NRAO/Socorro Colloquium Series
John Bally
University of Colorado
The Ecology of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ):
The Nearest Galactic Nucleus
Recent surveys are revolutionizing our understanding of the
central regions of our Galaxy. In
addition to the nearest super-massive black-hole, the Central Molecular Zone
(CMZ) contains the most massive, densest, and most turbulent molecular clouds
in the Milky Way, as well as some of the most active sites of star and star
cluster formation. Yet, the rate of star
formation per unit mass of dense gas is lower than in disk molecular clouds, or
in extra-galactic disks. To account for these results, the Schmidt-Kennicutt
relations, which prescribes the surface density of star formation to the
surface density of dense gas in galactic disks, may have a second parameter
such as the cloud internal velocity dispersion. I will present a broad review of the
ecology of star formation and the interstellar medium in the CMZ, and present
recent results from The Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS), Herschel Galactic
Plane Survey (Hi-GAL), and Spitzer.
November 9, 2012
11:00 am
Array Operations Center Auditorium
All NRAO employees are invited to attend via video, available in Charlottesville Room 230, Green Bank Room 137 and Tucson N525.
Local Host: Miller Goss
