12th of July 2016 |
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The Central Molecular Zone traced by ammonia gas |
by Nico Krieger (MPIA, Germany) |
The Survey of Water and Ammonia in the
Galactic Center (SWAG) uses ATNF's Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA)
to map the central region of the Milky Way where the Central Molecular Zone
(CMZ) resides. Clouds of molecular gas trace the shape of an infinity symbol,
especially visible in the "dust ridge" between the Galactic Center at
Sagittarius A* and the giant molecular cloud Sagittarius B2. SWAG utilizes
the full capabilities of ATCA to observe 42 spectral lines of which ammonia
(NH3) in its lowest excited rotational state (J=1,K=1) is shown above. Data
acquisition is currently ongoing and will extend the imaged region by three
times towards positive and negative Galactic longitudes to offer an
unprecedented overview of the Galactic Center. Reference: Krieger, N. 2016, Master thesis, University Heidelberg |