 |
|
| EPoS Contribution |
|
Young stars in the Galactic centre. Dissolved cluster(s) detection to explain the missing clusters problem
Francisco Nogueras-Lara MPIA, Heidelberg, DE | |
| The Milky Way's centre is the closest galaxy nucleus and our Galaxy's most extreme environment. Due to its extreme properties, the Galactic centre is a perfect laboratory to understand star formation under extreme conditions, similar to those in starburst or high-redshift galaxies. Although its volume is less than 1% the one of the Galactic disc, up to 10% of all stars formed in the Milky Way in the past 100 Myr have formed at its centre. However, there are only two known young clusters at the Galactic centre, that account for <10% of the expected young stellar mass. Studying the Sgr B1 region, a luminous HII region in the Galactic centre, we find evidence for the presence of several 105 solar masses of young stars, probably tracing one or several dissolved young clusters that formed ~10 Myr ago. This is a large step towards more complete census of young stars and opens the field for a better understanding of star formation at the Galactic centre, such as the fate of young clusters and the possibly different initial mass function in this region. | |
 | |
| Caption: JHKs GALACTICNUCLEUS false colour image of the Sgr B1 region. The dashed rectangle indicates a region of hot dust emission where one (several) dissolved cluster(s) were detected. | |
| Collaborators: R. Schoedel, IAA, ES N. Neumayer, MPIA, DE |
Key publication
Suggested Session: High Mass |