| Description |
We will investigate the inflow of matter in thebulge of the Milky Way using the HIFI and PACS instruments onHerschel to observe C II, N II, O I,O III, and high-J CO emission lines to determine therelationship between central black holes and their host galacticbulges and thus the causes and mechanisms of starbursts. AsBinney et al. (1991) have suggested, the gas in closed orbits in the barof the Milky Way provides a means to study in detail the accretionprocesses leading to starbursts and active galactic nuclei. Shockseffectively transfer some fraction of the clouds orbital kineticenergy into heat which escapes through dust continuum and lineemission. By measuring this emission and characterizing the starformation that occurs under these unusual conditions, we canestimate the amount of orbital energy that has been dissipated andconstrain estimates of the mass inflow from the decaying orbits.For this purpose high velocity resolution observations ofinterstellar cooling lines are required. In the following proposalwe discuss how HIFI and PACS observations of C II,N II, O I, O III, and high-J CO linescan be combined with existing radio emission line surveys andfar-infrared continuum surveys to identify and estimate the energyloss and resulting infall motions from clumps in the inner galaxy.Using existing submillimeter-wave spectral line surveys, we are ableto identify those regions lying between 2 kpc and 200 pc of theGalactic center that are emitting significant terahertz lineradiation, and we can therefore accomplish a comprehensivecharacterization of gas in the inner galaxy using pointed Herschelobservations. As ALMA comes online, we will be able touse the understanding produced by this study to understand the gasdynamics of other galaxies and properly place them in context. |
