3-D CMZ: Unveiling the Structure of the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This astronomy project will produce a "3-dimensional" map of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The team will develop a catalogue of gas and dust clouds for use by other scientists. Infrared data from the Herschel space telescope will be combined with radio observations from the APEX telescope in Chile and the MOPRA telescope in Australia. By observing radiation from warm dust and from molecules like formaldehyde, methanol, and silicon monoxide, the team will reveal the 3-D shapes, sizes, and distances of the clouds. The data will be compared to models of star formation to investigate how stars are born near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The center of the Milky Way, known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), is complicated and difficult to observe. The telescopes being used, which operate at infrared and radio wavelengths, are very well suited to this project. By comparison, optical telescopes struggle to see through the gas and dust that blocks our view of the CMZ. The CMZ includes the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy, and intriguing objects like "the brick", a dense cloud that has yet to create any stars, and "the three little pigs", a row of three clumps on the verge of star birth. Understanding the CMZ is of great importance to models of the galaxy, and to theories of star birth in dense clouds. A postdoctoral researcher will be involved in this important and exciting project. The catalogue of clouds in the CMZ will be posted on an easy-to-use website. The team will also produce a custom lesson plan on the CMZ and a "WorldWide Telescope" (WWT) tour of our Galaxy's center. The lesson plan will be developed as part of the "BiteScis" program, which is led by this project's Principle Investigator (PI) and by a Boston Science Teacher. The lessons are designed to relate to curriculum standards, are tested in a local K-12 classroom, and are shared with other teachers through the BiteScis website. The WWT, a project hosted by the American Astronomical Society, will extend the reach of the CMZ survey beyond the K-12 classroom. The PI has served as an ambassador to the WWT for a number of years and is committed to including her survey data in the WWT. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.