Abstract: The central 500 pc of our Galaxy, known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), contains a huge reservior of dense molecular gas. Due to the extreme physical conditions around the Galactic Center, star formation in the CMZ exhibits characteristics distinct from those in the solar neighborhood, such as a star formation efficiency approximately ten times lower, and a potentially top-heavy initial mass function (IMF). To explore the origins of these peculiar star formation activities, we have initiated an ALMA observational campaign, termed CONCERT, to peer into molecular clouds, dense cores, and accretion disks in the CMZ. In this talk, I will highlight recent findings from our studies of 0.01-pc dense cores within three molecular clouds in the CMZ. Key results include: i) The cores are primarily bound by external pressure, contrasting with their counterparts in Galactic disk clouds, which are predominatly bound by self gravity. ii) The high-mass end slope of the core mass functions appear consistent with that of the Salpeter IMF, instead of being shallower as previously conceived. iii) Spectral indices derived from 1.3 mm and 3 mm continuum emission of the cores are intriguingly low, a feature not observed in Galactic disk clouds (e.g., those studied in the ALMA-IMF project), suggesting beam-diluted optically thick substructures or the presence of large dust grains on 0.01-pc scales.
