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In this work, we constrain the star-forming properties of all possible sites of incipient high-mass star formation in the Milky Way’s Galactic Center. We identify dense structures using the CMZoom 1.3 mm dust continuum catalog of objects with typical radii of ∼0.1 pc, and measure their association with tracers of high-mass star formation. We incorporate compact emission at 8, 21, 24, 25, and 70μm from the Midcourse Space Experiment, Spitzer, Herschel, and SOFIA, cataloged young stellar objects, and water and methanol masers to characterize each source. We find an incipient star formation rate (SFR) for the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of ∼0.08M_⊙yr⁻¹over the next few 10⁵yr. We calculate upper and lower limits on the CMZ’s incipient SFR of ∼0.45 and ∼0.05M_⊙yr⁻¹,respectively, spanning roughly equal to and several times greater than other estimates of CMZ’s recent SFR. Despite substantial uncertainties, our results suggest the incipient SFR in the CMZ may be higher than previously estimated. We find that the prevalence of star formation tracers does not correlate with source volume density, but instead ≳75% of high-mass star formation is found in regions above a column density ratio (N_SMA/N_Herschel) of ∼1.5. Finally, we highlight the detection ofatoll sources, a reoccurring morphology of cold dust encircling evolved infrared sources, possibly representing Hiiregions in the process of destroying their envelopes.

 

Magnetic fields of molecular clouds in the central molecular zone (CMZ) have been relatively under-observed at sub-parsec resolution. Here, we report JCMT/POL2 observations of polarized dust emission in the CMZ, which reveal magnetic field structures in dense gas at ∼0.5 pc resolution. The 11 molecular clouds in our sample include two in the western part of the CMZ (Sgr C and a farside cloud candidate), four around the Galactic longitude 0 (the 50 km s⁻¹cloud, CO 0.02−0.02, theStone, and theSticksandStrawamong the Three Little Pigs), and five along the Dust Ridge (G0.253+0.016, clouds b, c, d, and e/f), for each of which we estimate the magnetic field strength using the angular dispersion function method. The morphologies of magnetic fields in the clouds suggest potential imprints of feedback from expanding Hiiregions and young massive star clusters. A moderate correlation between the total viral parameter versus the star formation rate (SFR) and the dense gas fraction of the clouds is found. A weak correlation between the mass-to-flux ratio and the SFR, and a weak anticorrelation between the magnetic field and the dense gas fraction are also found. Comparisons between magnetic fields and other dynamic components in clouds suggest a more dominant role of self-gravity and turbulence in determining the dynamical states of the clouds and affecting star formation at the studied scales.

 

We use molecular line data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, Submillimeter Array, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and NANTEN2 to study the multiscale (∼15–0.005 pc) velocity statistics in the massive star formation region NGC 6334. We find that the nonthermal motions revealed by the velocity dispersion function (VDF) stay supersonic over scales of several orders of magnitude. The multiscale nonthermal motions revealed by different instruments do not follow the same continuous power law, which is because the massive star formation activities near central young stellar objects have increased the nonthermal motions in small-scale and high-density regions. The magnitudes of VDFs vary in different gas materials at the same scale, where the infrared dark clump N6334S in an early evolutionary stage shows a lower level of nonthermal motions than other more evolved clumps due to its more quiescent star formation activity. We find possible signs of small-scale-driven (e.g., by gravitational accretion or outflows) supersonic turbulence in clump N6334IV with a three-point VDF analysis. Our results clearly show that the scaling relation of velocity fields in NGC 6334 deviates from a continuous and universal turbulence cascade due to massive star formation activities.

 

We present ALMA dust polarization and molecular line observations toward four clumps (I(N), I, IV, and V) in the massive star-forming region NGC 6334. In conjunction with large-scale dust polarization and molecular line data from JCMT, Planck, and NANTEN2, we make a synergistic analysis of relative orientations between magnetic fields (θ_B), column density gradients (θ_NG), local gravity (θ_LG), and velocity gradients (θ_VG) to investigate the multi-scale (from ∼30 to 0.003 pc) physical properties in NGC 6334. We find that the relative orientation betweenθ_Bandθ_NGchanges from statistically more perpendicular to parallel as column density ($N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$) increases, which is a signature of trans-to-sub-Alfvénic turbulence at complex/cloud scales as revealed by previous numerical studies. Becauseθ_NGandθ_LGare preferentially aligned within the NGC 6334 cloud, we suggest that the more parallel alignment betweenθ_Bandθ_NGat higher$N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$is because the magnetic field line is dragged by gravity. At even higher$N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$, the angle betweenθ_Bandθ_NGorθ_LGtransits back to having no preferred orientation, or statistically slightly more perpendicular, suggesting that the magnetic field structure is impacted by star formation activities. A statistically more perpendicular alignment is found betweenθ_Bandθ_VGthroughout our studied$N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$range, which indicates a trans-to-sub-Alfvénic state at small scales as well, and this signifies that magnetic field has an important role in the star formation process in NGC 6334. The normalized mass-to-flux ratio derived from the polarization-intensity gradient (KTH) method increases with$N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$, but the KTH method may fail at high$N_{{\mathrm{H}}_2}$due to the impact of star formation feedback.

 

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations with a 800 au resolution and radiative-transfer modeling of the inner part (r≈ 6000 au) of the ionized accretion flow around a compact star cluster in formation at the center of the luminous ultracompact Hiiregion G10.6-0.4. We modeled the flow with an ionized Keplerian disk with and without radial motions in its outer part, or with an external Ulrich envelope. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo fits to the data give total stellar massesM_⋆from 120 to 200M_⊙, with much smaller ionized-gas massesM_ion-gas= 0.2–0.25M_⊙. The stellar mass is distributed within the gravitational radiusR_g≈ 1000 to 1500 au, where the ionized gas is bound. The viewing inclination angle from the face-on orientation isi= 49°–56°. Radial motions at radiir>R_gconverge tov_r,0≈ 8.7 km s⁻¹, or about the speed of sound of ionized gas, indicating that this gas is marginally unbound at most. From additional constraints on the ionizing-photon rate and far-IR luminosity of the region, we conclude that the stellar cluster consists of a few massive stars withM_star= 32–60M_⊙, or one star in this range of masses accompanied by a population of lower-mass stars. Any active accretion of ionized gas onto the massive (proto)stars is residual. The inferred cluster density is very large, comparable to that reported at similar scales in the Galactic center. Stellar interactions are likely to occur within the next million years.

 

Abstract We observed the high-mass protostellar core G335.579–0.272 ALMA1 at ∼200 au (0.″05) resolution with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 226 GHz (with a mass sensitivity of 5 σ = 0.2 M ⊙ at 10 K). We discovered that at least a binary system is forming inside this region, with an additional nearby bow-like structure (≲1000 au) that could add an additional member to the stellar system. These three sources are located at the center of the gravitational potential well of the ALMA1 region and the larger MM1 cluster. The emission from CH 3 OH (and many other tracers) is extended (>1000 au), revealing a common envelope toward the binary system. We use CH 2 CHCN line emission to estimate an inclination angle of the rotation axis of 26° with respect to the line of sight based on geometric assumptions and derive a kinematic mass of the primary source (protostar+disk) of 3.0 M ⊙ within a radius of 230 au. Using SiO emission, we find that the primary source drives the large-scale outflow revealed by previous observations. Precession of the binary system likely produces a change in orientation between the outflow at small scales observed here and large scales observed in previous works. The bow structure may have originated from the entrainment of matter into the envelope due to the widening or precession of the outflow, or, alternatively, an accretion streamer dominated by the gravity of the central sources. An additional third source, forming due to instabilities in the streamer, cannot be ruled out as a temperature gradient is needed to produce the observed absorption spectra. 

We present an overview and data release of the spectral line component of the SMA Large Program, CMZoom. CMZoom observed 12CO (2–1), 13CO (2–1), and C18O (2–1), three transitions of H2CO, several transitions of CH3OH, two transitions of OCS, and single transitions of SiO and SO within gas above a column density of N(H2) ≥ 1023 cm−2 in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ; inner few hundred pc of the Galaxy). We extract spectra from all compact 1.3 mm CMZoom continuum sources and fit line profiles to the spectra. We use the fit results from the H2CO 3(0, 3)–2(0, 2) transition to determine the source kinematic properties. We find ∼90 per cent of the total mass of CMZoom sources have reliable kinematics. Only four compact continuum sources are formally self-gravitating. The remainder are consistent with being in hydrostatic equilibrium assuming that they are confined by the high external pressure in the CMZ. We find only two convincing proto-stellar outflows, ruling out a previously undetected population of very massive, actively accreting YSOs with strong outflows. Finally, despite having sufficient sensitivity and resolution to detect high-velocity compact clouds (HVCCs), which have been claimed as evidence for intermediate mass black holes interacting with molecular gas clouds, we find no such objects across the large survey area.

 

Abstract We present Very Large Array C- , X- , and Q -band continuum observations, as well as 1.3 mm continuum and CO(2-1) observations with the Submillimeter Array toward the high-mass protostellar candidate ISOSS J23053+5953 SMM2. Compact centimeter continuum emission was detected near the center of the SMM2 core with a spectral index of 0.24(± 0.15) between 6 and 3.6 cm, and a radio luminosity of 1.3(±0.4) mJy kpc 2 . The 1.3 mm thermal dust emission indicates a mass of the SMM2 core of 45.8 (±13.4) M ⊙ , and a density of 7.1 (±1.2)× 10 6 cm −3 . The CO(2-1) observations reveal a large, massive molecular outflow centered on the SMM2 core. This fast outflow (>50 km s −1 from the cloud systemic velocity) is highly collimated, with a broader, lower-velocity component. The large values for outflow mass (45.2 ± 12.6 M ⊙ ) and momentum rate (6 ± 2 × 10 −3 M ⊙ km s −1 yr −1 ) derived from the CO emission are consistent with those of flows driven by high-mass YSOs. The dynamical timescale of the flow is between 1.5 and 7.2 × 10 4 yr. We also found from the C 18 O to thermal dust emission ratio that CO is depleted by a factor of about 20, possibly due to freeze-out of CO molecules on dust grains. Our data are consistent with previous findings that ISOSS J23053 + 5953 SMM2 is an emerging high-mass protostar in an early phase of evolution, with an ionized jet and a fast, highly collimated, and massive outflow. 

Young massive clusters (YMCs) are compact (≲1 pc), high-mass (>104 M⊙) stellar systems of significant scientific interest. Due to their rarity and rapid formation, we have very few examples of YMC progenitor gas clouds before star formation has begun. As a result, the initial conditions required for YMC formation are uncertain. We present high resolution (0.13 arcsec, ∼1000 au) ALMA observations and Mopra single-dish data, showing that Galactic Centre dust ridge ‘Cloud d’ (G0.412 + 0.052, mass = 7.6 × 104 M⊙, radius = 3.2 pc) has the potential to become an Arches-like YMC (104 M⊙, r ∼ 1 pc), but is not yet forming stars. This would mean it is the youngest known pre-star-forming massive cluster and therefore could be an ideal laboratory for studying the initial conditions of YMC formation. We find 96 sources in the dust continuum, with masses ≲3 M⊙ and radii of ∼103 au. The source masses and separations are more consistent with thermal rather than turbulent fragmentation. It is not possible to unambiguously determine the dynamical state of most of the sources, as the uncertainty on virial parameter estimates is large. We find evidence for large-scale (∼1 pc) converging gas flows, which could cause the cloud to grow rapidly, gaining 104 M⊙ within 105 yr. The highest density gas is found at the convergent point of the large-scale flows. We expect this cloud to form many high-mass stars, but find no high-mass starless cores. If the sources represent the initial conditions for star formation, the resulting initial mass function will be bottom heavy.

 

Although ammonia is a widely used interstellar thermometer, the estimation of its rotational and kinetic temperatures can be affected by the blended hyperfine components (HFCs). We have developed a new recipe, referred to as the hyperfine group ratio (HFGR), which utilizes only direct observables, namely the intensity ratios between the grouped HFCs. As tested on the model spectra, the empirical formulae in the HFGR can derive the rotational temperature (Trot) from the HFC group ratios in an unambiguous manner. We compared the HFGR with two other classical methods, intensity ratio and hyperfine fitting, based on both simulated spectra and real data. The HFGR has three major improvements. First, it does not require modelling the HFC or fitting the line profiles, so it is more robust against the effect of HFC blending. Second, the simulation-enabled empirical formulae are much faster than fitting the spectra over the parameter space, so both computer time and human time can be saved. Third, the statistical uncertainty of the temperature ΔTrot as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is a natural product of the HFGR recipe. The internal error of the HFGR is ΔTrot ≤ 0.5 K over a broad parameter space of rotational temperature (10-60 K), linewidth (0.3-4 km s-1) and optical depth (0-5). When there is spectral noise, the HFGR can also maintain a reasonable uncertainty level at ΔTrot ≤ 1.0 K when S/N > 4.