Deuterium Fractionation as a Multiphase Component Tracer in the Galactic Center

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) contains most of the mass of our Galaxy but its star formation rate is one order of magnitude lower than in the Galactic disk. This is likely related to the fact that the bulk of the gas in the CMZ is in a warm (>100 K) and turbulent phase with little material in the prestellar phase. We present in this Letter observations of deuterium fractionation (D/H ratios) of HCN, HNC, HCO+, and N2H+ toward the CMZ molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027. These observations clearly show, for the first time, the presence of a colder, denser, and less turbulent narrow component, with a line width of similar to 9 km s(-1), in addition to the warm, less dense, and turbulent broad component with a line width of similar to 20 km s(-1). The very low D/H ratio <= 6 x 10(-5) for HCO+ and N2H+, close to the cosmic value (similar to 2.5 x 10(-5)), and the high D/H ratios, >4 x 10(-4) for HCN and HNC, derived for the broad component confirm the presence of high-temperature deuteration routes for nitriles. For the narrow component we have derived D/H ratios >10(-4) and excitation temperatures of 7 K for all molecules, suggesting kinetic temperatures <= 30 K and H-2 densities >= 5 x 10(4) cm(-3), at least one order of magnitude larger than that for the broad component. The method presented in this Letter allows us to identify clouds on the verge of star formation, i.e., under prestellar conditions, toward the CMZ. This method can also be used for the identification of such clouds in external galaxies.

Automated summary

The gas in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is mostly warm and turbulent, but the presence of a colder, denser, and less turbulent component has been observed for the first time. This narrow component has a narrower line width and higher D/H ratios compared to the broader component, indicating higher kinetic temperatures and H-2 densities. This method can be used to identify clouds on the verge of star formation in the CMZ and potentially in external galaxies.