We investigated the gravitational potential and mass distribution in the Galactic Center by examining the morphology and kinematics of the circumnuclear gaseous disk revealed by the molecular line data from the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey. We obtain an estimate of the shape of the potential within the central similar to 20 pc to reproduce the observed properties of the circumnuclear gas disk by simulating the motion of test particles for various axial ratios and show that the potential is approximately spherical. We construct a rotation curve by applying the terminal velocity method to the position-velocity diagrams, and calculate the mass distribution in the Galactic Center. The distribution of mass density is found to be of cusp type, approximated by rho(dyn) similar to 1.56 & times; 10(5)(R/1 pc)( -1.9) M-circle dot pc(-3), where R is the distance from the nucleus. We discuss the tidal effect caused by the gravitational potential that produces the rotation curve and show that the gas disk is stable against self-gravitational contraction within a critical radius of RT similar to 14 (rho(gas)/10(5)H(2) cm(-3) ) (-1/2) pc. This suggests suppression of star formation and a top-heavy initial mass function in the circumnuclear region.

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) resides in the inner few hundred parsecs of our Galaxy, and despite being the largest reservoir of dense molecular gas in the Milky Way, it has a relatively low present-day star formation rate (SFR) of ∼0.08 M_⊙ yr^-1. Continuum and spectral line observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) CMZ Exploration Survey (ACES) provide the first full-coverage, high-resolution map of the inner 200 parsecs of the CMZ at 3 mm. In this paper we present the ACES catalog of compact continuum sources, the most complete catalog of potential sites of star formation in the CMZ to date. Using an automated dendrogram-based source extraction procedure in combination with a by-eye morphological classification scheme, we produce a `full' catalog of 1735 detections in total. Additionally, we use spectral index measurements to generate a `filtered' catalog of 567 sources with minimal contamination from non-thermal filaments and extended free-free emission. We find that 359 (∼63%) of the filtered catalog sources are located at column densities < 10^23 cm^-2, outside of the densest molecular cloud regions, 195 of which have not been identified in previous surveys. After cross-referencing with various catalogs generated from data at different wavelengths, we consider it likely that many of these newly discovered detections are produced by pre/protostellar sources or compact HII regions.

Star formation activity in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) directly manifests itself as radio continuum free-free emission (Bremsstrahlung) and radio recombination line emission from HII regions surrounding newly formed massive stars. We derive the overall distribution of the HII regions and their fundamental properties: electron temperature () and emission measure (EM), and hence electron density in the form of two dimensional distribution maps over the CMZ by analyzing the ACES (ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey) 40 (99.02 GHz) recombination line and 99.6 GHz continuum emission data with synthesized beam widths of 2”.45 (0.097 pc at 8.2 kpc) and 2”.14, respectively. We apply the 'TeEM' method (–EM mapping), which creates and EM maps from input 2D maps of the continuum and integrated line intensity. The analysis covers the entire ACES field from l∼ -0^∘.6 to +0^∘.8 and from b∼ -0^∘.2 to +0^∘.1. The area analyzed is complete and includes previously known HII regions such as Sgr B2, Sgr B1, the Sickle, the Pistol, thermal filaments (Bridges), Sgr A HII regions, the Minispiral, and many other known HII regions. Sgr C is not included in the analysis due to the insufficient signal-to-noise ratio in the recombination line map. The mean electron temperature over the CMZ is determined to be = 5872 ± 78 (SE) ± 3682 (SD) K (SE:standard error of the mean, SD: pixel-to-pixel standard deviation). Some HII regions, such as Sgr B2 Main and the Minispiral, exhibit large scatter and an internal gradient of several thousand K per parsec. The EM distribution is more diverse, varying by orders of magnitude from ∼ 10^5 to ∼ 3× 10^8 within the CMZ, as well as within individual HII regions.

The extreme kinematics of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) are influenced by processes such as dynamical shearing, cloud collisions, and stellar feedback. These events are visible in molecular data as vertically spiked features in position-velocity (PV) diagrams referred to as high velocity dispersion compact clouds (HVCCs). Using ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey (ACES) CS (2-1) molecular data, we identify a total of 235 HVCC candidates, 163 of which are visually identified, and an additional 72 identified via automated dendrogram methods. For each HVCC we catalog and report the physical and kinematic properties, explore line ratios of the cold dense gas tracer with C-shock tracers, classify the morphology of their PV diagrams, and view their position-position-velocity distribution. The sample includes structures which are compact (d<5 pc) and have large velocity extents (20 km/s <ΔV < 140 km/s), with most structures showing thin, `spiked' PV morphologies. We highlight areas of high ratios between HNCO and C-shock tracers along the edge of known orbital streams, implying a buildup of bar lane gas accreting onto the CMZ. We also find a collection of HVCCs overlapping with the 50 km/s cloud and known circumnuclear disk features. This catalog will be used for future investigation of nuclear inflow and determining dominant mechanisms disrupting average CMZ gas flows.

The 3D structure of The Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) informs our understanding of star formation cycles, black hole accretion, and the evolution of galactic nuclei. However, a comprehensive 3D model has remained elusive, as no singular dataset nor theory contains the requisite information to describe the orbital motion of the gas. We implement a Bayesian framework to flexibly combine datasets across the electromagnetic spectrum for molecular clouds in our CMZ catalog. We develop near/far metrics for each dataset, including dust extinction, absorption, stellar densities, X-ray echoes, and proper motions; and report a posterior positional probability density function (PPDF) for each cloud. We then use the posterior PPDF distributions for all CMZ clouds to search for a best fitting x_2 orbit. We find that no single orbit is a perfect fit, but the structure can overall be represented by nested x_2 orbits, with major axes ranging from about 72 < a < 146 pc. We also present projected line of sight distance estimates for all 31 clouds in the catalog. Our results highlight asymmetries along the line of sight, with most clouds lying on the near side of the Galactic Center, and agree overall with current near/far assumptions for most CMZ clouds, including those in the Sgr A region, which may be much closer to the center. We conclude that the CMZ can be well-described by x_2 orbital families, and that the overall gas distribution is more complex than a single closed or open elliptical orbit.

Analyzing longitude–velocity diagrams (LVDs) in the CS (J = 2–1) and H$^{13}$CN (J = 1–0) molecular lines from the internal release data of the ALMA Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) Exploration Survey and in the $^{13}$CO (J = 1–0) line from the Nobeyama Galactic Center (GC) survey, we identify six GC arms as prominent straight LV ridges. In addition to the currently known Arms I to IV, we identify a new inner arm, Arm V, and further highlight the circumnuclear disk (CND) as Arm VI. Integrated intensity maps of the arms on the sky suggest that most of the arms compose ring-like structures inclined from the Galactic plane. We determine the radii (curvatures) of the arms using the velocity-gradient ($dv/dl$) method, assuming that the arms are rotating in circular orbits at a constant velocity of $\sim$150 km s$^{-1}$. We show that Arms I and II compose the main ring structure of the CMZ with radii $\sim$100–120 pc; Arm III is a dense arm 42 pc from the GC; Arm IV is a clear and narrow arm 20 pc from the GC; and Arm V is a faint, long arm of 8.2 pc radius. We show that the CND comprises the sixth arm, Arm VI, of radius $\sim$2.3 pc associated with bifurcated spiral fins. We also discuss the association of the 20 and 50 km s$^{-1}$ clouds with these arms. The radii of the arms fall on an empirical relation $R\sim 630 (2/5)^N$ for $N=1$ (Arm I) to 6 (VI), suggesting discrete rings or a logarithmic spiral with pitch angle ${\sim }22^{\circ }$. The vertical full extent of the arm increases with radius and is represented by $z\sim 0.7 (R/1 {\rm \ pc} )^{0.7}$ pc. The tilt angle of the arms from the Galactic plane, or the warping, increases rapidly toward the GC.

Context. The physical mechanisms that regulate the collapse of high-mass parsec-scale clumps and allow them to form clusters of new stars, including high-mass stars, represent a crucial aspect of star formation. Aims. To investigate these mechanisms, we developed the Rosetta Stone project: an end-to-end (simulations double left right arrow observations) framework that is based on the systematic production of realistic synthetic observations of clump fragmentation and their subsequent comparison with real data. Methods. In this work, we compare ALMA 1.3 mm continuum dust emission observations from the Star formation in QUiescent And Luminous Objects (SQUALO) survey with a new set of 24 radiative magnetohydrodynamical (RMHD) simulations of high-mass clump fragmentation, post-processed using the CASA software to mimic the observing strategy of SQUALO (combining ACA and 12 m array). The simulations were initialized combining typical values of clump mass (500 and 1000 M circle dot) and radius (similar to 0.4 pc) with two levels of turbulence (Mach number, M, of 7 and 10) and three levels of magnetization (normalized mass-to-magnetic-flux ratio, mu, of similar to 3, 10, and 100). Following the clump evolution over time with two initial random seeds projected along three orthogonal directions, we produced a collection of 732 synthetic fields. On each field, we performed source extraction and photometry using the Hyper software, as in the SQUALO project, to quantitatively characterize how the initial conditions of the clump and the environment affect the observed fragmentation properties. Results. The synthetic observations of clump fragmentation at similar to 7000 AU resolution revealed between 2 and 14 fragments per field, indicating a complex fragmentation process. Among the initial conditions of the simulations, magnetic fields have the largest impact on the fragment multiplicity at these scales. In advanced stages of clump evolution, a lower number of fragments is preferentially associated with magnetized clumps. The clump magnetization might also affect the clustering of fragments, favoring more tightly bound distributions when the magnetic field is stronger. Fragments identified at similar to 7000 AU correspond to individual or multiple sink particles in similar to 75% of the cases. This result suggests that not all identified fragments are actively forming stars. Both sink particles and fragments accrete mass throughout the whole clump evolution. This evidence favors a scenario in which fragments are not isolated from the environment and is thus consistent with results from the SQUALO survey. Conclusions. Our study demonstrates the importance of synthetic observations in interpreting results from interferometric observations.

The central molecular zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy exhibits widespread emission from SiO and various complex organic molecules (COMs), yet the exact origin of such emission is uncertain. Here we report the discovery of a unique class of long (>0.5 pc) and narrow (<0.03 pc) filaments in the emission of SiO 5–4 and eight additional molecular lines, including several COMs, in our ALMA 1.3 mm spectral line observations toward two massive molecular clouds in the CMZ, which we name as slim filaments. However, these filaments are not detected in the 1.3 mm continuum at the 5 σ level. Their line-of-sight velocities are coherent and inconsistent with being outflows. The column densities and relative abundances of the detected molecules are statistically similar to those in protostellar outflows but different from those in dense cores within the same clouds. Turbulent pressure in these filaments dominates over self gravity and leads to hydrostatic inequilibrium, indicating that they are a different class of objects than the dense gas filaments in dynamical equilibrium ubiquitously found in nearby molecular clouds. We argue that these newly detected slim filaments are associated with parsec-scale shocks, likely arising from dynamic interactions between shock waves and molecular clouds. The dissipation of the slim filaments may replenish SiO and COMs in the interstellar medium and lead to their widespread emission in the CMZ.

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 (1.3 mm) observations of dense cores in three massive molecular clouds within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way, including the Dust Ridge cloud e, Sgr C, and the 20 km s-1 cloud, at a spatial resolution of 2000 au. Among the 834 cores identified from the 1.3 mm continuum, we constrain temperatures and linewidths of 253 cores using local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) methods to fit the H2CO and/or CH3CN spectra. We determine their masses using the 1.3 mm dust continuum and derived temperatures, and then evaluate their virial parameters using the H2CO and/or CH3CN linewidths and construct the core mass functions (CMFs). We find that the contribution of external pressure is crucial for the virial equilibrium of the dense cores in the three clouds, which contrasts with the environment in the Galactic disk where dense cores are already bound even without the contribution of external pressure. We also find that the CMFs show a Salpeter-like slope in the high-mass (> 3-6 Msun) end, a change from previous works with our new temperature estimates. Combined with the possible top-heavy initial mass functions (IMFs) in the CMZ, our result suggests that gas accretion and further fragmentation may play important roles in transforming the CMF to the IMF.

The Milky Way’s Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the largest concentration of dense molecular gas in the Galaxy, the structure of which is shaped by the complex interplay between Galactic-scale dynamics and extreme physical conditions. Understanding the 3D geometry of this gas is crucial, as it determines the locations of star formation and subsequent feedback. We present a catalog of clouds in the CMZ using Herschel data. Using archival data from the APEX and MOPRA CMZ surveys, we measure averaged kinematic properties of the clouds at 1 and 3 mm. We use archival ATCA data of the H _2 CO (1 _1,0 –1 _1,1 ) 4.8 GHz line to search for absorption towards the clouds, and 4.85 GHz Green Bank Telescope (GBT) C -band data to measure the radio continuum emission. We measure the absorption against the continuum to provide new constraints for the line-of-sight positions of the clouds relative to the Galactic Center, and find a highly asymmetric distribution, with most clouds residing in front of the Galactic Center. The results are compared with different orbital models, and we introduce a revised toy model of a vertically oscillating closed elliptical orbit. We find that most models describe the position–position–velocity structure of the gas reasonably well, but find significant inconsistencies in all cases regarding the near versus far placement of individual clouds. Our results highlight that the CMZ is likely more complex than can be captured by these simple geometric models, along with the need for new data to provide further constraints on the true 3D structure of the CMZ.

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the largest reservoir of dense molecular gas in the Galaxy and is heavily obscured in the optical and near-IR. We present an overview of the far-IR dust continuum, where the molecular clouds are revealed, provided by Herschel in the inner 40° (∣ l ∣ < 20°) of the Milky Way with a particular focus on the CMZ. We report a total dense gas ( N (H 2 ) > 10 23 cm −2 ) CMZ mass of ∼ 2 − 1 + 2 × 1 0 7 M ⊙ and confirm that there is a highly asymmetric distribution of dense gas, with about 70%–75% at positive longitudes. We create and publicly release complete fore/background-subtracted column density and dust temperature maps in the inner 40° (∣ l ∣ < 20°) of the Galaxy. We find that the CMZ clearly stands out as a distinct structure, with an average mass per longitude that is at least 3× higher than the rest of the inner Galaxy contiguously from 1 . ° 8 > ℓ > −1 . ° 3. This CMZ extent is larger than previously assumed, but is consistent with constraints from velocity information. The inner Galaxy’s column density peaks towards the SgrB2 complex with a value of about 2 × 10 24 cm −2 , and typical CMZ molecular clouds are about N (H 2 ) ∼ 10 23 cm −2 . Typical CMZ dust temperatures range from ∼12–35 K with relatively little variation. We identify a ridge of warm dust in the inner CMZ that potentially traces the base of the northern Galactic outflow seen with MEERKAT.

X-ray observations collected over the past decades have revealed a strongly variable X-ray signal within the Milky Way’s Galactic center, interpreted as X-ray echoes from its supermassive black hole, Sgr A*. These echoes are traced by the strong Fe K α fluorescent line at 6.4 keV, the intensity of which is proportional to the density of the illuminated molecular gas. Over time, the echo scans through molecular clouds (MCs) in our Galactic center, revealing their 3D structure and highlighting their densest parts. While previous studies have utilized spectral line Doppler shifts along with kinematic models to constrain the geometry of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) or to study the structure of individual clouds, these methods have limitations, particularly in the turbulent region of the CMZ. We use archival Chandra X-ray data to construct one of the first 3D representations of one prominent MC, the Stone cloud, located at ( ℓ = 0 . ° 068, b = –0 . ° 076) at a distance of ∼20 pc from Sgr A* in projection. Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we followed the X-ray echo in this cloud from 2008 to 2017. We combine these data with 1.3 mm dust continuum emission observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Herschel Space Observatory to reconstruct the 3D structure of the cloud and estimate the column densities for each year’s observed slice. The analysis of the X-ray echoes, along with velocities from SMA molecular line data, indicates that the structure of the Stone cloud can be described as a very diffuse background with multiple dense clumps throughout.

Astronomers have used observations of the Galactic gas and dust via infrared, microwave, and radio to study molecular clouds in extreme environments such as the Galactic center. More recently, X- ray telescopes have opened up a new wavelength range in which to study these molecular clouds. Previous flaring events from SgrA* propagate X-rays outwards in all directions, and these X-rays interact with the surrounding molecular gas, illuminating different parts of the clouds over time. We use a combination of X-ray observations from Chandra and molecular gas tracers (line data from Herschel and the Submillimeter Array) to analyze specific features in the Sticks cloud, one of three clouds in the Three Little Pigs system in the Central Molecular Zone (Galactic longitude and latitude of 0.106 and -0.082 degrees respectively). We also present a novel X-ray tomography method we used to create 3-D map of the Sticks cloud. By combining X-ray and molecular tracer observations, we are able to learn more about the environment inside the Sticks cloud.

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the way station at the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy, connecting gas flowing in from Galactic scales with the central nucleus. Key open questions remain about its 3D structure, star formation properties, and role in regulating this gas inflow. In this work, we identify a hierarchy of discrete structures in the CMZ using column density maps from Paper I (C. Battersby et al.) We calculate the physical ( N (H _2 ), T _dust , mass, radius) and kinematic (HNCO, HCN, and HC _3 N moments) properties of each structure as well as their bolometric luminosities and star formation rates. We compare these properties with regions in the Milky Way disk and external galaxies. Despite the fact that the CMZ overall is well below the Gao-Solomon dense gas star formation relation (and in modest agreement with the Schmidt–Kennicutt relation), individual structures on the scale of molecular clouds generally follow these star formation relations and agree well with other Milky Way and extragalactic regions. We find that individual CMZ structures require a large external pressure ( P _e / k _B > 10 ^7−9 K cm ^−3 ) to be considered bound; however, simple estimates suggest that most CMZ molecular-cloud-sized structures are consistent with being in pressure-bounded virial equilibrium. We perform power-law fits to the column density probability distribution functions of the inner 100 pc, SgrB2, and the outer 100 pc of the CMZ as well as several individual molecular cloud structures and find generally steeper power-law slopes (−9 < α < −2) compared with the literature (−6 < α < −1).

We analyze the CS ( J = 2-1 ) line cube from the internal data release obtained by the large-scale program "ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey ( ACES ) " to investigate the kinematic structure of the innermost similar to 10 pc region of the Galaxy, which contains the high-velocity compact cloud (HVCC) at (l, b, vLSR) similar to(+0 .degrees 02, -0 .degrees 02, 100 km s-1) ( hereafter G0.02 ) . The longitude-velocity diagram (LVD) of the cloud draws an elliptical structure, which is interpreted as an orbital trajectory in the (l, vLSR) space of a noncircular ( eccentric ) motion of the molecular gas in the gravitational potential of an extended mass distribution in the central 10 pc of the Galaxy. We argue that G0.02 is a kinematic tracer of the inner potential, a rare case of a dense an eccentric orbit in the nuclear field.

A comprehensive 3D model of the central 300 pc of the Milky Way, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is of fundamental importance in understanding energy cycles in galactic nuclei, since the 3D structure influences the location and intensity of star formation, feedback, and black hole accretion. Current observational constraints are insufficient to distinguish between existing 3D models. Dust extinction is one diagnostic tool that can help determine the location of dark molecular clouds relative to the bright Galactic Center emission. By combining Herschel and Spitzer observations, we developed three new dust extinction techniques to estimate the likely near/far locations for each cloud in the CMZ. We compare our results to four geometric CMZ orbital models. Our extinction methods show good agreement with each other, and with results from spectral line absorption analysis from Walker et al. Our near/far results for CMZ clouds are inconsistent with a projected version of the Y. Sofue two-spiral-arms model, and show disagreement in position–velocity space with the S. Molinari et al. closed elliptical orbit. Our results are in reasonable agreement with the J. M. D. Kruijssen et al. open streams. We find that a simplified toy-model elliptical orbit that conserves angular momentum shows promising fits in both position–position and position–velocity space. We conclude that all current CMZ orbital models lack the complexity needed to describe the motion of gas in the CMZ, and further work is needed to construct a complex orbital model to accurately describe gas flows in the CMZ.

In this work, we constrain the star-forming properties of all possible sites of incipient high-mass star formation in the Milky Way’s Galactic Center. We identify dense structures using the CMZoom 1.3 mm dust continuum catalog of objects with typical radii of ∼0.1 pc, and measure their association with tracers of high-mass star formation. We incorporate compact emission at 8, 21, 24, 25, and 70 μ m from the Midcourse Space Experiment, Spitzer, Herschel, and SOFIA, cataloged young stellar objects, and water and methanol masers to characterize each source. We find an incipient star formation rate (SFR) for the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of ∼0.08 M _⊙ yr ^−1 over the next few 10 ^5 yr. We calculate upper and lower limits on the CMZ’s incipient SFR of ∼0.45 and ∼0.05 M _⊙ yr ^−1 ,respectively, spanning roughly equal to and several times greater than other estimates of CMZ’s recent SFR. Despite substantial uncertainties, our results suggest the incipient SFR in the CMZ may be higher than previously estimated. We find that the prevalence of star formation tracers does not correlate with source volume density, but instead ≳75% of high-mass star formation is found in regions above a column density ratio ( N _SMA / N _Herschel ) of ∼1.5. Finally, we highlight the detection of atoll sources , a reoccurring morphology of cold dust encircling evolved infrared sources, possibly representing H ii regions in the process of destroying their envelopes.

The central regions of the Milky Way constitute a unique laboratory for a wide swath of astrophysical studies; consequently, the inner similar to 400 pc have been the target of numerous large surveys at all accessible wavelengths. In this paper, we present a catalog of sources at 25 and 37 mu m located within all of the regions observed with the SOFIA/FORCAST instrument in the inner similar to 200 pc of the Galaxy. The majority of the observations were obtained as part of the SOFIA Cycle 7 Galactic Center Legacy program survey, which was designed to complement the Spitzer/MIPS 24 mu m catalog in regions saturated in the MIPS observations. Due to the wide variety of source types captured by our observations at 25 and 37 mu m, we do not limit the FORCAST source catalog to unresolved point sources, or treat all sources as if they are pointlike sources. The catalog includes all detectable sources in the regions, resulting in a catalog of 950 sources, including point sources, compact sources, and extended sources. We also provide the user with metrics to discriminate between the source types.

Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are prime candidates for gravitational-wave detectors. The analysis of their complex waveforms can potentially provide information on the physical processes operating during the collapse of the iron cores of massive stars. In this work we analyze the early-bounce rapidly rotating CCSN signals reported in the waveform catalog of Richers et al 2017, which comprises over 1800 axisymmetric simulations extending up to about 10~ms of post-bounce evolution. It was previously established that for a large range of progenitors, the amplitude of the bounce signal, $\Delta h$, is proportional to the ratio of rotational-kinetic energy to potential energy, T/|W|, and the peak frequency, $f_{\rm peak}$, is proportional to the square root of the central rest-mass density. In this work, we exploit these relations to suggest that it could be possible to use such waveforms to infer protoneutron star properties from a future gravitational wave observation, if the distance and inclination are well known. Our approach relies on the ability to describe a subset of the waveforms in the early post-bounce phase in a simple form depending only on two parameters, $\Delta h$ and $f_{\rm peak}$. We use this template to perform a Bayesian inference analysis of waveform injections in Gaussian colored noise for a network of three gravitational wave detectors formed by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We show that, for a galactic event, it is possible to recover the peak frequency and amplitude with an accuracy better than 10% for about 80% and 60% of the signals, respectively, given known distance and inclination angle. However, inference on waveforms from outside the Richers catalog is not reliable, indicating a need for carefully verified waveforms of the first 10 ms after bounce of rapidly rotating supernovae of different progenitors with agreement between different codes.

The inner hundred parsecs of the Milky Way hosts the nearest supermassive black hole, largest reservoir of dense gas, greatest stellar density, hundreds of massive main and post main sequence stars, and the highest volume density of supernovae in the Galaxy. As the nearest environment in which it is possible to simultaneously observe many of the extreme processes shaping the Universe, it is one of the most well-studied regions in astrophysics. Due to its proximity, we can study the center of our Galaxy on scales down to a few hundred AU, a hundred times better than in similar Local Group galaxies and thousands of times better than in the nearest active galaxies. The Galactic Center (GC) is therefore of outstanding astrophysical interest. However, in spite of intense observational work over the past decades, there are still fundamental things unknown about the GC. JWST has the unique capability to provide us with the necessary, game-changing data. In this White Paper, we advocate for a JWST NIRCam survey that aims at solving central questions, that we have identified as a community: i) the 3D structure and kinematics of gas and stars; ii) ancient star formation and its relation with the overall history of the Milky Way, as well as recent star formation and its implications for the overall energetics of our galaxy's nucleus; and iii) the (non-)universality of star formation and the stellar initial mass function. We advocate for a large-area, multi-epoch, multi-wavelength NIRCam survey of the inner 100\,pc of the Galaxy in the form of a Treasury GO JWST Large Program that is open to the community. We describe how this survey will derive the physical and kinematic properties of ~10,000,000 stars, how this will solve the key unknowns and provide a valuable resource for the community with long-lasting legacy value.