HI and OH absorption in the lensing galaxy of MG J0414+0534

We report the detection of \HI 21-cm absorption in the $z=0.96$ early-type lensing galaxy towards MG J0414+0534 with the Green Bank Telescope. The absorption, with total $N_{\rm HI}=1.6 \times 10^{18} (T_{\rm s}/f) {\rm cm}^{-2}$, is resolved into two strong components, probably due to the two strongest lens components, which are separated by 0.4\arcsec. Unlike the other three lenses which have been detected in \HI, J0414+0534 does not exhibit strong OH absorption, giving a OH/\HI column density ratio of N_{\rm OH}/N_{\rm HI}\lapp10^{-6} (for $T_{\rm s}=100$ K, $T_{\rm x}=10$ K and $f_{\rm HI}=f_{\rm OH}=1$). This underabundance of molecular gas may indicate that the extreme optical--near-IR colour ($V-K=10.26$) along the line-of-sight is not due to the lens. We therefore suggest that despite the strong upper limits on molecular absorption at the quasar redshift, as traced by millimetre lines, the extinction occurs primarily in the quasar host galaxy.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS Letters, 5 (and a bit) pages, 5 figure

The Role of Stellar Feedback in the Dynamics of HII Regions

Stellar feedback is often cited as the biggest uncertainty in galaxy formation models today. This uncertainty stems from a dearth of observational constraints as well as the great dynamic range between the small scales (<1 pc) where the feedback occurs and the large scales of galaxies (>1 kpc) that are shaped by this feedback. To bridge this divide, in this paper we aim to assess observationally the role of stellar feedback at the intermediate scales of HII regions. In particular, we employ multiwavelength data to examine several stellar feedback mechanisms in a sample of 32 HII regions in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC, respectively). Using optical, infrared, radio, and X-ray images, we measure the pressures exerted on the shells from the direct stellar radiation, the dust-processed radiation, the warm ionized gas, and the hot X-ray emitting gas. We find that the warm ionized gas dominates over the other terms in all of the sources, although two have comparable dust-processed radiation pressures to their warm gas pressures. The hot gas pressures are comparatively weak, while the direct radiation pressures are 1-2 orders of magnitude below the other terms. We discuss the implications of these results, particularly highlighting evidence for hot gas leakage from the HII shells and regarding the momentum deposition from the dust-processed radiation to the warm gas. Furthermore, we emphasize that similar observational work should be done on very young HII regions to test whether direct radiation pressure and hot gas can drive the dynamics at early times.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures; accepted by Ap

Quasar Feedback in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy F11119+3257: Connecting the Accretion Disk Wind with the Large-Scale Molecular Outflow

In Tombesi et al. (2015), we reported the first direct evidence for a quasar accretion disk wind driving a massive molecular outflow. The target was F11119+3257, an ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) with unambiguous type-1 quasar optical broad emission lines. The energetics of the accretion disk wind and molecular outflow were found to be consistent with the predictions of quasar feedback models where the molecular outflow is driven by a hot energy-conserving bubble inflated by the inner quasar accretion disk wind. However, this conclusion was uncertain because the energetics were estimated from the optically thick OH 119 um transition profile observed with Herschel. Here, we independently confirm the presence of the molecular outflow in F11119+3257, based on the detection of broad wings in the CO(1-0) profile derived from ALMA observations. The broad CO(1-0) line emission appears to be spatially extended on a scale of at least ~7 kpc from the center. Mass outflow rate, momentum flux, and mechanical power of (80-200) R_7^{-1} M_sun/yr, (1.5-3.0) R_7^{-1} L_AGN/c, and (0.15-0.40)% R_7^{-1} L_AGN are inferred from these data, assuming a CO-to-H_2 conversion factor appropriate for a ULIRG (R_7 is the radius of the outflow normalized to 7 kpc and L_AGN is the AGN luminosity). These rates are time-averaged over a flow time scale of 7x10^6 yrs. They are similar to the OH-based rates time-averaged over a flow time scale of 4x10^5 yrs, but about a factor 4 smaller than the local ("instantaneous"; <10^5 yrs) OH-based estimates cited in Tombesi et al. The implications of these new results are discussed in the context of time-variable quasar-mode feedback and galaxy evolution. The need for an energy-conserving bubble to explain the molecular outflow is also re-examined.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Ap

Unusually Luminous Giant Molecular Clouds in the Outer Disk of M33

We use high spatial resolution (~7pc) CARMA observations to derive detailed properties for 8 giant molecular clouds (GMCs) at a galactocentric radius corresponding to approximately two CO scale lengths, or ~0.5 optical radii (r25), in the Local Group spiral galaxy M33. At this radius, molecular gas fraction, dust-to-gas ratio and metallicity are much lower than in the inner part of M33 or in a typical spiral galaxy. This allows us to probe the impact of environment on GMC properties by comparing our measurements to previous data from the inner disk of M33, the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies. The outer disk clouds roughly fall on the size-linewidth relation defined by extragalactic GMCs, but are slightly displaced from the luminosity-virial mass relation in the sense of having high CO luminosity compared to the inferred virial mass. This implies a different CO-to-H2 conversion factor, which is on average a factor of two lower than the inner disk and the extragalactic average. We attribute this to significantly higher measured brightness temperatures of the outer disk clouds compared to the ancillary sample of GMCs, which is likely an effect of enhanced radiation levels due to massive star formation in the vicinity of our target field. Apart from brightness temperature, the properties we determine for the outer disk GMCs in M33 do not differ significantly from those of our comparison sample. In particular, the combined sample of inner and outer disk M33 clouds covers roughly the same range in size, linewidth, virial mass and CO luminosity than the sample of Milky Way GMCs. When compared to the inner disk clouds in M33, however, we find even the brightest outer disk clouds to be smaller than most of their inner disk counterparts. This may be due to incomplete sampling or a potentially steeper cloud mass function at larger radii.Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ; 7 pages, 4 figure

The Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Discovery of Embedded Protostars in the HII Region NGC 346

We use Spitzer Space Telescope observations from the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (S3MC) to study the young stellar content of N66, the largest and brightest HII region in the SMC. In addition to large numbers of normal stars, we detect a significant population of bright, red infrared sources that we identify as likely to be young stellar objects (YSOs). We use spectral energy distribution (SED) fits to classify objects as ordinary (main sequence or red giant) stars, asymptotic giant branch stars, background galaxies, and YSOs. This represents the first large-scale attempt at blind source classification based on Spitzer SEDs in another galaxy. We firmly identify at least 61 YSOs, with another 50 probable YSOs; only one embedded protostar in the SMC was reported in the literature prior to the S3MC. We present color selection criteria that can be used to identify a relatively clean sample of YSOs with IRAC photometry. Our fitted SEDs indicate that the infrared-bright YSOs in N66 have stellar masses ranging from 2 Msun to 17 Msun, and that approximately half of the objects are Stage II protostars, with the remaining YSOs roughly evenly divided between Stage I and Stage III sources. We find evidence for primordial mass segregation in the HII region, with the most massive YSOs being preferentially closer to the center than lower-mass objects. Despite the low metallicity and dust content of the SMC, the observable properties of the YSOs appear consistent with those in the Milky Way. Although the YSOs are heavily concentrated within the optically bright central region of N66, there is ongoing star formation throughout the complex and we place a lower limit on the star formation rate of 3.2 x 10^-3 Msun/yr over the last ~1 Myr.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures (3 in color), 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

New insights on the dense molecular gas in NGC253 as traced by HCN and HCO+

We have imaged the central ~1kpc of the circumnuclear starburst disk in the galaxy NGC253 in the HCN(1-0), HCO+(1-0), and CO(1-0) transitions at 60pc resolution using the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Millimeter-Wavelength Array (OVRO). We have also obtained Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) observations of the HCN(4-3) and the HCO+(4-3) lines of the starburst disk. We find that the emission from the HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) transitions, both indicators of dense molecular gas, trace regions which are non-distinguishable within the uncertainties of our observations. Even though the continuum flux varies by more than a factor 10 across the starburst disk, the HCN/HCO+ ratio is constant throughout the disk, and we derive an average ratio of 1.1+/-0.2. From an excitation analysis we find that all lines from both molecules are subthermally excited and that they are optically thick. This subthermal excitation implies that the observed HCN/HCO+ line ratio is sensitive to the underlying chemistry. The constant line ratio thus implies that there are no strong abundance gradients across the starburst disk of NGC253. This finding may also explain the variations in L'(HCN)/L'(HCO+) between different star forming galaxies both nearby and at high redshifts.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, ApJ in press (volume 666 September