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Title:
The Role of Thermal and Nonthermal Processes in Star Formation at the Galactic Center
Creator:
Mazoochi, F. ; Tabatabaei, F. ; Henkel, C. ; Longmore, S. ; Walker, D.
Subject:
Astrometry ; Space Sciences ; Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Galactic Center ; ISM ; Thermal and Nonthermal ; Magnetic Field
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Abstract:
Centers of galaxies hosting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) drive extreme astrophysical processes that shape galaxy evolution. The circumnuclear region of the Galactic Center (GC) provides a unique laboratory to study these effects around Sgr A⋆. Using MeerKAT 1.3 GHz continuum and ALMA H40α data, we separate thermal free–free and nonthermal synchrotron emission at 18′′ (0.7 pc) resolution. The correlation between nonthermal radio and FIR emission reveals a balance between magnetic, cosmic ray, and gas pressures, with an equipartition magnetic field averaging 445±7 μG and increasing toward Sgr A⋆. We find that the nonthermal pressure imposed by turbulent gas almost balances that of the magnetic field/cosmic rays and is about two orders of magnitude larger than the thermal pressure. Mass-to-flux ratios suggest a generally subcritical state, implying that magnetic fields play a key role in stabilizing clouds against collapse.