The Central Molecular Zone of our Galaxy, a chemical complexity factory: first interstellar detections of molecules towards G+0.693
Abstract
The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy is a prime laboratory for interstellar chemistry because of its extreme conditions, such as shocks and high cosmic-ray ionisation rates. It is an efficient factory of molecules, with many species first discovered in CMZ sources. This document reviews key results from the study of the CMZ G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud. Using ultra-sensitive broadband spectral surveys together with laboratory spectroscopy, more than 140 molecules have been identified, including 28 detected for the first time in the interstellar medium (ISM). These discoveries include prebiotic precursors of biomolecules, increasingly complex members of known molecular families, molecules containing periodic third-row elements (S, P, Na, Mg), high-energy stereo- and structural isomers, and new cations. Overall, these findings extend the known limits of interstellar chemical complexity and highlight the CMZ's potential to provide the molecular ingredients for prebiotic chemistry.
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BibTeX
@misc{rivilla2026central,
title = {{The Central Molecular Zone of our Galaxy, a chemical complexity factory: first interstellar detections of molecules towards G+0.693}},
author = {Víctor M. Rivilla},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.26308},
eprint = {2610.26308},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26308},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Central Molecular Zone of our Galaxy, a chemical complexity factory: first interstellar detections of molecules towards G+0.693
AU - Víctor M. Rivilla
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.26308
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26308
AB - The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy is a prime laboratory for interstellar chemistry because of its extreme conditions, such as shocks and high cosmic-ray ionisation rates. It is an efficient factory of molecules, with many species first discovered in CMZ sources. This document reviews key results from the study of the CMZ G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud. Using ultra-sensitive broadband spectral surveys together with laboratory spectroscopy, more than 140 molecules have been identified, including 28 detected for the first time in the interstellar medium (ISM). These discoveries include prebiotic precursors of biomolecules, increasingly complex members of known molecular families, molecules containing periodic third-row elements (S, P, Na, Mg), high-energy stereo- and structural isomers, and new cations. Overall, these findings extend the known limits of interstellar chemical complexity and highlight the CMZ's potential to provide the molecular ingredients for prebiotic chemistry.
ER -