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Star formation in the Galactic Center GMC cores: Sagittarius B2 and the dust ridgeThe total far-infrared luminosity and the ionizing flux inferred from radio continuum observations of the Galactic center region imply a rate of star formation per unit mass of molecular material comparable to that in the Galactic disk. However, H2O and OH masers commonly found in sites of high-mass star formation are relatively rare in the nuclear disk. Far-infrared studies suggest that the formation rate of stars with masses greater than approximately 20 Solar Mass is reduced in the central region compared to the Galactic disk. Star formation might be suppressed currently in the central region as a result of the different geometry and strength of the magnetic fields there, which arguably might tend to inhibit cloud collapse. High gas pressures implied by observations of the diffuse X-ray emission suggest that giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the nuclear disk may be held together by external pressure rather than self-gravity. The gravitational collapse leading to the formation of high density cores may thus be suppressed in all but the most massive clouds.
Document ID
19960003681
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Lis, D. C.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Menten, K. M.
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Cambridge, MA., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1995
Publication Information
Publication: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Airborne Astronomy Symposium on the Galactic Ecosystem: From Gas to Stars to Dust, Volume 73
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
96N13691
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-93-13929
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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