Nonthermal Pressures: Key to Energy Balance and Structure Formation in The Galactic Center
Abstract
At the center of the Milky Way, the physical conditions of the ISM and structure formation are more complicated than those of the disk of the Galaxy. The circumnuclear disk (CND) region in the Galactic Center (GC) offers a unique laboratory to study the formation and evolution of structures as the largest and closest molecular structure to Sgr A*. In this study, we investigate the impact of the thermal and nonthermal processes on energy balance and structure formation in this region traced with radio recombination lines (RRLs) observations. The MeerKAT 1.3 GHz radio continuum map combined with the RRL data allows the separation of the free-free and the synchrotron radiations tracing the thermal and nonthermal processes, respectively. A tight radio--FIR correlation holds indicating that a fine balance holds between the magnetic field, cosmic rays, and gas pressures in this region. The equipartition magnetic field strength mapped at 18 arcsecs angular resolution is on average 1.5 mG. In the innermost region, i.e., at R
Fields of Study & Subjects
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 3 February 2026