• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.29-34
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• 2014

We have observed the deuterated methanol, $CH_3OD$, toward the hot core MM1 in the massive star-forming region DR21 (OH) using the Submillimeter Array with a high angular resolution of about 1 arcsecond. The position of the hot core associated with the sub-core MM1a was confirmed to coincide with the continuum peak where an embedded young stellar object is located. The column density of $CH_3OD$ was found to be about $(2{\pm}1){\times}10^{16}cm^{-2}$ toward the MM1a center. The abundance ratio $CH_3OD/CH_3OH$ was measured to be ~ 0.45, which is about the median value for low mass star-forming cores but much larger than those of the massive star-forming cores. The ratio is believed to change depending on, for example, the chemical condition, the temperature and the density of the source. This ratio may further depend on the evolutionary phase especially in the massive-star-forming cores. The sub-core MM1a is thought to be in the very early phase of star formation. This large abundance ratio found in this source indicates that even the massive star-forming cores, during a relatively short period in the very early stage of star formation, may also show a chemical state resulted from the cold and dense pre-collapsing phase, the enhanced deuteration as found in low mass star-forming cores.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.133-137
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• 2015

The Galactic center uniquely provides opportunities to resolve how star clusters form in neutral gas overdensities engulfed in a large-scale accretion flow. We have performed sensitive Green Bank 100m Telescope (GBT), Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA), and Submillimeter Array (SMA) mapping observations of molecular gas and thermal dust emission surrounding the Galaxy's supermassive black hole (SMBH) Sgr $A^{\ast}$. We resolved several molecular gas streams orbiting the center on ${\gtrsim}10$ pc scales. Some of these gas streams appear connected to the well-known 2-4 pc scale molecular circumnuclear disk (CND). The CND may be the tidally trapped inner part of the large-scale accretion flow, which incorporates inflow via exterior gas filaments/arms, and ultimately feeds gas toward Sgr $A^{\ast}$. Our high resolution GBT+JVLA $NH_3$ images and SMA+JCMT 0.86 mm dust continuum image consistently reveal abundant dense molecular clumps in this region. These gas clumps are characterized by ${\gtrsim}100$ times higher virial masses than the derived molecular gas masses based on 0.86 mm dust continuum emission. In addition, Class I $CH_3OH$ masers and some $H_2O$ masers are observed to be well associated with the dense clumps. We propose that the resolved gas clumps may be pressurized gas reservoirs for feeding the formation of 1-10 solar-mass stars. These sources may be the most promising candidates for ALMA to probe the process of high-mass star-formation in the Galactic center.