Hot Molecular Gas in the Central 10 Parsecs of the Galaxy

Abstract

We present results from observations of NH_3(1,1), (2,2), (3,3), and (6,6) with the Very Large Array. The data sample the inner 10 pc (4') of the Galaxy and have a velocity coverage of -140 to +130 km/s. The velocity integrated NH_3(3,3) image shows that the Sgr A East supernova remnant is impacting the 50 km/s GMC in the northeast, the northern ridge in the north, and the western streamer in the west. These results imply that the Sgr A East has a large effect on the molecular environment near Sgr A* and may be pushing much of the molecular gas away from Sgr A*. The physical properties of the western streamer and its relation to Sgr A East are discussed in detail. We also summarize the detection of hot molecular gas less than 2 pc from Sgr A* in projected distance. This gas is seen only in NH_3(6,6) and has line widths of 75-85 km/s, indicating that it is physically close to the nucleus.

7 pages, to be published in: Astron. Nachr., Vol. 324, No. S1 (2003), Special Supplement "The central 300 parsecs of the Milky Way", Eds. A. Cotera, H. Falcke, T. R. Geballe, S. Markoff

References in corpus (5)

• Closest Star Seen Orbiting the Supermassive Black Hole at the Centre of the Milky Way
• A Chandra Study of Sgr A East: A Supernova Remnant Regulating The Activity Of Our Galactic Center?
• NH3 in the Central 10 pc of the Galaxy I: General Morphology and Kinematic Connections Between the CND and GMCs
• Galactic Foregrounds in OVRO and UCSB South Pole 1994 Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Data
• NH3 in the Central 10 pc of the Galaxy. II. Determination of Opacity for Gas with Large Linewidths

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Physical Contact between the +20 km/s Cloud and the Galactic Circumnuclear Disk
• Probing the Density in the Galactic Center Region: Wind-Blown Bubbles and High-Energy Proton Constraints