AAS 195th Meeting, January 2000
Session 5. Looking Towards The Galactic Center
Display, Wednesday, January 12, 2000, 9:20am-6:30pm, Grand Hall

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[5.04] Observations of an Unusual Extended Nonthermal Radio Source in the Direction of the Galactic Center

T. Kazi, T. N. LaRosa (Kennesaw St. Univ.), N. Kassim, T.J.W. Lazio (NRL), C.C. Lang, K. Anantharamaiah (NRAO)

We present 20 and 90~cm VLA observations of an unusual extended nonthermal radio source near the galactic center, G359.87+0.44. This source was recently discovered on a wide-field VLA B-C-D 90~cm image of the galactic center (LaRosa et al 2000). It is located approximately 0.5\arcdeg\ northwest of Sgr A. Although the source morphology is somewhat different at 90 and 20~cm, the strongest emission comes from a linear structure with a length of 7\arcmin\, similar to the nonthermal filaments also found in the GC region. However, the 20/90~cm spectral index (the spectral index~\alpha of a source to be S \propto \nu\alpha , where S is its flux density and \nu is its frequency) along the length of this source decreases uniformly from -0.6 to -1.4, in constrast to the constant (as a function of position) spectral indices exhibited by the nonthermal filaments. We present several alternative interpretations and plans for future observations.

Basic research in radio astronomy at the NRL is supported by the Office of Naval Research. TNL acknowledges a NAVY-ASEE summer faculty fellowship at the NRL.


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