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Locations of additional massive ionizing stars required to power Sgr C

Identify the spatial locations of the additional massive, ionizing stars within the Sagittarius C H II region that are required to produce the observed Lyman continuum luminosity beyond the contribution of the two confirmed Wolf-Rayet stars.

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Background

The two confirmed WCL-type Wolf-Rayet stars in Sgr C (WCL 3734 and WCL 4083) are unlikely to account for the full ionizing photon budget inferred for the H II region (Q ≈ 6–10 × 1049 s−1). This implies the presence of additional massive stars contributing ionizing photons.

While a larger young stellar population has been suggested in Sgr C, the specific locations of the key ionizing sources beyond the two WR stars are not established. Pinpointing these sources is essential to understand the energy budget, morphology, and feedback processes shaping the Sgr C H II region.

References

However, while there are almost certainly additional massive, ionizing stars in the region (Nogueras-Lara 2024), their locations are unknown.

— The JWST-NIRCam View of Sagittarius C. II. Evidence for Magnetically Dominated HII Regions in the CMZ (2412.10983 - Bally et al., 14 Dec 2024) in Section 4.1 (Ionizing sources in Sgr C: Wolf-Rayet stars and wind bubbles)