44 research outputs found
Luminous Infrared Galaxies With the Submillimeter Array. III. The Dense Kiloparsec Molecular Concentrations of Arp 299
We have used high resolution (~2.3") observations of the local (D = 46 Mpc)
luminous infrared galaxy Arp 299 to map out the physical properties of the
molecular gas which provides the fuel for its extreme star formation activity.
The 12CO J=3-2, 12CO J=2-1 and 13CO J=2-1 lines were observed with the
Submillimeter Array and the short spacings of the 12CO J=2-1 and J=3-2
observations have been recovered using James Clerk Maxwell Telescope single
dish observations. We use the radiative transfer code RADEX to estimate the
physical properties (density, column density and temperature) of the different
regions in this system. The RADEX solutions of the two galaxy nuclei, IC 694
and NGC 3690, are consistent with a wide range of gas components, from warm
moderately dense gas with T_{kin} > 30 K and n(H_{2}) ~ 0.3 - 3 x 10^{3}
cm^{-3} to cold dense gas with T_{kin} ~ 10-30 K and n(H_{2}) > 3 x 10^{3}
cm^{-3}. The overlap region is shown to have a better constrained solution with
T_{\rm{kin}}$ ~ 10-50 K and n(H_{2}) ~ 1-30 x 10^{3} cm^{-3}. We estimate the
gas masses and star formation rates of each region in order to derive molecular
gas depletion times. The depletion times of all regions (20-60 Myr) are found
to be about 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of normal spiral galaxies.
This rapid depletion time can probably be explained by a high fraction of dense
gas on kiloparsec scales in Arp 299. We estimate the CO-to-H_{2} factor,
\alpha_{co} to be 0.4 \pm 0.3 (3 x 10^{-4}/ x_{CO}) M_{sol} (K km s^{-1}
pc^{2})^{-1} for the overlap region. This value agrees well with values
determined previously for more advanced merger systems.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, ApJ accepte
The Effect of Star Formation on Molecular Clouds in Dwarf Irregular Galaxies: IC 10 and NGC 6822
We have observed the 13CO J=2-1, 12CO J=2-1 and 12CO J=3-2 lines at a few
locations in the dwarf irregular galaxies IC 10 and NGC 6822 using the James
Clerk Maxwell Telescope. In addition, we report the first detection of the 13CO
J=3-2 transition in a Local Group galaxy. These low metallicity environments
appear to be porous to UV radiation and allow for more efficient heating of
molecular gas by nearby HII regions. The high 12CO J=3-2/J=2-1 ratio in NGC
6822 suggests that the 12CO emission is optically thin in this region. This
high line ratio is likely the result of its location inside a large HII region
with low metallicity and low gas content. In IC 10 we observe structures on a
variety of size scales that all appear to be gravitationally bound. This effect
may help explain the rather high star formation rate in IC 10.Comment: 20 pages with 6 ps figures, accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
A High Resolution Mosaic of Molecular Gas in Stephan's Quintet
We present high resolution CO J=1-0 observations of the molecular gas in the
Hickson Compact Group Stephan's Quintet (HCG92). Our observations consist of
multiple pointing and mosaics covering all the regions where CO and star
formation has been detected. Within the 100'' field of view centered on the
eastern-most tidal tail, we detect three clumps of emission that may be
partially resolved at our resolution of 8''; two of these are new detections
not previously seen in ISM studies of this region. Two of these clumps lie in
the optical tidal tail, while the third lies to the southeast and is coincident
with a large HI feature, but does not correspond to any features at other
wavelengths. We also tentatively detect CO emission from the star forming
regions in the ``Old Tail'' corresponding to recent star formation activity
detected in recent UV and H observations. Observations of the rest of
the compact group do not show detections even though strong emission was
detected with single dish telescopes, which suggests the CO emission originates
from a diffuse molecular gas cloud or from more at least three separate clumps
with separations of greater than around 3 kpc.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, to appear in the ApJ 1 November 2005, v633, 1
issue. Full resolution versions of figures available at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~gpetitpas/hcg92
The Physical Conditions and Dynamics of the Interstellar Medium in the Nucleus of M83: Observations of CO and CI
This paper presents CI, CO J=4-3, and CO J=3-2 maps of the barred spiral
galaxy M83 taken at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Observations indicate a
double peaked structure which is consistent with gas inflow along the bar
collecting at the inner Lindblad resonance. This structure suggests that
nuclear starbursts can occur even in galaxies where this inflow/collection
occurs, in contrast to previous studies of barred spiral galaxies. However, the
observations also suggest that the double peaked emission may be the result of
a rotating molecular ring oriented nearly perpendicular to the main disk of the
galaxy. The CO J=4-3 data indicate the presence of warm gas in the nucleus that
is not apparent in the lower-J CO observations, which suggests that CO J=1-0
emission may not be a reliable tracer of molecular gas in starburst galaxies.
The twelve CI/CO J=4-3 line ratios in the inner 24'' x 24'' are uniform at the
2 sigma level, which indicates that the CO J=4-3 emission is originating in the
same hot photon-dominated regions as the CI emission. The CO J=4-3/J=3-2 line
ratios vary significantly within the nucleus with the higher line ratios
occurring away from peaks of emission along an arc of active star forming
regions. These high line ratios (>1) likely indicate optically thin gas created
by the high temperatures caused by star forming regions in the nucleus of this
starburst galaxy.Comment: 15 pages with 10 figures. To appear in the August 10 1998 issue of
The Astrophysical Journa
Molecular Gas in Candidate Double Barred Galaxies III. A Lack of Molecular Gas?
Most models of double-barred galaxies suggest that a molecular gas component
is crucial for maintaining long-lived nuclear bars. We have undertaken a CO
survey in an attempt to determine the gas content of these systems and to
locate double barred galaxies with strong CO emission that could be candidates
for high resolution mapping. We observed 10 galaxies in CO J=2-1 and J=3-2 and
did not detect any galaxies that had not already been detected in previous CO
surveys. We preferentially detect emission from galaxies containing some form
of nuclear activity. Simulations of these galaxies require that they contain 2%
to 10% gas by mass in order to maintain long-lived nuclear bars. The fluxes for
the galaxies for which we have detections suggest that the gas mass fraction is
in agreement with these models requirements. The lack of emission in the other
galaxies suggests that they contain as little as 7 x 10^6 solar masses of
molecular material which corresponds to < 0.1% gas by mass. This result
combined with the wide variety of CO distributions observed in double barred
galaxies suggests the need for models of double-barred galaxies that do not
require a large, well ordered molecular gas component.Comment: 17 pages (3 figures embedded on pg 17). To appear in the March 10
issue of the Astrophysical Journa
Molecular Gas in Candidate Double-Barred Galaxies II. Cooler, Less Dense Gas Associated with Stronger Central Concentrations
We have performed a multi-transition CO study of the centers of seven
double-barred galaxies that exhibit a variety of molecular gas morphologies to
determine if the molecular gas properties are correlated with the nuclear
morphology and star forming activity. Near infrared galaxy surveys have
revealed the existence of nuclear stellar bars in a large number of barred or
lenticular galaxies. High resolution CO maps of these galaxies exhibit a wide
range of morphologies. Recent simulations of double-barred galaxies suggest
that variations in the gas properties may allow it to respond differently to
similar gravitational potentials. We find that the 12CO J=3-2/J=2-1 line ratio
is lower in galaxies with centrally concentrated gas distributions and higher
in galaxies with CO emission dispersed around the galactic center in rings and
peaks. The 13CO/12CO J=2-1 line ratios are similar for all galaxies, which
indicates that the J=3-2/J=2-1 line ratio is tracing variations in gas
temperature and density, rather than variations in optical depth. There is
evidence that the galaxies which contain more centralized CO distributions are
comprised of molecular gas that is cooler and less dense. Observations suggest
that the star formation rates are higher in the galaxies containing the warmer,
denser, less centrally concentrated gas. It is possible that either the bar
dynamics are responsible for the variety of gas distributions and densities
(and hence the star formation rates) or that the star formation alone is
responsible for modifying the gas properties.Comment: 27 pages + 6 figures; to appear in the April 20, 2003 issue of Ap
SMA Imaging of CO(3-2) Line and 860 micron Continuum of Arp 220 : Tracing the Spatial Distribution of Luminosity
We used the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to image 860 micron continuum and
CO(3-2) line emission in the ultraluminous merging galaxy Arp 220, achieving a
resolution of 0.23" (80 pc) for the continuum and 0.33" (120 pc) for the line.
The CO emission peaks around the two merger nuclei with a velocity signature of
gas rotation around each nucleus, and is also detected in a kpc-size disk
encompassing the binary nucleus. The dust continuum, in contrast, is mostly
from the two nuclei. The beam-averaged brightness temperature of both line and
continuum emission exceeds 50 K at and around the nuclei, revealing the
presence of warm molecular gas and dust. The dust emission morphologically
agrees with the distribution of radio supernova features in the east nucleus,
as expected when a starburst heats the nucleus. In the brighter west nucleus,
however, the submillimeter dust emission is more compact than the supernova
distribution. The 860 micron core, after deconvolution, has a size of 50-80 pc,
consistent with recent 1.3 mm observations, and a peak brightness temperature
of (0.9-1.6)x10^2 K. Its bolometric luminosity is at least 2x10^{11} Lsun and
could be ~10^{12} Lsun depending on source structure and 860 micron opacity,
which we estimate to be of the order of tau_{860} ~ 1 (i.e., N_{H_2} ~ 10^{25}
cm^{-2}). The starbursting west nuclear disk must have in its center a dust
enshrouded AGN or a very young starburst equivalent to hundreds of super star
clusters. Further spatial mapping of bolometric luminosity through
submillimeter imaging is a promising way to identify the heavily obscured
heating sources in Arp 220 and other luminous infrared galaxies.Comment: ApJ. in press. 26 pages, 10 figure
Luminous Infrared Galaxies with the Submillimeter Array: I. Survey Overview and the Central Gas to Dust Ratio
We present new data obtained with the Submillimeter Array for a sample of
fourteen nearby luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The galaxies were
selected to have luminosity distances D < 200 Mpc and far-infrared luminosities
log(L_FIR) > 11.4. The galaxies were observed with spatial resolutions of order
1 kpc in the CO J=3-2, CO J=2-1, 13CO J=2-1, and HCO+ J=4-3 lines as well as
the continuum at 880 microns and 1.3 mm. We have combined our CO and continuum
data to measure an average gas-to-dust mass ratio of 120 +/- 28 (rms deviation
109) in the central regions of these galaxies, very similar to the value of 150
determined for the Milky Way. This similarity is interesting given the more
intense heating from the starburst and possibly accretion activity in the
luminous infrared galaxies compared to the Milky Way. We find that the peak H_2
surface density correlates with the far-infrared luminosity, which suggests
that galaxies with higher gas surface densities inside the central kiloparsec
have a higher star formation rate. The lack of a significant correlation
between total H_2 mass and far-infrared luminosity in our sample suggests that
the increased star formation rate is due to the increased availability of
molecular gas as fuel for star formation in the central regions. In contrast to
previous analyses by other authors, we do not find a significant correlation
between central gas surface density and the star formation efficiency, as trace
by the ratio of far-infrared luminosity to nuclear gas mass. Our data show that
it is the star formation rate, not the star formation efficiency, that
increases with increasing central gas surface density in these galaxies.Comment: 66 pages, 39 figures, aastex preprint format; to be published in ApJ
Supplements. Version of paper with full resolution figures available at
http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/~wilson/www_xfer/ULIRGS_publi