Weighing the IMBH candidate CO-0.40-0.22* in the Galactic Centre

A. Ballone, M. Mapelli, M. Pasquato

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The high velocity gradient observed in the compact cloud CO-0.40-0.22, at a projected distance of 60 pc from the centre of the Milky Way, has led its discoverers to identify the closeby mm continuum emitter, CO-0.40-0.22*, with an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) candidate. We describe the interaction between CO-0.40-0.22 and the IMBH, by means of a simple analytical model and of hydrodynamical simulations. Through such calculation, we obtain a lower limit to the mass of CO-0.40-0.22* of few 104×M. This result tends to exclude the formation of such massive black hole in the proximity of the Galactic Centre. On the other hand, CO-0.40-0.22* might have been brought to such distances in cosmological time-scales, if it was born in a dark matter halo or globular cluster around the Milky Way.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)4684-4692
    Number of pages9
    JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    Volume480
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2018

    Keywords

    • Black hole physics
    • Galaxy: centre
    • ISM: clouds

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
    • Space and Planetary Science

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