accretion
• Radio and Millimeter Monitoring of Sgr A*: Spectrum, Variability, and Constraints on the G2 Encounter
• Detection of Galactic Center source G2 at 3.8 $\mu$m during periapse passage
• The Galactic Center cloud G2 and its gas streamer
• Secular Evolution Of Binaries Near Massive Black Holes: Formation of compact binaries, merger/collision products and G2-like objects
• Monitoring the Dusty S-Cluster Object (DSO/G2) on its Orbit towards the Galactic Center Black Hole
• Possible Origin of the G2 Cloud from the Tidal Disruption of a Known Giant Star by Sgr A*
• A Stellar Wind Origin for the G2 Cloud: Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulations
• No asymmetric outflows from Sagittarius A* during the pericenter passage of the gas cloud G2

Cited by in corpus (17)

• A population of dust-enshrouded objects orbiting the Galactic black hole
• Filament formation in wind-cloud interactions. II. Clouds with turbulent density, velocity, and magnetic fields
• The Post-Pericenter Evolution of the Galactic Center Source G2
• Mid-InfraRed Outbursts in Nearby Galaxies (MIRONG). II. Optical Spectroscopic Follow-up
• Nature of the Galactic centre NIR-excess sources. I. What can we learn from the continuum observations of the DSO/G2 source?
• The evolution of circumstellar discs in the Galactic Centre: an application to the G-clouds
• The formation and stability of a cold disc made out of stellar winds in the Galactic Centre
• A Possible Time-Delayed Brightening of the Sgr A* Accretion Flow after the Pericenter Passage of G2 Cloud
• The G2+G2t complex as a fast and massive outflow?
• A new method to constrain annihilating dark matter
• 3D AMR hydrosimulations of a compact source scenario for the Galactic Centre cloud G2
• Probing the Gas Density in our Galactic Center: Moving Mesh Simulations of G2
• Simulating the pericentre passage of the Galactic centre star S2
• MOLsphere and pulsations of the Galactic Center's red supergiant GCIRS 7 from VLTI/GRAVITY
• Tidal phenomena in the Galactic Center: The curious case of X7
• The gas streamer G1-2-3 in the Galactic Center
• 3D AMR simulations of the evolution of the diffuse gas cloud G2 in the Galactic Centre