Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The galactic centre

  • Part I Central Activity in Galaxies
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Central Activity in Galaxies

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 413))

  • 252 Accesses

Abstract

This lecture series discusses the impact of recent measurements in the infrared and radio region on our knowledge about the Nucleus of our Galaxy (the central few hundred parsecs). The emphasis is on the determination of energetics, physical conditions and dynamics in the Nucleus through spectroscopic and broad-band observations of interstellar gas and dust. An overview of the phenomena found in the Galactic Nucleus (1) is followed by a discussion of the basic interpretation of line radiation (2). As examples, discussions follow of observations of the central interstellar clouds at scales of several hundred parsecs, and of the giant cloud and star formation region Sgr B2 (3), of the Galactic Centre itself with the Sgr A complex (4), and of the central 10 parsec of the Galaxy including the Circumnuclear Disk, Sgr A West and Sgr A*/IRS16 (5).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adams D.J., Becklin E.E., Jameson R.F., Longmore A.J., Sandqvist Aa., Valentijn E. (1988): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 327, L65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen D.A. (1987): in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed. Backer D.C., American Institute of Physics, New York p. 1

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen D.A., Hyland A.R., Hillier D.J. (1990): Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 244, 706

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen D.A., Hyland A.R., Hillier D.J., Bailey J.A. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 513

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen D.A., Hyland A.R., Jones T.J. (1983): Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 294, 1145

    Google Scholar 

  • Anantharamaiah K.R., Pedlar A., Ekers R.D., Goss W.M. (1991): Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 249, 262

    Google Scholar 

  • Backer D.C. (1987): (ed.) AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center. American Institute of Physics, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bally J., Stark A.A., Wilson R.W., Henkel C. (1987): Astrophys. J. Suppl., 65, 13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bally J., Stark A.A., Wilson R.W., Henkel C. (1988): Astrophys. J., 324, 223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bania T.M. (1977): Astrophys. J., 216, 381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becklin E.E., Gatley I., Werner M.W. (1982): Astrophys. J., 258, 134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becklin E.E., Matthews K., Neugebauer G., Willner S.P. (1978): Astrophys. J., 220, 831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benson J.M., Johnston K.J. (1984): Astrophys. J., 277, 181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchet L. et al. (1991): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 383, L45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown R.L., Liszt H.S. (1984): Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 22, 223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke B.F. (1965): Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 3, 275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford M.K., Genzel R., Harris A.I., Jaffe D.T., Lacy J.H., Lugten J.B., Serabyn E., Townes C.H. (1985): Nature, 315, 467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckart A., Genzel R., Krabbe A., Hofmann R., van der Werf P.P., Drapatz S. (1992): Nature, 355, 526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekers R.D., van Gorkom J.H., Schwarz U.J., Goss W.M. (1983): Astron. Astrophys., 122, 143

    Google Scholar 

  • Fazio G.G. (1976): in Frontiers of Astrophysics, ed. Avrett E.H. Harvard, Cambridge, p. 203

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatley I., Jones T.J., Hyland A.R., Beattie D.H., Lee T.J. (1984), Mon. Not. R. astv. Soc., 210, 565

    Google Scholar 

  • Geballe T.R., Krisciunas K.L., Lee T.J., Gatley I., Wade R., Duncan W.D., Garden R., Becklin E.E. (1984): Astrophys. J., 284, 118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geballe T.R., Wade R., Krisciunas K., Gatley I., Bird M.C. (1987):Astrophys. J. 320, 562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genzel R. (1992): in The Galactic Interstellar Medium, eds. Burton W.B., Elmegreen B.G., Genzel R., Springer, Berlin (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Genzel R., Stacey G.J., Harris A.I., Townes C.H., Geis N., Graf U.U., Poglitsch A., Stutzki J. (1990): Astrophys. J., 356, 160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genzel R., Townes C.H. (1987): Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 25, 377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genzel R., Watson D.M., Crawford M.K., Townes C.H. (1985): Astrophys. J., 297, 766

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gezari D.Y., Tresch-Fienberg R., Fazio G.G., Hofmann W.F., Gatley I., Lamb G., Shu P., McCreight C. (1985): Astrophys. J., 299, 1007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass I.S., Catchpole R.M., Whitelock P.A. (1987): Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 227, 373

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith P.F., Snell R.L., Hasegawa T., Ukita N. (1987): Astrophys. J., 314, 525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 89

    Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R., Downes D. (1980): Astron. Astrophys., 87, 6

    Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R., Genzel R., Wright M.C.H., Jaffe D.T., Stutzki J., Harris A. (1987a): Astrophys. J., 318, 124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R., Genzel R., Wright M.C.H., Jaffe D.T., Stutzki J., Harris A. (1987b): in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed. Backer D.C., American Institute of Physics, New York, p. 103

    Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R., Walmsley C.M., Pauls T. (1981): Astron. Astrophys., 103, 197

    Google Scholar 

  • Güsten R., Walmsley C.M., Ungerechts H., Churchwell E. (1985): Astron. Astrophys., 142, 381

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall D.N.B., Kleinmann S.G., Scoville N.Z. (1982): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 262, L53

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris A.I., Jaffe D.T., Silber M., Genzel R. (1985): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 294, L93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrand R.H. (1983): Quart. J. R. astr. Soc., 24, 267

    Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrand R.H., Gonatas D.P., Platt S.R., Wu X.D., Davidson J.A., Werner M.W., Novak G., Morris M. (1990): Astrophys. J., 362, 114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho P.T.P., Ho, L.C., Szczepanski J.C., Jackson J.M., Armstrong, T., Barrett, A. (1991): Nature, 350, 309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson J.M., Geis N., Genzel R., Harris A.I., Madden S.C., Poglitsch A., Stacey G.C., Townes C.H. (1992): Astrophys. J., (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Killeen N.E.B., Lo K.Y., Crutcher R. (1992): Astrophys. J., 385, 585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krabbe A., Genzel R., Drapatz S., Rotaciuc V. (1991): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 382, L19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krenz T., Harris A.I., Genzel R. (1992): (in preparation)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacy J.H., Achtermann J.M., Serabyn E.E. (1991): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 380, L71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacy J.H., Townes C.H., Geballe T.R., Hollenbach D.J. (1980): Astrophys. J., 241, 132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lebofsky M.J. (1979): Astron. J., 84, 324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lebofsky M.J., Rieke G.H. (1987): in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed. Backer D.C., American Institute of Physics, New York, p. 79

    Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal M., MacCallum C.J., Barthelmy S.D., Gehrels N., Teergarden B.J., Tueller J. (1989): Nature, 339, 36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindqvist M., Habing H.J., Winnberg A. (1992): Astron. Astrophys., 259, 118

    Google Scholar 

  • Lingenfelter, R.E., Ramaty R. (1989): Astrophys. J., 343, 686

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liszt H.S., Burton W.B. (1978): Astrophys. J., 226, 790

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liszt H.S., Burton W.B. (1980): Astrophys. J., 236, 779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo K.Y. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 527

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo K.Y., Backer D.C., Ekers R.D., Kellermann K.I., Reid M.J., Moran J.M. (1985): Nature, 315, 124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo K.Y., Claussen M. (1983): Nature, 306, 647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lugten J.B., Genzel R., Crawford M.K., Townes C.H. (1986): Astrophys. J., 306, 691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynden-Bell D., Rees M.J. (1971): Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 152, 461

    Google Scholar 

  • McGinn M.T., Sellgren K., Becklin E.E.; Hall D.N.B. (1989): Astrophys. J., 338, 824

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melia F. (1992): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 387, L25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mezger P.G., Zylka R., Salter C.J., Wink J.E., Chini R., Kreysa E., Tuffs R. (1989): Astron. Astrophys., 209, 337

    Google Scholar 

  • Moneti A., Glass I.S., Moorwood A.F.M. (1991): Mem. Astr. Soc. It., 62, 755

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris M. (1989): (ed.) Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, Kluwer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuda H. et al. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 145

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuda H. et al. (1990): Astrophys. J., 351, 89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okumura S.K. et al. (1989): Astrophys. J., 347, 240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okumura S.K. et al. (1991): Astrophys. J., 378, 127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oort J.H. (1977): Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 15, 295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozernoy L.M. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 555

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedlar A., Anantharamaiah K.R., Ekers R.D., Goss W.M., van Gorkom J.H., Schwarz U.J., Zhao J. (1989): Astrophys. J., 342, 769

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poglitsch A., Stacey G.J., Geis N., Haggarty M., Jackson J., Rumitz M., Genzel R., Townes C.H. (1991): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 374, L33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees M. (1987): in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed. Backer D.C., American Institute of Physics, New York, p. 71

    Google Scholar 

  • Riegler G.R., Blandford R.D. (1982): (eds.) AIP Conf. Proc. 83, The Galactic Center, American Institute of Physics, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Riegler G.R., Ling J.C., Mahoney W.A., Wheaton W.A., Willett J.B., Jacobson A.S., Prince T.A. (1981): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 248, L13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieke G.H. (1982): in AIP Conf. Proc. 83, The Galactic Center, eds. Riegler G.R., Blandford R.D., American Institute of Physics, New York, p. 194

    Google Scholar 

  • Rieke G.H. (1989): In Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 21

    Google Scholar 

  • Rybicki G.B., Lightman A.P. (1979): Radiative Processes in Astrophysics, J. Wiley. New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandqvist Aa. (1974): Astron. Astrophys., 33, 413

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandqvist Aa. (1989): Astron. Astrophys., 223, 293

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandqvist Aa., Karlsson R., Whiteoak J.B. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 421

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandqvist Aa., Karlsson R., Whiteoak J.B., Gardner F.F. (1987): in AIP Conf. Proc. 155, The Galactic Center, ed. Backer D.C., American Institute of Physics, New York, p. 95

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz U.J., Bregman J.D., van Gorkom J.H. (1989): Astron. Astrophys., 215, 33

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz U.J., Lasenby J. (1990): in Proc. IAU Symp. 140, Galactic and Intergalactic Magnetic Fields, eds. Beck R., Kronberg P.P., Wielebinski R., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 383

    Google Scholar 

  • Scoville N.Z., Solomon P.M. (1973): Astrophys. J., 180, 55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seiradakis J.H., Reich W., Wielebinski R., Lasenby A.N., Yusef-Zadeh F. (1989): Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser., 81, 291

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellgren K. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 477

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellgren K., Hall D.N.B., Kleinmann S.G., Scoville N.Z. (1987): Astrophys. J. 317, 881

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serabyn E., Güsten R. (1987): Astron. Astrophys., 184, 133

    Google Scholar 

  • Serabyn E., Lacy J. (1985): Astrophys. J., 293, 445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serabyn E., Lacy J.H., Townes C.H., Bharat R. (1988): Astrophys. J., 326, 171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon M., Chen W.P., Forrest W.J., Garnett J.D., Longmore A.J., Gauer T., Dixon R.I. (1990): Astrophys. J., 360, 95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons D.A., Hodapp K.-W., Becklin E.E. (1990): Astrophys. J., 360, 106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner G.K. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 567

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunyaev R. et al. (1991): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 383, L49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tielens A.G.G.M., Hollenbach D. (1985): Astrophys. J., 291, 772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuboi M. (1988): Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson D.M., Storey J.W.V., Townes C.H., Haller E.E. (1980): Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 241, L43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson M.G., Willingale R., Grindlay J.E., Hertz P. (1981): Astrophys. J., 250, 142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner M.W., Davidson J.A., Morris M., Novak G., Platt S.R., Hildebrand R.H. (1988): Astrophys. J., 333, 729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winnberg A., Baud B., Matthews H.E., Habing H.J., Olnon F.M., 1985, Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 291, L45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusef-Zadeh F. (1986): Ph.D. Thesis, Columbia Univ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yusef-Zadeh F. (1989): in Proc. IAU Symp. 136, The Center of the Galaxy, ed. Morris M., Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 243

    Google Scholar 

  • Yusef-Zadeh F., Morris, M. (1987): Astrophys. J., 320, 545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusef-Zadeh F., Morris M., Chance D. (1984): Nature, 310, 557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zylka R., Mezger P.G., Wink J.E. (1990): Astron. Astrophys., 234, 133

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stockholm Observatory, S-13336, Saltsjöbaden, Sweden

    Aage Sandqvist

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, D-8046, Garching bei München, Germany

    Reinhard Genzel

Authors
  1. Aage Sandqvist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Reinhard Genzel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Aage Sandqvist Thomas P. Ray

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer-Verlag

About this paper

Cite this paper

Sandqvist, A., Genzel, R. (1993). The galactic centre. In: Sandqvist, A., Ray, T.P. (eds) Central Activity in Galaxies. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 413. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56371-7_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56371-7_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56371-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47542-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation