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Related papers: Nuclear Spirals in the inner Milky Way

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Using recent observational data, we construct a set of multi-component equilibrium models of the disk of a Milky Way-like galaxy. The disk dynamics are studied using collisionless-gaseous numerical simulations, based on the joined…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2021-05-10 Sergey Khrapov , Alexander Khoperskov , Vladimir Korchagin

It is thought that many characteristics of the gaseous features within the central parsec of our Galaxy, are associated with the accretion of ambient plasma by a central concentration of mass. Using a 3D hydrodynamical code, we have been…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 R. Coker , F. Melia

We produce a detailed map of the perturbed surface density of neutral hydrogen in the outer Milky Way disk demonstrating that the Galaxy is a non-axisymmetric multi-armed spiral. Spiral structure in the southern half of the Galaxy can be…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-11 E. S. Levine , Leo Blitz , Carl Heiles

In this review, I discuss some highlights of recent research on molecular gas in galaxies; large-scale CO maps of nearby galaxies are being made, which extend our knowledge on global properties, radial gradients, and spiral structure of the…

Astrophysics · Physics 2016-08-30 F. Combes

Hundreds of high-velocity atomic gas clouds exist above and below the Galactic Centre, with some containing a molecular component. However, the origin of these clouds in the Milky Way's wind is unclear. This paper presents new…

The recent Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large-Area Central Molecular Zone Exploration (FIREPLACE) survey with SOFIA has mapped plane-of-the-sky magnetic field orientations within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. Applying the…

By mapping the molecular fraction of the Galactic Center (GC), we quantitatively address the question of how much molecular and central the CMZ (Central Molecular Zone) is. For this purpose we analyze the CO and HI-line archival data, and…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2022-09-14 Yoshiaki Sofue

The morphology of the Milky Way is still a matter of debate. In order to shed light on uncertainties surrounding the structure of the Galaxy, in this paper, we study the imprint of spiral arms on the distribution and properties of its…

In this review, I highlight a number of recent surveys of molecular gas in nearby spiral galaxies. Through such surveys, more complete observations of the distribution and kinematics of molecular gas have become available for galaxies with…

Astrophysics · Physics 2017-01-18 Michele D. Thornley

The nature of our Milky Way Galaxy is reexamined from an eclectic point of view. Evidence for a central bar, for example, is not reflected in the distribution of RR Lyrae variables in the central bulge [4,5], and it is not clear if either a…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2015-06-17 David G. Turner

Molecular cloud collisions are a prominent theory for the formation of stars. Observational studies into cloud collisions identify the collision via a bridging feature: a continuous strip of line emission that connects two intensity peaks…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-10-25 Rees A. Barnes , Felix D. Priestley

We present the statistical properties of molecular clumps in the Galactic center 50 km s$^{-1}$ molecular cloud (GCM-0.02-0.07) based on observations of the CS $J=1-0$ emission line with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array. In the cloud, 37…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2015-06-04 Masato Tsuboi , Atsushi Miyazaki

The circular speed curve of the Milky Way provides a key constraint on its mass distribution, reflecting the axisymmetric component of the gravitational potential. This is especially critical in the inner Galaxy ($R \lesssim 4$ kpc), where…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2025-07-18 Junichi Baba

There exist extremely massive spiral galaxies in isolated environments, with stellar masses several times that of the Milky Way, yet their star formation rates (SFRs) are comparable to or even lower than that of the Milky Way. In this…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2025-10-21 Yu Huang , Jiangtao Li , Yan Jiang , Ping Zhou , Jianghui Xu , Liyuan Lu , Yang Yang

The Milky Way Galactic Center hosts a $\sim4\times10^{6}\,M_\odot$ supermassive black hole (SMBH), Sgr A*. The dominant structures in its immediate vicinity are the nuclear star cluster (NSC), whose enclosed mass at 2 pc is approximately…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2025-12-16 Asad Ukani , Lena Murchikova , Mark D. Gorski

VLA maps of ammonia emission were made for the Galactic Center region. The NH3(1,1) and NH3(2,2) transitions were observed in three 2' x 2' fields covering Sgr A* and the region 3' immediately south of it. In the central 3 parsecs…

Astrophysics · Physics 2019-04-22 Alison L. Coil , Paul T. P. Ho

The structure of the interstellar medium in the central kpc region of a galaxy with a weak bar-like potential is investigated taking into account realistic cooling and heating processes and the self-gravity of the gas. Using high resolution…

Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 K. Wada , J. Koda

We extend recent numerical results (Dobbs et. al. 2006) on molecular cloud formation in spiral galaxies by including a multi-phase medium. The addition of a hot phase of gas enhances the structure in the cold gas, and significantly…

Astrophysics · Physics 2018-05-02 Clare Dobbs , Ian Bonnell

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with "bar lanes" that bring gas towards the Galactic Center. Gas flowing along these bar lanes often overshoots, and instead of accreting onto the Central Molecular Zone, it collides with the bar lane…

The Milky Way nuclear star cluster (MW NSC) has been used as a template to understand the origin and evolution of galactic nuclei and the interaction of nuclear star clusters with supermassive black holes. It is the only nuclear star…