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Evidence for a Mass Outflow from Our Galactic Center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2007

Casey Law
Casey Law*
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute “Anton Pannekoek”, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 403, Amsterdam, 1098 SJ, Netherlands email: claw@science.uva.nl
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Abstract

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We discuss the nature of the Galactic center lobe (GCL), a degree-tall, loop-like structure apparently erupting from the central few hundred parsecs of our Galaxy. Although its coincidence with the Galactic center has inspired diverse models for its origin, the observational evidence connecting this structure to the GC region has been thin. We describe a multiwavelength observing campaign with the VLA, GBT, Spitzer, and other telescopes that finds compelling evidence that the structure is likely formed by a mass outflow from the central tens of parsecs of our Galaxy. The size and mass of the putative outflow is consistent with that expected from the observed supernova rate and gas pressure in the GC region. If the GCL is a mass outflow, its relative proximity offers a unique opportunity for studying these structures in unprecedented detail.

Keywords

Galaxy: center – ISM: jets and outflows – galaxies: starburst
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 3 , Symposium S250: Massive Stars as Cosmic Engines , December 2007 , pp. 407 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

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