ABSTRACT The latest generation of Galactic Plane surveys is enhancing our ability to study the effects of galactic environment upon the process of star formation. We present the first data from CO Heterodyne Inner Milky Way Plane Survey 2 (CHIMPS2). CHIMPS2 is a survey that will observe the Inner Galaxy, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), and a section of the Outer Galaxy in 12CO, 13CO, and C18O $(J = 3\rightarrow 2)$ emission with the Heterodyne Array Receiver Program on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). The first CHIMPS2 data presented here are a first look towards the CMZ in 12CO J = 3 → 2 and cover ${-}3^{\circ }\, \le \, \ell \, \le \, 5^{\circ }$ and $\mid {b} \mid \, \le \, 0{_{.}^{\circ}} 5$ with angular resolution of 15 arcsec, velocity resolution of 1 km s−1, and rms $\Delta \, T_A ^\ast =$ 0.58 K at these resolutions. Such high-resolution observations of the CMZ will be a valuable data set for future studies, whilst complementing the existing Galactic Plane surveys, such as SEDIGISM, the ${Herschel}$ infrared Galactic Plane Survey, and ATLASGAL. In this paper, we discuss the survey plan, the current observations and data, as well as presenting position–position maps of the region. The position–velocity maps detect foreground spiral arms in both absorption and emission.

CHIMPS2: survey description and 12CO emission in the Galactic Centre

Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, IC2, Liverpool Science Park, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK

East Asian Observatory, 660 North A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA

RAL Space, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK

School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queen’s Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK

Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada

Purple Mountain Observatory and Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210034, People’s Republic of China

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055, Republic of Korea

University of Science and Technology, Korea (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea

European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany

Department of Physics, Institute of Astronomy, National Tsing Hua University, 300 Hsinchu, Taiwan

Nobeyama Radio Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 462-2, Nobeyama, Minamimaki, Minamimaksu, Nagano 384-1305, Japan

Department of Astronomical Science, School of Physical Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan

Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK

Department of Physics & Astronomy, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 12666 72nd Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 2M8, Canada

Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677, USA

Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 650 North A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA

Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique du Québec, Département de Physique, de génie Physique et d’optique, Université Laval, Montreal, QC G1K 7P4, Canada

Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, People’s Republic of China

Department of Astrophysics, Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Ha Noi, Vietnam

School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea

SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SS, UK

National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China

Key Laboratory of FAST, NAOC, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100012, China

Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

Division of Particle and Astrophysical Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan

Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1, Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan

Astronomical Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan

Centre for Astrophysics Research, School of Physics Astronomy & Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB, UK

SUPA, School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China

Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica. 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building, AS/NTU No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, 88 Section 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan

Department of Earth Science Education, Seoul National University (SNU), 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85741 Garching bei München, Germany

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132 Indonesia

Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan

Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat, India

SOFIA Science Center, Universities Space Research Association, NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA

Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011 Urumqi, China

IAPS-INAF, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy

Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK

Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany

Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada

Astrophysics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK

Department of Astronomy and Space Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea

Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK

School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea

Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan

Tomonaga Center for the History of the Universe, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan

Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

College of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Hainan University, Hainan 570228, China

Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210093, China

Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro # 8701 Ex-Hda., San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán, C.P. 58089, México

Radio Telescope Data Center, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Department of Astronomy, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China