Recent Publications
- ALMA observations of massive clouds in the central molecular zone: slim
filaments tracing parsec-scale shocks February 6, 2025The central molecular zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy exhibits widespread emission from SiO and various complex organic molecules (COMs), yet the exact origin of such emission is uncertain. Here we report the discovery of a unique class of long ($>$0.5 pc) and narrow ($Kai Yang
- 3D MC I: X-ray Tomography Begins to Unravel the 3-D Structure of a
Molecular Cloud in our Galaxy's Center January 13, 2025Astronomers have used observations of the Galactic gas and dust via infrared, microwave, and radio to study molecular clouds in extreme environments such as the Galactic center. More recently, X- ray telescopes have opened up a new wavelength range in which to study these molecular clouds. Previous flaring events from SgrA* propagate X-rays outwards in […]Samantha W. Brunker
- 3D MC II: X ray echoes reveal a clumpy molecular cloud in the CMZ January 13, 2025X-ray observations collected over the last decades have revealed a strongly variable X-ray signal within the Milky Way's Galactic center, interpreted as X-ray echoes from its supermassive black hole, Sgr A*. These echoes are traced by the strong Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescent line at 6.4 keV of which its intensity is proportional to the density of […]Danya Alboslani
- ALMA Observations of Massive Clouds in the Central Molecular Zone:
External-Pressure-Confined Dense Cores and Salpeter-like Core Mass Functions December 2, 2024We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 (1.3 mm) observations of dense cores in three massive molecular clouds within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way, including the Dust Ridge cloud e, Sgr C, and the 20 km s-1 cloud, at a spatial resolution of 2000 au. Among the 834 cores […]Zhenying Zhang
- 3-D CMZ I: Central Molecular Zone Overview October 22, 2024The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the largest reservoir of dense molecular gas in the Galaxy and is heavily obscured in the optical and near-IR. We present an overview of the far-IR dust continuum, where the molecular clouds are revealed, provided by Herschel in the inner 40\deg($|l| 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$) CMZ mass of M=$2\substack{+2 \\ -1} […]Cara Battersby
- 3-D CMZ II: Hierarchical Structure Analysis of the Central Molecular
Zone October 22, 2024The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the way station at the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy, connecting gas flowing in from Galactic scales with the central nucleus. Key open questions remain about its 3-D structure, star formation properties, and role in regulating this gas inflow. In this work, we identify a hierarchy of discrete […]Cara Battersby
- 3-D CMZ IV: Distinguishing Near vs. Far Distances in the Galactic Center
Using Spitzer and Herschel October 22, 2024A comprehensive 3-D model of the central 300 pc of the Milky Way, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is of fundamental importance in understanding energy cycles in galactic nuclei, since the 3-D structure influences the location and intensity of star formation, feedback, and black hole accretion. Current observational constraints are insufficient to distinguish between existing […]Dani Lipman
- 3-D CMZ III: Constraining the 3-D structure of the Central Molecular
Zone via molecular line emission and absorption October 22, 2024The Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the largest concentration of dense molecular gas in the Galaxy, the structure of which is shaped by the complex interplay between Galactic-scale dynamics and extreme physical conditions. Understanding the 3-D geometry of this gas is crucial as it determines the locations of star formation and subsequent feedback. […]Daniel L. Walker
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The PRIMA team is pleased to share the news that NASA has selected our concept for phase-A study. We are grateful for all the community effort that has brought us this far, and we are excited to continue to grow the PRIMA community going forward!
What what, ya girl got tenure! 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks so much everyone for the congratulations, wowzers! Feeling the love 💕 Long week but finally time to celebrate
I've been seeing a lot of great posters with amazing styles and sometimes art, but this one speaks to my heart...if Daria's on twitter can someone please RT and tag?
#ppvii
