------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Casey Law  claw@science.uva.nl 

\title{
Surveys of the Galactic Center and the Nature of the Galactic Center Lobe
}
\author{Casey Law}
\begin{abstract}
The Galactic center (GC) is a dense and chaotic region filled with unusual
sources, such as intense star forming regions, dense star clusters,
nonthermal radio filaments, and a massive black hole.  The proximity of the
GC region makes it an ideal place to study the unusual processes that tend
to manifest themselves in Galactic nuclei.  This thesis uses single-dish and
interferometric radio continuum, radio recombination line, polarized radio
continuum, and mid-IR observations to study the wide variety of physical
processes seen in the GC region on physical scales from 0.1 to 100 parsecs.
These observations provide one of the most sensitive and complete studies of
the cm-wavelength continuum emission in the central 500 parsecs.  I also
study the distribution of radio spectral index and polarized emission from
nonthermal radio filaments, which can constrain their origin and the
structure of the magnetic field in the GC region.

The presence of massive star clusters and a massive black hole suggest that
starburst and AGN phenomena can manifest themselves in our Galaxy.  This
thesis explores this possibility by studying a 150-pc-tall, shell-like
structure called the Galactic center lobe (GCL).  Our multiwavelength
observations of the central few hundred parsecs of the Galaxy examine the
spectral index, dust emission, polarized continuum emission, and ionized gas
throughout the GCL.  I find strong evidence supporting the idea that the GCL
is a true three-dimensional shell located in the GC region with nested
layers of ionized, magnetized, and mid-IR--emitting components.  I compare
the physical conditions of the GCL to proposed models for its origin and
find best agreement with starburst outflows seen in other galaxies, yet
consistent with the currently observed pressure and star formation rate in
the central tens of parsecs of our Galaxy.
\end{abstract}

astroph http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/0705.0114

sissa http://staff.science.uva.nl/~claw/thesis_claw.pdf