Filaments in the Galactic Center - with special reference to the ``Snake''

Geoffrey V. Bicknell1,2, Jianke Li1,3

1 Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Australian National University. Mt Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT, Australia, 2611 2 Department of Physics & Theoretical Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 0200 3 Department of Mathematics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 0200

Paper: PASA, in press

EPrint Server: astro-ph/0112055


Abstract:

The nonthermal filaments in the Galactic Center constitute one of the great mysteries of this region of the Galaxy. We summarise the observational data on these filaments and critically review the various theories which currently outnumber the observed filaments. We summarise our theory for the longest of these filaments, the Snake, and discuss the relevance of this model for the other filaments in the Galactic Center region. The physics involved in our model for the Snake involves much of the physics that has dominated the career of Professor Don Melrose. In particular, the diffusion of relativistic electrons in the Snake is determined from the theory of resonant scattering by Alfvén waves.


Preprints available from the authors at geoff@mso.anu.edu.au , or the raw TeX (no figures) if you click here.

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