Investigating Activities in Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone through Observations in Millimeter and Submillimeter Wavelengths

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26800105
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA KUNIHIKO 慶應義塾大学, 理工学部(矢上), 助教 (00534562)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 電波天文学 / 星間化学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Investigation of molecular chemistry in the Galactic central region and gas accretion to the nucleus has been conducted through observations of atomic/molecular lines in the millimeter and sumillimeter wavelengths. The immediate aim was to understand the origin of the cloud with atypically rich abundance of atomic carbon. We have performed a large scale mapping of the atomic carbon line using the ASTE 10-m telescope and a high-sensitivity and high-resolutional observation of atomic carbon in the circumnuclear reiong using ALMA. Chemical processes that determine the abundance of atomic carbon has been searched using a new method we have newly developed for this study. We have shown that the atomic carbon cloud is likely to trace gas streaming to the nucleus, but no evidence has been found for the effects of the cosmic-ray dissociation or mechanical dissociation. The atomic carbon cloud may provide a new means by which we observe gas accretion to the circumnuclear region.

Free Research Field

天文学