| 1. |
- Fomalont, E. B., et al.
(författare)
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THE 2014 ALMA LONG BASELINE CAMPAIGN: AN OVERVIEW
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 808:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to similar to 15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from 2014 September to late November, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C 138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at similar to 350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy.
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| 2. |
- Espada, D., et al.
(författare)
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Disentangling the Circumnuclear Environs of Centaurus A. II. On the Nature of the Broad Absorption Line
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 720:1, s. 666-678
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on atomic gas (H I) and molecular gas (as traced by CO(2-1)) redshifted absorption features toward the nuclear regions of the closest powerful radio galaxy, Centaurus A (NGC 5128). Our H I observations using the Very Long Baseline Array allow us to discern with unprecedented sub-parsec resolution H I absorption profiles toward different positions along the 21 cm continuum jet in the inner 0farcs3 (or 5.4 pc). In addition, our CO(2-1) data obtained with the Submillimeter Array probe the bulk of the absorbing molecular gas with little contamination by emission, which was not possible with previous CO single-dish observations. We shed light on the physical properties of the gas in the line of sight with these data, emphasizing the still open debate about the nature of the gas that produces the broad absorption line (~55 km s–1). First, the broad H I line is more prominent toward the central and brightest 21 cm continuum component than toward a region along the jet at a distance ~20 mas (or 0.4 pc) further from the nucleus. This indicates that the broad absorption line arises from gas located close to the nucleus, rather than from diffuse and more distant gas. Second, the different velocity components detected in the CO(2-1) absorption spectrum match well with other molecular lines, such as those of HCO+(1-0), except the broad absorption line that is detected in HCO+(1-0) (and most likely related to that of the H I). Dissociation of molecular hydrogen due to the active galactic nucleus seems to be efficient at distances r lsim 10 pc, which might contribute to the depth of the broad H I and molecular lines.
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| 3. |
- Izumi, T., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUBMILLIMETER DENSE MOLECULAR GAS TRACERS IN THE LUMINOUS TYPE-1 ACTIVE NUCLEUS OF NGC 7469
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 811:1, s. Article Number: 39-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 1 observations of the central kiloparsec region of the luminous type. 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469 with unprecedented high resolution (0.'' 5x0.'' 4 = 165 x 132 pc) at submillimeter wavelengths. Utilizing the wide. bandwidth of ALMA, we simultaneously obtained HCN(4-3), HCO+(4-3), CS(7-6), and partially CO(3-2) line maps, as well as the 860 mu m continuum. The region consists of the central similar to 1 '' component and the surrounding starburst ring with a radius of similar to 1.'' 5-2.'' 5. Several structures connect these components. Except for CO(3-2), these dense gas tracers are significantly concentrated toward the central similar to 1 '', suggesting their suitability to probe the nuclear regions of galaxies. Their spatial distribution resembles well those of centimeter and mid-infrared continuum emissions, but it is anticorrelated with the optical one, indicating the existence of dust-obscured star formation. The integrated intensity ratios of HCN(4-3)/HCO+(4-3) and HCN(4-3)/CS(7-6) are higher at the active galactic nucleus (AGN) position than at the starburst ring, which is consistent with our previous findings (submillimeter-HCN enhancement). However, the HCN(4-3)/HCO+(4-3) ratio at the AGN position of NGC 7469 (1.11 +/- 0.06) is almost half of the corresponding value of the low-luminosity type. 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1097 (2.0 +/- 0.2), despite the more than two orders of magnitude higher X-ray luminosity of NGC 7469. But the ratio is comparable to that of the close vicinity of the AGN of NGC 1068 (similar to 1.5). Based on these results, we speculate that some heating mechanisms other than X-ray (e.g., mechanical heating due to an AGN jet) can contribute significantly for shaping the chemical composition in NGC 1097.
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| 4. |
- Ao, Y., et al.
(författare)
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Deep Submillimeter and Radio Observations in the SSA22 Field. I. Powering Sources and the Ly alpha Escape Fraction of Ly alpha Blobs
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 850:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the heating mechanisms and Ly alpha escape fractions of 35 Ly alpha blobs (LABs) at z approximate to 3.1 in the SSA22 field. Dust continuum sources have been identified in 11 of the 35 LABs, all with star formation rates (SFRs) above 100M(circle dot) yr(-1). Likely radio counterparts are detected in 9 out of 29 investigated LABs. The detection of submillimeter dust emission is more linked to the physical size of the Ly alpha emission than to the Ly alpha luminosities of the LABs. A radio excess in the submillimeter/ radio-detected LABs is common, hinting at the presence of active galactic nuclei. Most radio sources without X-ray counterparts are located at the centers of the LABs. However, all X-ray counterparts avoid the central regions. This may be explained by absorption due to exceptionally large column densities along the line-of-sight or by LAB morphologies, which are highly orientation dependent. The median Lya escape fraction is about 3% among the submillimeter-detected LABs, which is lower than a lower limit of 11% for the submillimeter-undetected LABs. We suspect that the large difference is due to the high dust attenuation supported by the large SFRs, the dense large-scale environment as well as large uncertainties in the extinction corrections required to apply when interpreting optical data.
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| 5. |
- Espada, D., et al.
(författare)
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Disentangling the Circumnuclear Environs of Centaurus A. III. An Inner Molecular Ring, Nuclear Shocks, and the CO to Warm H-2 Interface
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 843:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in the circumnuclear disk (CND; 400 pc ×200 pc) of Centaurus A with resolutions of ∼5 pc (0.″3) and shed light onto the mechanism feeding the active galactic nucleus (AGN) using CO(3-2), HCO + (4-3), HCN(4-3), and CO(6-5) observations obtained with ALMA. Multiple filaments or streamers of tens to a hundred parsec scale exist within the CND, which form a ring-like structure with an unprojected diameter of 9″ ×6″ (162 pc ×108 pc) and a position angle P.A. ≃ 155°. Inside the nuclear ring, there are two leading and straight filamentary structures with lengths of about 30-60 pc at P.A. ≃ 120° on opposite sides of the AGN, with a rotational symmetry of 180° and steeper position-velocity diagrams, which are interpreted as nuclear shocks due to non-circular motions. Along the filaments, and unlike other nearby AGNs, several dense molecular clumps present low HCN/HCO + (4-3) ratios (≲0.5). The filaments abruptly end in the probed transitions at r ≃ 20 pc from the AGN, but previous near-IR H 2 (J = 1-0)S(1) maps show that they continue in an even warmer gas phase (T ∼ 1000 K), winding up in the form of nuclear spirals, and forming an inner ring structure with another set of symmetric filaments along the N-S direction and within r ≃ 10 pc. The molecular gas is governed primarily by non-circular motions, being the successive shock fronts at different scales where loss of angular momentum occurs, a mechanism that may feed efficiently powerful radio galaxies down to parsec scales.
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| 6. |
- Espada, D., et al.
(författare)
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Star Formation Efficiencies at Giant Molecular Cloud Scales in the Molecular Disk of the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 887:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present ALMA CO (1-0) observations toward the dust lane of the nearest elliptical and radio galaxy, NGC 5128 (Centaurus A), with high angular resolution (similar to 1 '', or 18 pc), including information from large to small spatial scales and total flux. We find a total molecular gas mass of 1.6 x 10(9) M-circle dot and reveal the presence of filamentary components more extended than previously seen, up to a radius of 4 kpc. We find that the global star formation rate is similar to 1 M-circle dot yr(-1), which yields a star formation efficiency (SFE) of 0.6 Gyr(-1) (depletion time tau = 1.5 Gyr), similar to those in disk galaxies. We show the most detailed view to date (40 pc resolution) of the relation between molecular gas and star formation within the stellar component of an elliptical galaxy, from a scale of several kiloparsecs to the circumnuclear region close to the powerful radio jet. Although on average the SFEs are similar to those of spiral galaxies, the circumnuclear disk (CND) presents SFEs of 0.3 Gyr(-1), lower by a factor of 4 than the outer disk. The low SFE in the CND is in contrast to the high SFEs found in the literature for the circumnuclear regions of some nearby disk galaxies with nuclear activity, probably as a result of larger shear motions and longer active galactic nucleus feedback. The higher SFEs in the outer disk suggest that only central molecular gas or filaments with sufficient density and strong shear motions will remain in similar to 1 Gyr, which will later result in the compact molecular distributions and low SFEs usually seen in other giant ellipticals with cold gas.
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| 7. |
- Ledger, B., et al.
(författare)
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Observed CN and HCN intensity ratios exhibit subtle variations in extreme galaxy environments
- 2021
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 504:4, s. 5863-5879
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We use both new and archival ALMA data of three energy lines each of CN and HCN to explore intensity ratios in dense gas in NGC 3256, NGC 7469, and IRAS 13120-5453. The HCN (3-2)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratio varies in NGC 3256 and NGC 7469, with superlinear trends of 1.53 ± 0.07 and 1.55 ± 0.05, respectively. We find an offset to higher HCN (3-2)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratios (∼0.8) in IRAS 13120-5453 compared to NGC 3256 (∼0.3-0.4) and NGC 7469 (∼0.3-0.5). The HCN (4-3)/HCN (3-2) intensity ratio in NGC 7469 has a slope of 1.34 ± 0.05. We attribute the variation within NGC 3256 to excitation associated with the northern and southern nuclei. In NGC 7469, the variations are localized to the region surrounding the active galactic nucleus. At our resolution (∼700 pc), IRAS 13120-5453 shows little variation in the HCN intensity ratios. Individual galaxies show nearly constant CN (2-1)/CN (1-0) intensity ratios. We find an offset to lower CN (2-1)/CN (1-0) intensity ratios (∼0.5) in NGC 3256 compared to the other two galaxies (∼0.8). For the CN (3-2)/CN (2-1) intensity ratio, NGC 7469 has a superlinear trend of 1.55 ± 0.04, with the peak localized towards the active galactic nucleus. We find high (∼1.7) CN (1-0)/HCN (1-0) intensity ratios in IRAS 13120-5453 and in the northern nucleus of NGC 3256, compared to a more constant ratio (∼1.1) in NGC 7469 and non-starbursting regions of NGC 3256.
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| 8. |
- Miura, R.E., et al.
(författare)
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A giant molecular cloud catalogue in the molecular disc of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)
- 2021
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 504:4, s. 6198-6215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first census of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) complete down to 106 M⊙ and within the inner 4 kpc of the nearest giant elliptical and powerful radio galaxy, Centaurus A. We identified 689 GMCs using CO(1-0) data with 1 arcsec spatial resolution (∼20 pc) and 2 km s-1 velocity resolution obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The I(CO)-N(H2) conversion factor based on the virial method is XCO = (2 ± 1) × 1020 cm-2(K km s-1)-1 for the entire molecular disc, consistent with that of the discs of spiral galaxies including the Milky Way, and XCO = (5 ± 2) × 1020 cm-2(K km s-1)-1 for the circumnuclear disc (CND; within a galactocentric radius of 200 pc). We obtained the GMC mass spectrum distribution and find that the best truncated power-law fit for the whole molecular disc, with index γ≃ -2.41 ± 0.02 and upper cut-off mass $\sim \! 1.3\times 10^{7}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$, is also in agreement with that of nearby disc galaxies. A trend is found in the mass spectrum index from steep to shallow as we move to inner radii. Although the GMCs are in an elliptical galaxy, the general GMC properties in the molecular disc are as in spiral galaxies. However, in the CND, large offsets in the line-width-size scaling relations (∼0.3 dex higher than those in the GMCs in the molecular disc), a different XCO factor, and the shallowest GMC mass distribution shape (γ= -1.1 ± 0.2) all suggest that there the GMCs are most strongly affected by the presence of the active galactic nucleus and/or shear motions.
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| 9. |
- Saito, Toshiki, et al.
(författare)
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Spatially Resolved CO SLED of the Luminous Merger Remnant NGC 1614 with ALMA
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 835:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present high-resolution (1.?0) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO (1-0) and CO (2-1) rotational transitions toward the nearby IR-luminous merger NGC 1614 supplemented with ALMA archival data of CO (3-2) and CO (6-5) transitions. The CO (6-5) emission arises from the starburst ring (central 590 pc in radius), while the lower-J CO lines are distributed over the outer disk (?3.3 kpc in radius). Radiative transfer and photon-dominated region (PDR) modeling reveals that the starburst ring has a single warmer gas component with more a intense far-ultraviolet radiation field (nh2 ? 104.6 cm-3, Tkin ?42 K, and G0 ?102.7) relative to the outer disk (nh2 ? 105.1 cm-3, Tkin ? 22 K, and G0 ?100.9 cm-3, K, and ). A two-phase molecular interstellar medium with a warm and cold (>70 and ?19 K) component is also an applicable model for the starburst ring. A possible source for heating the warm gas component is mechanical heating due to stellar feedback rather than PDR. Furthermore, we find evidence for non-circular motions along the north-south optical bar in the lower-J CO images, suggesting a cold gas inflow. We suggest that star formation in the starburst ring is sustained by the bar-driven cold gas inflow and that starburst activities radiatively and mechanically power the CO excitation. The absence of a bright active galactic nucleus can be explained by a scenario where cold gas accumulating on the starburst ring is exhausted as the fuel for star formation or is launched as an outflow before being able to feed to the nucleus.
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| 10. |
- Kato, Yuta, et al.
(författare)
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A high dust emissivity index beta for a CO-faint galaxy in a filamentary Ly alpha nebula at z=3.1
- 2018
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Ingår i: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0004-6264 .- 2053-051X. ; 70:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present CO J = 4-3 line and 3 mm dust continuum observations of a 100 kpc-scale filamentary Ly alpha nebula (SSA22 LAB18) at z = 3.1 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We detected the CO J = 4-3 line at a systemic z(CO) = 3.093 +/- 0.001 at 11 sigma from one of the ALMA continuum sources associated with the Ly alpha filament. We estimated the CO J = 4-3 luminosity of L'(CO(4-3)) = (2.3 +/- 0.2) x 10(9) Kkms(-1) pc(2) for this CO source, which is one order of magnitude smaller than those of typical z > 1 dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) of similar far-infrared luminosity L-IR similar to 10(12) L-circle dot. We derived a molecular gas mass of M-gas = (4.4(-0.6)(+0.9)) x 10(9) M-circle dot and a star-formation rate of SFR = 270 +/- 160M(circle dot) yr(-1). We also estimated a gas depletion time of tau(dep) = 17 +/- 10 Myr, which is shorter than those of typical DSFGs. It is suggested that this source is in the transition phase from DSFG to a gas-poor, early-type galaxy. From ALMA to Herschel multi-band dust continuum observations, we measured a dust emissivity index beta = 2.3 +/- 0.2, which is similar to those of local gas-poor, early-type galaxies. From recent laboratory experiments, the specific chemical compositions needed to reproduce such a high beta for interstellar dust at the submillimeter wavelengths. ALMA CO and multi-band dust continuum observations can constrain the evolutionary stage of high-redshift galaxies through tau(dep) and beta, and thus we can investigate the chemical composition of dust even in the early Universe.
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