Description
Our understanding of star and planet formation primarily comes from studies of local molecular clouds. However, the environmental conditions in local star-forming regions vary significantly from those in the Galactic Centre. The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the innermost few-hundred parsecs of the Galaxy, and the dense gas fraction, temperature, magnetic field strength, and gas pressure in this region are orders of magnitude higher than in local molecular clouds. These conditions are directly comparable to those in galaxies at z ∼ 1−3; the era when most stars in the Universe formed. At a distance of only 8.2 kpc, the CMZ is a prime target for examining whether star formation is a truly universal process, or whether it is environmentally dependent. I will present the results of our JWST NIRCam and MIRI imaging study of cloud E/F; a massive and compact molecular cloud in the CMZ with early signs of high mass star formation. With the unparalleled resolution and sensitivity of JWST, we are able to detect protostars down to 0.1 L$_\odot$, allowing us to make the most robust measurement to date of the star formation rate in cloud E/F. I will highlight how this work is striving to answer open questions such as (i) how does the extreme environment in the CMZ affect star and planet formation? and (ii) what are the implications of our results for star formation theory as a whole?
