SF-02-0018

Cloud-cloud collisions and triggered star formation in the Central Molecular Zone

Rei Enokiya, Yasuo Fukui, Kensuke Kakiuchi, Takeru K Suzuki, Ryotaro Konishi

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) harbors outstanding clusters including the Arches and Quintuplet, and it is an issue of keen interest to understand the mechanism of the cluster formation (e.g., Longmore+ 2013, MNRAS, 433, 15). Recently, some authors reported that cloud-cloud collisions (CCCs) trigger the young massive cluster formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud and Antennae Galaxies. The CMZ, which holds the highest volume density of molecular gas in the Local Group, is expected to have very frequent CCCs and it is important to test if CCCs provide a viable mechanism of cluster formation in the CMZ at the highest resolution thanks to its small distance. In order to obtain a unified picture on the role of CCCs over the whole CMZ, we undertook an analysis of collision signatures based on the archival CO datasets by applying the identification method of a CCC, which is developed for clouds in the Galactic disk including outstanding HII regions M42, M17, and NGC6334 (Fukui+ 2022, PASJ, 73, 1). We have found evidence for CCCs in the five major molecular complexes in the Galactic center, namely Sgr A, Sgr B2, Sgr C, L1.3 complex, and M?3.8+0.9 at different evolutionary stages, where Sgr B2 is the youngest and most active site of high mass star formation. The mass, relative velocity, and collision time scale in CCCs are 105-6 Msun, several ten km/s, and 105-6 yrs, respectively (Enokiya and Fukui 2022, ApJ, 931, 155). We discuss that these GMC collisions may play a significant role in the context of the star forming history in the CMZ and moreover in the evolution of the Galaxy and the frequency of CCCs can be enhanced at the intersections of two flows and/or at the footpoints of magnetically floating loops.