A disc of shocked molecular hydrogen around the active nucleus of NGC 3079

J. Meaburn; B. R. Fernandez; A. J. Holloway; A. Pedlar; C. G. Mundell; T. R. Geballe

doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x

A disc of shocked molecular hydrogen around the active nucleus of NGC 3079

J. Meaburn, B. R. Fernandez, A. J. Holloway, A. Pedlar, C. G. Mundell, T. R. Geballe

Department of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

A high-resolution image of the nuclear regions of the active galaxy NGC 3079 has been obtained in the H₂ 1-0 S(1) emission line (rest λ = 2.1218 μm) with the IRCAM3 camera on the 3.8-m UKIRT telescope. An ≈ 35 pc diameter elongated core within a more diffuse, 300 pc long, region of most likely shock-excited H₂ is shown to surround the active nucleus and be embedded within what could be an extended region of enhanced star formation. A disc of molecular gas could be present that shapes the emission of relativistic gas away from the plane of the galaxy. This nuclear H₂ 1-0 S(1) emitting gas (of total mass ≈ 10³ M_⊙) is within a central dip in the distribution of cool, CO emitting, molecular gas (of total mass ≈ 10¹⁰ M_⊙) which extends much further from the nucleus. The distributions of both the hot and the cool molecular gases are likely to be clumpy.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	L45-L49
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	295
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x
Publication status	Published - 1 Apr 1998

Keywords

Galaxies: active
Galaxies: individual: NGC 3079
Galaxies: nuclei
Infrared: galaxies
ISM: molecules

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

Access to Document

10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x

Cite this

@article{531ec3120dba40d5b4922722d64b6c50,

title = "A disc of shocked molecular hydrogen around the active nucleus of NGC 3079",

abstract = "A high-resolution image of the nuclear regions of the active galaxy NGC 3079 has been obtained in the H2 1-0 S(1) emission line (rest λ = 2.1218 μm) with the IRCAM3 camera on the 3.8-m UKIRT telescope. An ≈ 35 pc diameter elongated core within a more diffuse, 300 pc long, region of most likely shock-excited H2 is shown to surround the active nucleus and be embedded within what could be an extended region of enhanced star formation. A disc of molecular gas could be present that shapes the emission of relativistic gas away from the plane of the galaxy. This nuclear H2 1-0 S(1) emitting gas (of total mass ≈ 103 M⊙) is within a central dip in the distribution of cool, CO emitting, molecular gas (of total mass ≈ 1010 M⊙) which extends much further from the nucleus. The distributions of both the hot and the cool molecular gases are likely to be clumpy.",

keywords = "Galaxies: active, Galaxies: individual: NGC 3079, Galaxies: nuclei, Infrared: galaxies, ISM: molecules",

author = "J. Meaburn and Fernandez, {B. R.} and Holloway, {A. J.} and A. Pedlar and Mundell, {C. G.} and Geballe, {T. R.}",

year = "1998",

month = apr,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x",

language = "English",

volume = "295",

pages = "L45--L49",

journal = "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",

issn = "0035-8711",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A disc of shocked molecular hydrogen around the active nucleus of NGC 3079

AU - Meaburn, J.

AU - Fernandez, B. R.

AU - Holloway, A. J.

AU - Pedlar, A.

AU - Mundell, C. G.

AU - Geballe, T. R.

PY - 1998/4/1

Y1 - 1998/4/1

N2 - A high-resolution image of the nuclear regions of the active galaxy NGC 3079 has been obtained in the H2 1-0 S(1) emission line (rest λ = 2.1218 μm) with the IRCAM3 camera on the 3.8-m UKIRT telescope. An ≈ 35 pc diameter elongated core within a more diffuse, 300 pc long, region of most likely shock-excited H2 is shown to surround the active nucleus and be embedded within what could be an extended region of enhanced star formation. A disc of molecular gas could be present that shapes the emission of relativistic gas away from the plane of the galaxy. This nuclear H2 1-0 S(1) emitting gas (of total mass ≈ 103 M⊙) is within a central dip in the distribution of cool, CO emitting, molecular gas (of total mass ≈ 1010 M⊙) which extends much further from the nucleus. The distributions of both the hot and the cool molecular gases are likely to be clumpy.

AB - A high-resolution image of the nuclear regions of the active galaxy NGC 3079 has been obtained in the H2 1-0 S(1) emission line (rest λ = 2.1218 μm) with the IRCAM3 camera on the 3.8-m UKIRT telescope. An ≈ 35 pc diameter elongated core within a more diffuse, 300 pc long, region of most likely shock-excited H2 is shown to surround the active nucleus and be embedded within what could be an extended region of enhanced star formation. A disc of molecular gas could be present that shapes the emission of relativistic gas away from the plane of the galaxy. This nuclear H2 1-0 S(1) emitting gas (of total mass ≈ 103 M⊙) is within a central dip in the distribution of cool, CO emitting, molecular gas (of total mass ≈ 1010 M⊙) which extends much further from the nucleus. The distributions of both the hot and the cool molecular gases are likely to be clumpy.

KW - Galaxies: active

KW - Galaxies: individual: NGC 3079

KW - Galaxies: nuclei

KW - Infrared: galaxies

KW - ISM: molecules

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0040897502&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x

DO - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01524.x

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0040897502

SN - 0035-8711

VL - 295

SP - L45-L49

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

IS - 2

ER -

A disc of shocked molecular hydrogen around the active nucleus of NGC 3079

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this