On the fate of Galactic Centre molecular clouds

Abstract

One third of the CO-emitting gas within 500 pc of the Galactic Center is in a few massive clouds. If these clouds have masses of the expected order $$(3\times{10}^{6}{M}_{\odot})$$, even the outermost is doomed to spiral into the center within a Gyr. The subsequent evolution is unclear, but it will almost certainty be violent. This suggests that the Galactic center is subjected to starbursts.