| 1. |
- Aalto, Susanne, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of HCN, HCO+, and HNC in the Mrk 231 molecular outflow. Dense molecular gas in the AGN wind
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 537, s. 44-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We obtained high-resolution (1.''55 × 1.''28) observations of HCN, HCO+, HNC 1-0 and HC3N 10-9 of the ultraluminous galaxy (ULIRG) Mrk 231 with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer.Results: We detect luminous emission from HCN, HCO+ and HNC 1-0 in the QSO ULIRG Mrk 231. All three lines show broad line wings - which are particularly prominent for HCN. Velocities are found to be similar ( ≈ ± 750 km s-1) to those found for CO 1-0. This is the first time bright HCN, HCO+ and HNC emission has been detected in a large-scale galactic outflow. We find that both the blue- and red-shifted line wings are spatially extended by at least 0.''75 (>700 pc) in a north-south direction. The line wings are brighter (relative to the line center intensity) in HCN than in CO 1-0 and line ratios suggest that the molecular outflow consists of dense (n > 104 cm-3) and clumpy gas with a high HCN abundance X(HCN) > 10-8. These properties are consistent with the molecular gas being compressed and fragmented by shocks in the outflow. Alternatively, HCN is instead pumped by mid-IR continuum, but we propose that this effect is not strong for the spatially extended outflowing gas. In addition, we find that the rotation of the main disk, in east-west direction, is also evident in the HCN, HCO+ and HNC line emission. An unexpectedly bright HC3N 10-9 line is detected inside the central 400 pc of Mrk 231. This HC3N emission may emerge from a shielded, dust-enshrouded region within the inner 40-50 pc where the gas is heated to high temperatures (200-300 K) by the AGN.
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| 2. |
- Aalto, Susanne, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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High resolution observations of HCN and HCO+J = 3–2 in the disk and outflow of Mrk 231 -- Detection of vibrationally excited HCN in the warped nucleus
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 574, s. 85-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Our goal is to study molecular gas properties in nuclei and large scale outflows/winds from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and starburst galaxies.Methods. We obtained high resolution (0.̋25 to 0.̋90) observations of HCN and HCO+J = 3 → 2 of the ultraluminous QSO galaxy Mrk 231 with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI).Results. We find luminous HCN and HCO+J = 3 → 2 emission in the main disk and we detect compact (r ≲ 0''̣1 (90 pc)) vibrationally excited HCN J = 3 → 2ν2 = 1f emission centred on the nucleus. The velocity field of the vibrationally excited HCN is strongly inclined (position angle PA = 155°) compared to the east-west rotation of the main disk. The nuclear (r ≲ 0.̋1) molecular mass is estimated to 8 × 108 M⊙ with an average N(H2) of 1.2 × 1024 cm-2. Prominent, spatially extended (≳350 pc) line wings are found for HCN J = 3 → 2 with velocities up to ± 750 km s-1. Line ratios indicate that the emission is emerging in dense gas n = 104−5 × 105 cm-3 of elevated HCN abundance X(HCN) = 10-8−10-6. The highest X(HCN) also allows for the emission to originate in gas of more moderate density. We tentatively detect nuclear emission from the reactive ion HOC+ with HCO+/HOC+ = 10−20.Conclusions. The HCN ν2 = 1f line emission is consistent with the notion of a hot, dusty, warped inner disk of Mrk 231 where the ν2 = 1f line is excited by bright mid-IR 14 μm continuum. We estimate the vibrational temperature Tvib to 200−400 K. Based on relative source sizes we propose that 50% of the main HCN emission may have its excitation affected by the radiation field through IR pumping of the vibrational ground state. The HCN emission in the line wings, however, is more extended and thus likely not strongly affected by IR pumping. Our results reveal that dense clouds survive (and/or are formed) in the AGN outflow on scales of at least several hundred pc before evaporating or collapsing. The elevated HCN abundance in the outflow is consistent with warm chemistry possibly related to shocks and/or X-ray irradiated gas. An upper limit to the mass and momentum flux is 4 × 108 M⊙ and 12LAGN/c, respectively, and we discuss possible driving mechanisms for the dense outflow.
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| 3. |
- Aalto, Susanne, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Probing highly obscured, self-absorbed galaxy nuclei with vibrationally excited HCN
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 584
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present high resolution (0.'' 4) IRAM PdBI and ALMA mm and submm observations of the (ultra) luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) IRAS 17208-0014, Arp220, IC 860 and Zw049.057 that reveal intense line emission from vibrationally excited (nu(2) = 1) J = 3-2 and 4-3 HCN. The emission is emerging from buried, compact (r 5 x 10(13) L-circle dot kpc(-2). These nuclei are likely powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and/or hot (>200 K) extreme starbursts. Vibrational, nu(2) = 1, lines of HCN are excited by intense 14 mu m mid-infrared emission and are excellent probes of the dynamics, masses, and physical conditions of (U)LIRG nuclei when H-2 column densities exceed 10(24) cm(-2). It is clear that these lines open up a new interesting avenue to gain access to the most obscured AGNs and starbursts. Vibrationally excited HCN acts as a proxy for the absorbed mid-infrared emission from the embedded nuclei, which allows for reconstruction of the intrinsic, hotter dust SED. In contrast, we show strong evidence that the ground vibrational state (. = 0), J = 3-2 and 4-3 rotational lines of HCN and HCO+ fail to probe the highly enshrouded, compact nuclear regions owing to strong self-and continuum absorption. The HCN and HCO+ line profiles are double-peaked because of the absorption and show evidence of non-circular motions-possibly in the form of in-or outflows. Detections of vibrationally excited HCN in external galaxies are so far limited to ULIRGs and early-type spiral LIRGs, and we discuss possible causes for this. We tentatively suggest that the peak of vibrationally excited HCN emission is connected to a rapid stage of nuclear growth, before the phase of strong feedback.
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| 4. |
- 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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| 5. |
- 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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| 6. |
- Burillo, S. G., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA resolves the torus of NGC 1068: Continuum and molecular line emission
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 823:1, s. Art. no. L12-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of the CO(6-5) molecular line and the 432 mu m continuum emission from the 300 pc sized circumnuclear disk (CND) of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 with a spatial resolution of similar to 4 pc. These observations spatially resolve the CND and, for the first time, image the dust emission, the molecular gas distribution, and the kinematics from a 7-10 pc diameter disk that represents the submillimeter counterpart of the putative torus of NGC 1068. We fitted the nuclear spectral energy distribution of the torus using ALMA and near-and mid-infrared (NIR/MIR) data with CLUMPY torus models. The mass and radius of the best-fit solution for the torus are both consistent with the values derived from the ALMA data alone: M-gas(torus) = (1 +/- 0.3) x 10(5) M-circle dot and R-torus = 3.5 +/- 0.5 pc. The dynamics of the molecular gas in the torus show strong non-circular motions and enhanced turbulence superposed on a surprisingly slow rotation pattern of the disk. By contrast with the nearly edge-on orientation of the H2O megamaser disk, we found evidence suggesting that the molecular torus is less inclined (i = 34 degrees-66 degrees) at larger radii. The lopsided morphology and complex kinematics of the torus could be the signature of the Papaloizou-Pringle instability, long predicted to likely drive the dynamical evolution of active galactic nuclei tori.
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| 7. |
- Burillo, S. G., et al.
(författare)
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Molecular line emission in NGC 1068 imaged with ALMA : I. An AGN-driven outflow in the dense molecular gas
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 567, s. 125-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. We investigate the fueling and the feedback of star formation and nuclear activity in NGC 1068, a nearby (D = 14 Mpc) Seyfert 2 barred galaxy, by analyzing the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in the disk. We aim to understand if and how gas accretion can self-regulate.Methods. We have used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of a set of dense molecular gas (n(H2) ' 1056 cm3) tracers (CO(3-2), CO(6-5), HCN(4-3), HCO+(4-3), and CS(7-6)) and their underlying continuum emission in the central r ∼ 2 kpc of NGC 1068 with spatial resolutions ∼0:3000:500 (∼20-35 pc for the assumed distance of D = 14 Mpc). Results. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of ALMA give an unprecedented detailed view of the distribution and kinematics of the dense molecular gas (n(H2) ≈ 1056cm3) in NGC 1068. Molecular line and dust continuum emissions are detected from a r ∼ 200 pc off-centered circumnuclear disk (CND), from the 2.6 kpc-diameter bar region, and from the r ∼ 1:3 kpc starburst (SB) ring. Most of the emission in HCO+, HCN, and CS stems from the CND. Molecular line ratios show dramatic order-of-magnitude changes inside the CND that are correlated with the UV/X-ray illumination by the active galactic nucleus (AGN), betraying ongoing feedback. We used the dust continuum fluxes measured by ALMA together with NIR/MIR data to constrain the properties of the putative torus using CLUMPY models and found a torus radius of 20+6 10 pc. The Fourier decomposition of the gas velocity field indicates that rotation is perturbed by an inward radial flow in the SB ring and the bar region. However, the gas kinematics from r ∼ 50 pc out to r ∼ 400 pc reveal a massive (Mmol ∼ 2:7+0:9 1:2 × 107 M) outflow in all molecular tracers. The tight correlation between the ionized gas outflow, the radio jet, and the occurrence of outward motions in the disk suggests that the outflow is AGN driven. Conclusions. The molecular outflow is likely launched when the ionization cone of the narrow line region sweeps the nuclear disk. The outflow rate estimated in the CND, dM=dt ∼ 63+21 37 M yr1, is an order of magnitude higher than the star formation rate at these radii, confirming that the outflow is AGN driven. The power of the AGN is able to account for the estimated momentum and kinetic luminosity of the outflow. The CND mass load rate of the CND outflow implies a very short gas depletion timescale of ≤1 Myr. The CND gas reservoir is likely replenished on longer timescales by efficient gas inflow from the outer disk. © ESO 2014.
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| 8. |
- 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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| 9. |
- Lindberg, Johan, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for a chemically differentiated outflow in Mrk 231
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Our goal is to study the chemical composition of the outflows of active galactic nuclei and starburst galaxies. Methods. We obtained high-resolution interferometric observations of HCN and HCO+ J = 1 -> 0 and J = 2 -> 1 of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk 231 with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. We also use previously published observations of HCN and HCO+ J = 1 -> 0 and J = 3 -> 2, and HNC J = 1 -> 0 in the same source. Results. In the line wings of the HCN, HCO+, and HNC emission, we find that these three molecular species exhibit features at distinct velocities which differ between the species. The features are not consistent with emission lines of other molecular species. Through radiative transfer modelling of the HCN and HCO+ outflow emission we find an average abundance ratio X(HCN) = X(HCO+) greater than or similar to 1000. Assuming a clumpy outflow, modelling of the HCN and HCO+ emission produces strongly inconsistent outflow masses. Conclusions. Both the anti-correlated outflow features of HCN and HCO+ and the different outflow masses calculated from the radiative transfer models of the HCN and HCO+ emission suggest that the outflow is chemically differentiated. The separation between HCN and HCO+ could be an indicator of shock fronts present in the outflow, since the HCN/HCO+ ratio is expected to be elevated in shocked regions. Our result shows that studies of the chemistry in large-scale galactic outflows can be used to better understand the physical properties of these outflows and their effects on the interstellar medium in the galaxy.
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| 10. |
- 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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