scholarly journals Diffraction Limited Near Infrared Imaging of the Central Parsec of the Galaxy

1994 ◽  
Vol 158 ◽  
pp. 379-381
Author(s):  
A. Eckart ◽  
R. Genzel ◽  
R. Hofmann ◽  
B.J. Sams ◽  
L.E. Tacconi-Garman
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Core Radius ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
K 13 ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Central Parsec ◽  
Stellar Sources ◽  
Stellar Density ◽  
Source Number

We present deep 1.6 and 2.2 μm images of the central parsec of the Galaxy at a resolution of 0.15″. Most of the flux in earlier seeing limited images comes from about 340 unresolved stellar sources with K≤14. The IRS 16 and 13 complexes are resolved into about two dozen and half a dozen sources, a number of which are probably luminous hot stars. We confirm the presence of a blue near infrared object (K≈13) at the position of the compact radio source Sgr A∗. The spatial centroid of the source number distribution is consistent with the position of Sgr A∗ but not with a position in the IRS 16 complex. The stellar surface density in the central 10″ is very well fitted by an isothermal cluster model with a well defined core radius. The derived core radius of all 340 sources is 0.15±0.05 pc. The central stellar density is a few times 107 M⊙ pc−3. Buildup of massive stars by merging of lower mass stars and collisional disruption of giant atmospheres are very probable processes in the central 0.2 pc.

Diffraction Limited Near Infrared Imaging of the Central Parsec of the Galaxy

1994 ◽  
pp. 379-381
Author(s):  
A. Eckart ◽  
R. Genzel ◽  
R. Hofmann ◽  
B. J. Sams ◽  
L. E. Tacconi-Garman
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Near Infrared Imaging ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Central Parsec

scholarly journals Planck’s dusty GEMS

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A60 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cañameras ◽  
N. P. H. Nesvadba ◽  
M. Limousin ◽  
H. Dole ◽  
R. Kneissl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Galaxy Cluster ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Mass Outflow ◽  
Gas Accretion

We report the discovery of a molecular wind signature from a massive intensely star-forming clump of a few 109 M⊙, in the strongly gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxy “the Emerald” (PLCK_G165.7+49.0) at z = 2.236. The Emerald is amongst the brightest high-redshift galaxies on the submillimeter sky, and was initially discovered with the Planck satellite. The system contains two magnificient structures with projected lengths of 28.5″ and 21″ formed by multiple, near-infrared arcs, falling behind a massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.35, as well as an adjacent filament that has so far escaped discovery in other wavebands. We used HST/WFC3 and CFHT optical and near-infrared imaging together with IRAM and SMA interferometry of the CO(4–3) line and 850 μm dust emission to characterize the foreground lensing mass distribution, construct a lens model with LENSTOOL, and calculate gravitational magnification factors between 20 and 50 in most of the source. The majority of the star formation takes place within two massive star-forming clumps which are marginally gravitationally bound and embedded in a 9 × 1010 M⊙, fragmented disk with 20% gas fraction. The stellar continuum morphology is much smoother and also well resolved perpendicular to the magnification axis. One of the clumps shows a pronounced blue wing in the CO(4–3) line profile, which we interpret as a wind signature. The mass outflow rates are high enough for us to suspect that the clump might become unbound within a few tens of Myr, unless the outflowing gas can be replenished by gas accretion from the surrounding disk. The velocity offset of –200 km s−1 is above the escape velocity of the clump, but not that of the galaxy overall, suggesting that much of this material might ultimately rain back onto the galaxy and contribute to fueling subsequent star formation.

scholarly journals 7.3. Sgr A∗ in the mid-infrared reference frame: no evidence of an infrared counterpart, or interaction with nearby sources

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 295-297
Author(s):  
Dan Gezari
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Reference Frames ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Infrared Emission ◽  
Mid Infrared ◽  
Source Component ◽  
Comparable Accuracy ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Central Parsec ◽  
Infrared Sources

We have determined the position of Sgr A∗ with respect to the mid-infrared (5-25 m) sources in the central parsec by direct correlation of our 12.4 m array image (Gezari et al. 1994) and the new 2-cm continuum VLA map (Yusef-Zadeh 1997; private communication), without a priori knowledge of any other position determinations. Menten et al. (1997) recently succeeded in registering the radio and near-infrared (2.2 m) reference frames with high precision (+0.03 arcsec) using VLA observations of Sgr A∗, SiO masers and H2O masers. Unfortunately, registering the mid-infrared and radio reference frames with comparable accuracy cannot be done by applying the 2.2 m calibration. Most near-infrared sources have no detectable mid-infrared counterparts, and it is not obvious which of those that do are coincident (if any), since near-infrared and mid-infrared emission generally does not arise from the same physical source component. Dramatic examples of shifts between the brightest near- and mid-infrared peaks can be seen in Orion BN/KL and the Ney-Allen Nebula (Gezari and Backman 1994; Gezari, Backman and Werner 1997) corresponding to 0.1 - 0.5 arcsec if they were located at 8.5 kpc. Further, several Sgr A West IRS sources are displaced significantly in the infrared and radio, suggesting they may actually be compact clusters of objects.

scholarly journals The Nuclear Star Cluster of the Milky Way: Star Formation, Stellar Collisions and Central Dark Mass

1996 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
R. Genzel
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Structure Evolution ◽  
Late Type ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Imaging And Spectroscopy ◽  
Central Parsec

High resolution near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy now gives detailed information about the structure, evolution and mass distribution in the nuclear star cluster of the Milky Way. The central parsec is powered by a cluster of luminous and helium rich, blue supergiants/Wolf-Rayet stars. The most likely scenario for the formation of the massive stars is a star formation burst a few million years ago at which time a dense gas cloud may have fallen into the center. The stellar density in the ∼ 0.3 pc radius central core is high enough that collisions with main sequence stars destroy the largest late type giant stars. Radial velocity measurements for about 300 early and late type stars between 0.1 and 5pc radius from the dynamic center now strongly favor the existence of a central dark mass of 2.5 − 3.3 × 106M⊙ (density (109M⊙pc−3, M/L2μm) ∼ 100M⊙/L⊙) within 0.1pc of the dynamic center. This central dark mass cannot be a cluster of neutron stars. It is either a compact cluster of stellar black holes or, most likely, a single massive black hole.

scholarly journals Deep point spread function photometric catalog of the VVV survey data

2019 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
pp. A85
Author(s):  
M. Zhang ◽  
J. Kainulainen
Keyword(s):  
Point Spread Function ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Point Spread ◽  
Deep Point ◽  
Spread Function ◽  
Local Crowding ◽  
Source Number

Context. The Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey has performed a multi-epoch near-infrared imaging of the inner Galactic plane. High-fidelity photometric catalogs are needed to utilize the data. Aims. We aim at producing a deep, point spread function (PSF) photometric catalog for the VVV survey J-,H-, and Ks-band data. Specifically, we aim to take advantage of multiple epochs of the survey to reach high limiting magnitudes. Methods. We developed an automatic PSF-fitting pipeline based on the DaoPHOT algorithm and performed photometry on the stacked VVV images in J,  H, and Ks bands. Results. We present a PSF photometric catalog in the Vega system that contains about 926 million sources in the J,  H, and Ks filters. About 10% of the sources are flagged as possible spurious detections. The 5σ limiting magnitudes of the sources with high reliability are about 20.8, 19.5, and 18.7 mag in the J,  H, and Ks bands, respectively, depending on the local crowding condition. Our photometric catalog reaches on average about one magnitude deeper than the previously released PSF DoPHOT photometric catalog and includes less spurious detections. There are significant differences in the brightnesses of faint sources between our catalog and the previously released one. The likely origin of these differences is in the different photometric algorithms that are used; it is not straightforward to assess which catalog is more accurate in different situations. Our new catalog is beneficial especially for science goals that require high limiting magnitudes; our catalog reaches such high magnitudes in fields that have a relatively uniform source number density. Overall, the limiting magnitudes and completeness are different in fields with different crowding conditions.

scholarly journals Stellar substructures in the periphery of the magellanic clouds with the VISTA hemisphere survey from the red clump and other tracers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalal El Youssoufi ◽  
Maria-Rosa L Cioni ◽  
Cameron P M Bell ◽  
Richard de Grijs ◽  
Martin A T Groenewegen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Magellanic Clouds ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
The North ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Northern Side ◽  
Red Clump ◽  
Interaction History

Abstract We study the morphology of the stellar periphery of the Magellanic Clouds in search of substructure using near–infrared imaging data from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS). Based on the selection of different stellar populations using the (J − Ks, Ks) colour–magnitude diagram, we confirm the presence of substructures related to the interaction history of the Clouds and find new substructures on the eastern side of the LMC disc which may be owing to the influence of the Milky Way, and on the northern side of the SMC, which is probably associated to the ellipsoidal structure of the galaxy. We also study the luminosity function of red clump stars in the SMC and confirm the presence of a bi–modal distance distribution, in the form of a foreground population. We find that this bi–modality is still detectable in the eastern regions of the galaxy out to a 10○ distance from its centre. Additionally, a background structure is detected in the North between 7○ and 10○ from the centre which might belong to the Counter Bridge, and a foreground structure is detected in the South between 6○ and 8○ from the centre which might be linked to the Old Bridge.

scholarly journals Surveying the Giant H ii Regions of the Milky Way with SOFIA. III. W49A

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (2) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
James M. De Buizer ◽  
Wanggi Lim ◽  
Mengyao Liu ◽  
Nicole Karnath ◽  
James T. Radomski
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Infrared Emission ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Extended Radio ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Western Side

Abstract We present our third set of results from our mid-infrared imaging survey of Milky Way Giant H ii regions with our detailed analysis of W49A, one of the most distant, yet most luminous, GH ii regions in the Galaxy. We used the FORCAST instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to obtain 20 and 37 μm images of the entire ∼5.′0 × 3.′5 infrared-emitting area of W49A at a spatial resolution of ∼3″. Utilizing these SOFIA data in conjunction with previous multiwavelength observations from the near-infrared to radio, including Spitzer-IRAC and Herschel-PACS archival data, we investigate the physical nature of individual infrared sources and subcomponents within W49A. For individual compact sources, we used the multiwavelength photometry data to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and fit them with massive young stellar object (MYSO) SED models and find 22 sources that are likely to be MYSOs. Ten new sources are identified for the first time in this work. Even at 37 μm we are unable to detect infrared emission from the sources on the western side of the extremely extinguished ring of compact radio emission sources known as the Welch Ring. Utilizing multiwavelength data, we derived luminosity-to-mass ratio and virial parameters of the extended radio subregions of W49A to estimate their relative ages and find that overall the subcomponents of W49A have a very small spread in evolutionary state compared to our previously studied GH ii regions.

scholarly journals SiO and H2O Masers in the Central Parsec of the Galaxy

1998 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 229-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl M. Menten ◽  
Mark J. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Galactic Center ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Infrared Images ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Central Parsec ◽  
Infrared Sources

AbstractWe have discovered maser emission from SiO and H2O molecules toward a number of evolved stars within the central parsec of our Galaxy. The maser positions can be registered with milliarcsecond precision relative to the radio continuum emission of the nonthermal Galactic center source Sgr A*. Since the masing stars are prominent infrared sources, our data can be used to locate the position of Sgr A* on infrared images of the Galactic center region. Using VLBA observations it will be possible to measure proper motions of the maser stars, which can be used to put constraints on the mass distribution in the central parsec.

scholarly journals The Luminosity of the Central Parsec of the Galaxy

1989 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 423-436
Author(s):  
M. W. Werner ◽  
J. A. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Thermal Emission ◽  
Large Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Infrared Emission ◽  
Infrared Observations ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Infrared Wavelengths ◽  
Central Parsec ◽  
30 Doradus

The luminosity of the central 5 pc of the Galaxy -encompassing the inner regions of the rotating ring of dust and gas which surrounds the galactic center - emerges primarily at infrared wavelengths in the form of thermal emission from heated dust. The nature and location of the sources which heat the dust can be inferred from the spatial and temperature distribution of the thermal infrared emission (λ>20um), from studies of the ionized gas in this region, and from direct imaging in the near infrared. These observations show that the principal heating sources within this 5-pc region are concentrated within the central parsec of the Galaxy and indicate that the luminosity of these sources is within a factor of two of 107 LO. The near-infrared observations of the compact sources at the galactic center do not reveal a single dominant source but suggest instead that the several components of the IRS-16 complex, taken together, may contribute the bulk of the luminosity; however, the data also permit a single object to dominate the energetics of this region. We draw attention to the striking morphological similarities between the galactic center and the innermost regions of the 30 Doradus nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud and speculate that the luminosity sources in the galactic center may resemble the early-type supergiants in 30 Doradus.

scholarly journals 10.1. The nuclear star cluster of the Milky Way: star formation and central dark mass

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 421-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Genzel ◽  
A. Eckart
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Structure Evolution ◽  
Massive Black Hole ◽  
Imaging And Spectroscopy ◽  
Sgr A

High spatial resolution, near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of the nuclear star cluster obtained in the last few years have given key new insights about the structure, evolution and mass distribution in the Milky Way Center. The central parsec is powered by a cluster of hot, massive stars. Their characteristics imply that there was an active phase of star formation a few million years ago, probably triggered by the infall and collapse of a very dense gas cloud. Other such starburst episodes may have taken place between 100 and 300 million years ago. Measurements of radial and proper motions for more than 200 stars show that stellar velocities increase with a Kepler law down to a scale of a light week from the compact radio source Sgr A∗. The data make a compelling case for the presence of a compact, central dark mass of about 2.6×106 M⊙. Simple physical considerations show that this dark mass cannot consist of a stable cluster of stars, stellar remnants or substellar condensations. Energy equipartition requires that at least five percent of the dark mass (≥105 M⊙) must be associated with Sgr A∗ itself and likely is enclosed within less than 8 light minutes. If one accepts these arguments it is hard to escape the conclusion that Sgr A∗ is indeed a massive black hole at the core of the Milky Way.

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