VLA observations of 6-cm excited OH

The VLA was used to determine precise positions for 4765-MHz OH maser emission sources toward star-forming regions which had been observed about seven months earlier with the Effelsberg 100-meter telescope. The observations were successful for K3-50, DR21EX, W75N, and W49A. No line was detected toward S255: this line had decreased to less than 5 per cent of the flux density observed only seven months earlier. The time-variability of the observed features during the past 30 years is summarised. In addition, to compare with the Effelsberg observations, the 4750-MHz and 4660-MHz lines were observed in W49A. These lines were found to originate primarily from an extended region which is distinguished as an exceptional collection of compact continuum components as well as by being the dynamical centre of the very powerful H_2 O outflow.Comment: 11 pages, will require MN style file to process. MNRAS, accepted Oct 15, 200

Observations of ground-state OH in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have carried out a series of observations of the 1665- and 1667-MHz transitions of the 2Pi_3/2, J=3/2 OH ground state towards six selected HII regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud (IRAS 05011-6815 and MRC 0510-689, 0513-694B, 0539-691, 0540-696B, 0540-697A) using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The study has provided the first accurate positions for known 1665- and 1667-MHz OH masers as well as detecting several new masers. The regions all contain H_2O or CH_3OH masers but OH masers were detected in only four. The 1.6-GHz continuum emission was also imaged to investigate its spatial relationship to the associated OH maser. Although some masers are close to compact continuum components, in other cases they are near the continuum distribution boundaries and perhaps have been created as a result of the HII region interacting with the surrounding interstellar medium.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS 6 pages, 9 figure

Ground-state OH observations towards NGC 6334

We have made observations of the four hyperfine transitions of the 2Pi(3/2), J=3/2 ground state of OH at 1612, 1665, 1667 and 1720 MHz and the related 1.6-GHz continuum emission, towards NGC 6334 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The observations covered all the major radio continuum concentrations aligned along the axis of NGC 6334 (V, A to F). We have detected seven OH masers plus a possible faint eighth maser; two of these masers are located towards NGC 6334-A. Absorption at 1665 and 1667 MHz was detected towards almost all the continuum distribution. All transitions showed non-LTE behaviour. The 1667-/1665-MHz intensity ratios ranged from 1.0 to 1.2, significantly less than their LTE value of 1.8. The results of the OH `Sum Rule' suggest that this discrepancy cannot be explained solely by high optical depths. The 1612- and 1720-MHz line-profiles showed conjugate behaviour whereby one line was in absorption and the other in emission. In addition, the profiles commonly showed a flip from absorption to emission and vice versa, which has been interpreted as a density gradient. The OH line-to-continuum distribution, optical depth and velocity trends are consistent with a bar-like shape for the molecular gas which wraps around the continuum emission.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Atomic and Molecular Gas in the Starburst Galaxy NGC4945

Spatial and kinematical correlations between HI and CO (2-1) emission of the southern spiral galaxy NGC4945 are studied with a common angular (23 arcsec) and velocity resolution (7 km/s). The 21cm continuum emission is also observed. The HI kinematics yield a galaxy mass of 1.4x10^{11} Mo within a radius of 380 arcsec, with molecular and neutral atomic gas each contributing 2%. Nuclear HI absorption at velocities 80 km/s higher than systemic indicates gas flowing towards the centre. HI features at each end of the major axis (R ~ 600 arcsec) are interpreted as spiral arms that are viewed tangentially and that also cause prominent emission features in the radio continuum, HI, and CO further inside the galaxy. A central elongated region showing non-circular motions is interpreted as a bar which fuels the nuclear starburst. HI and CO position-velocity data have been analysed using linear resonance theory and possible locations of resonances are identified.Comment: 16 pages, Latex file, 9 Postscript Figures, aa.cls and psfig.sty included. Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

The Distribution of H2O Maser Emission in the Nucleus of NGC 4945

We present the first interferometer map of the water maser emission in the active nucleus of NGC 4945. Although the declination of the galaxy is about -49 degrees, we were able to make the observations with the southernmost antennas of the Very Long Baseline Array. Strong maser emission is present in three velocity ranges, one near the systemic velocity and two shifted roughly symmetrically by +/-(100-150) km/s. This is the first detection of highly blue-shifted water emission in NGC 4945. We determined the position of the maser to be RA(B1950)= 13 02 32.28 +/- 0.02 ; Dec(B1950)= -49 12 01.9 +/- 0.1. The uncertainties in earlier estimates are at least several arcseconds. The maser lies within 2'' (36 pc at a distance of 3.7 Mpc) of the peaks in 1.4 GHz continuum and 1.6 micron emission from the nucleus. The mappable maser emission is distributed roughly linearly over about 40 milliarcseconds (0.7 pc) at a position angle of about 45 degrees, which is close to the 43 +/- 2 degree position angle of the galactic disk. The red and blue-shifted emission symmetrically stradle the systemic emission on the sky, which suggests material in edge-on circular motion around a central object. The position-velocity structure indicates a binding mass of about one million Suns, within a volume of radius about 0.3 pc. This implies that the central engine radiates on the order of 10% of its Eddington luminosity.Comment: 18 pages, including 5 Postscript figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Multiwavelength Studies of PSR J1420-6048, a Young Pulsar in the Kookaburra

We present X-ray, radio, and infrared observations of the 68 ms pulsar PSR J1420-6048 and its surrounding nebula, a possible counterpart of the gamma-ray source GeV J1417-6100/3EG J1420-6038. Pulsed X-ray emission at the radio period is marginally detected by ASCA from a source embedded in the hard spectrum X-ray nebula AX J1420.1-6049. At radio wavelengths, the pulsar is found to be strongly linearly and circularly polarized, and the polarization sweep is measured. A comparison of high resolution ATCA radio imaging of the Kookaburra's upper wing (G313.6+0.3), which contains the pulsar and the X-ray nebula, with infrared images suggests the radio emission is partly non-thermal.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Astrophysical Journal Letter

The Radio Lifetime of Supernova Remnants and the Distribution of Pulsar Velocities at Birth

We have made VLA images of the fields around three young pulsars which have resulted in the discovery of two new supernova remnants and confirmation of a third. We argue that, in at least two cases and perhaps the third, the pulsars are physically associated with these supernova remnants. A review of all known young pulsars shows that the majority are associated with supernova remnants. We show that the typical density of the interstellar medium into which the supernova remnants are evolving has a density of 0.2 cm$^{-3}$ instead of the low value of 0.01 cm$^{-3}$ which had been calculated from other studies, and results in a considerably longer radio lifetime for supernova remnants. Both the morphology of the supernova remnants and the location of the pulsars imply that most of these young pulsars are born with large transverse velocities ($\sim$500 km s$^{-1}$). This high velocity mean in the distribution of pulsar velocities appears to be a general property of the pulsar population at birth, not seen in proper motion studies, due to selection effects. We explore the implications of this result as it relates to the origin of these velocities and the galactic distribution of pulsars. High velocity pulsars can escape their supernova remnant in a very short timescale, comparable to the lifetime of the remnant and may even play a role in extending the observable radio lifetime of the remnant. A significant fraction will be capable of escaping the disk of the Galaxy, producing an extended halo population.Comment: (apJ accepted). uuencoded, compressed postscript file. 23 pages. Hardcopies of figures and table available on request from [email protected]

A Dense Gas Trigger for OH Megamasers

HCN and CO line diagnostics provide new insight into the OH megamaser (OHM) phenomenon, suggesting a dense gas trigger for OHMs. We identify three physical properties that differentiate OHM hosts from other starburst galaxies: (1) OHMs have the highest mean molecular gas densities among starburst galaxies; nearly all OHM hosts have = 10^3-10^4 cm^-3 (OH line-emitting clouds likely have n(H2) > 10^4 cm^-3). (2) OHM hosts are a distinct population in the nonlinear part of the IR-CO relation. (3) OHM hosts have exceptionally high dense molecular gas fractions, L(HCN)/L(CO)>0.07, and comprise roughly half of this unusual population. OH absorbers and kilomasers generally follow the linear IR-CO relation and are uniformly distributed in dense gas fraction and L(HCN), demonstrating that OHMs are independent of OH abundance. The fraction of non-OHMs with high mean densities and high dense gas fractions constrains beaming to be a minor effect: OHM emission solid angle must exceed 2 pi steradians. Contrary to conventional wisdom, IR luminosity does not dictate OHM formation; both star formation and OHM activity are consequences of tidal density enhancements accompanying galaxy interactions. The OHM fraction in starbursts is likely due to the fraction of mergers experiencing a temporal spike in tidally driven density enhancement. OHMs are thus signposts marking the most intense, compact, and unusual modes of star formation in the local universe. Future high redshift OHM surveys can now be interpreted in a star formation and galaxy evolution context, indicating both the merging rate of galaxies and the burst contribution to star formation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted by ApJ Letter