Evidence for an interaction between the Galactic Center clouds M0.10-0.08 and M0.11-0.11

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution radio observations to analyze the molecular composition and kinematics of the Galactic center cloud M0.10-0.08, revealing multiple molecular transitions, masers, and evidence of interaction with nearby cloud M0.11-0.11.

Contribution

First detailed high-resolution radio analysis of M0.10-0.08 revealing its molecular complexity and potential interaction with M0.11-0.11.

Findings

Detection of 15 molecular transitions including NH3, HC3N, CH3OH, HC5N, CH3CN, and OCS.

Identification of over sixty 36 GHz CH3OH masers with high brightness temperatures.

Kinematic evidence suggesting physical interaction between M0.10-0.08 and M0.11-0.11.

Abstract

We present high-resolution (~2-3"; ~0.1 pc) radio observations of the Galactic center cloud M0.10-0.08 using the Very Large Array at K and Ka band (~25 and 36 GHz). The M0.10-0.08 cloud is located in a complex environment near the Galactic center Radio Arc and the adjacent M0.11-0.11 molecular cloud. From our data, M0.10-0.08 appears to be a compact molecular cloud (~3 pc) that contains multiple compact molecular cores (5+; <0.4 pc). In this study we detect a total of 15 molecular transitions in M0.10-0.08 from the following molecules: NH3, HC3N, CH3OH, HC5N, CH3CN, and OCS. We have identified more than sixty 36 GHz CH3OH masers in M0.10-0.08 with brightness temperatures above 400 K and 31 maser candidates with temperatures between 100-400 K. We conduct a kinematic analysis of the gas using NH3 and detect multiple velocity components towards this region of the Galactic center. The bulk of the gas in this region has a velocity of 51.5 km/s (M0.10-0.08) with a lower velocity wing at 37.6 km/s. We also detect a relatively faint velocity component at 10.6 km/s that we attribute to being an extension of the M0.11-0.11 cloud. Analysis of the gas kinematics, combined with past X-ray fluorescence observations, suggests M0.10-0.08 and M0.11-0.11 are located in the same vicinity of the Galactic center and could be physically interacting.