Submillimeter rotational lines of H2O are a powerful probe in warm gas regions of the ISM, tracing scales and structures ranging from kpc disks to the most compact and dust-obscured regions of galactic nuclei. The ortho-H2O(423-330) line at 448 GHz, which was recently detected in a local luminous infrared galaxy (Pereira-Santaella et al. 2017), offers a unique constraint on the excitation conditions and ISM properties in deeply buried galaxy nuclei since the line requires high far-IR optical depths to be excited. In this letter, we report the first high-redshift detection of the 448 GHz H2O(423-330) line using ALMA, in a strongly lensed submillimeter galaxy (SMG) at z=3.63. After correcting for magnification, the luminosity of the 448 GHz H2O line is ~10^6 L_sun. In combination with three other previously detected H2O lines, we build a model that "resolves" the dusty ISM structure of the SMG, and find that it is composed of a ~1 kpc optically thin (optical depth at 100μm τ_{100}~0.3) disk component with dust temperature T_{dust} \approx 50 K emitting a total infrared power of 5e12 L_sun with surface density Σ_{IR}=4e11 L_sun kpc^{-2}, and a very compact (0.1 kpc) heavily dust-obscured (τ_{100} \gtrsim 1) nuclear core with very warm dust (100 K) and Σ_{IR}=8e12 L_sun kpc^{-2}. The H2O abundance in the core component, X_{H2O}~(0.3-5)e{-5}, is at least one order of magnitude higher than in the disk component. The optically thick core has the characteristic properties of an Eddington-limited starburst, providing evidence that radiation pressure on dust is capable of supporting the ISM in buried nuclei at high redshifts. The multi-component ISM structure revealed by our models illustrates that dust and molecules such as H2O are present in regions characterized by highly differing conditions and scales, extending from the nucleus to more extended regions of SMGs.
Propagation of fast-mode magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) compression waves is traced in the Galactic Centre. MHD waves produced by the active Galactic nucleus (Sgr A) focus on the molecular clouds such as Sgr B in the central molecular zone, which will trigger star formation, or possibly starburst. MHD waves newly excited by the starburst propagate backward, and focus on the nucleus (Sgr A), where implosive waves compress the nuclear gas to promote fueling the nucleus and may trigger nucleus activity. Echoing focusing of MHD waves between Sgr A (active galactic nucleus: AGN) and Sgr B (starburst) t…
We present the analysis of the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIB) in the starburst galaxy NGC 1097. We have combined spectral maps observed with the AKARI/IRC and Spitzer/IRS instruments, in order to study all of the most prominent UIBs, from 3 to 20 micron. Such a complete spectral coverage is crucial to remove the common degeneracies between the effects of the variations of the size distribution and of the charge state of the grains. By studying several UIB ratios, we show evidence that the average size of the UIB carriers is larger in the central region than in the circumnuclear ring. We int…
We report our optical spectroscopic study of the nucleus and its surrounding region of a nearby luminous infrared galaxy NGC 4418. This galaxy has been known to host a compact obscured nucleus, showing distinct characteristics such as a very compact ($\sim 20$ pc) sub-mm and mid-infrared core and dusty circumnuclear region with massive molecular gas concentration. We detected dusty superwind outflow at $\gtrsim 1$ kpc scale along the disk semiminor axis in both shock-heated emission lines and enhanced interstellar Na D absorption. This superwind shows basic characteristics similar to those of …
NGC 253 is a nearby starburst galaxy in the Sculptor group located at a distance of 3.5 Mpc that has been suggested by some authors as a potential site for cosmic-ray acceleration up to ultra-high energies. Its nuclear region is heavily obscured by gas and dust, which prevents establishing whether or not the galaxy harbours a supermassive black hole coexisting with the starburst. Some sources have been proposed in the literature as candidates for an active nucleus. In this work, we aim at determining the implications that the presence of a supermassive black hole at the nucleus of NGC 253 migh…
We performed deep spectropolarimetric observations of a prototypical starburst galaxy M82 with the Subaru Telescope in order to study the kinematics of the dust outflow. We obtained optical polarized emission-line spectra up to $\sim$4~kpc away from the nucleus of the galaxy along three position angles within the conical outflowing wind (superwind). The H$α$ emission line in the superwind is strongly polarized and the polarization pattern shows dust scattering of central light sources, being consistent with the previous works. The intensity weighted polarization degree of the H$α$ line reaches…
We present a kinematic study of the nuclear stellar disk in M31 at infrared wavelengths using high spatial resolution integral field spectroscopy. The spatial resolution achieved, FWHM = 0."12 (0.45 pc at the distance of M31), has only previously been equaled in spectroscopic studies by space-based long-slit observations. Using adaptive optics-corrected integral field spectroscopy from the OSIRIS instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory, we map the line-of-sight kinematics over the entire old stellar eccentric disk orbiting the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at a distance of r<4 pc. The peak v…
The structures and dynamics of molecular, atomic, and ionized gases are studied around a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a small ($2\times 10^6 M_\odot$) black hole using 3D radiation hydrodynamic simulations. We studied, for the first time, the non-equilibrium chemistry for the X-ray dominated region in the "radiation-driven fountain" (Wada 2012) with supernova feedback. A double hollow cone structure is naturally formed without postulating a thick "torus" around a central source. The cone is occupied with an inhomogeneous, diffuse ionized gas and surrounded by a geometrical…
We investigate the spiral galaxy NGC 5394, which is strongly interacting with the larger spiral NGC 5395 (the pair is Arp 84), using optical integral-field spectroscopy from the CALIFA survey. Spatially-resolved equivalent-widths, emission-line ratios and kinematics reveal many features related to the interaction, which has reshaped the galaxy. $\rm Hα$ maps (with other diagnostic emission lines) show a concentrated central ($r<1$ kpc) starburst and three less luminous star-forming regions (one knot far out in the northern arm), and we estimate the dust-corrected total star-formation rate as 3…
We present far-IR photometry and infrared spectrum of the z=3.9114 quasar/starburst composite system APM 08279+5255 obtained using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)/HAWC+ and the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). We decompose the IR-to-radio spectral energy distribution (SED), sampled in 51 bands, using (i) a model comprised of two-temperature modified blackbodies (MBB) and radio power-laws and (ii) a semi-analytic model, which also accounts for emission from a clumpy torus. The latter is more realistic but requires a well-sampled SED, as possible …
We report on the first sub-arcsecond (0.44 $\times$ 0.41 arcsec$\rm ^2$) angular resolution image at 150 MHz of the A-nucleus in the Luminous Infrared Galaxy Arp$\,$299, from International Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Telescope observations. The most remarkable finding is that of an intriguing two-sided, filamentary structure emanating from A-nucleus, which we interpret as an outflow that extends up to at least 14 arcseconds from the A-nucleus in the N-S direction ($\approx$ 5 kpc deprojected size) and accounts for almost 40% of the extended emission of the entire galaxy system. We also discuss…
We report the detection of the far-infrared (FIR) fine-structure line of singly ionised nitrogen, \Nplusa, within the peak epoch of galaxy assembly, from a strongly lensed galaxy, hereafter ``The Red Radio Ring''; the RRR, at z = 2.55. We combine new observations of the ground-state and mid-J transitions of CO (J$_{\rm up} =$ 1,5,8), and the FIR spectral energy distribution (SED), to explore the multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM) properties of the RRR. All line profiles suggest that the HII regions, traced by \Nplusa, and the (diffuse and dense) molecular gas, traced by the CO, are co-spati…
Dense molecular gas tracers in the central 1 kpc region of the superwind galaxy NGC 1808 have been imaged by ALMA at a resolution of 1" (~50 pc). Integrated intensities and line intensity ratios of HCN (1-0), H$^{13}$CN (1-0), HCO$^+$ (1-0), H$^{13}$CO$^+$ (1-0), HOC$^+$ (1-0), HCO$^+$ (4-3), CS (2-1), C$_2$H (1-0), and previously detected CO (1-0) and CO (3-2) are presented. SiO (2-1) and HNCO (4-3) are detected toward the circumnuclear disk (CND), indicating the presence of shocked dense gas. There is evidence that an enhanced intensity ratio of HCN(1-0)/HCO$^+$(1-0) reflects star formation …
We probe the star formation properties of the gas in AzTEC-1 in the COSMOS field, one of the best resolved and brightest starburst galaxies at $z \approx 4.3$, forming stars at a rate > 1000 $\mathrm{M_{\odot}}\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}$. Using recent ALMA observations, we study star formation in the galaxy nucleus and an off-center star-forming clump and measure a median star formation rate (SFR) surface density of $Σ^{\mathrm{nucleus}}_{\mathrm{SFR}} = 270\pm54$ and $Σ^{\mathrm{sfclump}}_{\mathrm{SFR}} = 170\pm38\,\mathrm{M_{\odot}}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}\,\mathrm{kpc}^{-2}$, respectively. Following the …
Galaxies which strongly deviate from the radio-far IR correlation are of great importance for studies of galaxy evolution as they may be tracing early, short-lived stages of starbursts and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The most extreme FIR-excess galaxy NGC1377 has long been interpreted as a young dusty starburst, but millimeter observations of CO lines revealed a powerful collimated molecular outflow which cannot be explained by star formation alone. We present new radio observations at 1.5 and 10 GHz obtained with the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and Chandra X-ray observations towards NGC…
We present the discovery of a small kinematically decoupled core of 0.2$^{\prime\prime}$ (60 pc) in radius as well as an outflow jet in the archetypical AGN-starburst "composite" galaxy NGC 7130 from integral field data obtained with the adaptive optics-assisted MUSE-NFM instrument on the VLT. Correcting the already good natural seeing at the time of our science verification observations with the four-laser GALACSI AO system, we reach an unprecedented spatial resolution at optical wavelengths of around 0.15$^{\prime\prime}$. We confirm the existence of star-forming knots arranged in a ring of …
High resolution (0.4 arcsec) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 0 observations of HCO+(4-3) and HCN(4-3) toward a mid-stage infrared bright merger VV114 have revealed compact nuclear (<200 pc) and extended (3 - 4 kpc) dense gas distribution across the eastern part of the galaxy pair. We find a significant enhancement of HCN(4-3) emission in an unresolved compact and broad (290km/s) component found in the eastern nucleus of VV114, and we suggest dense gas associated with the surrounding material around an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), with a mass upper limit of < 4 x 10^…
We present the results of HCN/HCO+/HNC J=4-3 transition line observations of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 1614, obtained with ALMA Cycle 0. We find that high density molecular gas, traced with these lines, shows a velocity structure such that the northern (southern) side of the nucleus is redshifted (blueshifted) with respect to the nuclear velocity of this galaxy. The redshifted and blueshifted emission peaks are offset by ~0.6" at the northern and southern sides of the nucleus, respectively. At these offset positions, observations at infrared >3 micron indicate the presence of active dust…
We present new ALMA Band 7 ($\sim340$ GHz) observations of the dense gas tracers HCN, HCO$^+$, and CS in the local, single-nucleus, ultraluminous infrared galaxy IRAS 13120-5453. We find centrally enhanced HCN (4-3) emission, relative to HCO$^+$ (4-3), but do not find evidence for radiative pumping of HCN. Considering the size of the starburst (0.5 kpc) and the estimated supernovae rate of $\sim1.2$ yr$^{-1}$, the high HCN/HCO$^+$ ratio can be explained by an enhanced HCN abundance as a result of mechanical heating by the supernovae, though the active galactic nucleus and winds may also contri…
NGC 1266 is a lenticular galaxy (S0) hosting an active galactic nucleus (AGN), and known to contain a large amount of shocked gas. We compare the luminosity ratio of mid-\emph{J} CO lines to IR continuum with star-forming galaxies (SFGs), and then model the CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED). We confirm that in the mid- and high-\emph{J} regions ($J_{\rm up}$ = 4--13), the C-type shock ($v_{\rm s}$ = 25 km s$^{-1}$, $n_{\rm H}$ = $5\times10^{4}$ cm$^{-3}$) can reproduce the CO observations well. The galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) is constructed and modeled by the code {\tt …
NGC253 is the nearest spiral galaxy with a nuclear starburst which becomes the best candidate to study the relationship between starburst and AGN activity. However, this central region is veiled by large amounts of dust, and it has been so far unclear which is the true dynamical nucleus. The near infrared spectroscopy could be advantageous in order to shed light on the true nucleus identity. Using Flamingos-2 at Gemini South we have taken deep K-band spectra along the major axis and through the brightest infrared source. We present evidence showing that the brightest near infrared and mid infr…
A candidate accreting massive black hole (BH) with M_BH ~ 10^6 Msun has recently been identified at the center of the dwarf starburst galaxy Henize 2-10 (He 2-10). This discovery offers the first possibility of studying a growing BH in a nearby galaxy resembling those in the earlier universe, and opens up a new class of host galaxies to search for the smallest supermassive BHs. Here we present very long baseline interferometry observations of He 2-10 taken with the Long Baseline Array (LBA) at 1.4 GHz with an angular resolution of ~0.1" x 0.03". A single compact radio source is detected at the…
We present follow-up X-ray observations of the candidate massive black hole (BH) in the nucleus of the low-mass, compact starburst galaxy Henize 2-10. Using new high-resolution observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory totaling 200 ks in duration, as well as archival Chandra observations from 2001, we demonstrate the presence of a previously unidentified X-ray point source that is spatially coincident with the known nuclear radio source in Henize 2-10 (i.e., the massive BH). We show that the hard X-ray emission previously identified in the 2001 observation is dominated by a source that i…
Post-starburst Galaxies with Active Galactic Nucleus: Properties and Evolutionary Sequences
Nanjing University（南京大学）；Westlake University（西湖大学）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）；The Chinese University of Hong Kong（香港中文大学）；University of St Andrews（圣安德鲁斯大学）；University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学）
The European VLBI Network (EVN) has been used at two epochs in 2003 and 2009 to obtain multi-frequency high-resolution images of the merger galaxy NGC6240 in order to study the radio properties of all compact high-brightness components in the galaxy. Our observations at milli-arcsecond resolution detected the northern and southern nuclei and two radio components, which we interpret as long-lived luminous supernovae associated with the circum-nuclear starburst activity at the southern nucleus. The new VLBI data support the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) together with starburst act…
We present near-infrared ($H$- and $K$-band) integral-field observations of the inner $\sim$700pc of the active spiral galaxy NGC613, obtained with SINFONI on the Very Large Telescope. We use emission-line ratios to determine the dominant excitation mechanisms in different regions within our field-of-view, in particular the active nucleus and the star-forming circum-nuclear ring. Diagnostic diagrams involving [FeII] and H$_2$ fluxes indicate that the gas is not only photoionized by the AGN in the nucleus of NGC613, but also shock-heated. On the other hand, the emission line ratios measured in …
The composite galaxy NGC 4102 hosts a LINER nucleus and a starburst. We mapped NGC 4102 in the 12.8 micron line of [NeII], using the echelon spectrometer TEXES on the NASA IRTF, to obtain a data cube with 1.5" spatial and 25 km/s spectral, resolution. Combining near-infrared, radio, and the [NeII] data shows that the extinction to the starburst is substantial, more than 2 magnitudes at K band, and that the neon abundance is less than half solar. We find that the star formation in the nuclear region is confined to a rotating ring or disk of 4.3" (~300 pc) diameter, inside the Inner Lindblad Res…
We present a first look at the local LIRG, IRAS04296+2923. This barred spiral, overlooked because of its location in the Galactic plane, is among the half dozen closest LIRGs. More IR-luminous than either M82 or the Antennae, it may be the best local example of a nuclear starburst caused by bar-mediated secular evolution. We present Palomar J and Pa beta images, VLA maps from 20-1.3cm, a Keck LWS image at 11.7mic and OVRO CO(1-0) and ^13CO(1-0), and 2.7 mm continuum images. The J-band image shows a symmetric barred spiral. Two bright, compact mid-IR/radio sources in the nucleus comprise a star…
The nuclear starburst within the central $\sim 15^{\prime\prime}$ ($\sim 250$ pc; $1^{\prime\prime} \simeq 17$ pc) of NGC253 has been extensively studied as a prototype for the starburst phase in galactic evolution. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) imaging within receiver Bands 6 and 7 have been used to investigate the dense gas structure, kinetic temperature, and heating processes which drive the NGC253 starburst. Twenty-nine transitions from fifteen molecular species/isotopologues have been identified and imaged at $1.^{\prime\prime}5$ to $0.^{\prime\prime}4$ resolution, a…
We present high-resolution (1".0) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO (1-0) and CO (2- 1) rotational transitions toward the nearby IR-luminous merger NGC 1614 supplemented with ALMA archival data of CO (3-2), and CO (6-5) transitions. The CO (6-5) emission arises from the starburst ring (central 590 pc in radius), while the lower-$J$ CO lines are distributed over the outer disk ($\sim$ 3.3 kpc in radius). Radiative transfer and photon dominated region (PDR) modeling reveal that the starburst ring has a single warmer gas component with more intense far-ultravi…
NGC 7582 is an SB(s)ab galaxy which displays evidences of simultaneous nuclear activity and star formation in its centre. Previous optical observations revealed, besides the H II regions, an ionization cone and a gas disc in its central part. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images in both optical and infrared bands show the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and a few compact structures that are possibly associated with young stellar clusters. In order to study in detail both the AGN and evidence for star formation, we analyse optical (Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph) and near-infrared (Spectrograph …
The nearby, luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) NGC 7469 hosts a Seyfert nucleus with a circumnuclear star-forming ring and is thus the ideal local laboratory for investigating the starburst--AGN connection in detail. We present integral-field observations of the central 1.3 kpc region in NGC 7469 obtained with the JWST Mid-InfraRed Instrument. Molecular and ionized gas distributions and kinematics at a resolution of {\sim}100 pc over the 4.9 - 7.6μm region are examined to study gas dynamics influenced by the central AGN. The low-ionization [Fe II] λ5.34μm and [Ar II] λ6.99μm lines are bright on t…
We conduct for the first time a theoretical investigation of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) produced by dust heated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an extreme starburst. These models employ an integrated modeling approach using photoionization and stellar population synthesis models in which both the line and emergent continuum is predicted from gas exposed to the ionizing radiation from a young starburst and an AGN. In this work, we focus on the infrared colors from the {\it Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer}, predicting the dependence of the colors on the input…
The nuclei of merging galaxies are often deeply buried in dense layers of gas and dust. In these regions, gas outflows driven by starburst and AGN activity are believed to play a crucial role in the evolution of these galaxies. However, to fully understand this process it is essential to resolve the morphology and kinematics of such outflows. Using near-IR integral-field spectroscopy obtained with VLT/SINFONI, we detect a kpc-scale structure of high-velocity molecular hydrogen (H2) gas associated with the deeply buried secondary nucleus of the IR-luminous merger NGC3256. We show that this stru…
The Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 possesses a prominent nuclear starburst ring and a luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). Evidence of an outflow in the innermost nuclear region has been found in previous works. We detect the ionized gas outflow on a larger scale in the galaxy using the archival VLT/MUSE and {\em Chandra} observations. The optical emission lines are modeled using two Gaussian components, and a non-parametric approach is applied to measure the kinematics of [O III] and $\rm Hα$ emitting gas. Line ratio diagnostics and spatially resolved maps are derived to examine the origin of t…
We present a survey of 3 mm molecular lines in IRAS 04296+2923, one of the brightest known molecular-line emitting galaxies, and one of the closest LIRGs. Data are from the Owens Valley and CARMA millimeter interferometers. Species detected at ~<4" resolution include C^18O, HCN, HCO+, HNC, CN, CH_3OH and, tentatively, HNCO. Along with existing CO, ^13CO and radio continuum data, these lines constrain the chemical properties of the inner disk. Dense molecular gas in the nucleus fuels a star formation rate ~>10 M_sun/yr and is traced by lines of HCN, HCO+, HNC, and CN. A correlation between HCN …
There is substantial evidence for a connection between star formation in the nuclear region of a galaxy and growth of the central supermassive black hole. Furthermore, starburst activity in the region around an active galactic nucleus (AGN) may provide the obscuration required by the unified model of AGN. Molecular line emission is one of the best observational avenues to detect and characterize dense, star-forming gas in galactic nuclei over a range of redshift. This paper presents predictions for the carbon monoxide (CO) line features from models of nuclear starburst disks around AGN. These …
