We present NH3 and H64α+H63α VLA observations of the Radio Arc region, including the M0.20 – 0.033 and G0.10 – 0.08 molecular clouds. These observations suggest the two velocity components of M0.20 – 0.033 are physically connected in the south. Additional ATCA observations suggest this connection is due to an expanding shell in the molecular gas, with the centroid located near the Quintuplet cluster. The G0.10 – 0.08 molecular cloud has little radio continuum, strong molecular emission, and abundant CH3OH masers, similar to a nearby molecular cloud with no star formation: M0.25+0.01. These features detected in G0.10 – 0.08 suggest dense molecular gas with no signs of current star formation.

Because of the unique observational challenges -extreme crowding and extinction- any existing large-scale near-infrared (NIR) imaging data on the Galactic Center (GC) are limited by either one, or a combination, of the following: saturation, lack of sensitivity, too low angular resolution, or lack of multi-wavelength coverage. To overcome this situation, we are currently carrying out a sensitive, 0.2” resolution JHK imaging survey of the Galactic Centre with HAWK-I/VLT. Thanks to holographic imaging, we achieve a similar resolution than with HST/WFC, but can cover also the long NIR, beyond 2 micrometers, which is essential to deal with extinction. Our survey is supported by an ESO Large Programme and will provide photometrically accurate (few percent uncertainty for H < 18 stars), high-angular resolution, NIR data for an area of several 1000 pc2, a more than ten-fold increase compared to the current state of affairs. Here we present an overview and first results.

We have observed the Galactic Center 50km/s molecular cloud (50MC) with ALMA to search for filamentary structures. In the CS J=2-1 emission line channel maps, we succeeded in identifying 27 molecular cloud filaments using the DisPerSE algorithm. This is the first attempt of filament-finding in the Galactic Center Region. These molecular cloud filaments strongly suggest that the molecular cloud filaments are also ubiquitous in the molecular clouds of the Galactic Center Region.

The Galactic Center (GC) is one of the more extreme environments in the Galaxy. The so call Bubble of the GC presents structures that do not match with the general behavior of the inner Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). In this work we study the molecular emission related to the observable ionized gas emitted by this Bubble. We find dense pockets of gas and bubble like structures in the velocity domain.

The inner few hundred parsecs of the Milky Way, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), is our closest laboratory for understanding star formation in the extreme environments (hot, dense, turbulent gas) that once dominated the universe. We present an update on the first large-area survey to expose the sites of star formation across the CMZ at high-resolution in submillimeter wavelengths: the CMZoom survey with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). We identify the locations of dense cores and search for signatures of embedded star formation. CMZoom is a three-year survey in its final year and is mapping out the highest column density regions of the CMZ in dust continuum and a variety of spectral lines around 1.3 mm. CMZoom combines SMA compact and subcompact configurations with single-dish data from BGPS and the APEX telescope, achieving an angular resolution of about 4″ (0.2 pc) and good image fidelity up to large spatial scales.

A peculiar source in the Galactic center known as the Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO/G2) moves on a highly eccentric orbit around the supermassive black hole with the pericenter passage in the spring of 2014. Its nature has been uncertain mainly because of the lack of any information about its intrinsic geometry. For the first time, we use near-infrared polarimetric imaging data to obtain constraints about the geometrical properties of the DSO. We find out that DSO is an intrinsically polarized source, based on the significance analysis of polarization parameters, with the degree of the polarization of ~30% and an alternating polarization angle as it approaches the position of Sgr A*. Since the DSO exhibits a near-infrared excess of K s-L′ > 3 and remains rather compact in emission-line maps, its main characteristics may be explained with the model of a pre-main-sequence star embedded in a non-spherical dusty envelope.

Star formation in the Galactic disc is primarily controlled by gravity, turbulence, and magnetic fields. It is not clear that this also applies to star formation near the Galactic Centre. Here we determine the turbulence and star formation in the CMZ cloud G0.253+0.016. Using maps of 3 mm dust emission and HNCO intensity-weighted velocity obtained with ALMA, we measure the volume-density variance σρ /ρ 0=1.3±0.5 and turbulent Mach number $\mathcal{M}$ = 11±3. Combining these with turbulence simulations to constrain the plasma β = 0.34±0.35, we reconstruct the turbulence driving parameter b=0.22±0.12 in G0.253+0.016. This low value of b indicates solenoidal (divergence-free) driving of the turbulence in G0.253+0.016. By contrast, typical clouds in the Milky Way disc and spiral arms have a significant compressive (curl-free) driving component (b > 0.4). We speculate that shear causes the solenoidal driving in G0.253+0.016 and show that this may reduce the star formation rate by a factor of 7 compared to nearby clouds.

The central molecular zone (CMZ) hosts some of the most massive and dense molecular clouds and star clusters in the Galaxy, offering an important window into star formation under extreme conditions. Star formation in this extreme environment may be closely linked to the 3-D distribution and orbital dynamics of the gas. Here I discuss how our new, accurate description of the {l,b,v} structure of the CMZ is helping to constrain its 3-D geometry. I also present the discovery of a highly-regular, corrugated velocity field located just upstream from the dust ridge molecular clouds (which include G0.253+0.016 and Sgr B2). The extremes in this velocity field correlate with a series of massive (~ 104 M⊙) cloud condensations. The corrugation wavelength (~23 pc) and cloud separation (~8 pc) closely agree with the predicted Toomre (~17 pc) and Jeans (~6 pc) lengths, respectively. I conclude that gravitational instabilities are driving the formation of molecular clouds within the Galactic Centre gas stream. Furthermore, I suggest that these seeds are the historical analogues of the dust ridge molecular clouds – possible progenitors of some of the most massive and dense molecular clouds in the Galaxy. If our current best understanding for the 3-D geometry of this system is confirmed, these clouds may pinpoint the beginning of an evolutionary sequence that can be followed, in time, from cloud condensation to star formation.

We report the discovery of physical contact between the Galactic circumnuclear disk (CND) and an adjacent giant molecular cloud. The central 10 pc of our Galaxy has been imaged in molecular lines at millimeter wavelength using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m radio telescope. In the position-velocity maps of several high-density probe lines, we have found an emission “bridge” connecting the +20 km s−1 cloud (M–0.13–0.08) and the negative longitude extension of the CND. The collision between the +20 km s−1 cloud and the CND may be responsible for the formation of the bridge. This event can promote mass accretion onto the CND and/or into the inner cavity.

An unresolved X-ray emission extends along the Galactic plane, so-called the Galactic diffuse X-ray emission (GDXE). The characteristic feature is three K-shell lines of Fe at 6.4, 6.7, and 6.9 keV. Recently, superposition of faint point sources, such as Cataclysmic variables (CVs) and Active binaries (ABs) is thought to be a major origin, although it is under debate which sub-class mostly contribute. We re-analyzed the Suzaku archive data and constructed spectral models of ABs, magnetic CVs (mCVs), and non-magnetic CVs (non-mCVs). The GBXE is explained by combination of those models; non-mCVs and ABs mainly contribute while mCVs account for ~10% or less of the 5–10 keV flux. On the other hand, the GCXE and GRXE spectra cannot be represented by any combination of the point sources, indicating another origin would be required.

High-velocity compact cloud (HVCC) is a peculiar category of molecular clouds detected in the central molecular zone of our Galaxy (Oka et al. 1998, 2007, and 2012). They are characterized by compact appearances (d < 5 pc) and very large velocity widths (Δ V > 50 km s−1). Some of them show high CO J=3–2/J=1–0 intensity ratios (≥ 1.5), indicating that they consist of dense and warm molecular gas. Dispite a number of efforts, we have not reached a comprehensive interpretation of HVCCs. Recently, we detected an extraordinaly broad velocity width feature, the ‘Bullet’, in the molecular cloud interacting with the W44 supernova remnant. The Bullet shares essential properties with HVCCs. Because of its proximity, a close inspection of the Bullet must contribute to the understanding of HVCCs.

We present an update on the Mopra Central Molecular Zone Carbon Monoxide (CO) survey, with data taken in 2016 extending the original 3.5° ≥ l ≥ 358.5°, +1.0° ≥ b ≥ -0.5° to 4.0° ≥ l ≥ 358.0°, +1.0° ≥ b ≥ -1.0°. Using the four simultaneously observed lines of 12CO, 13CO, C18O, and C17O Nyquist sampled at 0.6′ spatial and 0.1 km/s spectral resolution, we are building an optical-thickness-corrected three-dimensional model of the diffuse gas, and making cloud mass estimates. This data, as part of the Mopra Southern Galactic Plane CO Survey (Braiding et al. (2015), Burton et al. (2013)), is at the highest resolution available across such a widespread region, and includes the Sagittarius A, Sagittarius B2, Sagittarius C, and G1.3 cloud complexes, as well as Bania’s Clump 2.

We study the process of clump formation from hydrodynamic instabilities in stellar wind collisions, using analytical and numerical techniques. We show that the cloud G2 in the Galactic Centre could have been formed in this way, with the most promising sources being compact massive binaries, such as IRS 16SW.

We investigate the physical conditions of the gas, atomic and molecular, in the filaments in the context of Photo-Dissociation Regions (PDRs) using the KOSMA-PDR mode of clumpy clouds. We also compare the [CII] vs. [NII] integrated intensity predictions in Abel et al. 2005 for HII regions and adjacent PDRs in the Galactic disk, and check for their applicability under the extreme physical conditions present in the GC. Our preliminary results show that observed integrated intensities are well reproduced by the PDR model. The gas is exposed to a relatively low Far-UV field between 102 – 103 Draine fields. The total volume hydrogen density is well constrained between 104 – 105 cm−3. The hydrogen ionization rate due to cosmic-rays varies between 10−15 and 4× 10−15 s−1, with the highest value ~ 10−14 s−1 found towards G0.07+0.04. Our results show that the line-of-sight contribution to the total distance of the filaments to the Arches Cluster is not negligible. The spatial distribution of the [CII]/[NII] ratio shows that the integrated intensity ratios are fairly homogeneously distributed for values below 10 in energy units. Calculations including variation on the [C/N] abundance ratio show that tight constraints on this ratio are needed to reproduce the observations.

The origin of the IceCube astrophysical neutrinos is an outstanding question. Star-forming activities which can accelerate particles to very high energies have been suggested as possible origin of these neutrinos. I will present a scenario where a subset of the neutrino events originate from the Galactic center region and Fermi Bubbles, resulting from star-forming activities. Multi-messenger signal in high energy gamma rays and neutrinos can probe this scenario. I will also present an analysis of the statistical association of the star-forming sources in our Galaxy and outside, with astrophysical neutrinos, as well as expected neutrino signal from these sources by fitting gamma-ray data.

The center of our Galaxy hosts a Super-Massive Black Hole (SMBH) of about 4 × 106 M⊙. Since it has been argued that the SMBH might accelerate particles up to very high energies, its current and past activity could contribute to the population of Galactic cosmic-rays (CRs). Additionally, the condition in the Galactic Center (GC) are often compared with the one of a starburst system. The high supernovae (SN) rate associated with the strong massive star formation in the region must create a sustained CR injection in the GC via the shocks produced at the time of their explosion.

The presence of an excess of very high energy (VHE) cosmic rays in the inner 100 pc of the Galaxy in close correlation with the massive gas complex known as the central molecular zone (CMZ) has been revealed in 2006 by the H.E.S.S. collaboration. Recently, by analysing 10 years of H.E.S.S. data, the H.E.S.S. collaboration confirmed the presence of this extended VHE diffuse emission and deduced a CR density peaked toward the GC. The origin of the CR over-abundance in the GC still remains mysterious: Is it due to a single accelerator at the center or to multiple accelerators filling the region?

In order to investigate the presence of these multiple CR accelerators, and in particular the impact of their spatial distribution on the VHE emission morphology, we build a 3D model of CR injection and diffusive propagation with a realistic 3D gas distribution. We discuss the CR injection in the region by a spectral and morphological comparison with H.E.S.S. data.

We show that a peaked γ-ray profile towards the GC center is obtained using a realistic SN spatial distribution taking into account the central massive star clusters. The contribution of theses sources cannot be neglected in particular at high longitudes. In order to fit the very central excess observed with H.E.S.S., another central VHE component is probably necessary.

We present a snapshot of our ongoing investigation of molecular clouds in Clump 2 located in the Galactic Bar region at a projected distance of ~400pc from the Galactic Center. We show that the analysis of the Clump 2 molecular clouds is complicated because of many fore- and background clouds in the line of sight. Of all clouds, IGGC 22 is the most interesting one, showing very high dust column densities, significant high-J CO emission, and, potentially harbors star formations as eluded to by the detection of [OIII] emission.

Multi-wavelength flares have routinely been observed from the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A⋆ (Sgr A⋆), at our Galactic center. The nature of these flares remains largely unclear, despite many theoretical models. We study the statistical properties of the Sgr A⋆ X-ray flares and find that they are consistent with the theoretical prediction of the self-organized criticality system with the spatial dimension S = 3. We suggest that the X-ray flares represent plasmoid ejections driven by magnetic reconnection (similar to solar flares) in the accretion flow onto the black hole. Motivated by the statistical results, we further develop a time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for the multi-band flares from Sgr A⋆ by analogy with models of solar flares/coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We calculate the X-ray, infrared flare light curves, and the spectra, and find that our model can explain the main features of the flares.

We study the evolution of G2 in a Compact Source Scenario, where G2 is the outflow from a low-mass central star moving on the observed orbit. This is done through 3D AMR simulations of the hydrodynamic interaction of G2 with the surrounding hot accretion flow. A comparison with observations is done by means of mock position-velocity (PV) diagrams. We found that a massive (Ṁ w = 5× 10−7M ⊙ yr−1) and slow (v w = 50 km s−1) outflow can reproduce G2’s properties. A faster outflow (v w = 400 km s−1) might also be able to explain the material that seems to follow G2 on the same orbit.

Atomic carbon (C0) is one of the most abundant carbon-bearing species in the interstellar molecular gas, and its submillimeter lines are good tracers of low-density molecular clouds which are often dark in CO rotational lines. We present a new map of the central 150 pc region of the Milky Way in the 500 GHz [CI] line, which has been recently obtained with the ASTE 10-m telescope. The [CI] emission is brightest toward the central 5-pc region, where massive GMCs are absent. This [CI]-bright region is approximately centered toward Sgr A*, covering the entire circum-nuclear ring (CND) and the western part of the 50-km/s cloud. The C0/CO abundance ratio is 0.5–2 there, and the highest ratio is observed toward the CND but just outside of the 2-pc ring of dense gas. This discovery may suggest that the CO-dark component occupies a significant fraction of the molecular gas in the circumnuclear region.