2011ApJ...735...84M

We present new extinction maps and high-resolution Paschen-alpha images of G-0.02-0.07, a complex of compact H II regions located adjacent to the M-0.02-0.07 giant molecular cloud, 6 pc in projection from the center of the Galaxy. These H II regions, which lie in projection just outside the boundary of the Sgr A East supernova remnant, represent one of the most recent episodes of star formation in the central parsecs of the Galaxy. The 1.87 µm extinctions of regions A, B, and C are almost identical, approximately 3.7 mag. Region D, in contrast, has a peak extinction of A_1.87= 5.9 mag. Adopting an extinction law specific to the Galactic center, we find that these extinctions correspond to visual extinctions of A_V= 45 and A _V= 71. The similar and uniform extinctions of regions A, B, and C are consistent with that expected for foreground extinction in the direction of the Galactic center, suggesting that they lie at the front side of the M-0.02-0.07 molecular cloud. Region D is more compact, has a higher extinction, and is thus suspected to be younger and embedded in a dense core in a compressed ridge on the western edge of this cloud.