scholarly journals ALMA detection of millimetre 183 GHz H2O maser emission in the Superantennae galaxy at z ∼ 0.06

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (1) ◽  
pp. L79-L84
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Imanishi ◽  
Yoshiaki Hagiwara ◽  
Shinji Horiuchi ◽  
Takuma Izumi ◽  
Kouichiro Nakanishi

ABSTRACT We present the results of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) band-5 (∼170 GHz) observations of the merging ultraluminous infrared galaxy, the ‘Superantennae’ (IRAS 19254−7245), at z = 0.0617, which has been diagnosed as containing a luminous obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN). In addition to dense molecular line emission (HCNJ = 2–1, HCO+J = 2–1, and HNC J = 2–1), we detect a highly luminous (∼6 × 10$^{4}\, \mathrm{L}_{\odot }$) 183 GHz H2O 31,3–22,0 emission line. We interpret the strong H2O emission as largely originating in maser amplification in AGN-illuminated dense and warm molecular gas, based on (1) the spatially compact (≲220 pc) nature of the H2O emission, unlike spatially resolved (≳500 pc) dense molecular emission, and (2) a strikingly different velocity profile from, and (3) significantly elevated flux ratio relative to, dense molecular emission lines. H2O maser emission, other than the widely studied 22 GHz 61,6–52,3 line, has been expected to provide important information on the physical properties of gas in the vicinity of a central mass-accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH), because of different excitation energy. We here demonstrate that with highly sensitive ALMA, millimetre 183 GHz H2O maser detection is feasible out to >270 Mpc, opening a new window to scrutinize molecular gas properties around a mass-accreting SMBH far beyond the immediately local Universe.

2019 ◽  
Vol 493 (2) ◽  
pp. 2872-2909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Chevance ◽  
J M Diederik Kruijssen ◽  
Alexander P S Hygate ◽  
Andreas Schruba ◽  
Steven N Longmore ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT It remains a major challenge to derive a theory of cloud-scale ($\lesssim100$ pc) star formation and feedback, describing how galaxies convert gas into stars as a function of the galactic environment. Progress has been hampered by a lack of robust empirical constraints on the giant molecular cloud (GMC) lifecycle. We address this problem by systematically applying a new statistical method for measuring the evolutionary timeline of the GMC lifecycle, star formation, and feedback to a sample of nine nearby disc galaxies, observed as part of the PHANGS-ALMA survey. We measure the spatially resolved (∼100 pc) CO-to-H α flux ratio and find a universal de-correlation between molecular gas and young stars on GMC scales, allowing us to quantify the underlying evolutionary timeline. GMC lifetimes are short, typically $10\!-\!30\,{\rm Myr}$, and exhibit environmental variation, between and within galaxies. At kpc-scale molecular gas surface densities $\Sigma _{\rm H_2}\ge 8\,\rm {M_\odot}\,{{\rm pc}}^{-2}$, the GMC lifetime correlates with time-scales for galactic dynamical processes, whereas at $\Sigma _{\rm H_2}\le 8\,\rm {M_\odot}\,{{\rm pc}}^{-2}$ GMCs decouple from galactic dynamics and live for an internal dynamical time-scale. After a long inert phase without massive star formation traced by H α (75–90 per cent of the cloud lifetime), GMCs disperse within just $1\!-\!5\,{\rm Myr}$ once massive stars emerge. The dispersal is most likely due to early stellar feedback, causing GMCs to achieve integrated star formation efficiencies of 4–10 per cent. These results show that galactic star formation is governed by cloud-scale, environmentally dependent, dynamical processes driving rapid evolutionary cycling. GMCs and H ii regions are the fundamental units undergoing these lifecycles, with mean separations of $100\!-\!300\,{{\rm pc}}$ in star-forming discs. Future work should characterize the multiscale physics and mass flows driving these lifecycles.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S245) ◽  
pp. 169-172
Author(s):  
E. Schinnerer ◽  
T. Böker ◽  
E. Emsellem ◽  
U. Lisenfeld ◽  
D. Downes

AbstractWe present highest angular resolution (~ 1″ and 0.35″) mm-interferometric observations of the HCN(1-0), 12CO(1-0) and 12CO(2-1) line emission in the central 300 pc of the late-type spiral galaxy NGC 6946. The data, obtained with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) shows for the first time a molecular gas spiral in the inner ~ 10″ (270 pc) with a large concentration of molecular gas ($M_{H_2} \sim\,1.6\times10^7\,M_{\odot}$) within the inner 60 pc, The gas distribution in the central 50 pc has been resolved and is consistent with a gas ring or spiral driven by a bar. Both the distribution of the molecular gas as well as its kinematics can be well explained by the influence of an inner stellar bar of about 400 pc length as tested via a qualitative model for the gas flow. NGC 6946 is a prime example of molecular gas kinematics being driven by a small-scale, secondary stellar bar.For the first time, it is possible to directly compare the location of (dense) giant molecular clouds with that of (optically) visible HII regions in space-based images. We use the 3 mm continuum and the HCN emission to estimate in the central 50 pc the star formation rates in young clusters that are still embedded in their parent clouds and hence are missed in optical and near-IR surveys of star formation. The amount of embedded star formation is about 1.6 times as high as that measured from HII regions alone, and appears roughly evenly split between ongoing dust-obscured star formation and very young giant molecular cloud cores that are just beginning to form stars. The build-up of central mass seems to have continued over the past ≥ 10 Myrs, to have occurred in an extended (albeit small) volume around the nucleus, and to be closely related to the presence of an inner bar.


2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A84 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pensabene ◽  
S. Carniani ◽  
M. Perna ◽  
G. Cresci ◽  
R. Decarli ◽  
...  

Context. The existence of tight correlations between supermassive black holes (BHs) and their host galaxies’ properties in the local Universe suggests a closely linked evolution. Investigating these relations up to the high redshifts (z ≳ 6) is crucial in order to understand the interplay between star formation and BH growth across the cosmic time and to set constraints on galaxy formation and evolution models. In this work, we focus on the relation between BH mass (MBH) and the dynamical mass (Mdyn) of the host galaxy. Aims. Previous works suggest an evolution of the MBH−Mdyn relation with redshift indicating that BH growth precedes the galaxy mass assembly during their co-evolution at z >  3. However, dynamical galaxy masses at high redshift are often estimated through the virial theorem, thus introducing significant uncertainties. Within the scope of this work, our aim is to study the MBH−Mdyn relation of a sample of 2 <  z <  7 quasars by constraining their galaxy masses through a full kinematical modelling of the cold gas kinematics, thus avoiding all possible biases and effects introduced by the rough estimates usually adopted so far. Methods. For this purpose, we retrieved public observations of 72 quasar host galaxies observed in [CII]158 μm or CO transitions with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). We then selected those quasars whose line emission is spatially resolved, and performed a kinematic analysis on ALMA observations. We estimated the dynamical mass of the systems by modelling the gas kinematics with a rotating disc, taking into account geometrical and instrumental effects. Our dynamical mass estimates, combined with MBH obtained from literature and our own new CIVλ1550 observations allowed us to investigate the MBH/Mdyn in the early Universe. Results. Overall, we obtained a sample of ten quasars at z ∼ 2−7, in which line emission is detected with high S/N (≳5−10) and the gas kinematics are spatially resolved and dominated by ordered rotation. The estimated dynamical masses place six out of ten quasars above the local relation yielding to MBH/Mdyn ratios ∼10× higher than those estimated in low-z galaxies. On the other hand, we found that four quasars at z ∼ 4−6 have dynamical-to-BH-mass ratios consistent with what is observed in early-type galaxies in the local Universe.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S336) ◽  
pp. 105-108
Author(s):  
Tiege P. McCarthy ◽  
Simon P. Ellingsen ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Shari L. Breen ◽  
Maxim A. Voronkov ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have detected maser emission from the 36.2 GHz (4−1 → 30E) methanol transition towards NGC 4945. This emission has been observed in two separate epochs and is approximately five orders of magnitude more luminous than typical emission from this transition within our Galaxy. NGC 4945 is only the fourth extragalactic source observed hosting class I methanol maser emission. Extragalactic class I methanol masers do not appear to be simply highly-luminous variants of their galactic counterparts and instead appear to trace large-scale regions where low-velocity shocks are present in molecular gas.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-511
Author(s):  
F. Huang ◽  
J. S. Zhang ◽  
R. M. Li ◽  
H. K. Li
Keyword(s):  

2017 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. A144 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Yang ◽  
A. Omont ◽  
A. Beelen ◽  
Y. Gao ◽  
P. van der Werf ◽  
...  

We present the IRAM-30 m observations of multiple-J CO (Jup mostly from 3 up to 8) and [C I](3P2 → 3P1) ([C I](2–1) hereafter) line emission in a sample of redshift ~2–4 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). These SMGs are selected among the brightest-lensed galaxies discovered in the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). Forty-seven CO lines and 7 [C I](2–1) lines have been detected in 15 lensed SMGs. A non-negligible effect of differential lensing is found for the CO emission lines, which could have caused significant underestimations of the linewidths, and hence of the dynamical masses. The CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs), peaking around Jup ~ 5–7, are found to be similar to those of the local starburst-dominated ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and of the previously studied SMGs. After correcting for lensing amplification, we derived the global properties of the bulk of molecular gas in the SMGs using non-LTE radiative transfer modelling, such as the molecular gas density nH2 ~ 102.5–104.1 cm-3 and the kinetic temperature Tk  ~ 20–750 K. The gas thermal pressure Pth ranging from~105 K cm-3 to 106 K cm-3 is found to be correlated with star formation efficiency. Further decomposing the CO SLEDs into two excitation components, we find a low-excitation component with nH2 ~ 102.8–104.6 cm-3 and Tk  ~ 20–30 K, which is less correlated with star formation, and a high-excitation one (nH2 ~ 102.7–104.2 cm-3, Tk  ~ 60–400 K) which is tightly related to the on-going star-forming activity. Additionally, tight linear correlations between the far-infrared and CO line luminosities have been confirmed for the Jup ≥ 5 CO lines of these SMGs, implying that these CO lines are good tracers of star formation. The [C I](2–1) lines follow the tight linear correlation between the luminosities of the [C I](2–1) and the CO(1–0) line found in local starbursts, indicating that [C I] lines could serve as good total molecular gas mass tracers for high-redshift SMGs as well. The total mass of the molecular gas reservoir, (1–30) × 1010M⊙, derived based on the CO(3–2) fluxes and αCO(1–0) = 0.8 M⊙ ( K km s-1 pc2)-1, suggests a typical molecular gas depletion time tdep ~ 20–100 Myr and a gas to dust mass ratio δGDR ~ 30–100 with ~20%–60% uncertainty for the SMGs. The ratio between CO line luminosity and the dust mass L′CO/Mdust appears to be slowly increasing with redshift for high-redshift SMGs, which need to be further confirmed by a more complete SMG sample at various redshifts. Finally, through comparing the linewidth of CO and H2O lines, we find that they agree well in almost all our SMGs, confirming that the emitting regions of the CO and H2O lines are co-spatially located.


2018 ◽  
Vol 875 ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Ricardo M. Souto ◽  
Dániel Filotás ◽  
Bibiana M. Fernández-Pérez ◽  
Lívia Nagy ◽  
Géza Nagy

The scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) offers a highly sensitive route to evaluate degradation reactions and protection methods with chemical selectivity by using ion-selective microelectrodes as tips, thus operating SECM potentiometrically. Spatially resolved imaging of electrochemical reactivity related to each component of the investigated material can thus be effectively monitored selectively both in situ and in real time. The applicability of this method has been illustrated using a practical example of a metal-coating system, consisting in the exposure of cut edges of coil-coated galvanized steel to aqueous saline environment. In this contribution, localized pH and zinc(II) ion distributions originated around cut edges of coil coated steel immersed in 1 mM NaCl solution are shown.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 160025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Yu Zhang ◽  
Padelis P. Papadopoulos ◽  
R. J. Ivison ◽  
Maud Galametz ◽  
M. W. L. Smith ◽  
...  

Images of dust continuum and carbon monoxide (CO) line emission are powerful tools for deducing structural characteristics of galaxies, such as disc sizes, H 2 gas velocity fields and enclosed H 2 and dynamical masses. We report on a fundamental constraint set by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on the observed structural and dynamical characteristics of galaxies, as deduced from dust continuum and CO-line imaging at high redshifts. As the CMB temperature rises in the distant Universe, the ensuing thermal equilibrium between the CMB and the cold dust and H 2 gas progressively erases all spatial and spectral contrasts between their brightness distributions and the CMB. For high-redshift galaxies, this strongly biases the recoverable H 2 gas and dust mass distributions, scale lengths, gas velocity fields and dynamical mass estimates. This limitation is unique to millimetre/submillimetre wavelengths and unlike its known effect on the global dust continuum and molecular line emission of galaxies, it cannot be addressed simply. We nevertheless identify a unique signature of CMB-affected continuum brightness distributions, namely an increasing rather than diminishing contrast between such brightness distributions and the CMB when the cold dust in distant galaxies is imaged at frequencies beyond the Raleigh–Jeans limit. For the molecular gas tracers, the same effect makes the atomic carbon lines maintain a larger contrast than the CO lines against the CMB.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S322) ◽  
pp. 133-136
Author(s):  
N. Butterfield ◽  
C.C. Lang ◽  
E. A. C. Mills ◽  
D. Ludovici ◽  
J. Ott ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present NH3 and H64α+H63α VLA observations of the Radio Arc region, including the M0.20 – 0.033 and G0.10 – 0.08 molecular clouds. These observations suggest the two velocity components of M0.20 – 0.033 are physically connected in the south. Additional ATCA observations suggest this connection is due to an expanding shell in the molecular gas, with the centroid located near the Quintuplet cluster. The G0.10 – 0.08 molecular cloud has little radio continuum, strong molecular emission, and abundant CH3OH masers, similar to a nearby molecular cloud with no star formation: M0.25+0.01. These features detected in G0.10 – 0.08 suggest dense molecular gas with no signs of current star formation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Rubio

The molecular gas content in the Magellanic Clouds has been studied, with different spatial coverage and resolution, through obervations of CO(1-0) line emission. In the LMC and the SMC the molecular gas is dominated by clouds whose properties are different from those of their Galactic counterparts. The relation between the intensity of CO emission and molecular hydrogen column density, or the conversion factor X, is different than that of molecular clouds in our Galaxy and depends on the ambient physical conditions. Studying the molecular gas through observations in the H2 emission line may prove an alternative way to determine the molecular content associated with star forming regions in the Magellanic Clouds. In particular, results obtained towards 30 Doradus in the LMC are presented.


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