Mass flows in the Galactic Center by supernovae of the circumnuclear disk

¹ Physics Institute, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 9, Szeged 6723, Hungary
² Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Boční II 1401, Prague, Czech Republic
³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547, USA
⁴ LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris Cité, 5 place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France

^★ Corresponding author; bbarna@titan.physx.u-szeged.hu

Received: 15 December 2024
Accepted: 30 January 2025

Abstract

Context. The circumnuclear disk (CND) is presently the main supply of mass for the accretion onto the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the Galactic Center (GC). While the accretion is relatively slow, it has been suspected that local episodic explosive events play an important role in the temporary mass inflow toward the SMBH, while also affecting the evolution of the CND.

Aims. The aim of this study is to follow the changes in mass flows caused by supernova (SN) explosions nestled in or near the CND.

Methods. We performed simulations with the grid-based magnetohydrodynamic code FLASH of the inner 5 pc of the Milky Way GC, including the gravitational potential, rotation, magnetic field, central wind source, and the warm gas of the CND, all mimicking the observed physical properties.

Results. Assuming a M_SN = 10 M_⊙ as the mass of the precursor of the core-collapse SN event at various locations within 2 pc from the GC, we detect a temporary increase in the accretion rate, transferring an additional 2–60 M_⊙ of warm gas to the immediate vicinity of the SMBH, depending on the explosion site. At the same time, the kinetic energy of the SN even blows away mass from the CND; the additional warm gas leaving the simulation domain after the explosion is on the order of ~100 M_⊙. In the studied cases, the impact on mass flows and the turbulence caused by the explosion cease after ~250 kyr.