Ultramassive (about 10 to the 11th solar mass) dark core in the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Astrophysical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/185992· OSTI ID:5540771

Bland-hawthorn, J; Wilson, A S; Tully, R B ^[1]

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1. Rice University, Houston, TX (USA) Maryland, University, College Park (USA) Hawaii, University, Honolulu (USA)

The first complete kinematic maps for the superluminous IR galaxy NGC 6240 are reported. The data reveal two dynamical disks that exhibit radically different rotation and are closely spaced in velocity and position. One disk is roughly aligned with the major axis of the near-IR continuum and exhibits flat rotation out to about 20 arsec in radius, centered on the doubled nucleus seen at optical, near-IR, and radio wavelengths. The rotation turns over at r(t1) roughly 7.2 arcsec with a peak-to-peak velocity amplitude of roughly 280/sin i1 km/s, where i1 is the disk inclination. The rotation curve of the second disk comprises an unresolved or marginally resolved central velocity gradient with a peak-to-peak amplitude of roughly 800/sin i2 km/s within r(t2) of 2.5 arcsec, and a faster than Keplerian dropoff outside r(t2). The peak rotation implies a compact mass M2 greater than 4.5 {times} 10 to the 10th solar mass/sin-squared i2 within a radius of 1.2 kpc. 34 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5540771
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 371; Other Information: L19-L22; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALAXIES
INFRARED RADIATION
GALAXY NUCLEI
MASS
GRAVITATIONAL INTERACTIONS
LUMINOSITY
MORPHOLOGY
PHOTOMETRY
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
ROTATION
SPECTROSCOPY
VISIBLE RADIATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INTERACTIONS
MOTION
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies