We report the existence of spiral arms in the recently formed gaseous and dusty disk of the closest giant elliptical, NGC 5128 (Centaurus A), using high resolution 12CO(2-1) observations of the central 3 arcmin (3 kpc) obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). This provides evidence that spiral-like features can develop within ellipticals if enough cold gas exists. We elucidate the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in this region with a resolution of 4.4 x 1.9 (80 pc x 40 pc). The spiral arms extend from the circumnuclear gas at a radius of 200 pc to at least 1 kiloparsec. The general properties of the arms are similar to those in spiral galaxies: they are trailing, the width is \sim 500 \pm 200 pc, and the pitch angle is 20 degrees. From independent estimates of the time when the HI-rich galaxy merger occurred, we infer that the formation of spiral arms happened on a time scale of less than \sim10^8 yr. The formation of spiral arms increases the gas density and thus the star formation efficiency in the early stages of the formation of a disk.
The molecular circumnuclear disk (CND) in Centaurus A: A multi-transition CO and [CI] survey with Herschel, APEX, JCMT, and SEST
我们介绍了赫歇尔空间天文台以及SEST、JCMT和APEX对NGC 128(Centaurus~A)中心致密环核盘的新CO和C^o线测量结果。Cen A中心的CO阶梯与星暴星系或活动星系核的CO阶梯有很大的不同。此外,Cen A [CI]中心发射线的相对强度也比其它星系的强得多。在同一视线范围内,致密的环核盘(CND)的CO表面亮度明显高于伸展得多的薄盘(ETD)。我们的LVG和PDR/XDR模型表明,如果通过紫外光子加热,则大部分CND气体相对较冷(25 - 80 K)且密度不高(~ 300 cm^{-3}),尽管在CND和ETD中都存在一些密度高得多的气体,其密度约为30 000 cm^{-3}。最后,在CND中也有高激发、高密度相(但在ETD中没有),要么是极端PDR的形式,但更可能是XDR的形式。Cen A CND的总气体质量为8.4 x 10^{7} M(太阳),不确定系数为2。CO-H2转换系数为4 x 10^{20} K km/s,也在2倍以内。
Disentangling the Circumnuclear Environs of Centaurus A: III. An Inner Molecular Ring, Nuclear Shocks and the CO to warm H2 interface
利用ALMA观测数据,给出了半人马座A环核盘(CND,400 pc x 200 pc)中分子气体的分布和运动学,分辨率约为5 pc(0.3 arcsec),并阐明了活动星系核(AGN)的形成机制。CND内存在数十到一百秒差距尺度的多个细丝或流光,它们形成了一个环状结构,其未投影直径为9 x 6弧秒(162 pc x 108 pc),位置角PA = 155度。在核环内部,活动星系核两侧有两个长约30- 60秒差距的直的先导结构,在PA = 120度,旋转对称性为180度,位置-速度图较陡,这被解释为非圆运动引起的核激波。与附近的活动星系核不同的是,沿着丝状体,有几个致密的分子团呈现出低的HCN/HCO+(4-3)比值(~0.5)。在距活动星系核r = 20 pc的探测跃迁处,暗丝突然终止,但以前的近红外H2(J=1-0)S(1)图显示,它们在偶数K(~1000 K)处继续,以核螺旋的形式缠绕,并在r = 10 pc内与另一组沿N-S方向的对称暗丝形成内环结构。分子气体主要由非圆形运动控制,即在不同尺度上连续的激波前沿,在那里发生角动量的损失,这种机制可以有效地将强大的射电星系馈送到秒差距尺度。
MICONIC: The multiphase circumnuclear region of Centaurus A as seen with JWST/MIRI MRS observations. I. Spectral inventory and properties of the warm molecular disk
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris(索邦大学,法国国家科学研究中心,UMR 7095,巴黎天文台);SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research(荷兰空间研究所);Leiden Observatory, Leiden University(莱顿天文台,莱顿大学);Observatoire de Paris, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, LUX(巴黎天文台,PSL大学,索邦大学,LUX);Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA(天体生物学中心(CAB),西班牙国家研究委员会-国家航空航天技术研究所);Department of Physics and Astronomy, Universiteit Gent(根特大学物理与天文学系);Telespazio UK for the European Space Agency (ESA)(欧洲航天局(ESA)旗下泰雷兹阿莱尼亚太空英国分公司);European Space Agency, c/o Space Telescope Science Institute(欧洲航天局,代管于太空望远镜科学研究所)
Variation in GMC Association Properties Across Bars, Spiral Arms, Inter-Arms, and Circumnuclear Region of M100 (NGC 4321) Extracted from ALMA Observations
JWST reveals how black holes are fed: kiloparsec-scale multiphase filaments feed sub-kiloparsec circumnuclear disks
Université de Montréal(蒙特利尔大学);University of Michigan(密歇根大学);Princeton University(普林斯顿大学);Michigan State University(密歇根州立大学);Institut Trottier de recherche sur les exoplanètes(特鲁瓦耶系外行星研究所);Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México(墨西哥国立自治大学);University of Portsmouth(朴茨茅斯大学)
A Unified Origin of Faraday Rotation toward 3C 84: The Circumnuclear Ambient Medium within the Parsec-Scale Bondi Radius of the Host Galaxy NGC 1275
Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica(中央研究院天文及天文物理研究所);Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University(首尔大学物理天文学系);School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University(庆熙大学宇宙研究学院);G-LAMP NEXUS Institute, Kyung Hee University(庆熙大学 G-LAMP NEXUS 研究所);SNU Astronomy Research Center, Seoul National University(首尔大学天体物理研究中心);Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute(韩国天文学与空间科学研究所);National Astronomical Observatory of Japan(日本国立天文台);Department of Astronomical Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI(日本综合研究大学院大学天文学研究科)
Spatially resolved molecular gas conditions in the circumnuclear disc of 3C 84
Leiden University(莱顿大学);ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy(荷兰射电天文研究所);Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen(格罗宁根大学卡普坦天文研究所);Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) ‘Matter’/Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, University of Bonn(波恩大学跨学科研究领域‘物质’/阿尔根德天文学研究所);Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London(伦敦大学学院物理与天文系)
Precise determination of circumstellar disk lifetimes: Disk evolution in a single star-forming region
University of Vienna(维也纳大学);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台);Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian(哈佛-史密森天体物理中心);Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences(捷克科学院天文研究所);Universität zu Köln(科隆大学)