Ionized gas kinematics at high resolution. IV. Star formation and a rotating core in the Medusa (NGC 4194)
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978 (Israel)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States)
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 (United States)
- NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
NGC 4194 is a post-merger starburst known as The Medusa for its striking tidal features. We present here a detailed study of the structure and kinematics of ionized gas in the central 0.65 kpc of the Medusa. The data include radio continuum maps with resolution up to 0.''18 (35 pc) and a 12.8 μm [Ne II] data cube with spectral resolution ∼4 km s{sup –1}: the first high-resolution, extinction-free observations of this remarkable object. The ionized gas has the kinematic signature of a core in solid-body rotation. The starburst has formed a complex of bright compact H II regions, probably excited by deeply embedded super star clusters, but none of these sources is a convincing candidate for a Galactic nucleus. The nuclei of the merger partners that created the Medusa have not yet been identified.
- OSTI ID:
- 22356816
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 787, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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