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Cited by 288Astrophysics and Star Formation StudiesGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaAstrophysical Phenomena and Observations

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 226 of the 226 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

What controls star formation in the central 500 pc of the Galaxy?

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Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik, Longmore, Steven N., Elmegreen, Bruce G., Murray, Norman, Bally, John, Testi, Leonardo, Kennicutt, Robert C.·2014·Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI 10.1093/mnras/stu494
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Abstract

The star formation rate (SFR) in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ, i.e. the central 500 pc) of the Milky Way is lower by a factor of ≥10 than expected for the substantial amount of dense gas it contains, which challenges current star formation theories. In this paper, we quantify which physical mechanisms could be responsible. On scales larger than the disc scaleheight, the low SFR is found to be consistent with episodic star formation due to secular instabilities or possibly variations of the gas inflow along the Galactic bar. The CMZ is marginally Toomre-stable when including gas and stars, but highly Toomre-stable when only accounting for the gas, indicating a low condensation rate of self-gravitating clouds. On small scales, we find that the SFR in the CMZ may be caused by an elevated critical density for star formation due to the high turbulent pressure. The existence of a universal density threshold for star formation is ruled out. The H i–H2 phase transition of hydrogen, the tidal field, a possible underproduction of massive stars due to a bottom-heavy initial mass function, magnetic fields, and cosmic ray or radiation pressure feedback also cannot individually explain the low SFR. We propose a self-consistent cycle of star formation in the CMZ, in which the effects of several different processes combine to inhibit star formation. The rate-limiting factor is the slow evolution of the gas towards collapse – once star formation is initiated it proceeds at a normal rate. The ubiquity of star formation inhibitors suggests that a lowered central SFR should be a common phenomenon in other galaxies. We discuss the implications for galactic-scale star formation and supermassive black hole growth, and relate our results to the star formation conditions in other extreme environments.

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Research works printed but not linked: 15

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Metadata

Authors
Kruijssen, J. M. D., Longmore, S. N., Elmegreen, B. G., Murray, N., Bally, J., Testi, L., & Kennicutt, R. C.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Society (DE)
  • European Southern Observatory (DE)
  • IBM Research - Thomas J. Watson Research Center (US)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (US)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
Corresponding author
Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik
ORCID
Venue
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2014-04-17
Volume
440
Issue
4
Pages
3370-3391
ISSN
  • 0035-8711 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2966
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stu494
OpenAlex
W1974701556
Cited by
288
References
226
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 13
FWCI
18.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (publishedVersion)
  • Liverpool John Moores University (acceptedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1066293)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Aspen Center for Physics (1066293, PHY-1066293)
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/L00061X/1, ST/H00243X/1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Keywords
star formation rate, Central Molecular Zone, Milky Way, secular instability, galactic bars, gas inflow, turbulent pressure, critical density threshold, tidal field, magnetic field, cosmic ray feedback, supermassive black hole growth, dense gas

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