The Galactic Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is a region containing massive and dense molecular clouds, with dynamics driven by a variety of energy sources including a massive black hole. It is thus the nearest template for understanding physical processes in extragalactic nuclei. The CMZ's neutral interstellar gas has been mapped spectrally in many neutral atomic and molecular gas tracers, but the ionized and CO-dark H2 regions are less well traced spectroscopically. We mapped the fine structure line of C+ at 158 microns, [C II], to identify and characterize features of the ionized gas in the CMZ, including UV irradiated neutral gas, photon dominated regions (PDRs), CO-dark H2 gas, and highly ionized gas. We observed the [C II] 158-micron fine structure line with high spectral resolution using Herschel HIFI with two perpendicular On-the-Fly strip scans, along l = -0.8 to +0.8 and b = -0.8 to +0.8, both centered on (l,b) = (0,0). We analyzed the spatial-velocity distribution of the [C II] data and compared them to those of [C I] and CO, and to dust continuum maps, in order to determine the properties and distribution of the UV irradiated gas and its dynamics within the CMZ. The longitude- and latitude-velocity maps of [C II] trace portions of the orbiting open gas streams of dense molecular clouds, the cloud G0.253+0.016, also known as the Brick, the Arched Filaments, and the ionized gas near Sgr A and Sgr B2. We use the [C II] and auxiliary data to determine the physical and dynamical properties of these CMZ features. The [C II] emission arises primarily from dense PDRs and highly ionized gas, and is an important tracer of the kinematics and physical conditions of this gas.
We here present the first spatially-resolved study of the IMF in external galaxies derived using a dynamical tracer of the mass-to-light ratio. We use the kinematics of relaxed molecular gas discs in seven early-type galaxies (ETGs) selected from the ATLAS3D survey to dynamically determine mass-to-light ratio (M/L) gradients. These M/L gradients are not very strong in the inner parts of these objects, and galaxies that do show variations are those with the highest specific star formation rates. Stellar population parameters derived from star formation histories are then used in order to estima…
The evolution of the molecular interstellar medium is controlled by processes such as turbulence, gravity, stellar feedback, and Galactic shear. AL a part of the ISM-6D https://gxli.github.io/ISM-6D/ project, using Gaia astrometric measurements towards a sample of young stellar objects (YSOs), we study morphology and kinematic structure of the associated molecular gas. We identify 150 YSO associations with distance $d \lesssim 3 \;\rm kpc$. The YSO associations are elongated, with a median aspect ratio of 1.97, and are oriented parallel to the disk midplane, with a median angle of 30$^{\circ}$…
NGC 1313 is a bulgeless nearby galaxy, classified as SB(s)d. Its proximity allows high spatial resolution observations. We performed the first detailed analysis of the emission-line properties in the nuclear region of NGC 1313, using an optical data cube obtained with the Gemini Multi-object Spectrograph. We detected four main emitting areas, three of them (regions 1, 2 and 3) having spectra typical of H II regions. Region 1 is located very close to the stellar nucleus and shows broad spectral features characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars. Our analysis revealed the presence of one or two WC4-5 s…
We investigate the dependence of gas kinematics and column densities in the MgII-absorbing circumgalactic medium on galaxy color, azimuthal angle, and inclination to trace baryon cycle processes. Our sample of 30 foreground isolated galaxies at $0.3<z_{\rm gal}<1.0$, imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope, are probed by background quasars within a projected distance of $20<D<110$ kpc. From the high-resolution ($Δv\simeq 6.6$ km s$^{-1}$) quasar spectra, we quantify the extent of the absorber velocity structure with pixel-velocity two-point correlation functions. Absorbers with the largest velo…
Context. The central molecular zone at the Galactic center is currently being studied intensively to understand how star formation proceeds under the extreme conditions of a galactic nucleus. Knowing the position of molecular clouds along the line of sight toward the Galactic center has had important implications in our understanding of the physics of the gas and star formation in the central molecular zone.It was recently claimed that the dense molecular cloud G0.253 + 0.016 (the Brick) has a distance of $\sim$7.20 kpc from the Sun. That would place it outside of the central molecular zone, a…
Using a simple relation between the radial expansion velocity of diffuse gas in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Galaxy and its distance from Sgr A$^\ast$ we estimate the physical depths within the CMZ of Star $ι$ (2MASS $J$17470898-2829561) and two Sgr B2 far-infrared continuum sources with respect to the location of Sgr A$^\ast$. To do this we use velocity profiles of mid-infrared absorption lines of H$_3^+$ and of far-infrared absorption lines of H$_2$O$^+$, OH$^+$, and $^{13}$CH$^+$. The distances to Star $ι$ and to the Sgr B2 sources are found to be $\sim$90 pc greater than the dis…
We report the detection of the Galactic nuclear disc in line-of-sight kinematics of stars, measured with infrared spectroscopy from APOGEE. This stellar component of the nuclear disc has an extent and rotation velocity V ~ 120kms comparable to the gas disc in the central molecular zone. The current data suggest that this disc is kinematically cool and has a small vertical extent of order 50pc. The stellar kinematics suggest a truncation radius/steep decline of the stellar disc at a galactocentric radius R ~ 150pc, and provide tentative evidence for an overdensity at the position of the ring fo…
The nuclear stellar disc (NSD) is, together with the nuclear star cluster (NSC) and the central massive black hole, one of the main components in the central parts of our Milky Way. However, until recently, only few studies of the stellar content of the NSD have been obtained due to extreme extinction and stellar crowding. With a dedicated KMOS (VLT, ESO) spectroscopic survey, we study the kinematics and global metallicities of the NSD based on the observations of K/M giant stars. We trace radial velocities and metallicities which were derived based on spectral indices (Na I and CO) along the …
GMOS-IFU observational data were used to study the detailed two dimensional gas kinematics and morphological structures within the ~500x421 pc^2 of the active Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4501. We provide empirical evidences of possible outflowing material from the central zones of NGC 4501 to the observer. In addition, we performed a spectral synthesis and diagnostic diagram analysis to determine respectively the dominant stellar population in the inner disc of this galaxy and to unveil the actual nature of the central engine of NGC 4501. The principal finding of this work is that the central regions…
The H3+ molecule has been detected in many lines of sight within the central molecular zone (CMZ) with exceptionally large column densities and unusual excitation properties compared to diffuse local clouds. The detection of the (3,3) metastable level has been suggested to be the signature of warm and diffuse gas in the CMZ. We use the Meudon PDR code to re-examine the relationship between the column density of H3+ and the cosmic-ray ionization rate, $ζ$, up to large values of $ζ$. We study the impact of the various mechanisms that can excite H3+ in its metastable state. We produce grids of PD…
Galaxy evolution is thought to be driven in large part by the flow of gas between galaxies and the circumgalactic medium (CGM), a halo of metal-enriched gas extending out to $\gtrsim100$ kpc from each galaxy. Studying the spatial structure of the CGM holds promise for understanding these gas flow mechanisms; however, the common method using background quasar sightlines provides minimal spatial information. Recent works have shown the utility of extended background sources such as giant gravitationally lensed arcs. Using background lensed arcs from the CSWA 38 lens system, we continuously probe…
The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) is the most extreme star-forming environment in the Milky Way in terms of gas pressures, densities, temperatures, and dynamics. It acts as a critical test bed for developing star formation theories applicable to the (high-redshift-like) conditions under which most stars in the Universe formed. We present a set of numerical simulations of molecular clouds orbiting on the 100-pc stream that dominates the molecular gas reservoir of the CMZ, with the goal of characterising their morphological and kinematic evolution in response to the external gravitational potenti…
We study the properties of kinematically disturbed galaxies in the SAMI Galaxy Survey using a quantitative criterion, based on kinemetry (Krajnovic et al.). The approach, similar to the application of kinemetry by Shapiro et al. uses ionised gas kinematics, probed by Hα emission. By this method 23+/-7% of our 360-galaxy sub-sample of the SAMI Galaxy Survey are kinematically asymmetric. Visual classifications agree with our kinemetric results for 90% of asymmetric and 95% of normal galaxies. We find stellar mass and kinematic asymmetry are inversely correlated and that kinematic asymmetry is bo…
We infer the absolute time dependence of kinematic gas temperature along a proposed orbit of molecular clouds in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Galactic Center (GC). Ammonia gas temperature maps are one of the results of the "Survey of Water and Ammonia in the Galactic Center" (SWAG, PI: J. Ott); the dynamical model of molecular clouds in the CMZ was taken from Kruijssen et al. (2015). We find that gas temperatures increase as a function of time in both regimes before and after the cloud passes pericenter on its orbit in the GC potential. This is consistent with the recent proposal th…
Understanding gas flows into and out of the most massive dark matter structures in our Universe, galaxy clusters, is fundamental to understanding their evolution. Gas in clusters is well studied in the hot ($>$ 10$^{6}$ K) and cold ($<$ 10$^{4}$ K) regimes, but the warm gas component (10$^{4}$ - 10$^{6}$ K) is poorly constrained. It is challenging to observe directly, but can be probed through Ly$α$ absorption studies. We produce the first systematic study of the warm gas content of galaxy clusters through synthetic Ly$α$ absorption studies using cosmological simulations of two galaxy clusters…
Stephan's Quintet (SQ), the prototypical compact group of galaxies in the local Universe, has been observed with the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE, attached to the CFHT, to perform a deep search for intergalactic star-forming emission. We present the extended ionised gaseous structures detected and analyse their kinematical properties. The large field of view (11'x11') and the spectral ranges of SITELLE have allowed a thorough study of the entire galaxy system, its interaction history and the main properties of the ionised gas. The observations have revealed complex 3D strands…
Using visible, radio, microwave, and sub-mm data, we study several lines of sight toward stars generally closer than 1 kpc on a component-by-component basis. We derive the component structure seen in absorption at visible wavelengths from Ca II, Ca I, K I, CH, CH$^{+}\!,$ and CN and compare it to emission from H I, CO and its isotopologues, and C$^{+}$ from the GOT C+ survey. The correspondence between components in emission and absorption help create a more unified picture of diffuse atomic and molecular gas in the interstellar medium. We also discuss how these tracers are related to the CO-d…
We present an integral field spectroscopic study with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) of the unusual blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy Mrk 996. We show through velocity and dispersion maps, emission-line intensity and ratio maps, and by a new technique of electron density limit imaging that the ionization properties of different regions in Mrk 996 are correlated with their kinematic properties. From the maps, we can spatially distinguish a very dense high-ionization zone with broad lines in the nuclear region, and a less dense low-ionization zone with narrow lines in the circumnuclea…
Using deep (11.2hr) VLT/MUSE data from the MEGAFLOW survey, we report the first detection of extended MgII emission from a galaxy's halo that is probed by a quasar sightline. The MgII $λλ$ 2796,2803 emission around the $z = 0.702$ galaxy ($\log(M_*/\mathrm{M_\odot}) = 10.05^{+0.15}_{-0.11}$) is detected out to $\approx$25 kpc from the central galaxy and covers $1.0\times10^3$ kpc$^2$ above a surface brightness of $14\times10^{-19} \mathrm{erg} \mathrm{s}^{-1} \mathrm{cm}^{-2}\,\mathrm{arcsec}^{-2}$ ($2 σ$; integrated over 1200 km s$^{-1}$ =19A and averaged over $1.5 \;\mathrm{arcsec}^2$). The …
We probe the high-ionization circumgalactic medium by examining absorber kinematics, absorber-galaxy kinematics, and average absorption profiles of 31 OVI absorbers from the "Multiphase Galaxy Halos" Survey as a function of halo mass, redshift, inclination, and azimuthal angle. The galaxies are isolated at $0.12<z_{\rm gal}<0.66$ and are probed by a background quasar within $D\approx 200$ kpc. Each absorber-galaxy pair has Hubble Space Telescope images and COS quasar spectra, and most galaxy redshifts have been accurately measured from Keck/ESI spectra. Using the pixel-velocity two-point corre…
We mapped the high-velocity compact cloud CO-0.40-0.22 in 21 molecular lines in the 3 mm band using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m radio telescope. Eighteen lines were detected from CO-0.40-0.22. The map of each detected line shows that this cloud has a compact appearance (d=~3 pc) and extremely broad velocity width (DV=~100 km/s). The mass and kinetic energy of CO-0.40-0.22 are estimated to be 10^{3.6} M_sun and 10^{49.7} erg, respectively. The representative position-velocity map along the major axis shows that CO-0.40-0.22 consists of an intense region with a shallow velocity gradient …
We present results from the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey (KBSS) including the first detailed measurements of the column densities, kinematics, and internal energy of metal-bearing gas within the virial radius (35-100 physical kpc) of eight ~$L^*$ galaxies at $z\sim2$. From our full sample of 130 metal-bearing absorbers, we infer that halo gas is kinematically complex when viewed in singly, doubly, and triply ionized species. Broad OVI and CIV absorbers are detected at similar velocities to the lower-ionization gas but with very different kinematic structure indicating that the circumgalactic…
Velocity profiles of a line of H$_3^+$ at 3.7 $μ$m produced in warm diffuse gas have been observed toward 18 stars in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Galaxy. Their longitude-velocity diagram indicates that the gas is radially expanding within the CMZ at speeds up to a maximum of $\sim$150 km s$^{-1}$. The current momentum and energy in the gas are $\sim 5 \times 10^8 M_\odot$ km s$^{-1}$ and $\sim 5\times 10^{53}$ erg. The motion is similar to that of the Expanding Molecular Ring (EMR) discovered in 1972 by Kaifu et al. and by Scoville. We propose that the expanding gas seen in H$_3^+$…
In the work presented here, the impact of magnetic field on the dynamical evolution of cometary globules Sim 129 and Sim 130 in Sh2-236 H\,II region and the ionized gas streaming out of their surfaces is investigated. The magnetic field morphology in the region associated with these globules is inferred using optical polarization measurements with the Sampurnanand Telescope at ARIES. The nebular emission is probed through radio continuum mapping at 1.4~GHz with the archival National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) very large array (VLA) Sky Survey (NVSS) data. The correlation of these measu…
Galaxy halos appear to be missing a large fraction of their baryons, most probably hiding in the circumgalactic medium (CGM), a diffuse component within the dark matter halo that extends far from the inner regions of the galaxies. A powerful tool to study the CGM gas is offered by absorption lines in the spectra of background quasars. Here, we present optical (MUSE) and mm (ALMA) observations of the field of the quasar Q1130-1449 which includes a log [N(H I)/cm^-2]=21.71+/-0.07 absorber at z=0.313. Ground-based VLT/MUSE 3D spectroscopy shows 11 galaxies at the redshift of the absorber down to …
This study delves into the intricate kinematic behavior of ionized gas within IZw18, a galaxy known for its remarkably low metallicity and proximity. Leveraging data from MEGARA/GTC, we meticulously analyzed the galaxy's structure and dynamics using Hα line profiles. Employing single and double Gaussian component fittings, we generated detailed maps of luminosity, velocity, and velocity dispersion across both the main body (MB) and Halo regions. By extracting integrated spectra from various galactic zones, we enhanced the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. In the MB, a clear rotational pattern emerg…
CII fine-structure line observations of the Sagittarius C Region in the Galaxy's Central Molecular Zone
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de La Serena（拉塞雷纳大学天文学系）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校物理与天文学系）；Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park（马里兰大学天文学系）；Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, Towson University（陶森大学物理、天文学和地球科学系）；I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln（科隆大学第一物理研究所）；Institut de Radioastronomie Millimètrique（毫米波射电天文研究所）
The Survey of Water and Ammonia in the Galactic Center (SWAG) covers the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way at frequencies between 21.2 and 25.4 GHz obtained at the Australia Telescope Compact Array at $\sim 0.9$ pc spatial and $\sim 2.0$ km s$^{-1}$ spectral resolution. In this paper, we present data on the inner $\sim 250$ pc ($1.4^\circ$) between Sgr C and Sgr B2. We focus on the hyperfine structure of the metastable ammonia inversion lines (J,K) = (1,1) - (6,6) to derive column density, kinematics, opacity and kinetic gas temperature. In the CMZ molecular clouds, we find typical…
In order to study the temperature distribution of the extended gas within the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula, we have mapped the emission by methyl cyanide (CH3CN) in its J=6_K-5_K, J=12_K-11_K, J=13_K-12_K, and J=14_K-13_K transitions at an average angular resolution of ~10 arcsec (22 arcsec for the 6_K-5_K lines), as part of a new 2D line survey of this region using the IRAM 30m telescope. These fully sampled maps show extended emission from warm gas to the northeast of IRc2 and the distinct kinematic signatures of the hot core and compact ridge source components. We have constructed population …
The molecular gas in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Galaxy has been studied using infrared absorption spectra of H$_3^+$ lines at 3.5-4.0 $μ$m and CO lines near 2.34 $μ$m. In addition to the previously reported spectra of these lines toward 8 stars located within 30 pc of Sgr A$^\ast$, there are now spectra toward $\sim$30 bright stars located from 140 pc west to 120 pc east of Sgr A$^\ast$. The spectra show the presence of warm ($T\sim 200$ K) and diffuse ($n < 100 $cm$^{-3}$) gas with $N$(H$_3^+$) $\sim 3 \times 10^{15} $cm$^{-2}$ on majority of sightlines. Instead of our previous a…
We report new VLA and e-MERLIN high resolution and sensitivity images of the Triple Radio continuum Source in the Serpens star forming region. These observations allowed us to perform a deep multi-frequency, multi-epoch study by exploring the innermost regions (<~100 au) of an intermediate-mass YSO for the first time, with a physical resolution of ~15 au. The kinematic analysis of knots recently ejected by the protostar indicates that the jet is undergoing episodic variations in velocity. In addition, our multi-frequency images reveal striking characteristics, e.g., a highly collimated ionized…
