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Cited by 282Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesAstrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

EVIDENCE FOR WARPED DISKS OF YOUNG STARS IN THE GALACTIC CENTER

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Bartko, H., Martins, F., Fritz, T. K., Genzel, R., Levin, Y., Perets, H. B., Paumard, T., Nayakshin, S. +13 more·2009·The Astrophysical Journal
DOI 10.1088/0004-637x/697/2/1741
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Abstract

The central parsec around the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center (GC) hosts more than 100 young and massive stars. Outside the central cusp ( R ∼ 1'') the majority of these O and Wolf–Rayet (W–R) stars reside in a main clockwise system, plus a second, less prominent disk or streamer system at large angles with respect to the main system. Here we present the results from new observations of the GC with the AO-assisted near-infrared imager NACO and the integral field spectrograph SINFONI on the ESO/VLT. These include the detection of 27 new reliably measured W–R/O stars in the central 12'' and improved measurements of 63 previously detected stars, with proper motion uncertainties reduced by a factor of 4 compared to our earlier work. Based on the sample of 90 well measured W–R/O stars, we develop a detailed statistical analysis of their orbital properties and orientations. We show that half of the W–R/O stars are compatible with being members of a clockwise rotating system. The rotation axis of this system shows a strong transition from the inner to the outer regions as a function of the projected distance from Sgr A*. The main clockwise system either is either a strongly warped single disk with a thickness of about 10°, or consists of a series of streamers with significant radial variation in their orbital planes. Eleven out of 61 clockwise moving stars have an angular separation of more than 30° from the local angular momentum direction of the clockwise system. The mean eccentricity of the clockwise system is 0.36 ± 0.06. The distribution of the counterclockwise W–R/O star is not isotropic at the 98% confidence level. It is compatible with a coherent structure such as stellar filaments, streams, small clusters or possibly a disk in a dissolving state: 10 out of 29 counterclockwise moving W–R/O stars have an angular separation of more than 30° from the local angular momentum direction of the counterclockwise system. The observed disk warp and the steep surface density distribution favor in situ star formation in gaseous accretion disks as the origin of the young massive stars.

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Crossref · 10.1088/0004-637x/697/2/1741

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  • The rotation vectors of individual stars within the clockwise system slightly vary but overall remain at an inclination of 122°±7° (about ~30° away from the Galactic rotation axis).

    “Additionally, the rotation vectors of individual stars within the clockwise system slightly vary from each other but, overall, remain at an inclination of 122 ◦ ± 7 ◦ (about ∼ 30 ◦ away from the Galactic rotation axis) (Paumard et al. 2006; Bartko et al. 2009; Lu et al. 2008; Genzel et al. 2010).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Bartko et al. 2009

    Section 5.1.2 reports differences among individual stars’ angular-momentum directions, and Section 6.1.2 says the clockwise system’s rotation axis changes with distance from Sgr A*. Our copy does not give an overall inclination of 122° ± 7° or establish that the system remains about 30° from the Galactic rotation axis. Page numbers are unavailable in the indexed passages. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • A younger generation of stars (age≈6±2 Myr) is observed within the central 0.5 pc.

    “A younger generation of stars (age ≈ 6 ± 2 Myr) is also observed within the central 0 . 5 pc (Paumard et al. 2006; Bartko et al. 2009).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Bartko et al. 2009

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Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Binney, J., & Tremaine, S. 1987, Galactic Dynamics (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press)
  2. Calia, D., et al. 2006, Proc. SPIE, 6272, 6
  3. Davies, B., et al. 2008, ApJ, in press (arXiv:0811.3179) · arXiv
  4. Forrest, W. J., et al. 1987, in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed.
  5. Hobbs, A., & Nayakshin, S. 2008, MNRAS, submitted (arXiv:0809.3752) · arXiv
  6. Löckmann, U., & Baumgardt, H. 2009b, MNRAS, in press (arXiv:0901.1660) · arXiv
  7. Perets, H. B., Kupi, G., & Alexander, T. 2008b, in IAU Symp. 246, Dynamical Evolution of Dense Stellar Systems, ed. E. Vesperini, M. Giersz, & A. I. Sills (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press), 275
  8. Peters, A. 1983, The New Cartography (New York: Friendship Press)
  9. Ulubay-Siddiki, A., Gerhard, O., & Arnaboldi, M. 2007, in IAU Symp. 238, Black Holes: From Stars to Galaxies-Across the Range of Masses, ed. V. Karas & G. Matt (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press), 467

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Authors
Bartko, H., Martins, F., Fritz, T. K., Genzel, R., Levin, Y., Perets, H. B., Paumard, T., Nayakshin, S., Gerhard, O., Alexander, T., Dodds-Eden, K., Eisenhauer, F., Gillessen, S., Mascetti, L., Ott, T., Perrin, G., Pfuhl, O., Reid, M. J., Rouan, D., Sternberg, A., & Trippe, S.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Leiden University (NL)
  • Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
  • University of Leicester (GB)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
Corresponding author
Bartko, H.
ORCID
Venue
The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Published
2009-05-14
Volume
697
Issue
2
Pages
1741-1763
ISSN
  • 0004-637X (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-4357
DOI
10.1088/0004-637x/697/2/1741
OpenAlex
W2002943556
Cited by
282
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 18
FWCI
9.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Astrophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
  • Leicester Research Archive (University of Leicester) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • Israel Science Foundation
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (PP/E00119X/1)
  • FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (202996)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Keywords
Galactic Center, disk warping, young massive stars, Wolf-Rayet stars, O-type stars, Sgr A*, stellar orbits, orbital plane orientation, angular momentum, in situ star formation, stellar streams, proper motions

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