Manifestations of the Galactic Center Magnetic Field

Several independent lines of evidence reveal that a relatively strong and highly ordered magnetic field is present throughout the Galaxy's central molecular zone (CMZ). The field within dense clouds of the central molecular zone is predominantly parallel to the Galactic plane, probably as a result of the strong tidal shear in that region. A second magnetic field system is present outside of clouds, manifested primarily by a population of vertical, synchrotron-emitting filamentary features aligned with the field. Whether or not the strong vertical field is uniform throughout the CMZ remains undetermined, but is a key central issue for the overall energetics and the impact of the field on the Galactic center arena. The interactions between the two field systems are considered, as they are likely to drive some of the activity within the CMZ. As a proxy for other gas-rich galaxies in the local group and beyond, the Galactic center region reveals that magnetic fields are likely to be an important diagnostic, if not also a collimator, of the flow of winds and energetic particles out of the nucleus.Comment: To appear in "LESSONS FROM THE LOCAL GROUP" - A Conference in Honour of David Block and Bruce Elmegreen, eds: Freeman, K.C., Elmegreen, B.G., Block, D.L. & Woolway, M. (SPRINGER: NEW YORK

On "Sexual contacts and epidemic thresholds," models and inference for Sexual partnership distributions

Recent work has focused attention on statistical inference for the population distribution of the number of sexual partners based on survey data. The characteristics of these distributions are of interest as components of mathematical models for the transmission dynamics of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). Such information can be used both to calibrate theoretical models, to make predictions for real populations, and as a tool for guiding public health policy. Our previous work on this subject has developed likelihood-based statistical methods for inference that allow for low-dimensional, semi-parametric models. Inference has been based on several proposed stochastic process models for the formation of sexual partnership networks. We have also developed model selection criteria to choose between competing models, and assessed the fit of different models to three populations: Uganda, Sweden, and the USA. Throughout this work, we have emphasized the correct assessment of the uncertainty of the estimates based on the data analyzed. We have also widened the question of interest to the limitations of inferences from such data, and the utility of degree-based epidemiological models more generally. In this paper we address further statistical issues that are important in this area, and a number of confusions that have arisen in interpreting our work. In particular, we consider the use of cumulative lifetime partner distributions, heaping and other issues raised by Liljeros et al. in a recent working paper.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures in linked working pape

Discovery of hot supergiant stars near the Galactic center

We report new results of a campaign to find Wolf-Rayet and O (WR/O) stars and high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Galactic center. We searched for candidates by cross-correlating the 2MASS catalog with a deep Chandra catalog of X-ray point sources in the Radio Arches region. Following up with K-band spectroscopy, we found two massive stellar counterparts to CXOGC J174555.3-285126 and CXOGC J174617.0-285131, which we classify as a broad-lined WR star of sub-type WN6b and an O Ia supergiant, respectively. Their X-ray properties are most consistent with those of known colliding-wind binaries in the Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud, although a scenario involving low-rate accretion onto a compact object is also possible. The O Ia star lies 4.4 pc in projection from the Quintuplet cluster, and has a radial velocity consistent with that of the Quintuplet, suggesting that this star might have escaped from the cluster. We also present the discovery of a B2 Ia supergiant, which we identified as a candidate massive star using 8 micron Spitzer maps of the Galactic center in a region near the known massive X-ray-emitting star CXOGC J174516.1-290315. We discuss the origin of these stars in the context of evolving stellar clusters in the Galactic center.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Evidence for A Parsec-scale Jet from The Galactic Center Black Hole: Interaction with Local Gas

Despite strong physical reasons that they should exist and decades of search, jets from the Galactic Center Black Hole, Sgr A*, have not yet been convincingly detected. Based on high-resolution Very Large Array images and ultra-deep imaging-spectroscopic data produced by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we report new evidence for the existence of a parsec-scale jet from Sgr A*, by associating a linear feature G359.944-0.052, previously identified in X-ray images of the Galactic Center, with a radio shock front on the Eastern Arm of the Sgr A West HII region. We show that the shock front can be explained in terms of the impact of a jet having a sharp momentum peak along the Galaxy's rotation axis, whereas G359.944-0.052, a quasi-steady feature with a power-law spectrum, can be understood as synchrotron radiation from shock-induced ultrarelativistic electrons cooling in a finite post-shock region downstream along the jet path. Several interesting implications of the jet properties are discussed.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

A Nonthermal Radio Filament Connected to the Galactic Black Hole?

Using the Very Large Array, we have investigated a non-thermal radio filament (NTF) recently found very near the Galactic black hole and its radio counterpart, SgrA*. While this NTF -- the Sgr A West Filament (SgrAWF) -- shares many characteristics with the population of NTFs occupying the central few hundred parsecs of the Galaxy, the SgrAWF has the distinction of having an orientation and sky location that suggest an intimate physical connection to SgrA*. We present 3.3 and 5.5 cm images constructed using an innovative methodology that yields a very high dynamic range, providing an unprecedentedly clear picture of the SgrAWF. While the physical association of the SgrAWF with SgrA* is not unambiguous, the images decidedly evoke this interesting possibility. Assuming that the SgrAWF bears a physical relationship to SgrA*, we examine the potential implications. One is that SgrA* is a source of relativistic particles constrained to diffuse along ordered local field lines. The relativistic particles could also be fed into the local field by a collimated outflow from SgrA*, perhaps driven by the Poynting flux accompanying the black hole spin in the presence of a magnetic field threading the event horizon. Second, we consider the possibility that the SgrAWF is the manifestation of a low-mass-density cosmic string that has become anchored to the black hole. The simplest form of these hypotheses would predict that the filament be bi-directional, whereas the SgrAWF is only seen on one side of SgrA*, perhaps because of the dynamics of the local medium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for ApJ Letter

Uniform Silicon Isotope Ratios Across the Milky Way Galaxy

We report the relative abundances of the three stable isotopes of silicon, $^{28}$Si, $^{29}$Si and $^{30}$Si, across the Galaxy using the $v = 0, J = 1 \to 0$ transition of silicon monoxide. The chosen sources represent a range in Galactocentric radii ($R_{\rm GC}$) from 0 to 9.8 kpc. The high spectral resolution and sensitivity afforded by the GBT permit isotope ratios to be corrected for optical depths. The optical-depth-corrected data indicate that the secondary-to-primary silicon isotope ratios $^{29}{\rm Si}/^{28}{\rm Si}$ and $^{30}{\rm Si}/^{28}{\rm Si}$ vary much less than predicted on the basis of other stable isotope ratio gradients across the Galaxy. Indeed, there is no detectable variation in Si isotope ratios with $R_{\rm GC}$. This lack of an isotope ratio gradient stands in stark contrast to the monotonically decreasing trend with $R_{\rm GC}$ exhibited by published secondary-to-primary oxygen isotope ratios. These results, when considered in the context of the expectations for chemical evolution, suggest that the reported oxygen isotope ratio trends, and perhaps that for carbon as well, require further investigation. The methods developed in this study for SiO isotopologue ratio measurements are equally applicable to Galactic oxygen, carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio measurements, and should prove useful for future observations of these isotope systems.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 839, Issue