The distribution and kinematics of atomic carbon near the galactic center

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (13) References (25) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The Distribution and Kinematics of Atomic Carbon near the Galactic Center Serabyn, E. ; Keene, Jocelyn ; Lis, D. C. ; Phillips, T. G. Abstract The central several parsecs of our Galaxy have been mapped in the 492 GHz 3P1 to 3P0 fine-structure transition of C I with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. The observed region includes the entire southern half of the circumnuclear disk (CND) and part of its northern half. C I is found to be a good tracer of the outer parts of the CND, with an abundance close to that of CO. The high angular resolution (15 sec) of these observations, coupled with the low opacity of the C I line, provide a clear view of the disk's outer regions. The CND kinematics between radii of approximately 2.3 and 7 pc are found to be dominated by rotation, with a rotational velocity, 120 km/s, which is independent of radius. The implied central mass increases roughly linearly with radius, with, in the spherically symmetric case, a slope of 3.3 x 106 solar mass/pc reaching a total of 23 x 106 solar mass at the CND's periphery. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: April 1994 DOI: 10.1086/187283 Bibcode: 1994ApJ...424L..95S Keywords: Active Galactic Nuclei; Gravitational Fields; Molecular Clouds; Spatial Resolution; Astronomical Observatories; Line Of Sight; Radial Velocity; Space Density; Astrophysics; GALAXY: CENTER; GALAXIES: NUCLEI; ISM: ATOMS full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (8)