ANISOTROPIC SCATTERING OF OH IR STARS TOWARD THE GALACTIC-CENTER

We have made angular broadening measurements in the satellite line of the OH molecule at 1612 MHz of eight OH/IR stars located near the Galactic center with the Very Large Array. Early observations with the Very Long Baseline Array had revealed a region of pronounced scattering approximately centered on Sgr A*. These new observations show that the compact line emission from these stars is scattered by an amount that is 2-3 times larger than had been previously seen. Additionally, we measure noncircular scattering disks for these objects, evidence that the electron density variations are distributed anisotropically. The present data suggest that the enhanced turbulence is located near the Galactic center. However, we cannot completely rule out that the scattering is caused by an unrelated region along the line of sight.