Solange Ramirez (NExScI) : The Galactic Center: not an AGN

I will present 10-35 micron Spitzer spectra of the interstellar medium in the central 210x60 pc of the Galactic center. Using this data set, we build maps of the region in ionic and H2 emission, covering a more extensive area than earlier spectroscopic surveys. The radial velocities and intensities of ionic lines and H2 suggest that most of the H2 emission comes from gas along the line-of-sight, as found by previous work. We explore diagnostic line ratios measured in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) and compare them to our data. Previous work shows that forbidden line ratios can distinguish star-forming galaxies from LINERs and AGNs. Our Galactic Center line ratios agree with star-forming galaxies and not with LINERs or AGNs.