Unusual Galactic HII Regions at the Intersection of the Central Molecular Zone and the Far Dust Lane
Loren D. Anderson, Mattia C. Sormani, Adam Ginsburg, Simon C. O. Glover, Ian Heywood, Isabella Rammala, Frederic Schuller, Timea Csengeri, James S. Urquhart, Leonardo J. Bronfman
Sgr E is a massive star formation complex found toward the Galactic center that consists of numerous discrete, compact HII regions. It is located at the intersection between the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) and the far dust lane of the Galactic bar, similar to "hot spots" seen in external galaxies. Compared with other Galactic star formation complexes, the Sgr E complex is unusual because its HII regions all have similar radio luminosities and angular extents, and they are deficient in ~10micron emission from their photodissociation regions (PDRs). Our Green Bank Telescope (GBT) radio recombination line observations increase the known membership of Sgr E to 19 HII regions. There are 43 additional HII region candidates in the direction of Sgr E, 26 of which are detected for the first time here using MeerKAT 1.28GHz data. Therefore, the true HII region population of Sgr E may number >60. Using APEX SEDIGISM 13CO 2-1 data we discover a 3.0x10^5 Solar mass molecular cloud associated with Sgr E, but find few molecular or far-infrared concentrations at the locations of the Sgr E HII regions. Comparison with simulations and an analysis of its radio continuum properties indicate that Sgr E formed upstream in the far dust lane of the Galactic bar a few Myr ago and will overshoot the CMZ, crashing into the near dust lane. We propose that the unusual infrared properties of the Sgr E HII regions are caused by their orbit about the Galactic center, which have possibly stripped their PDRs.
We observe the density wave angular pattern speed OMEGA-p to be near 12 to 17 km / s / kpc, by the separation between a typical optical HII region (from the spiral arm dust lane) and using a HII evolution time model to yield its relative speed, and independently by the separation between a typical radio maser (from the spiral arm dust lane) with a maser model.
Context. The HII region/PDR/molecular cloud complex S106 is excited by a single O-star. The full extent of the warm and dense gas close to the star has not been mapped in spectrally resolved high-J CO or [CII] lines, so the kinematics of the warm, partially ionized gas, are unknown. Whether the prominent dark lane bisecting the hourglass-shaped nebula is due solely to the shadow cast by a small disk around the exciting star or also to extinction in high column foreground gas was an open question until now. Aims. To disentangle the morphology and kinematics of warm neutral and ionized gas close…
Dust lanes bisect the plane of a typical edge-on spiral galaxy as a dark optical absorption feature. Their appearance is linked to the gravitational stability of spiral disks; the fraction of edge-on galaxies that displays a dust lane is a direct indicator of the typical vertical balance between gravity and turbulence; a balance struck between the energy input from star-formation and the gravitational pull into the plane of the disk. Based on morphological classifications by the Galaxy~Zoo project on the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) imaging data in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) fields, we e…
In this paper we analyse the methodology to derive the bar pattern speed from dynamical simulations. The results are robust to the changes in the vertical-scale height and in the mass-to-light (M/L) ratios. There is a small range of parameters for which the kinematics can be fitted. We have also taken into account the use of different type of dynamical modelling and the effect of using 2-D vs 1-D models in deriving the pattern speeds. We conclude that the derivation of the bar streaming motions and strength and position of shocks is not greatly affected by the fluid dynamical model used. We sh…
We present 7mm Very Large Array continuum images of the starburst galaxy M82. On arcsecond scales, two-thirds of the 7mm continuum consists of free-free emission from HII regions. In the subarcsecond resolution map, we identify 14 compact sources, including 9 bright HII regions with N_Lyc > 10^51 sec^-1. Four of the HII regions have rising spectra, implying emission measures > 10^8 cm^-6 pc. Except for one compact source with peculiar features, all other compact radio sources are found in dust lanes and do not have optical or near-infrared continuum counterparts. Four regions of extended, high…
Here we present the first results from the Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey (S7) which aims to investigate the physics of ~140 radio-detected southern active Galaxies with z<0.02 through Integral Field Spectroscopy using the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS). This instrument provides data cubes of the central 38 x 25 arc sec. of the target galaxies in the waveband 340-710nm with the unusually high resolution of R=7000 in the red (530-710nm), and R=3000 in the blue (340-560nm). These data provide the morphology, kinematics and the excitation structure of the extended n…
In this paper we present the results of observations of seventeen HII regions in thirteen galaxies from the SIGRID sample of isolated gas rich irregular dwarf galaxies. The spectra of all but one of the galaxies exhibit the auroral [OIII] 4363A line, from which we calculate the electron temperature, Te, and gas-phase oxygen abundance. Five of the objects are blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies, of which four have not previously been analysed spectroscopically. We include one unusual galaxy which exhibits no evidence of the [NII] λλ 6548,6584A lines, suggesting a particularly low metallicity (< Z…
Galaxies continuously reprocess their interstellar material. One can therefore expect changing dust grain properties in galaxies which have followed different evolutionary pathways. Determining the intrinsic dust grain mix of a galaxy helps in reconstructing its evolutionary history. Early-type galaxies occasionally display regular dust lanes in their central regions. Due to the relatively simple geometry and composition of their stellar bodies, these galaxies are ideal to disentangle dust mix variations from geometric effects. We therefore model the various components of such a galaxy (FCC 16…
Here we report on new, multi-wavelength radio observations of the unusual point source "N3" that appears to be located in the vicinity of the Galactic Center. VLA observations between 2 and 50 GHz reveal that N3 is a compact and bright source (56 mJy at 10 GHz) with a non-thermal spectrum superimposed upon the non-thermal radio filaments (NTFs) of the Radio Arc. Our highest frequency observations place a strict upper limit of 65 x 28 mas on the size of N3. We compare our observations to those of Yusef-Zadeh & Morris (1987) and Lang et al. (1997) and conclude that N3 is variable over long time …
Interstellar graphene could be present in the interstellar medium (ISM), resulting from the photochemical processing of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules and/or collisional fragmentation of graphitic particles. Indeed, by comparing the observed ultraviolet (UV) extinction and infrared (IR) emission of the diffuse ISM with that predicted for graphene, as much as $\sim$ 2% of the total interstellar carbon could have been locked up in graphene without violating the observational constraints. While the possible detection of planar C$_{24}$, a small piece of a graphene sheet, has been…
NGC 3311 is the central galaxy of the Hydra I galaxy cluster. It has a hot interstellar medium and hosts a central dust lane with emission lines. These dust lanes are frequent in elliptical galaxies, but the case of NGC 3311 might be particularly interesting for problems of dust lifetime and the role of cool gas in the central parts. We aim to use archival HST images and MUSE data to investigate the central dust structure of NGC 3311. We used the tool PyParadise to model the stellar population and extract the emission lines. The HST/ACS colour map reveals the known dust structures, but also bl…
We report SOFIA-upGREAT spectroscopic imaging of the [C II] 158um spectral line, as well as a number of [O I] 63um spectra, across a 67x45 pc field toward the Sgr B region in our Galactic center. The fully-sampled and velocity-resolved [C II] images have 0.55 pc spatial and 1 km/s velocity resolutions. We find that Sgr B extends as a coherent structure spanning some 34 pc along the Galactic plane. Bright [C II] emission encompasses Sgr B1 (G0.5-0.0), the G0.6-0.0 HII region, and passes behind and beyond the luminous star forming cores toward Sgr B2 (G0.7-0.0). Sgr B is a major contributor to t…
We report on our combined analysis of HST, VLT/MUSE, VLT/SINFONI, and ALMA observations of the local Seyfert 2 galaxy, NGC 5728 to investigate in detail the feeding and feedback of the AGN. The datasets simultaneously probe the morphology, excitation, and kinematics of the stars, ionized gas, and molecular gas over a large range of spatial scales (10 pc--10 kpc). NGC 5728 contains a large stellar bar which is driving gas along prominent dust lanes to the inner 1 kpc where the gas settles into a circumnuclear ring. The ring is strongly star forming and contains a substantial population of young…
We examined the latest data release from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey covering $345^\circ < l < 60^\circ$, $180^\circ < l < 240^\circ$, using these data and that of the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer to follow up proposed candidate Supernova Remnants from other sources. Of the 101 candidates proposed in the region, we are able to definitively confirm ten as SNRs, tentatively confirm two as SNRs, and reclassify five as Hii regions. A further two are detectable in our images but difficult to classify; the remaining 82 are undetectable in the…
JWST View of the Supernebula in NGC 5253. I. Overview and Continuum Features
UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy（加州大学洛杉矶分校物理与天文学系）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University（特拉维夫大学物理与天文学院）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（美国国家射电天文台）；Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia（弗吉尼亚大学天文学系）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Chalmers Institute of Technology（查尔姆斯理工大学物理与天文学系）；Academia Sinica Astronomy and Astrophysics（中央研究院天文及天文物理学研究所）；New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology（新墨西哥矿业与技术学院）
本文利用 JWST 的 MIRI-MRS 研究 NGC 5253 超星云，发现其 HII 区连续谱特征与银河系类似，PAH 特征弱，且超星云核虽消光高但仍有 25%光子逃离。
We report the discovery of the first 14NH3 (2,2) maser, seen in the Sgr B2 Main star forming region near the center of the Milky Way, using data from the Very Large Array radio telescope. The maser is seen in both lower resolution (3" or ~0.1 pc) data from 2012 and higher resolution (0''.1 or ~1000 AU) data from 2018. In the higher resolution data ammonia (2,2) maser emission is detected toward 5 independent spots. The maser spots are not spatially or kinematically coincident with any other masers in this region, or with the peaks of the radio continuum emission from the numerous ultracompact …
We report on the discovery of linear filaments observed in CO(1-0) emission for a $\sim2'$ field of view toward the Sgr E star forming region centered at (l,b)=(358.720$^\circ$, 0.011$^\circ$). The Sgr E region is thought to be at the turbulent intersection of the ''far dust lane'' associated with the Galactic bar and the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). This region is subject to strong accelerations which are generally thought to inhibit star formation, yet Sgr E contains a large number of HII regions. We present $^{12}$CO(1-0), $^{13}$CO(1-0), and C$^{18}$O(1-0) spectral line observations from …
Two selected regions in the molecular gas spiral arms in M51 were mapped with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) mm-interferometer in the 12CO(2-1), 13CO(1-0), C18O(1-0), HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) emission lines. The CO data have been combined with the 12CO(1-0) data from Aalto et al. (1999) covering the central 3.5kpc to study the physical properties of the molecular gas. All CO data cubes were short spacing corrected using IRAM 30m (12CO(1-0): NRO 45m) single dish data. A large velocity gradient (LVG) analysis finds that the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are similar to Galactic GMCs when…
Recent observations have revealed interstellar features that apparently connect energetic activity in the central region of our Galaxy to its halo. The nature of these features, however, remains largely uncertain. We present a Chandra mapping of the central 2x4 square degree field of the Galaxy, revealing a complex of X-ray-emitting threads plus plume-like structures emerging from the Galactic center (GC). This mapping shows that the northern plume or fountain is offset from a well-known radio lobe (or the GCL), which however may represent a foreground HII region, and that the southern plume i…
