Star Formation Close to Sgr A* and Beyond the Nuclear Cluster

TL;DR

This paper explores two star formation modes near Sgr A*, emphasizing how tidal forces from the nuclear cluster influence molecular cloud collapse and contribute to star formation in the Galactic center.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of disk-based and cloud-based star formation modes near Sgr A*, highlighting the role of tidal forces in star formation beyond the nuclear cluster.

Findings

Tidal forces reduce Roche density, aiding molecular cloud collapse.

Both disk-based and cloud-based star formation modes are active near Sgr A*.

Tidal effects extend star formation influence tens of parsecs from Sgr A*.

Abstract

Two modes of star formation are involved to explain the origin of young stars near Sgr A*. One is a disk-based mode, which explains the disk of stars orbiting Sgr A*. The other is the standard cloud-based mode observed in the Galactic disk. We discuss each of these modes of star formation and apply these ideas to the inner few parsecs of Sgr A*. In particular, we focus on the latter mode in more detail. We also discuss how the tidal force exerted by the nuclear cluster makes the Roche density approaching zero and contributes to the collapse of molecular clouds located tens of parsecs away from Sgr A*.