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Young stars in the Galactic center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2014

Jessica R. Lu ,
Andrea M. Ghez ,
Mark R. Morris ,
Will Clarkson ,
Andrea Stolte ,
Tuan Do ,
Sylvana Yelda  and
Jay Anderson
Jessica R. Lu
Affiliation:
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, USA, HI 96822 email: jlu@ifa.hawaii.edu
Andrea M. Ghez
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Mark R. Morris
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Will Clarkson
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
Andrea Stolte
Affiliation:
Argelander Institut fur Astronomie, Germany
Tuan Do
Affiliation:
Dunlap Institute, Unversity of Toronto, Canada
Sylvana Yelda
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Jay Anderson
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, USA
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Abstract

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The central parsec of our Galaxy hosts not only a supermassive black hole, but also a large population of young stars (age <6 Myr) whose presence is puzzling given how inhospitable the region is for star formation. The strong tidal forces require gas densities many orders of magnitude higher than is found in typical molecular clouds. Kinematic observations of this young nuclear cluster show complex structures, including a well-defined inner disk, but also a substantial off-disk population. Spectroscopic and photometric measurements indicate the initial mass function (IMF) differs significantly from the canonical IMF found in the solar neighborhood. These observations have led to a number of proposed star formation scenarios, such as an infalling massive star cluster, a single infalling molecular cloud, or cloud-cloud collisions. I will review recent works on the young stars in the central parsec and discuss connections with young nuclear star clusters in other galaxies, such as M31, and with star formation in the larger central molecular zone.

Keywords

star formationGalactic center
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 9 , Symposium S303: The Galactic Center: Feeding and Feedback in a Normal Galactic Nucleus , October 2013 , pp. 211 - 219
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

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