Building up the Center of the Milky Way (B08)

• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2015 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 138713538

How is the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way supplied with gas, and how does this influence the rate at which stars form there? We will address these questions with a combination of numerical simulations and observations. We will simulate the inflow of gas along the stellar bar and onto the CMZ and will use these simulations to make detailed predictions for the star formation rate as a function of time and of location within the CMZ. We will also study the assembly history of the Galactic Center region by using large-area near-infrared spectroscopic surveys to identify young stars, enabling us to quantify the current star formation rate throughout the CMZ.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 881: The Milky Way System
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Simon Glover, Ph.D.; Dr. Nadine Neumayer née Häring