THE GALACTIC CENTER: NOT AN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS
- Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750 (Korea, Republic of)
- NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)
We present 10 {mu}m-35 {mu}m Spitzer spectra of the interstellar medium in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), the central 210 pc Multiplication-Sign 60 pc of the Galactic center (GC). We present maps of the CMZ in ionic and H{sub 2} emission, covering a more extensive area than earlier spectroscopic surveys in this region. The radial velocities and intensities of ionic lines and H{sub 2} suggest that most of the H{sub 2} 0-0 S(0) emission comes from gas along the line-of-sight, as found by previous work. We compare diagnostic line ratios measured in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey to our data. Previous work shows that forbidden line ratios can distinguish star-forming galaxies from low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our GC line ratios agree with star-forming galaxies and not with LINERs or AGNs.
- OSTI ID:
- 22118757
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, Vol. 206, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0067-0049
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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