65 research outputs found
Extended Molecular Gas in the Nearby Starburst Galaxy Maffei 2
We present a 9'x9' fully-sampled map of the CO J=1-0 emission in the nearby
starburst galaxy Maffei 2 obtained at the Five College Radio Astronomy
Observatory. The map reveals previously known strong CO emission in the central
starburst region as well as an extended asymmetric distribution with bright CO
lines at the ends of the bar and in a feature at the north-east edge of the
molecular disk. This northern feature, proposed previously to be an interacting
companion galaxy, could be a dwarf irregular galaxy, although the CO data are
also consistent with the feature being simply an extension of one of the spiral
arms. We estimate the total molecular gas mass of Maffei 2 to be (1.4-1.7)x10^9
Mo or ~3-4% of its dynamical mass. Adopting the recently determined lower value
for the CO-to-H2 conversion factor in the central region, our data lead to the
surprising result that the largest concentrations of molecular gas in Maffei 2
lie at the bar ends and in the putative dwarf companion rather than in the
central starburst. A gravitational stability analysis reveals that the extended
disk of Maffei 2 lies above the critical density for star formation; however,
whether the central region is also gravitationally unstable depends both on the
details of the rotation curve and the precise value of the CO-to-H2 conversion
factor in this region.Comment: accepted to ApJ (Sept 10 2004 issue
Globular Cluster Formation in M82
We present high resolution mid-infrared (mid-IR; 11.7 and 17.65 micron) maps
of the central 400 pc region of the starburst galaxy M82. Seven star forming
clusters are identified which together provide ~ 15% of the total mid-IR
luminosity of the galaxy. Combining the mid-IR data with thermal radio
measurements and near- and mid-IR line emission, we find that these young
stellar clusters have inferred masses and sizes comparable to globular
clusters. At least 20% of the star formation in M82 is found to occur in
super-star clusters.Comment: 12 pages including three color figures; accepted for publication in
Ap
Discovery of mHz X-ray Oscillations in a Transient Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82
We report the discovery of X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) at
frequencies of 3-4 mHz from a transient ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX)
X42.3+59 in M82. The QPOs are strong and broad and appear with weak or absent
red noise, and are detected only in Chandra observations when the source is
brighter than 10^40 ergs/s. The QPO behavior is similar to the type A-I QPOs
found in XTE J1550-564, which is a subclass of low frequency QPOs with
properties in between type A and B. Therefore, we identify the QPOs in X42.3+59
as of type A or B, and rule out the possibility of type C. With this
identification, the mass of the black hole in X42.3+59 can be inferred as in
the range of 12,000-43,000 solar masses by scaling the QPO frequency to that of
the type A/B QPOs in stellar mass black holes. Cool disk emission is detected
in one Chandra observation, and the disk inner radius suggests a similar black
hole mass range. Black holes of such a high mass are able to produce an energy
output in a manner similar to X42.3+59 by accreting from the interstellar
medium directly.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journal Letter
Detailed Radio Spectra of Selected Compact Sources in the Nucleus of M82
We have determined detailed radio spectra for 26 compact sources in the
starburst nucleus of M82, between 74 and 1.3 cm. Seventeen show low-frequency
turnovers. One other has a thermal emission spectrum, and we identify it as an
HII region. The low frequency turnovers are due to absorption by the
interstellar gas in M82. New information on the AGN candidate 44.01+595, shows
it to have a non-thermal falling powerlaw spectrum at the highest frequencies,
and that it is strongly absorbed below 2 GHz. We derive large magnetic fields
in the supernova remnants, of order 1-2 milliGauss, hence large pressures in
the sources suggest that the brightest ones are either expanding or are
strongly confined by a dense interstellar medium. From the largest source in
our sample, we derive a supernova rate of 0.016 SN/yr.Comment: 19 pages, 7 tables, 29 figures, LaTeX, requires AAS macros v. 4.0. To
appear in ApJ July 20, 199
Embedded disks in Fornax dwarf ellipticals
We present photometric and kinematic evidence for the presence of stellar
disks, seen practically edge-on, in two Fornax dwarf galaxies, FCC204 (dS0(6))
and FCC288 (dS0(7)). This is the first time such structures have been
identified in Fornax dwarfs. FCC2088 has only a small bulge and a bright
flaring and slightly warped disk that can be traced out to 23" from the center
(2.05 kpc for H_0=75 km/s/Mpc). FCC204's disk can be traced out to 20" (1.78
kpc). This galaxy possesses a large bulge. These results can be compared to the
findings of Jerjen et al. (2000) and Barazza et al. (2002) who discovered
nucleated dEs with spiral and bar features in the Virgo Cluster.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
High-velocity-resolution observations of OH main line lasers in the M82 starburst
Using the VLA, a series of high velocity resolution observations have been
made of the M82 starburst at 1.6 GHz. These observations follow up on previous
studies of the main line OH maser emission in the central kiloparsec of this
starburst region, but with far greater velocity resolution, showing significant
velocity structure in some of the maser spots for the first time. A total of
thirteen masers were detected, including all but one of the previously known
sources. While some of these masers are still unresolved in velocity, these new
results clearly show velocity structure in spectra from several of the maser
regions. Position-velocity plots show good agreement with the distribution of
H{\sc i} including interesting velocity structure on the blueward feature in
the west of the starburst which traces the velocity distribution seen in the
ionised gas.Comment: MNRAS in press. 15 pages, 9 figure
An X-ray Mini-survey of Nearby Edge-on Starburst Galaxies II. The Question of Metal Abundance
(abbreviated) We have undertaken an X-ray survey of a far-infrared flux
limited sample of seven nearby edge-on starburst galaxies. Here, we examine the
two X-ray-brightest sample members NGC 253 and M 82 in a self-consistent
manner, taking account of the spatial distribution of the X-ray emission in
choosing our spectral models. There is significant X-ray absorption in the disk
of NGC 253. When this is accounted for we find that multi-temperature thermal
plasma models with significant underlying soft X-ray absorption are more
consistent with the imaging data than single-temperature models with highly
subsolar abundances or models with minimal absorption and non-equilibrium
thermal ionization conditions. Our models do not require absolute abundances
that are inconsistent with solar values or unusually supersolar ratios of the
alpha-burning elements with respect to Fe (as claimed previously). We conclude
that with current data, the technique of measuring abundances in starburst
galaxies via X-ray spectral modeling is highly uncertain.
Based on the point-like nature of much of the X-ray emission in the PSPC
hard-band image of NGC 253, we suggest that a significant fraction of the
``extended'' X-ray emission in the 3-10 keV band seen along the disk of the
galaxy with ASCA and BeppoSAX (Cappi et al.) is comprised of discrete sources
in the disk, as opposed to purely diffuse, hot gas. This could explain the low
Fe abundances of ~1/4 solar derived for pure thermal models.Comment: (accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal
OH main line masers in the M82 starburst
A study of the distribution of OH gas in the central region of the nearby
active starburst galaxy M82 has confirmed two previously known bright masers
and revealed several new main line masers. Three of these are seen only at 1665
MHz, one is detected only at 1667 MHz, while the rest are detected in both
lines. Observations covering both the 1665 and 1667 MHz lines, conducted with
both the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Multi-Element Radio Linked
Interferometer Network (MERLIN), have been used to accurately measure the
positions and velocities of these features. This has allowed a comparison with
catalogued continuum features in the starburst such as HII regions and
supernova remnants, as well as known water and satellite line OH masers. Most
of the main line masers appear to be associated with known HII regions although
the two detected only at 1665 MHz are seen along the same line of sight as
known supernova remnants.Comment: MNRAS accepted. 16 pages, 13 figure
A Search for Extraplanar Dust in Nearby Edge-On Spirals
We present high resolution BV images of 12 edge-on spiral galaxies observed
with the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. These images were obtained to search for
extraplanar (|z| > 0.4 kpc) absorbing dust structures similar to those
previously found in NGC 891 (Howk & Savage 1997). Our imaged galaxies include a
sample of seven massive L_*-like spiral galaxies within D<25 Mpc that have
inclinations i > 87 deg from the plane of the sky. We find that five of these
seven systems show extraplanar dust, visible as highly-structured absorbing
clouds against the background stellar light of the galaxies. The more prominent
structures are estimated to have associated gas masses >10^5 M_sun; the implied
potential energies are > 10^(52) ergs. All of the galaxies in our sample that
show detectable halpha emission at large z also show extraplanar dust
structures. None of those galaxies for which extraplanar halpha searches were
negative show evidence for extensive high-z dust. The existence of extraplanar
dust is a common property of massive spiral galaxies. We discuss several
mechanisms for shaping the observed dust features, emphasizing the possibility
that these dusty clouds represent the dense phase of a multiphase medium at
high-z in spiral galaxies. The correlation between high-z dust and extraplanar
Halpha emission may simply suggest that both trace the high-z interstellar
medium in its various forms (or phases), the existence of which may ultimately
be driven by vigorous star formation in the underlying disk. (Abstract
abridged)Comment: 26 pages; 15 jpeg figures. To appear in The Astronomical Journal, May
1999. Gzipped tar files of high-resolution figures in postscript and jpeg
formats are available at
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~howk/Papers/papers.html#surve
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