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. |
- Aladro, Rebeca, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular gas in the northern nucleus of Mrk 273: Physical and chemical properties of the disc and its outflow
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 617
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aiming to characterise the properties of the molecular gas in the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Mrk 273 and its outflow, we used the NOEMA interferometer to image the dense-gas molecular tracers HCN, HCO+, HNC, HOC+ and HC3N at similar to 86 GHz and similar to 256 GHz with angular resolutions of 4.'' 9 x 4.'' 5 (similar to 3.7 x 3.4 kpc) and 0.'' 61 x 0.'' 55 (similar to 460 x 420 pc). We also modelled the flux of several H2O lines observed with Herschel using a radiative transfer code that includes excitation by collisions and far-infrared photons. The disc of the Mrk 273 north nucleus has two components with decoupled kinematics. The gas in the outer parts (R similar to 1.5 kpc) rotates with a south-east to north-west direction, while in the inner disc (R similar to 300 pc) follows a north-east to south-west rotation. The central 300 pc, which hosts a compact starburst region, is filled with dense and warm gas, and contains a dynamical mass of (4-5) x 10(9) M-circle dot, a luminosity of L'HCN = (3-4) x 10(8) K km s(-1) pc(2), and a dust temperature of 55 K. At the very centre, a compact core with R similar to 50 pc has a luminosity of LIR = 4 x 10(11) L-circle dot (30% of the total infrared luminosity), and a dust temperature of 95 K. The core is expanding at low velocities similar to 50-100 km s(-1), probably affected by the outflowing gas. We detect the blue-shifted component of the outflow, while the red-shifted counterpart remains undetected in our data. Its cold and dense phase reaches fast velocities up to similar to 1000 km s(-1), while the warm outflowing gas has more moderate maximum velocities of similar to 600 km s(-1). The outflow is compact, being detected as far as 460 pc from the centre in the northern direction, and has a mass of dense gas <= 8 x 10(8) M-circle dot. The difference between the position angles of the inner disc (similar to 70 degrees) and the outflow (similar to 10 degrees) indicates that the outflow is likely powered by the AGN, and not by the starburst. Regarding the chemistry in Mrk 273, we measure an extremely low HCO+/HOC+ ratio of 10 +/- 5 in the inner disc of Mrk 273.
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3. |
- Alatalo, K., et al.
(författare)
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After the interaction: An efficiently star-forming molecular disk in NGC 5195
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 830:2, s. 137-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present new molecular gas maps of NGC 5195 (alternatively known as M51b) from the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter Astronomy, including 12CO(1-0), 13CO(1-0), CN(1-), CS(2-1), and 3 mm continuum. We also detected HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) using the Onsala Space Observatory. NGC 5195 has a 12CO/13CO ratio (R12/13= 11.4 ± 0.5) consistent with normal star-forming galaxies. The CN(1-0) intensity is higher than is seen in an average star-forming galaxy, possibly enhanced in the diffuse gas in photo-dissociation regions. Stellar template fitting of the nuclear spectrum of NGC 5195 shows two stellar populations: an 80% mass fraction of old (10 Gyr) and a 20% mass fraction of intermediate-aged (?1 Gyr) stellar populations. This provides a constraint on the timescale over which NGC 5195 experienced enhanced star formation during its interaction with M51a. The average molecular gas depletion timescale in NGC 5195 is = 3.08 Gyr, a factor of larger than the depletion timescales in nearby star-forming galaxies, but consistent with the depletion seen in CO-detected early-type galaxies. While radio continuum emission at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths is present in the vicinity of the nucleus of NGC 5195, we find it is most likely associated with nuclear star formation rather than radio-loud AGN activity. Thus, despite having a substantial interaction with M51a ?1/2 Gyr ago, the molecular gas in NGC 5195 has resettled and is currently forming stars at an efficiency consistent with settled early-type galaxies.
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4. |
- Barrientos, Alejandro, et al.
(författare)
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Towards the prediction of molecular parameters from astronomical emission lines using Neural Networks
- 2021
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Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 52:1-2, s. 157-182
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecular astronomy is a field that is blooming in the era of large observatories such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). With modern, sensitive, and high spectral resolution radio telescopes like ALMA and the Square Kilometer Array, the size of the data cubes is rapidly escalating, generating a need for powerful automatic analysis tools. This work introduces MolPred, a pilot study to perform predictions of molecular parameters such as excitation temperature (Tex) and column density (log(N)) from input spectra by the use of neural networks. We used as test cases the spectra of CO, HCO+, SiO and CH3CN between 80 and 400 GHz. Training spectra were generated with MADCUBA, a state-of-the-art spectral analysis tool. Our algorithm was designed to allow the generation of predictions for multiple molecules in parallel. Using neural networks, we can predict the column density and excitation temperature of these molecules with a mean absolute error of 8.5% for CO, 4.1% for HCO+, 1.5% for SiO and 1.6% for CH3CN. The prediction accuracy depends on the noise level, line saturation, and number of transitions. We performed predictions upon real ALMA data. The values predicted by our neural network for this real data differ by 13% from the MADCUBA values on average. Current limitations of our tool include not considering linewidth, source size, multiple velocity components, and line blending.
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5. |
- Behrens, E., et al.
(författare)
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Tracing Interstellar Heating: An ALCHEMI Measurement of the HCN Isomers in NGC 253
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 939:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyze HCN and HNC emission in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 to investigate its effectiveness in tracing heating processes associated with star formation. This study uses multiple HCN and HNC rotational transitions observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via the ALCHEMI Large Program. To understand the conditions and associated heating mechanisms within NGC 253's dense gas, we employ Bayesian nested sampling techniques applied to chemical and radiative transfer models, which are constrained using our HCN and HNC measurements. We find that the volume density n H 2 and cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) ζ are enhanced by about an order of magnitude in the galaxy’s central regions as compared to those further from the nucleus. In NGC 253's central giant molecular clouds (GMCs), where observed HCN/HNC abundance ratios are the lowest, n ∼ 105.5 cm−3 and ζ ∼ 10−12 s−1 (greater than 104 times the average Galactic rate). We find a positive correlation in the association of both density and CRIR with the number of star formation-related heating sources (supernova remnants, H ii regions, and super hot cores) located in each GMC, as well as a correlation between CRIRs and supernova rates. Additionally, we see an anticorrelation between the HCN/HNC ratio and CRIR, indicating that this ratio will be lower in regions where ζ is higher. Though previous studies suggested HCN and HNC may reveal strong mechanical heating processes in NGC 253's CMZ, we find cosmic-ray heating dominates the heating budget, and mechanical heating does not play a significant role in the HCN and HNC chemistry.
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6. |
- Burillo, S. G., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA imaging of C2H emission in the disk of NGC 1068
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 608, s. A56-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. We study the feedback of star formation and nuclear activity on the chemistry of molecular gas in NGC 1068, a nearby (D = 14 Mpc) Seyfert 2 barred galaxy, by analyzing whether the abundances of key molecular species such as ethynyl (C2H), which is a classical tracer of photon dominated regions (PDR), change in the different environments of the disk of the galaxy. Methods. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of the hyperfine multiplet of C2H(N = 1-0) and its underlying continuum emission in the central r similar or equal to 35" (2.5 kpc) region of the disk of NGC 1068 with a spatial resolution 1.0 x 0.7 (similar or equal to 50-70 pc). We used maps of the dust continuum emission obtained at 349 GHz by ALMA to derive the H-2 gas column densities and combined these with the C2H map at matched spatial resolution to estimate the fractional abundance of this species. We developed a set of time-dependent chemical models, which include shocks, gas-phase PDRs, and gas-grain chemical models to determine the origin of the C2H gas. Results. A sizeable fraction of the total C2H line emission is detected from the r similar or equal to 1.3 kpc starburst (SB) ring, which is a region that concentrates the bulk of the recent massive star formation in the disk traced by the Pa alpha emission complexes imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). However, the brightest C2H emission originates from a r similar or equal to 200 pc off -centered circumnuclear disk (CND), where evidence of a molecular outflow has been previously found in other molecular tracers imaged by ALMA. We also detect significant emission that connects the CND with the outer disk in a region that probes the interface between the molecular disk and ionized gas outflow out to r similar or equal to 400 pc. We derived the fractional abundances of C2H (X(C2H)) assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions and a set of excitation temperatures (T-ex) constrained by the previous multiline CO studies of the galaxy. Our estimates range from X(C2H) similar or equal to a few 10(-8) in the SB ring up to X(C2H) similar or equal to a few 10(-7) in the outflow region. The PDR models that incorporate gas-grain chemistry are able to account for X(C2H) in the SB ring for moderately dense (n(H-2) >= 10(4) cm(-3)) and moderately UV-irradiated gas (UV-field = 10(4-5) cm(-3)). Conclusions. We find that the transient conditions required to fit the high values of X(C2H) in the outflow are likely due to UV or X-ray irradiated non-dissociative shocks associated with the highly turbulent interface between the outflow and molecular gas in NGC 1068. Although the inferred local timescales are short, the erosion of molecular clouds by the active galactic nucleus (AGN) wind and/or the jet likely resupplies the interface working surface continuously, making a nearly steady state persist in the disk of the galaxy.
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7. |
- Falstad, Niklas, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Hidden or missing outflows in highly obscured galaxy nuclei?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 623
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the nuclear growth and feedback processes in galaxies requires investigating their often obscured central regions. One way to do this is to use (sub)millimeter line emission from vibrationally excited HCN (HCN-vib), which is thought to trace warm and highly enshrouded galaxy nuclei. It has been suggested that the most intense HCN-vib emission from a galaxy is connected to a phase of nuclear growth that occurs before the nuclear feedback processes have been fully developed. Aims. We aim to investigate if there is a connection between the presence of strong HCN-vib emission and the development of feedback in (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs). Methods. We collected literature and archival data to compare the luminosities of rotational lines of HCN-vib, normalized to the total infrared luminosity, to the median velocities of 119 μm OH absorption lines, potentially indicating outflows, in a total of 17 (U)LIRGs. Results. The most HCN-vib luminous systems all lack signatures of significant molecular outflows in the far-infrared OH absorption lines. However, at least some of the systems with bright HCN-vib emission have fast and collimated outflows that can be seen in spectral lines at longer wavelengths, including in millimeter emission lines of CO and HCN (in its vibrational ground state) and in radio absorption lines of OH. Conclusions. We conclude that the galaxy nuclei with the highest L HCN-vib /L IR do not drive wide-angle outflows that are detectable using the median velocities of far-infrared OH absorption lines. This is possibly because of an orientation effect in which sources oriented in such a way that their outflows are not along our line of sight also radiate a smaller proportion of their infrared luminosity in our direction. It could also be that massive wide-angle outflows destroy the deeply embedded regions responsible for bright HCN-vib emission, so that the two phenomena cannot coexist. This would strengthen the idea that vibrationally excited HCN traces a heavily obscured stage of evolution before nuclear feedback mechanisms are fully developed.
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8. |
- Galametz, M., et al.
(författare)
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Water, methanol and dense gas tracers in the local ULIRG Arp 220: results from the new SEPIA Band 5 Science Verification campaign
- 2016
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 462:1, s. L36-L40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a line survey of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220, taken with the newly installed SEPIA (Swedish-European Southern Observatory PI receiver for APEX) Band 5 instrument on APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment). We illustrate the capacity of SEPIA to detect the 183.3 GHz H(2)O3(1,3)-2(2,0) line against the atmospheric H2O absorption feature. We confirm the previous detection of the HCN(2-1) line, and detect new transitions of standard dense gas tracers such as HNC(2-1), HCO+(2-1), CS(4-3), (CS)-S-34(4-3) and HC3N(20-19). We also detect HCN(2-1) v(2) = 1 and the 193.5 GHz methanol (4-3) group for the first time. The absence of time variations in the megamaser water line compared to previous observations seems to rule out an AGN nuclear origin for the line. It could, on the contrary, favour a thermal origin instead, but also possibly be a sign that the megamaser emission is associated with star-forming cores washed out in the beam. We finally discuss how the new transitions of HCN, HNC and HCO+ refine our knowledge of the interstellar medium physical conditions in Arp 220.
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9. |
- Harada, N., et al.
(författare)
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ALCHEMI Finds a “Shocking” Carbon Footprint in the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 938:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The centers of starburst galaxies may be characterized by a specific gas and ice chemistry due to their gas dynamics and the presence of various ice desorption mechanisms. This may result in a peculiar observable composition. We analyse the abundances of CO2, a reliable tracer of ice chemistry, from data collected as part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array large program ALCHEMI, a wide-frequency spectral scan toward the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with an angular resolution of 1.″6. We constrain the CO2 abundances in the gas phase using its protonated form HOCO+. The distribution of HOCO+ is similar to that of methanol, which suggests that HOCO+ is indeed produced from the protonation of CO2 sublimated from ice. The HOCO+ fractional abundances are found to be (1-2) × 10−9 at the outer part of the central molecular zone (CMZ), while they are lower (∼10−10) near the kinematic center. This peak fractional abundance at the outer CMZ is comparable to that in the Milky Way CMZ, and orders of magnitude higher than that in Galactic disk, star-forming regions. From the range of HOCO+/CO2 ratios suggested from chemical models, the gas-phase CO2 fractional abundance is estimated to be (1-20) × 10−7 at the outer CMZ, and orders of magnitude lower near the center. We estimate the CO2 ice fractional abundances at the outer CMZ to be (2-5) × 10−6 from the literature. A comparison between the ice and gas CO2 abundances suggests an efficient sublimation mechanism. This sublimation is attributed to large-scale shocks at the orbital intersections of the bar and CMZ.
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10. |
- Harada, N., et al.
(författare)
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Chemical features in the circumnuclear disk of the Galactic center
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 584
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. The circumnuclear disk (CND) of the Galactic center is exposed to many energetic phenomena coming from the supermassive black hole Sgr A* and from stellar activities. These energetic activities can affect the chemical composition in the CND through interaction with UV photons, cosmic rays, X-rays, and shock waves. We aim to constrain the physical conditions present in the CND through chemical modeling of observed molecular species detected toward it. Methods. We analyzed a selected set of molecular line data taken toward a position in the southwest lobe of the CND with the IRAM 30m and APEX 12-m telescopes and derived the column density of each molecule via a large velocity gradient (LVG) analysis. The determined chemical composition is compared with a time-dependent, gas-grain chemical model based on the UCL_CHEM code, which includes the effects of shock waves with varying physical parameters. Results. We detect molecules, such as CO, HCN, HCO+, HNC, CS, SO, SiO, NO, CN, H2CO, HC3N, N2H+, and H3O+, and obtain their column densities. Total hydrogen densities obtained from LVG analysis range between 2x10(4) and 1x10(6) cm(-3) and most species indicate values around several x10(5) cm(-3). These values are lower than those corresponding to the Roche limit, which shows that the CND is tidally unstable. The chemical models show good agreement with the observations in cases where the density is similar to 10(4) cm(-3), the cosmic-ray ionization rate is high, > 10(-15) s(-1), or shocks with velocities > 40 km s(-)1 have occurred. Conclusions. Comparison of models and observations favors a scenario where the cosmic-ray ionization rate in the CND is high, but precise effects of other factors, such as shocks, density structures, UV photons, and X-rays from the Sgr A*, must be examined with higher spatial resolution data.
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11. |
- Harada, N., et al.
(författare)
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The ALCHEMI Atlas: Principal Component Analysis Reveals Starburst Evolution in NGC 253
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series. - 1538-4365 .- 0067-0049. ; 271:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecular lines are powerful diagnostics of the physical and chemical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM). These ISM properties, which affect future star formation, are expected to differ in starburst galaxies from those of more quiescent galaxies. We investigate the ISM properties in the central molecular zone of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 using the ultrawide millimeter spectral scan survey from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Large Program ALCHEMI. We present an atlas of velocity-integrated images at a 1.″6 resolution of 148 unblended transitions from 44 species, including the first extragalactic detection of HCNH+ and the first interferometric images of C3H+, NO, and HCS+. We conduct a principal component analysis (PCA) on these images to extract correlated chemical species and to identify key groups of diagnostic transitions. To the best of our knowledge, our data set is currently the largest astronomical set of molecular lines to which PCA has been applied. The PCA can categorize transitions coming from different physical components in NGC 253 such as (i) young starburst tracers characterized by high-excitation transitions of HC3N and complex organic molecules versus tracers of on-going star formation (radio recombination lines) and high-excitation transitions of CCH and CN tracing photodissociation regions, (ii) tracers of cloud-collision-induced shocks (low-excitation transitions of CH3OH, HNCO, HOCO+, and OCS) versus shocks from star formation-induced outflows (high-excitation transitions of SiO), as well as (iii) outflows showing emission from HOC+, CCH, H3O+, CO isotopologues, HCN, HCO+, CS, and CN. Our findings show these intensities vary with galactic dynamics, star formation activities, and stellar feedback.
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12. |
- Henkel, C., et al.
(författare)
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Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in starburst galaxies: New data from NGC 253 and Mrk 231 and their implications
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 565
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios are excellent measures of nuclear processing, but few such data have been taken toward extragalactic targets so far. Therefore, using the IRAM 30-m telescope, CN and CO isotopologues have been measured toward the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 and the prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk 231. Toward the center of NGC 253, the CN and (CN)-C-13 N = 1 -> 0 lines indicate no significant deviations from expected local thermodynamical equilibrium after accounting for moderate saturation effects (10 and 25%) in the two detected spectral components of the main species. Including calibration uncertainties, which dominate the error budget, the C-12/C-13 ratio becomes 40 +/- 10. This is larger than the ratio in the central molecular zone of the Galaxy, suggesting a higher infall rate of poorly processed gas toward the central region. Assuming that the ratio also holds for the CO emitting gas, this yields O-16/O-18 = 145 +/- 36 and O-16/O-17 = 1290 +/- 365 and a S-32/S-34 ratio close to the one measured for the local interstellar medium (2025). No indication of vibrationally excited CN is found in the lower frequency fine structure components of the N = 1 -> 0 and 2 -> 1 transitions at rms noise levels of 3 and 4 mK (15 and 20 mJy) in 8.5 km s-1 wide channels. Peak line intensity ratios between NGC 253 and Mrk 231 are similar to 100 for (CO)-C-12-O-16 and (CO)-C-12-O-18 J = 1 -> 0, while the ratio for (CO)-C-13-O-16 J = 1 -> 0 is similar to 250. This and similar (CO)-C-13 and (CO)-O-18 line intensities in the J = 1 -> 0 and 2 -> 1 transitions of Mrk 231 suggest C-12/C-13 similar to 100 and O-16/O-18 similar to 100, in agreement with values obtained for the less evolved ultraluminous merger Arp 220. Also, when accounting for other (scarcely available) extragalactic data, C-12/C-13 ratios appear to vary over a full order of magnitude, from >100 in ultraluminous high redshift galaxies to similar to 100 in more local such galaxies to similar to 40 in weaker starbursts that are not undergoing a large scale merger to 25 in the central molecular zone of the Milky Way. With C-12 being predominantly synthesized in massive stars, while C-13 is mostly ejected by longer lived lower mass stars at later times, this is qualitatively consistent with our results of decreasing carbon isotope ratios with time and rising metallicity. It is emphasized, however, that both infall of poorly processed material, initiating a nuclear starburst, and the ejecta from newly formed massive stars (in particular in the case of a top-heavy stellar initial mass function) can raise the carbon isotope ratio for a limited amount of time.
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13. |
- Henkel, C., et al.
(författare)
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Molecular line emission in NGC 4945, imaged with ALMA
- 2018
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 615
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- NGC 4945 is one of the nearest (D ≈ 3.8 Mpc; 1 00 ≈ 19 pc) starburst galaxies. To investigate the structure, dynamics, and composition of the dense nuclear gas of this galaxy, ALMA band 3 (λ ≈ 3−4 mm) observations were carried out with ≈2 00 resolution. Three HCN and two HC + isotopologues, CS, C 3 H 2 , SiO, HCO, and CH 3 C 2 H were measured. Spectral line imaging demonstrates the presence of a rotating nuclear disk of projected size 10 00 × 2 00 reaching out to a galactocentric radius of r ≈ 100 pc with position angle PA = 45 ◦ ± 2 ◦ , inclination i = 75 ◦ ± 2 ◦ and an unresolved bright central core of size <∼ 2 00 . The continuum source, representing mostly free-free radiation from star forming regions, is more compact than the nuclear disk by a linear factor of two but shows the same position angle and is centered 0 00 . 39 ± 0 00 . 14 northeast of the nuclear accretion disk defined by H 2 O maser emission. Near the systemic velocity but outside the nuclear disk, both HCN J = 1 → 0 and CS J = 2 → 1 delineate molecular arms of length >∼ 15 00 ( >∼ 285 pc) on opposite sides of the dynamical center. These are connected by a (deprojected) ≈ 0.6 kpc sized molecular bridge, likely a dense gaseous bar seen almost ends-on, shifting gas from the front and back side into the nuclear disk. Modeling this nuclear disk located farther inside (r <∼ 100 pc) with tilted rings provides a good fit by inferring a coplanar outflow reaching a characteristic deprojected velocity of ≈50 km s −1 . All our molecular lines, with the notable exception of CH 3 C 2 H, show significant absorption near the systemic velocity (≈571 km s −1 ), within the range ≈500-660 km s −1 . Apparently, only molecular transitions with low critical H 2 density (n crit<∼ 10 4 cm −3 ) do not show absorption. The velocity field of the nuclear disk, derived from CH 3 C 2 H, provides evidence for rigid rotation in the inner few arcseconds and a dynamical mass of M tot = (2.1 ± 0.2) × 10 8 M inside a galactocentric radius of 2 00 . 45 (≈45 pc), with a significantly flattened rotation curve farther out. Velocity integrated line intensity maps with most pronounced absorption show molecular peak positions up to ≈1 00 . 5 (≈30 pc) southwest of the continuum peak, presumably due to absorption, which appears to be most severe slightly northeast of the nuclear maser disk. A nitrogen isotope ratio of 14 N/ 15 N ≈ 200-450 is estimated. This range of values is much higher then previously reported on a tentative basis. Therefore, because 15 N is less abundant than expected, the question for strong 15 N enrichment by massive star ejecta in starbursts still remains to be settled.
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14. |
- Holdship, Jonathan, et al.
(författare)
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The distribution and origin of C 2 H in NGC 253 from ALCHEMI
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Observations of chemical species can provide insights into the physical conditions of the emitting gas however it is important to understand how their abundances and excitation vary within different heating environments. C2H is a molecule typically found in PDR regions of our own Galaxy but there is evidence to suggest it also traces other regions undergoing energetic processing in extragalactic environments. Aims. As part of the ALCHEMI ALMA large program, we map the emission of C2H in the central molecular zone of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 at 1.6″ (28 pc) resolution and characterize it to understand its chemical origins. Methods. We used spectral modeling of the N = 1-0 through N = 4-3 rotational transitions of C2H to derive the C2H column densities towards the dense clouds in NGC 253. We then use chemical modeling, including photodissociation region (PDR), dense cloud, and shock models to investigate the chemical processes and physical conditions that are producing the molecular emission. Results. We find high C2H column densities of ∼1015 cm-2 detected towards the dense regions of NGC 253. We further find that these column densities cannot be reproduced if it is assumed that the emission arises from the PDR regions at the edge of the clouds. Instead, we find that the C2H abundance remains high even in the high visual extinction interior of these clouds and that this is most likely caused by a high cosmic-ray ionization rate.
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15. |
- Huang, K. Y., et al.
(författare)
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Reconstructing the shock history in the CMZ of NGC 253 with ALCHEMI
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 675
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. HNCO and SiO are well-known shock tracers and have been observed in nearby galaxies, including the nearby (D = 3.5 Mpc) starburst galaxy NGC 253. The simultaneous detection of these two species in regions where the star-formation rate is high may be used to study the shock history of the gas. Aims. We perform a multi-line molecular study of NGC 253 using the shock tracers SiO and HNCO and aim to characterize its gas properties. We also explore the possibility of reconstructing the shock history in the central molecular zone (CMZ) of the galaxy. Methods. Six SiO transitions and eleven HNCO transitions were imaged at high resolution 1.·6 (28 pc) with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) as part of the ALCHEMI Large Programme. Both non local thermaldynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative transfer analysis and chemical modeling were performed in order to characterize the gas properties and investigate the chemical origin of the emission. Results. The nonLTE radiative transfer analysis coupled with Bayesian inference shows clear evidence that the gas traced by SiO has different densities and temperatures than that traced by HNCO, with an indication that shocks are needed to produce both species. Chemical modeling further confirms such a scenario and suggests that fast and slow shocks are responsible for SiO and HNCO production, respectively, in most GMCs. We are also able to infer the physical characteristics of the shocks traced by SiO and HNCO for each GMC. Conclusions. Radiative transfer and chemical analysis of the SiO and HNCO in the CMZ of NGC 253 reveal a complex picture whereby most of the GMCs are subjected to shocks. We speculate on the possible shock scenarios responsible for the observed emission and provide potential history and timescales for each shock scenario. Observations of higher spatial resolution for these two species are required in order to quantitatively differentiate between the possible scenarios.
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16. |
- Humire, Pedro, et al.
(författare)
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Methanol masers in NGC 253 with ALCHEMI
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 663
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Methanol masers of Class I (collisionally pumped) and Class II (radiatively pumped) have been studied in great detail in our Galaxy in a variety of astrophysical environments such as shocks and star-forming regions and are they are helpful to analyze the properties of the dense interstellar medium. However, the study of methanol masers in external galaxies is still in its infancy. Aims. Our main goal is to search for methanol masers in the central molecular zone (CMZ; inner 500 pc) of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC253. Methods. Covering a frequency range between 84 and 373 GHz (λ = 3.6-0.8 mm) at high angular (1."6 ∼ 27 pc) and spectral (∼8-9 km s-1) resolution with ALCHEMI (ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory), we have probed dierent regions across the CMZ of NGC253. In order to look for methanol maser candidates, we employed the rotation diagram method and a set of radiative transfer models. Results.We detect for the first time masers above 84 GHz in NGC253, covering an ample portion of the J-1 (J-1)0-E line series (at 84, 132, 229, and 278 GHz) and the J0 (J-1)1 A series (at 95, 146, and 198 GHz). This confirms the presence of the Class I maser line at 84 GHz, which was already reported, but now being detected in more than one location. For the J-1 (J-1)0-E line series, we observe a lack of Class I maser candidates in the central star-forming disk. Conclusions. The physical conditions for maser excitation in the J-1 (J-1)0-E line series can be weak shocks and cloud-cloud collisions as suggested by shock tracers (SiO and HNCO) in bi-symmetric shock regions located in the outskirts of the CMZ. On the other hand, the presence of photodissociation regions due to a high star-formation rate would be needed to explain the lack of Class I masers in the very central regions.
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17. |
- 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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18. |
- Martin, S., et al.
(författare)
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ALCHEMI, an ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory: Survey presentation and first results from the ACA array
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 656
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The interstellar medium is the locus of physical processes affecting the evolution of galaxies which drive or are the result of star formation activity, supermassive black hole growth, and feedback. The resulting physical conditions determine the observable chemical abundances that can be explored through molecular emission observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. Aims. Our goal is to unveiling the molecular richness of the central region of the prototypical nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 at an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, spatial resolution, and frequency coverage. Methods. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), covering a nearly contiguous 289 GHz frequency range between 84.2 and 373.2 GHz, to image the continuum and spectral line emission at 1.6″(∼28 pc) resolution down to a sensitivity of 30 - 50 mK. This article describes the ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory (ALCHEMI) large program. We focus on the analysis of the spectra extracted from the 15″ (∼255 pc) resolution ALMA Compact Array data. Results. We modeled the molecular emission assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium with 78 species being detected. Additionally, multiple hydrogen and helium recombination lines are identified. Spectral lines contribute 5 to 36% of the total emission in frequency bins of 50 GHz. We report the first extragalactic detections of C2H5OH, HOCN, HC3HO, and several rare isotopologues. Isotopic ratios of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and silicon were measured with multiple species. Concluison. Infrared pumped vibrationaly excited HCN, HNC, and HC3N emission, originating in massive star formation locations, is clearly detected at low resolution, while we do not detect it for HCO+. We suggest high temperature conditions in these regions driving a seemingly "carbon-rich"chemistry which may also explain the observed high abundance of organic species close to those in Galactic hot cores. The Lvib/LIR ratio was used as a proxy to estimate a 3% contribution from the proto super star cluster to the global infrared emission. Measured isotopic ratios with high dipole moment species agree with those within the central kiloparsec of the Galaxy, while those derived from 13C/18O are a factor of five larger, confirming the existence of multiple interstellar medium components within NGC 253 with different degrees of nucleosynthesis enrichment. The ALCHEMI data set provides a unique template for studies of star-forming galaxies in the early Universe.
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19. |
- Martin, S., et al.
(författare)
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Spatially resolved carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in NGC 253 using optically thin tracers
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 624
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. One of the most important aspects of modern astrophysics is related to our understanding of the origin of elements and chemical evolution in the large variety of astronomical sources. Nuclear regions of galaxies undergo heavy processing of matter, and are therefore ideal targets to investigate matter cycles via determination of elemental and isotopic abundances. Aims. To trace chemical evolution in a prototypical starburst environment, we spatially resolve carbon and oxygen isotope ratios across the central molecular zone (CMZ; full size ∼600 pc) in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253. Methods. We imaged the emission of the optically thin isotopologues 13 CO, C 18 O, C 17 O, 13 C 18 O at a spatial resolution ∼50 pc, comparable to the typical size of giant molecular associations. Optical depth effects and contamination of 13 C 18 O by C 4 H are discussed and accounted for to derive column densities. Results. This is the first extragalactic detection of the double isotopologue 13 C 18 O. Derived isotopic ratios 12 C/ 13 C ∼ 21 ± 6, 16 O/ 18 O ∼ 130 ± 40, and 18 O/ 17 O ∼ 4.5 ± 0.8 differ from the generally adopted values in the nuclei of galaxies. Conclusions. The molecular clouds in the central region of NGC 253 show similar rare isotope enrichment to those within the CMZ of the Milky way. This enrichment is attributed to stellar nucleosynthesis. Measured isotopic ratios suggest an enhancement of 18 O as compared to our Galactic centre, which we attribute to an extra 18 O injection from massive stars. Our observations show evidence for mixing of distinct gas components with different degrees of processing. We observe an extra molecular component of highly processed gas on top of the already proposed less processed gas being transported to the central region of NGC 253. Such a multicomponent nature and optical depth effects may hinder the use of isotopic ratios based on a spatially unresolved line to infer the star formation history and/or initial stellar mass function properties galaxy nuclei.
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20. |
- Martin, S., et al.
(författare)
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The unbearable opaqueness of Arp220
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 590, s. Art. no. 25-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The origin of the enormous luminosities of the two opaque nuclei of Arp 220, the prototypical ultra-luminous infrared galaxy, remains a mystery because we lack observational tools to explore the innermost regions around the nuclei. Aims. We explore the potential of imaging vibrationally excited molecular emission at high angular resolution to better understand the morphology and physical structure of the dense gas in Arp 220 and to gain insight into the nature of the nuclear powering sources. Methods. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provided simultaneous observations of HCN, HCO+, and vibrationally excited HCN v2 = 1f emission. Their J = 4-3 and 3-2 transitions were observed at a matching resolution of ~0.5??, which allows us to isolate the emission from the two nuclei. Results. The HCN and HCO+ lines within the ground-vibrational state poorly describe the central ~100 pc region around the nuclei because there are strong effects of cool absorbing gas in the foreground and severe line blending that is due to the prolific molecular emission of Arp 220. Vibrationally excited emission of HCN is detected in both nuclei with a very high ratio relative to the total LFIR, higher than in any other observed galaxy and well above what is observed in Galactic hot cores. HCN v2 = 1f is observed to be marginally resolved in ~60 × 50 pc regions inside the dusty ~100 pc sized nuclear cores. Its emission is centered on our derived individual nuclear velocities based on HCO+ emission (VWN = 5342 ± 4 and VEN = 5454 ± 8 km s-1, for the western and eastern nucleus, respectively). With virial masses within r ~ 25-30 pc based on the HCN v2 = 1f line widths, we estimate gas surface densities (gas fraction fg = 0.1) of 3 ± 0.3 × 104 M? pc-2 (WN) and 1.1 ± 0.1 × 104 M? pc-2 (EN). The 4-3/3-2 flux density ratio could be consistent with optically thick emission, which would further constrain the size of the emitting region to >15 pc (EN) and >22 pc (WN). The absorption systems that may hide up to 70% of the HCN and HCO+ emission are found at velocities of-50 km s-1 (EN) and 6,-140, and-575 km s-1 (WN) relative to velocities of the nuclei. Blueshifted absorptions are the evidence of outflowing motions from both nuclei. Conclusions. Although vibrationally excited molecular transitions could also be affected by opacity, they may be our best tool to peer into the central few tens of parsecs around compact obscured nuclei like those of Arp 220. The bright vibrational emission implies the existence of a hot dust region radiatively pumping these transitions. We find evidence of a strong temperature gradient that would be responsible for both the HCN v2 pumping and the absorbed profiles from the vibrational ground state as a result of both continuum and self-absorption by cooler foreground gas.
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