# A 6.7 GHz methanol maser survey of the central molecular zone

## TL;DR

This survey used the VLA to detect 43 methanol masers in the Central Molecular Zone, revealing new sites of high-mass star formation and providing insights into star formation activity in this dense galactic region.

## Contribution

First blind 6.7 GHz methanol maser survey of the CMZ, identifying 16 new masers and mapping star formation in the inner Galaxy.

## Key findings

- Detected 43 methanol masers, 16 new detections.
- Most masers are within the CMZ and aligned with molecular gas distribution.
- Methanol masers are effective indicators of high-mass star formation.

## Abstract

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) spans the inner ~450 pc (3 degrees) of our Galaxy. This region is defined by its enhanced molecular emission and contains 5% of the entire Galaxy's molecular gas mass. However, the number of detected star forming sites towards the CMZ may be low for the amount of molecular gas that is present, and improved surveys of star formation indicators can help clarify this. With the Karl G Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), we conducted a blind survey of 6.7 GHz methanol masers spanning the inner 3deg x 40arcmin (450 pc x 100 pc) of the Galaxy. We detected 43 methanol masers towards 28 locations, 16 of which are new detections. The velocities of most of these masers are consistent with being located within the CMZ. A majority of the detected methanol masers are distributed towards positive Galactic longitudes, similar to 2/3 of the molecular gas mass distributed at positive Galactic longitudes. The 6.7 GHz methanol maser is an excellent indicator of high mass (>8 solar mass) star formation, with new detections indicating sites of massive star formation in the CMZ.