Kinematics and evolution of massive star formation in the central molecular zone of the galactic center

The center of our galaxy (Central Molecular Zone; CMZ) harbors unusual physical properties that are not normally seen in the local universe. These unusual properties are typically only found in other galaxy centers and in early universe galaxies. The close proximity to the CMZ, at only ~25,000 light years away, allows astronomers to image individual gas clouds containing these unusual physical properties and investigate their characteristics.

Within the past decade new sensitive telescopes have conducted surveys of the CMZ. These surveys show an apparent connection between individual clouds and a large-scale gas structure. Astronomers have attempted to fit individual gas clouds to a possible larger gas structure (`streams'). However, several locations in the CMZ show multiple cloud components indicating that there may be multiple clouds along a single line-of-sight. Due to this complexity, modeling these clouds is difficult and assumptions in the 3D location of individual clouds can influence the model as a whole.

My thesis focuses on a few CMZ locations that contain multiple cloud components. I target these regions with higher resolution data to determine the cause of the complex velocity structure (i.e., kinematics). Using the data presented in this thesis, I disentangle the complex kinematics to construct a simple solution (e.g., an expanding shell) for the targeted region. I then compare the kinematics of the clouds to the modeled streams to determine how they relate to the larger gas structure. The results in my thesis provide a localized consistency check for several complex kinematic regions and presents additional detailed information that can be used in future orbital models.