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Bipolar 13CO (2-1) Molecular Outflows within 1pc of Sgr A*: Evidence for Low-mass Star Formation Activity
Farhad Zadeh Northwestern U, Evanston, US | |
| Sgr A*, is expected to suppress star formation because the measured density of the cloud is insufficient for self-gravity to overcome tidal disruption by the black hole's gravitational field. Clear identification of young star formation activity has been hampered by the Galactic center's distance, 30 magnitudes of foreground extinction, and stellar crowding. Here, we report the discovery of 11 bipolar molecular outflows using ALMA within a projected distance of one pc from Sgr A*. These unambiguous signatures of young protostars manifest as approaching and receding lobes of dense gas swept up by the jets created during the formation and early evolution of low-mass stars. The mean dynamical age of the outflow sources and the rate of star formation are estimated to be about 6500 years and 5×10-4 Msol/yr, respectively. These measurements suggest that star formation could take place in the immediate vicinity supermassive black holes in the nuclei of external galaxies. | |
| Collaborators: F. Yusef-Zadeh M. Wardle D. Kunneriath M.J. Royster A. Wootten D.A. Roberts |
Suggested Session:
Galactic-scale star formation |