Star Formation in the Central Molecular Zone

The region close to the center of the Milky Way, known as the central molecular zone (CMZ), was the subject of the Submillimeter Array in its Legacy Survey. Data from this survey along with data from the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment are used to investigate the nature of the CMZ. Current observations show that the current star formation rate in the CMZ is approximately one order of magnitude below what is predicted by current models. In this study, the 1.6 Degree Cloud (G1.602+0.018) and the 1.1 Degree Cloud (G0.891-0.048) are investigated. Both clouds are outside the immediate central 100 pc region, but still subject to increased temperatures, densities, and turbulence characteristic of the CMZ. Dense cores have been identified in the 1.6 Degree Cloud suggesting the existence of star formation, despite the turbulent nature of the region. One core is identified in the 1.1 Degree Cloud though the star-forming nature of this core is unclear.  Thus, further higher resolution observations of the 1.1 Degree Cloud are recommended. The identification of these dense cores and measurement of their physical properties performed in this study will allow researchers, in combination with similar analyses of other regions, to understand how stars form in the CMZ, and how that compares with more well-understood star formation in the disk of our Galaxy.