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Diffraction Limited Near Infrared Imaging of the Central Parsec of the Galaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2016

A. Eckart ,
R. Genzel ,
R. Hofmann ,
B.J. Sams  and
L.E. Tacconi-Garman
A. Eckart
Affiliation:
Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046 Garching, Germany
R. Genzel
Affiliation:
Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046 Garching, Germany
R. Hofmann
Affiliation:
Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046 Garching, Germany
B.J. Sams
Affiliation:
Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046 Garching, Germany
L.E. Tacconi-Garman
Affiliation:
Max-Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046 Garching, Germany

Abstract

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We present deep 1.6 and 2.2 μm images of the central parsec of the Galaxy at a resolution of 0.15″. Most of the flux in earlier seeing limited images comes from about 340 unresolved stellar sources with K≤14. The IRS 16 and 13 complexes are resolved into about two dozen and half a dozen sources, a number of which are probably luminous hot stars. We confirm the presence of a blue near infrared object (K≈13) at the position of the compact radio source Sgr A∗. The spatial centroid of the source number distribution is consistent with the position of Sgr A∗ but not with a position in the IRS 16 complex. The stellar surface density in the central 10″ is very well fitted by an isothermal cluster model with a well defined core radius. The derived core radius of all 340 sources is 0.15±0.05 pc. The central stellar density is a few times 107 M⊙ pc−3. Buildup of massive stars by merging of lower mass stars and collisional disruption of giant atmospheres are very probable processes in the central 0.2 pc.

Type
Imaging Results: Optical and Infrared
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 158: Very High Angular Resolution Imaging , 1994 , pp. 379 - 381
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1994 

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