The inner R~100 pc of the Galaxy provides a unique laboratory that has long been used to elucidate some of the most pressing astrophysical questions. This region hosts the largest reservoir of dense gas, the greatest star formation density, and the highest volume density of stars in our Galaxy. Due to its proximity, we can study the Galactic Center (GC) at a hundred times better resolution than achievable in the Local Group and thousands of times better than in the nearest active galaxies — down to the scale of a few hundred AU with JWST. Studies in the GC have long bridged investigations of star formation in our own Galaxy and those in galactic nuclei, starburst galaxies, and, more recently, high-redshift galaxies. With JWST, we can finally characterize the GC stellar population with both unprecedented detail and the precision essential to address fundamental open questions:
(i) What is the 3D structure and kinematics of the gas and stars?
(ii) How is the long history of sporadic star formation related to the overall history of the Milky Way?
(iii) What is the driving force behind the observed super-wind?
(iv) How do extreme conditions affect the (non)universality of star formation?
The JWST GC Treasury Program is a large-area NIRCam survey of the inner R~100 pc of the Galaxy. The resultant maps in two filters will provide the entire GC community with the foundational data required to address these questions—and countless more—in the upcoming era of high-resolution observatories. We will deliver high-level data products to the community, including catalogs cross-matched with other GC surveys, saturation- corrected images, and tools optimized for crowded-field photometry.
The JWST GC Treasury Program is a consortium of the Galactic Centre community open to anyone involved in CMZ research who contributes to the survey. If you are interested in joining, please contact one of the co-PIs on the Team page.