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Metallicity studies of the Galactic center: evidence for a top-heavy star formation history?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2014

Francisco Najarro ,
Diego de la Fuente ,
Tom R. Geballe  and
Don F. Figer
Francisco Najarro
Affiliation:
Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), ctra. de Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Diego de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), ctra. de Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Tom R. Geballe
Affiliation:
Gemini Observatory, 670 N. A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Don F. Figer
Affiliation:
Center for Detectors, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
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Abstract

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The Galactic center (GC) region hosts three of the most massive resolved young clusters in the Local Group and constitutes a test bed for studying the star formation history of the region and inferring the possibility of a top-heavy scenario. Further, recent detection of a large number of apparently isolated massive stars within the inner 80 pc of the Galactic center has raised fundamental questions regarding massive star formation in a such a dense and harsh environment. Noting that most of the isolated massive stars have spectral analogs in the Quintuplet cluster, we have undertaken a combined analysis of the infrared spectra of both selected Quintuplet stars and the isolated objects using Gemini spectroscopy. We present preliminary results, aiming at α-elements versus iron abundances, stellar properties, ages and radial velocities which will differentiate the top-heavy and star-formation scenarios.

Keywords

Massive starsabundancesGalactic center
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 9 , Symposium S303: The Galactic Center: Feeding and Feedback in a Normal Galactic Nucleus , October 2013 , pp. 252 - 253
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

References

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