A ring of dense molecular gas extending 2-7 pc orbits the supermassive black hole Sgr A* at the center of our Galaxy. Using the Green Bank Telescope, we detected water maser lines and both narrow (0.35 km/s) and broad (30 - 50 km/s) methanol emission from the molecular ring. Two of the strongest methanol lines at 44 GHz are confirmed as masers by interferometric observations. These class I methanol masers are collisionally excited and are signatures of early phases of massive star formation in the disk of the Galaxy, suggesting that star formation in the molecular ring is in its early phase. Close inspection of the kinematics of the associated molecular clumps in the HCN (J=1-0) line reveals broad red-shifted wings indicative of disturbance by protostellar outflows from young (few times 10^4 yr), massive stars embedded in the clumps. The thermal methanol profile has a similar shape, with a narrow maser line superimposed on a broad, red-shifted wing. Additional evidence for the presence of young massive protostars is provided by shocked molecular hydrogen and a number of striking ionized and molecular linear filaments in the vicinity of methanol sources suggestive of 0.5-pc scale protostellar jets. Given that the circumnuclear molecular ring is kinematically unsettled and thus is likely be the result of a recent capture, the presence of both methanol emission and broad, red-shifted HCN emission suggests that star formation in the circumnuclear ring is in its infancy.
Holz & Wheeler (\cite{hw}) have recently proposed that a Schwarzschild black hole may act as a retro-lens which, if illuminated by a powerful light source, deflects light ray paths to large bending angles and a series of luminous arcs (or rings in the case of aligned objects) centered on the black hole may form. Obviously, the most convenient geometry to get retro-lensing images would be that of a very bright star close to a massive black hole, say the putative $\sim 4\times 10^6$ M$_{\odot}$ black hole at the galactic center. Recent observations of the galactic center region in the $K$-band h…
We present radio continuum observations of the spiral-shaped ionized feature (Sgr A West) within the inner pc of the Galactic center at three epochs spanning 1986 to 1995. The VLA A-configuration was used at $λ$2cm (resolution of 0\dasec1$\times$0\dasec2). We detect proper motions of a number of features in the Northern and Eastern Arms of Sgr A West including the ionized gas associated with IRS 13 with V(RA)= 113 \pm 10, V(Dec)=150 \pm15 km/s, IRS 2 with V(RA)= 122 \pm 11, V(Dec)=24 \pm 34 km/s and the Norther Arm V(RA)= 126 \pm 30, V(Dec)=--207 \pm 58 km/s. We also report the detection of fe…
Planets orbiting in the habitable zone (HZ) of M-Dwarf stars are subject to high levels of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) which produce nitrogen oxides in earthlike atmospheres. We investigate to what extent this NOx may modify biomarker compounds such as ozone (O3) and nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as related compounds such as water (H2O) (essential for life) and methane (CH4) (which has both abiotic and biotic sources) . Our model results suggest that such signals are robust, changing in the M-star world atmospheric column by up to 20% due to the GCR NOx effects compared to an M-star run without…
The discovery of hypervelocity binary stars (HVBs) in the Galactic halo would provide definite evidence of the existence of a massive black hole companion to Sgr A*. Here we use an hybrid approach to compute the rate of ejection and the total number of HVBs produced by a hypothetical intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH, M_2<10^5\msun) orbiting Sgr A*. Depending on the mass of M_2 and on the properties of binary stars in the central parsec of the Milky Way, we show that the number of undisrupted HVBs expected to be expelled from the Galactic Center before binary black hole coalescence ranges fro…
We present a new method to identify and probe planetary companions of stars in the Galactic Bulge and Magellanic Clouds using gravitational microlensing. While spectroscopic studies of these planets is well beyond current observational techniques, monitoring polarization fluctuations during high magnification events induced by binary microlensing events will probe the composition of the planetary atmospheres, an observation which otherwise is currently unattainable even for nearby planetary systems.
We propose that there exists a class of transient sources, "squeezars", which are stars caught in highly eccentric orbits around a massive (m<10^8 Mo) black hole (MBH), whose atypically high luminosity (up to a significant fraction of their Eddington luminosity) is powered by tidal interactions with the MBH. Their existence follows from the presence of a mass sink, the MBH, in the galactic center, which drives a flow of stars into nearly radial orbits to replace those it has destroyed. We consider two limits for the stellar response to tidal heating: surface heating with radiative cooling ("ho…
We describe the feasibility of detecting the gravitational deflection of light emitted by stars moving under the influence of the massive object at the Galactic center. Light emitted by a star orbiting behind the central mass has a smaller impact parameter than the star itself, and suffers the effect of gravitational lensing, providing a closer probe of the central mass distribution and hence a stricter test of the black hole hypothesis. A mass of $4.3\times 10^{6} M_{\odot}$ causes a $0.1-2\rm mas$ deviation in the apparent position of orbiting stars projected within $10^{\circ}$ of the line …
We present 3D hydrodynamical simulations of ram pressure stripping of a disc galaxy orbiting in a galaxy cluster. In this paper, we focus on the properties of the galaxies' tails of stripped gas. The galactic wakes show a flaring width, where the flaring angle depends on the gas disc's cross-section with respect to the galaxy's direction of motion. The velocity in the wakes shows a significant turbulent component of a few 100 km/s. The stripped gas is deposited in the cluster rather locally, i.e. within ~150 kpc from where it was stripped. We demonstrate that the most important quantity govern…
The existence of a massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, coinciding with the radio source Sgr A*, is being established on more and more solid ground. In principle, this black hole, acting as a gravitational lens, is able to bend the light emitted by stars moving within its neighborhood, eventually generating secondary images. Extending a previous analysis of the gravitational lensing phenomenology to a new set of 28 stars, whose orbits have been well determined by recent observations, we have calculated all the properties of their secondary images, including time and magnitude of …
A simple, analytical fitting-formula for a photometric light curve of a source of light orbiting around a black hole is presented. The formula is applicable for sources on a circular orbit with radius smaller than 45 gravitational radii from the black hole. This range of radii requires gravitational focusation of light rays and the Doppler effect to be taken into account with care. The fitting-formula is therefore useful for modelling the X-ray variability of inner regions in active galactic nuclei.
The proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is expected to detect gravitational waves from neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes spiraling into supermassive black holes in distant galactic nuclei. Analysis of the inspiral events will require careful comparison of the observed signals with theoretical waveform templates. The comparison could be seriously compromised if non-gravitational torques modify the orbit of the star. This paper estimates the torque exerted on an orbiting star as a result of hydrodynamic interactions with an accretion flow around the supermassive black hole. It i…
One of the main astrophysical processes leading to strong emission of gravitational waves to be detected by the future space-borne interferometer LISA is the capture of a compact star by a black hole with a mass of a few million solar masses in the center of a galaxy. In previous studies, main sequence stars were thought not to contribute because they suffer from early tidal disruption. Here we show that, according to our simulations of the stellar dynamics of the Sgr A* cluster, there must be one to a few low-mass main sequence stars sufficiently bound to the central Galactic black hole to be…
The Galactic Center contains the most massive young clusters in the Galaxy and serves as the closest example of a massive starburst region. Our recent results suggest that the Galactic Center environment produces massive clusters with relatively flat initial mass functions, as might be expected on theoretical grounds. I will discuss these recent results, along with evidence for star formation in the immediate vicinity of the super massive black hole at the Galactic Center. The results of this work might be useful in extrapolating to other galactic centers with similar conditions, as well as ot…
Recent measurements, of the velocities of stars near the center of the Milky Way have provided the strongest evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole in a galaxy, but the observational uncertainties poorly constrain many of the properties of the black hole. Determining the accelerations of stars in their orbits around the center provides much more precise information about the position and mass of the black hole. Here we report measurements of the accelerations for three stars located ~0.005 pc from the central radio source Sgr A*; these accelerations are comparable to those expe…
I present here a review on the high energy phenomena occurring in the Galactic Center region, and report in particular on the results obtained from recent X-ray and gamma-ray observations.
We present an analysis of the Galactic bulge emission observed by the RXTE/PCA during a set of scans over the Galactic Center field, performed in 1999-2001. The total exposure time of these observations is close to 700 ksec. We construct the distribution of Galactic ridge emission intensity and spectral parameters up to Galactic latitudes b=-10deg;+9deg. We show that the intensity distribution of the ridge emission at |b|>2deg could be well described by an exponential model with e-folding width b_0~ 3.3deg. Best-fit spectral parameters do not show statistically significant changes over Galacti…
A summary of the current knowledge on hypervelocity stars (HVSs). HVSs are fascinating because their properties are linked to Sgr A* and the stellar environment of the Galactic Center. Observing the distribution of HVSs can address: 1) the nature of the black hole ejection mechanism, 2) the in-fall history of stars onto Sgr A*, 3) the types of stars orbiting Sgr A*, and 4) a unique measurement the shape of the Galaxy's dark matter potential. The challenge to observers is to find new HVSs and strengthen the connection between HVSs and the Galactic Center.
Our Galactic Center hosts over 10% of the known massive stars in the Galaxy. The majority of these stars are located in three particularly massive clusters that formed within the past 5 Myr. While these clusters are extraordinary, their formation repesents about half of the total inferred star formation rate in the Galactic Center. There is mounting evidence that the clusters are just present-day examples of the hundreds of such similar clusters that must have been created in the past, and whose stars now comprise the bulk of all stars seen in the region. I discuss the massive stellar content …
A moderately deep survey of stellar maser sources toward the Galactic center has been made in the SiO J=1-0 v=1 and v=2 transitions (~ 43 GHz) with the Nobeyama 45-m telescope of a beam size of about 40". At the Galactic center (Sgr A*), 7 (4 new) SiO maser sources were detected in one beam. In order to investigate the spatial distribution of SiO maser sources, we have also observed the offset positions by +- 40" in Galactic longitude from the Galactic center. In total, 7 (4 new) SiO maser sources were detected at the offset positions. Taking into account the shorter integration time at the of…
We use direct N-body simulations to study the inspiral and internal evolution of dense star clusters near the Galactic center. These clusters sink toward the center due to dynamical friction with the stellar background, and may go into core collapse before being disrupted by the Galactic tidal field. If a cluster reaches core collapse before disruption, its dense core, which has become rich in massive stars, survives to reach close to the Galactic center. When it eventually dissolves, the cluster deposits a disproportionate number of massive stars in the innermost parsec of the Galactic nucleu…
We present the results of 16 hours of ongoing observations of the galactic center region (including Sagittarius A*) with the Whipple High Energy Gamma-Ray Telescope. We apply a data analysis method optimized for large zenith angle observations on an independent Crab Nebula data set. We discuss possible systematic problems associated with observations of extended sources in the galactic plane.
We present a modified description of advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) with a geometrical viscosity. A simplified treatment of the dynamics of the flow in the inner relativistic part is suggested and results are compared with the galactic center source Sgr A*.
Dark matter annihilation has been proposed to explain the TeV gamma rays observed from the Galactic Center. We study constraints on this hypothesis coming from the mass profile around the Galactic Center measured by observing stellar dynamics. We show that for current particle models, the constraints on the dark matter density profile from measurements of mass by infrared observations are comparable to the constraints from the measurements of the TeV source extension.
New and existing K-band spectra for 19 Galactic center late-type stars have been analyzed along with representative spectra of disk and bulge M giants and supergiants. Absorption strengths for strong atomic and molecular features have been measured. The Galactic center stars generally exhibit stronger absorption features centered near Na I (2.206 mic) and Ca I (2.264 mic) than representative disk M stars at the same CO absorption strength. Based on the absolute K-band magnitudes and CO and H2O absorption strengths for the Galactic center stars and known M supergiants and asymptotic giant branc…
X-ray binary population at the Galactic center is proposed here to form as a result of a starburst, which is synthesized by using the ``Scenario Machine'' code of binary star evolution. For the currently assumed starburst age of 4-7 millions years, our results are consistent with the recent {\it GRANAT} X-ray observations of the Galactic center and predict a substantial number of X-ray binaries with black holes.
The region near the Galactic center may have experienced recurrent episodes of injection of energy in excess of $\sim$ 10$^{55}$ ergs due to repeated starbursts involving more than $\sim$ 10$^4$ supernovae. This hypothesis can be tested by measurements of $γ$-ray lines produced by the decay of radioactive isotopes and positron annihilation, or by searches for pulsars produced during starbursts. Recent OSSE observations of 511 keV emission extending above the Galactic center led to the suggestion of a starburst driven fountain from the Galactic center. We present EGRET observations that might s…
We demonstrate that the accretion disk model for the Galactic Center region by Linden et al (1993a) is applicable for at least one order of magnitude in radius from the Galactic Center (10 ... 100 pc). The viscosity $ν$ is shown to be weakly dependent on the radius $s$: $ν\sim s^{0.4}$. Finally, we discuss the influence of the inner boundary on the structure of the inner disk regions.
We present the first results for anisotropy searches around the galactic center at EeV energies using data from the Pierre Auger Observatory. Our analysis, based on a substantially larger data set, do not support previous claim of anisotropy found in this region by the AGASA and Sugar experiment. Furthermore we place un upper limit on a possible point like source located at the galactic center which exclude several scenarios predicting neutron sources in this location.
We simulate the propagation of a shock front through the galactic halo induced by an explosion and/or a starburst at the galactic center. A huge dumbbell ($Ω$)-shaped shock front produced by an explosion of energy $3\times 10^{56}$ ergs about fifteen million years ago can mimic the radio and X-ray North Polar Spur as well the southern large X-ray spur. The post-shock high-temperature gas in the corona will explain the observed X-ray bulge around the galactic center. Key workds Galaxy: center -- Galaxy: halo -- Radio continuum: general -- Shock wave -- X-rays: general
Since its identification as the Galactic Center, the radio source Sagittarius A has been a target of intense research. Due to the high density of sources in the Galactic Center and differing observing techniques, the nomenclature of sources in this region has changed over the years, with sources having several names, as well as the same names being used for different sources. We review this historical evolution in the context of current and previous scientific discussions, and outline how, why and when some of the commonly accepted names of Galactic Center sources were established.
Radio continuum observations of the galactic center region have revealed a number of vertical structures running across the galactic plane. Most of the vertical structures are reasonably attributed either to poloidal magnetic field or to energy release toward the halo. The relation of the continuum structures to the molecular gas rings and their vertical extension are also discussed. Some large-scale ejection features appear to have similarity to bubbles found in external galaxies. Keywords: Galactic center; Radio emission; Jets; Magnetic field
We study the evolution and observability of young compact star clusters within about 200pc of the Galactic center. Calculations are performed using direct N-body integration on the GRAPE-4, including the effects of both stellar and binary evolution and the external influence of the Galaxy. The results of these detailed calculations are used to calibrate a simplified model applicable over a wider range of cluster initial conditions. We find that clusters within 200 pc from the Galactic center dissolve within about 70 Myr. However, their projected densities drop below the background density in t…
The nature of Galactic Center could be probed by lensing experiments capable of testing the spatial and velocity distributions of stars nearby and beyond it. Several hypotheses are possible (e.g. massive neutrino condensation, boson star) which avoid the shortcomings of the supermassive black hole model.
We have observed the linear polarization of 450 micron continuum emission from the Galactic center, using a new polarimetric detector system that is operated on a 2 m telescope at the South Pole. The resulting polarization map extends ~ 170 pc along the Galactic plane and ~ 30 pc in Galactic latitude, and thus covers a significant fraction of the central molecular zone. Our map shows that this region is permeated by large-scale toroidal magnetic fields. We consider our results together with radio observations that show evidence for poloidal fields in the Galactic center, and with Faraday rotat…
We present a catalogue of 107 point-like X-ray sources derived from a systematic analysis of all the ROSAT PSPC observations of the galactic center region performed in 1992-1993. Besides SgrA*, the massive black hole at the galactic center, 41 X-ray sources have been positionally associated with already classified objects. Twenty are identified with foreground stars and five with known Low Mass X-ray Binaries. The majority of the sources in our catalogue still remains unidentified. They are hard and/or severely absorbed and probably represent a large population of X-ray binaries located in the…
We report the discovery of a new filamentary structure, G358.85+0.47, consisting of at least three mutually parallel but bent `strands', located about 1.5 degrees SW of the Sgr A complex. Unlike all the other known Galactic center filaments, G358.85+0.47 is oriented parallel to the galactic plane. This orientation of the filament may have implications for the large scale structure of the magnetic field near the Galactic Center. This feature was identified in a new wide-field image of the Galactic Center region at 90 cm. Further higher resolution observations at 20 cm revealed a filamentary str…
We report measurements of the light curve of the variable Galactic Center source IRS16SW. The light curve is not consistent with an eclipsing binary or any other obvious variable star. The source may be an example of a high mass variable predicted theoretically but not observed previously.
We point out a possible association of high-velocity molecular gas with the Galactic Center Radio Lobe (GCL). A molecular spur in the eastern GCL ridge is receding at $\Vlsr \sim +100$ \kms, and the western spur approaching at $\Vlsr \sim -150$ \kms, suggesting a high-velocity rotation of the GCL. We study the kinematics of the GCL based on these molecular line data.
Recently, data of taken with the OSSE experiment have been combined with scanning observations by TGRS and SMM to produce maps of the narrow Galactic 511 keV line emission (Purcell et al. 1997). A modelling of the combined data give evidence for three distinct features: the Galactic plane, a central bulge, and an extended emission region at positive latitudes above the Galactic center. It has been proposed that the high-latitude feature is associated with a fountain of radioactive debris produced by enhanced supernova activity in the Galactic center region (Dermer and Skibo 1997). Here we disc…
We propose that there possibly exists a population of millisecond pulsars in the Galactic center region. Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) could emit GeV gamma-rays through synchrotron-curvature radiation as predicted by outer gap models. In the same time, the compact wind nebulae around millisecond pulsars can emit X-rays though synchrotron radiation and TeV photons through inverse Compton processes. Besides, millisecond pulsar winds provide good candidates for the electron-positrons sources in the Galactic center. Therefore, we suggest that the millisecond pulsar population could contribute to the …
A massive young star cluster, initially embedded in its parent molecular cloud, will spiral into the Galactic Center from $\lta 30m_6^{1/2}\pc$ during the life-time of its most massive stars, if the combined total mass is $\sim 10^6m_6\msun$. On its way inwards the system loses most of its mass to the strong tidal field, until the dense cluster core of high-mass stars is finally disrupted near the central black hole. A simple model is presented to argue that this scenario may under plausible conditions explain the observed location and rotation of the Galactic Center HeI stars. Accretion of st…
If cold dark matter is present at the galactic center, as in current models of the dark halo, it is accreted by the central black hole into a dense spike. Particle dark matter then annihilates strongly inside the spike, making it a compact source of photons, electrons, positrons, protons, antiprotons, and neutrinos. The spike luminosity depends on the density profile of the inner halo: halos with finite cores have unnoticeable spikes, while halos with inner cusps may have spikes so bright that the absence of a detected neutrino signal from the galactic center already places interesting upper l…
We present results from dynamical Monte Carlo simulations of dense star clusters near the Galactic center. These clusters sink toward the center of the Galaxy by dynamical friction. During their inspiral, they may undergo core collapse and form an intermediate-mass black hole through runaway collisions. Such a cluster can then reach within a parsec of the Galactic center before it completely disrupts, releasing many young stars in this region. This scenario provides a natural explanation for the presence of the young stars observed near the Galactic center. Here we determine the initial condit…
The unusual class of magnetized nonthermal radio filaments (NTF), threads and streaks with their unique physical characteristics are found only within the inner couple of degrees of the Galactic center. Also, a number of young, mass-losing and rare stellar clusters are recognized to lie in the Galactic center region. The latter characteristic of the Galactic center region is used to explain the origin of the nonthermal radio filaments. We consider a mechanism in which the collective winds of massive WR and OB stars within a dense stellar environment produce shock waves that can accelerate part…
We present several models for IRS 13E, an infrared, mm and X-ray source in the Galactic Center. Our favored interpretation is that of an early-type binary with strong colliding winds emission. This naturally explains the observed X-ray count rate and the strong infrared emission lines, and has a distinct advantage over competing hypotheses based upon a single star or black-hole system.
We present a coarsely-sampled map of the region |l|<=2 degrees, |b|<=0.1 degrees in the 492 GHz 3P1-->3P0 fine structure transition of neutral carbon, observed with the Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory (AST/RO). The distribution of C[I] emission is similar on the large scale to that of CO J=1-->0. On average, the ratio of the integrated intensities, I_{C I}/I_{12CO}, is higher in the Galactic disk than in the Galactic Center region. This result is accounted for by the absorption of 12CO within the clouds located in the outer Galactic disk. I_{C I}/I_{12CO} is surprising…
We describe the X-ray analysis procedure of the on-going Chandra Multiwavelength Plane (ChaMPlane) survey and report the initial results from the analysis of 15 selected anti-Galactic center observations (90 deg < l < 270 deg). We describe the X-ray analysis procedures for ChaMPlane using custom-developed analysis tools appropriate for Galactic sources but also of general use: optimum photometry in crowded fields using advanced techniques for overlapping sources, rigorous astrometry and 95% error circles for combining X-ray images or matching to optical/IR images, and application of quantile a…
We calculate the effects of frame dragging on the Galactic-Center stars. Assuming the stars are only slightly relativistic, we derive an approximation to the Kerr metric, which turns out to be a weak field Schwarzschild metric plus a frame dragging term. By numerically integrating the resulting geodesic equations, we compute the effect on keplerian elements and the kinematics. We find that the kinematic effect at pericenter passage is proportional to (a(1-e^2))^{-2}. For known Galactic-center stars it is of order 10 m/s. If observed this would provide a measurement of the spin of the black hol…
We are performing a survey of the Galactic Center region with the BeppoSAX satellite. Several known point sources are visible (including one at the position of SgrA*), as well as newly discovered sources and diffuse emission. Here we report the preliminary results of the on-going analysis of both the point sources and the diffuse X-ray emission.
The diffuse gamma-rays in the Galactic center region have been studied. We propose that there exists a population of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the Galactic Center, which will emit GeV gamma-rays through the synchrotron-curvature radiation as predicted by outer gap models. These GeV gamma-rays from unresolved millisecond pulsars probably contribute to the diffuse gamma-ray spectrum detected by EGRET which displays a break at a few GeV. We have used the Monte Carlo method to obtain the simulated samples of millisecond pulsars in the Galactic center region covered by EGRET ($\sim 1.5^\circ$) …
We show that the effects of radial galactic tides alone can change the dynamics of an Oort cloud of comets around a star in a highly sensitive manner. The Oort cloud dynamics depends primarily from the star's position in the Galaxy and its mass. The dynamical variation is characterized by a dramatic change of comet perihelia, many of which are shifted towards the inner planetary system if the star's position goes towards the galactic center or if its mass is set to be smaller. These preliminary result suggested us a possible future line of research which aims to a better dynamical generalizati…
A star cluster in a galactic nucleus sinks toward the galactic center due to dynamical friction. As it spirals inward, the cluster loses mass due to stellar evolution, relaxation driven evaporation, and tidal stripping, eventually dissolving in the galactic tidal field. We model the inspiral of dense young star clusters near the center of our Galaxy to study the extent of the region of parameter space in which the cluster can reach the inner parsec of the Galaxy within a few million years. Since we neglect changes in cluster structure due to internal evolution, the present study is most applic…
Based on a deep survey of the Galactic Center region performed with the INTEGRAL observatory, we measured for the first time the hard X-ray (20-200 keV) spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy GRS 1734-292 located in the direction of the Galactic Center. We extended the spectrum to lower energies using archival GRANAT and ASCA observations. The broadband X-ray spectrum is similar to those of other nearby luminous AGNs, having a power law shape without cutoff up to at least 100 keV.
The data from the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope Galactic Center CO survey have been analyzed to generate a compilation of molecular clouds with intense CO emission in this region. Clouds are identified in an automated manner throughout the main part of the survey data for all CO emission peaks exceeding 10 K ($T_R^*$). Correlations between the size, velocity dispersion, virial mass, and the CO luminosity, for the molecular clouds in the Galactic center were shown. We diagnosed gravitational stabilities of identified clouds assuming that the disk clouds are nearly at the onset of gr…
High angular resolution J, H, K, and L' images are used to investigate the stellar content within 6 arcsec of SgrA*. The data, which are complete to K ~ 16, are the deepest multicolor observations of the region published to date.
We summarize some of the new results from contributions made to the Galactic Centre Workshop that took place in Bad Honnef, Germany, on April 18-22, 2006.
The recent discovery of diffuse, VHE gamma radiation from the Galactic center ridge by the H.E.S.S. telescope allow for the first time the direct determination of parameters of galactic cosmic ray propagation models. In this paper we show that the diffuse gamma radiation near the Galactic center may be explained by the interaction of VHE cosmic ray (CR) protons with the interstellar gas located in several giant molecular clouds leading to a measurement of the cosmic ray diffusion coefficient for the galactic center region of k = 1.3 kpc^2 Myr^-1 for a mean proton energy of about 3 TeV, if we a…
Similarly to the larger Galactic ridge, the Galactic center region presents a hard diffuse emission whose origin has been strongly debated for the past two decades: does this emission result from the contribution of numerous, yet unresolved, discrete point sources ? Or does it originate in a truly diffuse, hot plasma ? The Galactic center region (GC) is however different on many respects from the outer parts of the Galaxy, which makes the diffuse emission issue at the Galactic center unique. Although recent observations seem to favour a point sources origin in the far Galactic ridge, the situa…
We briefly review the prominent thermal and nonthermal sources near the Galactic center. These sources include the young stellar clusters, the Sgr B complex as well as the large-scale nonthermal filaments and lobes. Some of the recent radio images of this region based on VLA and Green Bank Telescope observations are also presented. We then argue that the origin of the large-scale features within the inner two degrees of the Galactic center is tied to a past starburst activity in the nucleus of the Galaxy.
