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Cited by 106Astrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaStellar, planetary, and galactic studies

Kinematic and structural analysis of the Minispiral in the Galactic Center from BEAR spectro-imagery

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Paumard, T., Maillard, J.-P., Morris, M.·2004·Astronomy & Astrophysics
DOI 10.1051/0004-6361:20034209
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Abstract

Integral field spectroscopy of the inner region of the Galactic Center, over a field of roughly was obtained at 2.06 μm () and 2.16 μm (Brγ) using BEAR, an imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer, at spectral resolutions respectively of 52.9 km s-1 and 21.3 km s-1, and a spatial resolution of . The analysis of the data was focused on the kinematics of the gas flows, traditionally called the “Minispiral”, concentrated in the neighborhood of the central black hole, Sgr A*. From the decomposition into several velocity components (up to four) of the line profile extracted at each point of the field, velocity features were identified. Nine distinguishable structures are described: the standard Northern Arm, Eastern Arm, Bar, Western Arc, and five additional, coherently-moving patches of gas. From this analysis, the Northern Arm appears not limited, as usually thought, to the bright, narrow North-South lane seen on intensity images, but it consists instead of a weak, continuous, triangular-shaped surface, drawn out into a narrow stream in the vicinity of Sgr A* where it shows a strong velocity gradient, and a bright western rim. The Eastern Arm is split into three components (a Ribbon and a Tip, separated by a cavity, and an elongated feature parallel to the Ribbon: the Eastern Bridge). We also report extinction of some interstellar structures by other components, providing information on their relative position along the line of sight. A system of Keplerian orbits can be fitted to most of the Northern Arm, and the bright rim of this feature can be interpreted in terms of line-of-sight orbit crowding caused by the warping of the flowing surface at the western edge facing Sgr A*. These results lead to a new picture of the gas structures in Sgr A West, in which large-scale gas flows and isolated gas patches coexist in the gravitational field of the central Black Hole. The question of the origin of the ionized gas is addressed and a discussion of the lifetime of these features is presented.

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  • The CND (inclination ≈70°) and ionized streams (inclination ≈50°) are significantly misaligned with the large scale Galactic plane (inclination=90°).

    “The CND(inclination ≈ 70 ◦ ) and ionized streams (inclination ≈ 50 ◦ ) are significantly misaligned with the large scale Galactic plane (inclination = 90 ◦ ) (Jackson et al. 1993; Paumard et al. 2004; Zhao et al. 2009; Genzel et al. 2010), an important issue I will come back to below.”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Paumard et al. 2004

    Section 5.4 says the modeled Northern Arm’s orbital planes are close to that of the CND, supporting a relationship between one ionized stream and the CND. The Discussion reiterates that relationship. Neither passage gives the claimed inclinations of approximately 70° and 50° or compares either structure with the large-scale Galactic plane; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Christopher, M. H., & Scoville, N. Z. 2003, in Active Galactic Nuclei: from Central Engine to Host Galaxy, ed. S. Collin, F. Combes, & I. Shlosman., ASP Conf. Ser., 290, 389
  2. Morris, M., & Maillard, J. P. 2000, in Imaging the Universe in Three Dimensions, ed. W. van Breugel, & J. Bland-Hawthorn, ASP Conf. Ser., 195, 196
  3. Mouawad, N., Eckart, A., Pfalzner, S., et al. 2004, A&A, submitted [arXiv:astro-ph/0402338] · arXiv
  4. Paumard, T. 2003, Ph.D. Thesis, Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI, http://thibaut.paumard.free.fr/These/
  5. Paumard, T., Maillard, J. P., & Stolovy, S. R. 2003, in Galactic Center Workshop 2002: The Central 300 parsecs, ed. A. Cotera, S. Markoff, T. R. Geballe, & H. Falcke, Astron. Nachr., 324 S1/2003, 303

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Authors
Paumard, T., Maillard, J.-P., & Morris, M.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
ORCID
Venue
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Publisher
EDP Sciences
Published
2004-10
Volume
426
Issue
1
Pages
81-96
ISSN
  • 0004-6361 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-0746
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361:20034209
OpenAlex
W2106373137
Cited by
106
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 6
FWCI
4.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • CERN Document Server (European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (9988397)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Keywords
Galactic Center, Sgr A*, ionized gas kinematics, integral field spectroscopy, gas flow, Keplerian orbits, interstellar extinction, Sgr A West, central black holes

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