OH/IR stars within 50 parsecs of the Galactic center

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (54) References (14) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS OH/IR stars within 50 parsecs of the galactic center. Winnberg, A. ; Baud, B. ; Matthews, H. E. ; Habing, H. J. ; Olnon, F. M. Abstract A search for OH/IR stars close to the Galactic center has been initiated using the VLA at 18 cm. Thirty-three stars were found in a 34 x 34 arcmin field centered on Sgr A West. The strong concentration toward the galactic plane and the bulk rotation around the nucleus reported by Habing et al. in 1983 in a 2 deg field around the Galactic center are confirmed, but the random motion with a dispersion of 60 km/s in the radial direction is less than half the value found by them. The circumstellar shell expansion velocities are higher than found at larger distances from the Galactic center, suggesting a relatively more massive population of stars near the nucleus or a more efficient conversion of radiation pressure to bulk motion of the circumstellar gas. The OH/IR stars are strongly concentrated toward the continuum source Sgr A West, suggesting a pronounced increase in the density of stars toward the Galactic center. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: April 1985 DOI: 10.1086/184456 Bibcode: 1985ApJ...291L..45W Keywords: Galactic Nuclei; Hydroxyl Emission; Infrared Stars; Interstellar Masers; Milky Way Galaxy; Star Distribution; Gas Expansion; Radial Velocity; Stellar Envelopes; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (3)