Dust Ridge Research Articles

Magnetic Fields in the Central Molecular Zone Influenced by Feedback and Weakly Correlated with Star Formation

Magnetic fields of molecular clouds in the central molecular zone (CMZ) have been relatively under-observed at sub-parsec resolution. Here, we report JCMT/POL2 observations of polarized dust emission in the CMZ, which reveal magnetic field structures in dense gas at ∼0.5 pc resolution. The 11 molecular clouds in our sample include two in the western part of the CMZ (Sgr C and a farside cloud candidate), four around the Galactic longitude 0 (the 50 km s−1 cloud, CO 0.02−0.02, the Stone, and the Sticks and Straw among the Three Little Pigs), and five along the Dust Ridge (G0.253+0.016, clouds b, c, d, and e/f), for each of which we estimate the magnetic field strength using the angular dispersion function method. The morphologies of magnetic fields in the clouds suggest potential imprints of feedback from expanding H ii regions and young massive star clusters. A moderate correlation between the total viral parameter versus the star formation rate (SFR) and the dense gas fraction of the clouds is found. A weak correlation between the mass-to-flux ratio and the SFR, and a weak anticorrelation between the magnetic field and the dense gas fraction are also found. Comparisons between magnetic fields and other dynamic components in clouds suggest a more dominant role of self-gravity and turbulence in determining the dynamical states of the clouds and affecting star formation at the studied scales.

The initial conditions for young massive cluster formation in the Galactic Centre: convergence of large-scale gas flows

ABSTRACT Young massive clusters (YMCs) are compact (≲1 pc), high-mass (>104 M⊙) stellar systems of significant scientific interest. Due to their rarity and rapid formation, we have very few examples of YMC progenitor gas clouds before star formation has begun. As a result, the initial conditions required for YMC formation are uncertain. We present high resolution (0.13 arcsec, ∼1000 au) ALMA observations and Mopra single-dish data, showing that Galactic Centre dust ridge ‘Cloud d’ (G0.412 + 0.052, mass = 7.6 × 104 M⊙, radius = 3.2 pc) has the potential to become an Arches-like YMC (104 M⊙, r ∼ 1 pc), but is not yet forming stars. This would mean it is the youngest known pre-star-forming massive cluster and therefore could be an ideal laboratory for studying the initial conditions of YMC formation. We find 96 sources in the dust continuum, with masses ≲3 M⊙ and radii of ∼103 au. The source masses and separations are more consistent with thermal rather than turbulent fragmentation. It is not possible to unambiguously determine the dynamical state of most of the sources, as the uncertainty on virial parameter estimates is large. We find evidence for large-scale (∼1 pc) converging gas flows, which could cause the cloud to grow rapidly, gaining 104 M⊙ within 105 yr. The highest density gas is found at the convergent point of the large-scale flows. We expect this cloud to form many high-mass stars, but find no high-mass starless cores. If the sources represent the initial conditions for star formation, the resulting initial mass function will be bottom heavy.

The dynamical evolution of molecular clouds near the Galactic Centre – II. Spatial structure and kinematics of simulated clouds

The evolution of molecular clouds in galactic centres is thought to differ from that in galactic discs due to a significant influence of the external gravitational potential. We present a set of numerical simulations of molecular clouds orbiting on the 100-pc stream of the Central Molecular Zone (the central $\sim500$ pc of the Galaxy) and characterise their morphological and kinematic evolution in response to the background potential and eccentric orbital motion. We find that the clouds are shaped by strong shear and torques, by tidal and geometric deformation, and by their passage through the orbital pericentre. Within our simulations, these mechanisms control cloud sizes, aspect ratios, position angles, filamentary structure, column densities, velocity dispersions, line-of-sight velocity gradients, spin angular momenta, and kinematic complexity. By comparing these predictions to observations of clouds on the Galactic Centre 'dust ridge', we find that our simulations naturally reproduce a broad range of key observed morphological and kinematic features, which can be explained in terms of well-understood physical mechanisms. We argue that the accretion of gas clouds onto the central regions of galaxies, where the rotation curve turns over and the tidal field is fully compressive, is accompanied by transformative dynamical changes to the clouds, leading to collapse and star formation. This can generate an evolutionary progression of cloud collapse with a common starting point, which either marks the time of accretion onto the tidally-compressive region or of the most recent pericentre passage. Together, these processes may naturally produce the synchronised starbursts observed in numerous (extra)galactic nuclei.

Extended ammonia observations towards the integral-shaped filament

Context. Recent observations suggest a scenario in which filamentary structures in the interstellar medium represent the first step towards clumps/cores and eventually star formation. The densest filaments would then fragment into prestellar cores owing to gravitational instability. Aims. We seek to understand the roles filamentary structures play in high-mass star formation. Methods. We mapped the integral-shaped filament (ISF) located at the northern end of the Orion A molecular cloud in NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2). The observations were made using the 25 m radio telescope operated by the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The whole filamentary structure, about 1.2° × 0.6°, is uniformly and fully sampled. We investigate the morphology, fragmentation, kinematics, and temperature properties in this region. Results. We find that the morphology revealed by the map of velocity-integrated intensity of the NH3 (1, 1) line is closely associated with the dust ridge revealed by the Herschel Space Observatory. We identify 6 “lumps” related to the well known OMC-1 to 5 and 11 “sub-clumps” within the map. The clumps and sub-clumps are separated not randomly but in roughly equal intervals along the ISF. The average spacing of clumps is 11.30′ ± 1.31′ (1.36 ± 0.16 pc) and the average spacing of sub-clumps is 7.18′ ± 1.19′ (0.86 ± 0.14 pc). These spacings agree well with the predicted values of the thermal (0.86 pc) and turbulent sausage instability (1.43 pc) by adopting a cylindric geometry of the ISF with an inclination of 60° with respect to the line of sight. We also find a velocity gradient of about 0.6 km s−1 pc−1 that runs along the ISF which likely arises from an overall rotation of the Orion A molecular cloud. The inferred ratio between rotational and gravitational energy is well below unity. Furthermore, fluctuations are seen in the centroid velocity diagram along the ISF. The OMC-1 to 5 clouds are located close to the local extrema of the fluctuations, which suggests that there exist gas flows associated with these clumps in the ISF. The derived NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) rotation temperatures in the OMC-1 are about 30–40 K while lower temperatures (below 20 K) are obtained in the northern and southern parts of the ISF. In OMC-2, OMC-3, and the northern part of OMC-4, we find higher and lower temperatures at the boundaries and in the interior, respectively.

Star formation in a high-pressure environment: an SMA view of the Galactic Centre dust ridge

The star formation rate in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is an order of magnitude lower than predicted according to star formation relations that have been calibrated in the disc of our own and nearby galaxies. Understanding how and why star formation appears to be different in this region is crucial if we are to understand the environmental dependence of the star formation process. Here, we present the detection of a sample of high-mass cores in the CMZ's "dust ridge" that have been discovered with the Submillimeter Array as part of the CMZoom survey. These cores range in mass from ~ 50 - 2150 Msun within radii of 0.1 - 0.25 pc. All appear to be young (pre-UCHII), meaning that they are prime candidates for representing the initial conditions of high-mass stars and sub-clusters. We report that at least two of these cores ('c1' and 'e1') contain young, high-mass protostars. We compare all of the detected cores with high-mass cores in the Galactic disc and find that they are broadly similar in terms of their masses and sizes, despite being subjected to external pressures that are several orders of magnitude greater - ~ 10^8 K/cm^3, as opposed to ~ 10^5 K/cm^3. The fact that > 80% of these cores do not show any signs of star-forming activity in such a high-pressure environment leads us to conclude that this is further evidence for an increased critical density threshold for star formation in the CMZ due to turbulence.

Seeding the Galactic Centre gas stream: gravitational instabilities set the initial conditions for the formation of protocluster clouds

Abstract Star formation within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) may be intimately linked to the orbital dynamics of the gas. Recent models suggest that star formation within the dust ridge molecular clouds (from G0.253+0.016 to Sgr B2) follows an evolutionary time sequence, triggered by tidal compression during their preceding pericentre passage. Given that these clouds are the most likely precursors to a generation of massive stars and extreme star clusters, this scenario would have profound implications for constraining the time-evolution of star formation. In this Letter, we search for the initial conditions of the protocluster clouds, focusing on the kinematics of gas situated upstream from pericentre. We observe a highly regular corrugated velocity field in {l, vLSR} space, with amplitude and wavelength A = 3.7 ± 0.1 km s−1 and λvel,i = 22.5 ± 0.1 pc, respectively. The extremes in velocity correlate with a series of massive (∼104 M⊙) and compact (Req ∼ 2 pc), quasi-regularly spaced (∼8 pc), molecular clouds. The corrugation wavelength and cloud separation closely agree with the predicted Toomre (∼17 pc) and Jeans (∼6 pc) lengths, respectively. We conclude that gravitational instabilities are driving the condensation of molecular clouds within the Galactic Centre gas stream. Furthermore, we speculate these seeds are the historical analogue of the dust-ridge molecular clouds, representing the initial conditions of star and cluster formation in the CMZ.

HST IMAGING OF DUST STRUCTURES AND STARS IN THE RAM PRESSURE STRIPPED VIRGO SPIRALS NGC 4402 AND NGC 4522: STRIPPED FROM THE OUTSIDE IN WITH DENSE CLOUD DECOUPLING

ABSTRACT We describe and constrain the origins of interstellar medium (ISM) structures likely created by ongoing intracluster medium (ICM) ram pressure stripping in two Virgo Cluster spirals, NGC 4522 and NGC 4402, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) BVI images of dust extinction and stars, as well as supplementary H i, Hα, and radio continuum images. With a spatial resolution of ∼10 pc in the HST images, this is the highest-resolution study to date of the physical processes that occur during an ICM–ISM ram pressure stripping interaction, ram pressure stripping's effects on the multi-phase, multi-density ISM, and the formation and evolution of ram-pressure-stripped tails. In dust extinction, we view the leading side of NGC 4402 and the trailing side of NGC 4522, and so we see distinct types of features in both. In both galaxies, we identify some regions where dense clouds are decoupling or have decoupled and others where it appears that kiloparsec-sized sections of the ISM are moving coherently. NGC 4522 has experienced stronger, more recent pressure and has the “jellyfish” morphology characteristic of some ram-pressure-stripped galaxies. Its stripped tail extends up from the disk plane in continuous upturns of dust and stars curving up to ∼2 kpc above the disk plane. On the other side of the galaxy, there is a kinematically and morphologically distinct extraplanar arm of young, blue stars and ISM above a mostly stripped portion of the disk, and between it and the disk plane are decoupled dust clouds that have not been completely stripped. The leading side of NGC 4402 contains two kiloparsec-scale linear dust filaments with complex substructure that have partially decoupled from the surrounding ISM. NGC 4402 also contains long dust ridges, suggesting that large parts of the ISM are being pushed out at once. Both galaxies contain long ridges of polarized radio continuum emission indicating the presence of large-scale, ordered magnetic fields. We propose that magnetic fields could bind together gas of different densities, causing nearby gas of different densities to be stripped at the same rate and creating the large, coherent dust ridges and upturns. A number of factors likely play roles in determining what types of structures form as a result of ram pressure, including ram pressure strength and history, the location within the galaxy relative to the leading side, and pre-existing substructure in the ISM that may be bound together by magnetic fields during stripping.

Star formation in a high-pressure environment: An SMA view of the dust ridge

AbstractThe star formation rate in the Central Molecular Zone is an order of magnitude lower than in the disk of the Galaxy, given the amount of dense gas there. Understanding why star formation is different in this region is crucial if we are to understand the environmental dependence of star formation. Here, we present the detection of high-mass cores in the CMZ’s ‘dust ridge’ that have been discovered with the Submillimeter Array. These cores range in mass from ~ 50 – 1800 M⊙ within radii of 0.1 – 0.25 pc. All are young (pre-UCHII), meaning that they are prime candidates for representing the initial conditions of high-mass stars and sub-clusters. We compare these with high-mass cores and clouds in the Galactic disk and find that they are very similar in terms of their masses and sizes, despite being subjected to external pressures that are several magnitudes greater (~ 108 K cm−3). The fact that > 80% of these cores do not show any signs of star-forming activity in such a high-pressure environment leads us to conclude that this is further evidence of the critical density for star formation being heightened in the CMZ due to turbulence.

Molecular gas kinematics of the CMZ: Great oaks from little acorns grow

AbstractThe central molecular zone (CMZ) hosts some of the most massive and dense molecular clouds and star clusters in the Galaxy, offering an important window into star formation under extreme conditions. Star formation in this extreme environment may be closely linked to the 3-D distribution and orbital dynamics of the gas. Here I discuss how our new, accurate description of the {l,b,v} structure of the CMZ is helping to constrain its 3-D geometry. I also present the discovery of a highly-regular, corrugated velocity field located just upstream from the dust ridge molecular clouds (which include G0.253+0.016 and Sgr B2). The extremes in this velocity field correlate with a series of massive (~ 104 M⊙) cloud condensations. The corrugation wavelength (~23 pc) and cloud separation (~8 pc) closely agree with the predicted Toomre (~17 pc) and Jeans (~6 pc) lengths, respectively. I conclude that gravitational instabilities are driving the formation of molecular clouds within the Galactic Centre gas stream. Furthermore, I suggest that these seeds are the historical analogues of the dust ridge molecular clouds – possible progenitors of some of the most massive and dense molecular clouds in the Galaxy. If our current best understanding for the 3-D geometry of this system is confirmed, these clouds may pinpoint the beginning of an evolutionary sequence that can be followed, in time, from cloud condensation to star formation.

Deeply Embedded Protostellar Population in the Central Molecular Zone Suggested by H2O Masers and Dense Cores

AbstractThe Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), usually referring to the inner 500 pc of the Galaxy, contains a dozen of massive (~105M⊙) molecular clouds. Are these clouds going to actively form stars like Sgr B2? How are they affected by the extreme physical conditions in the CMZ, such as strong turbulence? Here we present a first step towards answering these questions. Using high-sensitivity, high angular resolution radio and (sub)millimeter observations, we studied deeply embedded star formation in six massive clouds in the CMZ, including the 20 and 50 km s−1 clouds, Sgr B1 off (as known as dust ridge clouds e/f), Sgr C, Sgr D, and G0.253 – 0.016. The VLA water maser observations suggest a population of deeply embedded protostellar candidates, many of which are new detections. The SMA 1.3 mm continuum observations reveal peaks in dust emission associated with the masers, suggesting the existence of dense cores. While our findings confirm that clouds such as G0.253 – 0.016 lack internal compact substructures and are quiescent in terms of star formation, two clouds (the 20 km s−1 cloud and Sgr C) stand out with clusters of water masers with associated dense cores which may suggest a population of deeply embedded protostars at early evolutionary phases. Follow-up observations with VLA and ALMA are necessary to confirm their protostellar nature.

COLD MILKY WAY H i GAS IN FILAMENTS

ABSTRACT We investigate data from the Galactic Effelsberg-Bonn H i Survey, supplemented with data from the third release of the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS III) observed at Parkes. We explore the all-sky distribution of the local Galactic H i gas with ∣ v LSR ∣ < 25 km s−1 on angular scales of 11′–16′. Unsharp masking is applied to extract small-scale features. We find cold filaments that are aligned with polarized dust emission and conclude that the cold neutral medium (CNM) is mostly organized in sheets that are, because of projection effects, observed as filaments. These filaments are associated with dust ridges, aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures by Planck at 353 GHz. The CNM above latitudes ∣ b ∣ > 20 ° is described by a log-normal distribution, with a median Doppler temperature T D = 223 K, derived from observed line widths that include turbulent contributions. The median neutral hydrogen (H i) column density is N H i ≃ 1019.1 cm−2. These CNM structures are embedded within a warm neutral medium with N H i ≃ 1020 cm−2. Assuming an average distance of 100 pc, we derive for the CNM sheets a thickness of ≲0.3 pc. Adopting a magnetic field strength of B tot = (6.0 ± 1.8) μG, proposed by Heiles & Troland, and assuming that the CNM filaments are confined by magnetic pressure, we estimate a thickness of 0.09 pc. Correspondingly, the median volume density is in the range 14 ≲ n ≲ 47 cm−3.

Molecular gas kinematics within the central 250 pc of the Milky Way

Using spectral-line observations of HNCO, N2H+, and HNC, we investigate the kinematics of dense gas in the central ~250 pc of the Galaxy. We present SCOUSE (Semi-automated multi-COmponent Universal Spectral-line fitting Engine), a line fitting algorithm designed to analyse large volumes of spectral-line data efficiently and systematically. Unlike techniques which do not account for complex line profiles, SCOUSE accurately describes the {l, b, v_LSR} distribution of CMZ gas, which is asymmetric about Sgr A* in both position and velocity. Velocity dispersions range from 2.6 km/s<\sigma<53.1 km/s. A median dispersion of 9.8 km/s, translates to a Mach number, M_3D>28. The gas is distributed throughout several "streams", with projected lengths ~100-250 pc. We link the streams to individual clouds and sub-regions, including Sgr C, the 20 and 50 km/s clouds, the dust ridge, and Sgr B2. Shell-like emission features can be explained by the projection of independent molecular clouds in Sgr C and the newly identified conical profile of Sgr B2 in {l ,b, v_LSR} space. These features have previously invoked supernova-driven shells and cloud-cloud collisions as explanations. We instead caution against structure identification in velocity-integrated emission maps. Three geometries describing the 3-D structure of the CMZ are investigated: i) two spiral arms; ii) a closed elliptical orbit; iii) an open stream. While two spiral arms and an open stream qualitatively reproduce the gas distribution, the most recent parameterisation of the closed elliptical orbit does not. Finally, we discuss how proper motion measurements of masers can distinguish between these geometries, and suggest that this effort should be focused on the 20 km/s and 50 km/s clouds and Sgr C.

High-mass star-forming cloud G0.38+0.04 in the Galactic center dust ridge contains H2CO and SiO masers

We have discovered a new H$_2$CO (formaldehyde) $1_{1,0}-1_{1,1}$ 4.82966 GHz maser in Galactic Center Cloud C, G0.38+0.04. At the time of acceptance, this is the eighth region containing an H$_2$CO maser detected in the Galaxy. Cloud C is one of only two sites of confirmed high-mass star formation along the Galactic Center Ridge, affirming that H$_2$CO masers are exclusively associated with high-mass star formation. This discovery led us to search for other masers, among which we found new SiO vibrationally excited masers, making this the fourth star-forming region in the Galaxy to exhibit SiO maser emission. Cloud C is also a known source of CH$_3$OH Class-II and OH maser emission. There are now two known SiO and H$_2$CO maser containing regions in the CMZ, compared to two and six respectively in the Galactic disk, while there is a relative dearth of H$_2$O and CH$_3$OH Class-II masers in the CMZ. SiO and H$_2$CO masers may be preferentially excited in the CMZ, perhaps due to higher gas-phase abundances from grain destruction and heating, or alternatively H$_2$O and CH$_3$OH maser formation may be suppressed in the CMZ. In any case, Cloud C is a new testing ground for understanding maser excitation conditions.

The dynamical evolution of molecular clouds near the Galactic Centre – I. Orbital structure and evolutionary timeline

We recently proposed that the star-forming potential of dense molecular clouds in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ, i.e. the central few 100 pc) of the Milky Way is linked to their orbital dynamics, potentially giving rise to an absolute-time sequence of star-forming clouds. In this paper, we present an orbital model for the gas stream(s) observed in the CMZ. The model is obtained by integrating orbits in the observed gravitational potential and represents a good fit to the distribution of dense gas, reproducing all of its key properties. The orbit is also consistent with observational constraints not included in the fitting process, such as the velocities of Sgr B2 and the Arches and Quintuplet clusters. It differs from previous models: (1) the orbit is open rather than closed due to the extended mass distribution in the CMZ, (2) its orbital velocity is twice as high as in previous models, and (3) Sgr A$^*$ coincides with the focus of the (eccentric) orbit rather than being offset. Our orbital solution supports the scenario in which the dust ridge between G0.253+0.016 ('the Brick') and Sgr B2 represents an absolute-time sequence of star-forming clouds, triggered by the tidal compression during their recent pericentre passage. We position the clouds on a common timeline and find that their pericentre passages occurred 0.30-0.74 Myr ago. Given their short free-fall times (0.3-0.4 Myr), the quiescent cloud G0.253+0.016 and the vigorously star-forming complex Sgr B2 are separated by a single free-fall time of evolution, implying that star formation proceeds rapidly once collapse has been initiated. We provide several quantitative predictions of our model and conclude with a discussion of the model in the Galactic context, highlighting its relation to large-scale gas accretion, the dynamics of the bar, the $x_2$ orbital family, and the origin of the Arches and Quintuplet clusters. (Abridged)

A multi-wavelength view of the Galactic center dust ridge reveals little star formation

The Galactic center dust ridge consists of a narrow string of massive condensations identified in submillimeter dust continuum emission. To determine whether new high-mass stars are forming in this region, we performed new observations at 870 $\mu$m with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope and at 8.4 GHz with the Very Large Array. We complement our data with recent maser and mid-infrared results. The ridge's clouds are dark at mid-infrared wavelengths, indicating the presence of cold, high column density material. In combination with existing temperature measurements in the dust ridge, we determined the masses of the largest clouds. The results show that the dust ridge contains a very massive reservoir of molecular material. We find five radio sources at 8.4 GHz in the general dust ridge vicinity but outside of the dust ridge clouds, which are probably all excited by massive young stars, whose properties we constrain. Our observations exclude the existence of zero age main sequence stars with spectral types earlier than B0.5 within the dust ridge clouds. The only indication of ongoing high-mass star formation inside the clouds are class II methanol masers that are found in two of the clouds. Except for a weak water maser, found in previous observations, no signs of star formation are detected in the massive cloud M0.25+0.012.

FORMING AN O STAR VIA DISK ACCRETION?

We present a study of outflow, infall, and rotation in a ~10^5 Lsun (solar luminosity) star-forming region, IRAS 18360-0537, with Submillimeter Array (SMA) and IRAM 30m observations. The 1.3 mm continuum map shows a 0.5 pc dust ridge, of which the central compact part has a mass of ~80 Msun (solar mass) and harbors two condensations, MM1 and MM2. The CO (2--1) and SiO (5--4) maps reveal a biconical outflow centered at MM1, which is a hot molecular core (HMC) with a gas temperature of 320+/-50 K and a mass of ~13 Msun. The outflow has a gas mass of 54 Msun and a dynamical timescale of 8,000 yr. The kinematics of the HMC is probed by high-excitation CH3OH and CH3CN lines, which are detected at sub-arcsecond resolution and unveil a velocity gradient perpendicular to the outflow axis, suggesting a disk-like rotation of the HMC. An infalling envelope around the HMC is evidenced by CN lines exhibiting a profound inverse P-Cygni profile, and the estimated mass infall rate, 1.5x10^{-3} Msun/yr, is well comparable to that inferred from the mass outflow rate. A more detailed investigation of the kinematics of the dense gas around the HMC is obtained from the 13CO and C18O (2--1) lines; the position-velocity diagrams of the two lines are consistent with the model of a free-falling and Keplerian-like rotating envelope. The observations suggest that the protostar of a current mass ~10 Msun embedded within MM1 will develop into an O star via disk accretion and envelope infall.

Sagittarius A* in the Infrared

The central black hole of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (SgrA*) is, in terms of Eddington luminosity, the weakest accreting object of its class accessible to detailed observations. It is therefore key to the refinement of theoretical models of radiatively inefficient accretion. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the mean SED of Sgr A* is very limited. Current models rely almost exclusively on cm to mm mean flux measurements and only on upper limits at infrared to soft X-ray wavelengths. Here, we present a new analysis of imaging data of the Galactic center (GC) at 2.2 to 8.6 microns, obtained with NACO and VISIR at the ESO VLT. We used the VISIR burst mode combined with a novel implementation of the holographic image reconstruction algorithm to obtain mid-infrared images with a Strehl ratio ≫ 90% even under conditions of ∼2 – 3" seeing in the visual. No counterpart of Sgr A* is detected at 8.6 microns. At this wavelength, Sgr A* is located right on top of a dust ridge, which considerably complicates the search for a potential point-source. Based on the available data, it is argued that Sgr A* cannot be detected in the MIR with currently available instruments, not even during flares. At 3.8 and 4.8 μm SgrA* is detected at all times. We measure the time-averaged mean fluxes of Sgr A* at these wavelengths. From the literature there is evidence that SgrA* is also detected at 2.2 μm most of the time. The new measurements of the mean, quiescent emission of SgrA* fill a gap of almost 6 orders of magnitude in its known mean SED and provide novel constraints on accretion/emission models.

The mean infrared emission of Sagittarius A*

(abridged) The massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, SagittariusA* is, in relative terms, the weakest accreting black hole accessible to observations. At the moment, the mean SED of SgrA* is only known reliably in the radio to mm regimes. The goal of this paper is to provide constraints on the mean emission from SgrA* in the near-to-mid infrared. Excellent imaging quality was reached in the MIR by using speckle imaging combined with holographic image reconstruction, a novel technique for this kind of data. No counterpart of SgrA* is detected at 8.6 microns. At this wavelength, SgrA* is located atop a dust ridge, which considerably complicates the search for a potential point source. An observed 3 sigma upper limit of ~10 mJy is estimated for the emission of SgrA* at 8.6 microns, a tighter limit at this wavelength than in previous work. The de-reddened 3 sigma upper limit, including the uncertainty of the extinction correction, is ~84 mJy . Based on the available data, it is argued that, with currently available instruments, SgrA* cannot be detected in the MIR, not even during flares. At 4.8 and 3.8 microns, on the other hand, SgrA* is detected at all times, at least when considering timescales of a few up to 13 min. We derive well-defined time-averaged, de-reddened flux densities of 3.8+-1.3 mJy at 4.8 microns and 5.0+-0.6 mJy at 3.8 microns. Observations with NIRC2/Keck and NaCo/VLT from the literature provide good evidence that SgrA* also has a fairly well-defined de-reddened mean flux of 0.5-2.5 mJy at wavelengths of 2.1-2.2 microns. We present well-constrained anchor points for the SED of SgrA* on the high-frequency side of the Terahertz peak. The new data are in general agreement with published theoretical SEDs of the mean emission from SgrA*, but we expect them to have an appreciable impact on the model parameters in future theoretical work.

GALEXOBSERVATIONS OF DIFFUSE ULTRAVIOLET EMISSION FROM DRACO

We have studied small scale (2 arcmin) spatial variation of the diffuse UV radiation using a set of 11 GALEX deep observations in the constellation of Draco. We find a good correlation between the observed UV background and the IR 100 micron flux, indicating that the dominant contributor of the diffuse background in the field is the scattered starlight from the interstellar dust grains. We also find strong evidence of additional emission in the FUV band which is absent in the NUV band. This is most likely due to Lyman band emission from molecular hydrogen in a ridge of dust running through the field and to line emissions from species such as C IV (1550 A) and Si II (1533 A) in the rest of the field. A strong correlation exists between the FUV/NUV ratio and the FUV intensity in the excess emission regions in the FUV band irrespective of the optical depth of the region. The optical depth increases more rapidly in the UV than the IR and we find that the UV/IR ratio drops off exponentially with increasing IR due to saturation effects in the UV. Using the positional details of Spitzer extragalactic objects, we find that the contribution of extragalactic light in the diffuse NUV background is 49 +/- 13 photon units and is 30 +/- 10 photon units in the FUV band.

HIGH-ANGULAR RESOLUTION DUST POLARIZATION MEASUREMENTS: SHAPEDB-FIELD LINES IN THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGION ORION BN/KL

We present observational results of the thermal dust continuum emission and its linear polarization in one of the nearest massive star-forming sites Orion BN/KL in Orion Molecular Cloud-1. The observations were carried out with the Submillimeter Array. With an angular resolution of 1" (~2 mpc; 480 AU), we have detected and resolved the densest cores near the BN/KL region. At a wavelength of ~870 micron, the polarized dust emission can be used to trace the structure of the magnetic field in this star-forming core. The dust continuum appears to arise from a V-shaped region, with a cavity nearly coincident with the center of the explosive outflows observed on larger scales. The position angles (P.A.s) of the observed polarization vary significantly by a total of about 90 degree but smoothly, i.e., curl-like, across the dust ridges. Such a polarization pattern can be explained with dust grains being magnetically aligned instead of mechanically with outflows, since the latter mechanism would cause the P.A.s to be parallel to the direction of the outflow, i.e., radial-like. The magnetic field projected in the plane of sky is therefore derived by rotating the P.A.s of the polarization by 90 degree. We find an azimuthally symmetric structure in the overall magnetic field morphology, with the field directions pointing toward 2.5" west to the center of the explosive outflows. We also find a preferred symmetry plane at a P.A. of 36 degree, which is perpendicular to the mean magnetic field direction (120 degree) of the 0.5 pc dust ridge. Two possible interpretations of the origin of the observed magnetic field structure are discussed.