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⇱ The Two Young Star Disks in the Central Parsec of the Galaxy: Properties, Dynamics, and Formation - IOPscience

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The Two Young Star Disks in the Central Parsec of the Galaxy: Properties, Dynamics, and Formation*

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© 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 643, Number 2Citation T. Paumard et al 2006 ApJ 643 1011DOI 10.1086/503273

T. Paumard

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

R. Genzel

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

Department of Physics, University of California, 366 LeConte Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720

F. Martins

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

S. Nayakshin

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA), Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, 85741 Garching, Germany

Theoretical Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK

A. M. Beloborodov

AFFILIATIONS

Physics Department and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, 1027 Pupin Hall, Mail Code 5247, New York, NY 10027

Astro Space Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute, Profsoyuznaya 84/32, 117997 Moscow, Russia

Y. Levin

AFFILIATIONS

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8, Canada

Sterrewacht Leiden, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands

S. Trippe

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

F. Eisenhauer

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

T. Ott

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

S. Gillessen

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

R. Abuter

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, 85748 Garching, Germany

J. Cuadra

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA), Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, 85741 Garching, Germany

T. Alexander

AFFILIATIONS

Faculty of Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot 76100, Israel

William Z. and Eda Bess Novick career development chair

A. Sternberg

AFFILIATIONS

School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

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Dates

  1. Received 2005 November 8
  2. Accepted 2006 January 31
0004-637X/643/2/1011

Abstract

We report the definite spectroscopic identification of ≃40 OB supergiants, giants, and main-sequence stars in the central parsec of the Galaxy. Detection of their absorption lines has become possible with the high spatial and spectral resolution and sensitivity of the adaptive optics integral field spectrometer SPIFFI/SINFONI on the ESO VLT. Several of these OB stars appear to be helium- and nitrogen-rich. Almost all of the ≃80 massive stars now known in the central parsec (central arcsecond excluded) reside in one of two somewhat thick (⟨👁 Equation or symbol description not available
/R⟩ ≃ 0.14) rotating disks. These stellar disks have fairly sharp inner edges (R ≃ 1′′) and surface density profiles that scale as R-2. We do not detect any OB stars outside the central 0.5 pc. The majority of the stars in the clockwise system appear to be on almost circular orbits, whereas most of those in the "counterclockwise" disk appear to be on eccentric orbits. Based on its stellar surface density distribution and dynamics, we propose that IRS 13E is an extremely dense cluster (ρcore ≳ 3 × 108 M☉ pc-3) that has formed in the counterclockwise disk. The stellar contents of both systems are remarkably similar, indicating a common age of ≃6 ± 2 Myr. The K-band luminosity function of the massive stars suggests a top-heavy mass function and limits the total stellar mass contained in both disks to ≃1.5 × 104 M☉. Our data strongly favor in situ star formation from dense gas accretion disks for the two stellar disks. This conclusion is very clear for the clockwise disk and highly plausible for the counterclockwise system.

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Footnotes

  • * 

    Based on observations with the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile.

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10.1086/503273