Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:54:17.728Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Metallicity studies of the Galactic center: evidence for a top-heavy star formation history?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2014

Francisco Najarro ,
Diego de la Fuente ,
Tom R. Geballe  and
Don F. Figer
Francisco Najarro
Affiliation:
Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), ctra. de Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Diego de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), ctra. de Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Tom R. Geballe
Affiliation:
Gemini Observatory, 670 N. A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Don F. Figer
Affiliation:
Center for Detectors, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The Galactic center (GC) region hosts three of the most massive resolved young clusters in the Local Group and constitutes a test bed for studying the star formation history of the region and inferring the possibility of a top-heavy scenario. Further, recent detection of a large number of apparently isolated massive stars within the inner 80 pc of the Galactic center has raised fundamental questions regarding massive star formation in a such a dense and harsh environment. Noting that most of the isolated massive stars have spectral analogs in the Quintuplet cluster, we have undertaken a combined analysis of the infrared spectra of both selected Quintuplet stars and the isolated objects using Gemini spectroscopy. We present preliminary results, aiming at α-elements versus iron abundances, stellar properties, ages and radial velocities which will differentiate the top-heavy and star-formation scenarios.

Keywords

Massive starsabundancesGalactic center
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 9 , Symposium S303: The Galactic Center: Feeding and Feedback in a Normal Galactic Nucleus , October 2013 , pp. 252 - 253
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

References

Figer, D. F., McLean, I. S., & Morris, M. 1999 ApJ 514, 220Google Scholar
Figer, D. F., Najarro, F., Gilmore, D., et al. 2002 ApJ 581, 258CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geballe, T. R., Najarro, F., Rigaut, F., & Roy, J.-R. 2006, ApJ 652, 370CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hillier, D. J. & Miller, D. L. 1998, ApJ 496, 407Google Scholar
Mauerhan, J. C., Muno, M. P., Morris, M. R., Stolovy, S. R., & Cotera, A. 2010, ApJ 710, 706CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mauerhan, J. C., Cotera, A., Dong, H., et al. 2010b, ApJ 725, 188Google Scholar
Najarro, F., Figer, D. F., Hillier, D. J., & Kudritzki, R. P. 2004, ApJ Lett. 611, L105Google Scholar
Najarro, F., Figer, D. F., Hillier, D. J., Geballe, T. R., & Kudritzki, R. P. 2009, ApJ 691, 1816Google Scholar