Dear all,

I am excited to invite you to my PhD thesis defence this Friday, 27 September, at 10 AM (see abstract below). It will take place at amphi Pierre-Gilles de Gennes and be followed by a pot in the hall de convivialité on the 4th floor. 

The presentation may also be followed on Zoom:  https://u-paris.zoom.us/j/84670020046?pwd=9QjjU3CKaKBwCtwLEkjbpEJjJ1Y6p9.1
(Meeting ID: 846 7002 0046, Passcode: 429346)

Hope to see many of you there!

Best regards,
Sruthi Ravikularaman

Abstract:

The centre of a galaxy plays a vital role in its evolution. Characterised by high densities, turbulence, and strong magnetic fields, it also hosts a supermassive black hole. These conditions make galactic centres unique laboratories for studying various astrophysical phenomena. The Galactic Centre of the Milky Way, the nearest such laboratory, features the Central Molecular Zone. This region exhibits very high ionisation rates, attributed to the high cosmic-ray density. The first part of my thesis demonstrates that cosmic rays alone, regardless of the injection scenario, cannot account for these ionisation rates, challenging a long-held paradigm. The second part addresses the key missing piece: the gas distribution in the Central Molecular Zone. New estimates of the gas mass in this region are obtained by applying clustering algorithms to spectral lines of 12CO, 13CO, and HI.