Dusty Sources at the Galactic Center the N ‐ and Q ‐Band Views with VISIR

Abstract

We present mid-infrared N- and Q-band photometry of the Galactic center from images obtained with the mid-infrared camera VISIR at the ESO VLT in 2004 May. The high resolution and sensitivity possible with VISIR enable us to investigate a total of over 60 pointlike sources, an unprecedented number for the Galactic center at these wavelengths. Combining these data with previous results at shorter wavelengths (Viehmann and coworkers) enables us to construct SEDs covering the H- to Q-band regions of the spectrum, i.e., 1.6-19.5 μm. We find that the SEDs of certain types of Galactic center sources show characteristic features. We can clearly distinguish between luminous Northern Arm bow shock sources, lower luminosity bow shock sources, hot stars, and cool stars. This characterization may help clarify the status of currently unclassified sources.