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Title: MOLECULAR GAS VELOCITY DISPERSIONS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY

Abstract

In order to characterize the distribution of molecular gas in spiral galaxies, we study the line profiles of CO (1 – 0) emission in Andromeda, our nearest massive spiral galaxy. We compare observations performed with the IRAM 30 m single-dish telescope and with the CARMA interferometer at a common resolution of 23 arcsec ≈ 85 pc × 350 pc and 2.5 km s{sup −1}. When fitting a single Gaussian component to individual spectra, the line profile of the single dish data is a factor of 1.5 ± 0.4 larger than the interferometric data one. This ratio in line widths is surprisingly similar to the ratios previously observed in two other nearby spirals, NGC 4736 and NGC 5055, but measured at ∼0.5–1 kpc spatial scale. In order to study the origin of the different line widths, we stack the individual spectra in five bins of increasing peak intensity and fit two Gaussian components to the stacked spectra. We find a unique narrow component of FWHM = 7.5 ± 0.4 km s{sup −1} visible in both the single dish and the interferometric data. In addition, a broad component with FWHM = 14.4 ± 1.5 km s{sup −1} is present in the single-dishmore » data, but cannot be identified in the interferometric data. We interpret this additional broad line width component detected by the single dish as a low brightness molecular gas component that is extended on spatial scales >0.5 kpc, and thus filtered out by the interferometer. We search for evidence of line broadening by stellar feedback across a range of star formation rates but find no such evidence on ∼100 pc spatial scale when characterizing the line profile by a single Gaussian component.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
  2. Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22520016
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astronomical Journal (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 151; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1538-3881
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY; BRIGHTNESS; CARBON MONOXIDE; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY; FEEDBACK; GALAXIES; LINE BROADENING; LINE WIDTHS; MOLECULES; RESOLUTION; STAR CLUSTERS; STARS; TELESCOPES; VELOCITY

Citation Formats

Caldú-Primo, Anahi, and Schruba, Andreas. MOLECULAR GAS VELOCITY DISPERSIONS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/34.
Caldú-Primo, Anahi, & Schruba, Andreas. MOLECULAR GAS VELOCITY DISPERSIONS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY. United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/34
Caldú-Primo, Anahi, and Schruba, Andreas. 2016. "MOLECULAR GAS VELOCITY DISPERSIONS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY". United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/34.
@article{osti_22520016,
title = {MOLECULAR GAS VELOCITY DISPERSIONS IN THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY},
author = {Caldú-Primo, Anahi and Schruba, Andreas},
abstractNote = {In order to characterize the distribution of molecular gas in spiral galaxies, we study the line profiles of CO (1 – 0) emission in Andromeda, our nearest massive spiral galaxy. We compare observations performed with the IRAM 30 m single-dish telescope and with the CARMA interferometer at a common resolution of 23 arcsec ≈ 85 pc × 350 pc and 2.5 km s{sup −1}. When fitting a single Gaussian component to individual spectra, the line profile of the single dish data is a factor of 1.5 ± 0.4 larger than the interferometric data one. This ratio in line widths is surprisingly similar to the ratios previously observed in two other nearby spirals, NGC 4736 and NGC 5055, but measured at ∼0.5–1 kpc spatial scale. In order to study the origin of the different line widths, we stack the individual spectra in five bins of increasing peak intensity and fit two Gaussian components to the stacked spectra. We find a unique narrow component of FWHM = 7.5 ± 0.4 km s{sup −1} visible in both the single dish and the interferometric data. In addition, a broad component with FWHM = 14.4 ± 1.5 km s{sup −1} is present in the single-dish data, but cannot be identified in the interferometric data. We interpret this additional broad line width component detected by the single dish as a low brightness molecular gas component that is extended on spatial scales >0.5 kpc, and thus filtered out by the interferometer. We search for evidence of line broadening by stellar feedback across a range of star formation rates but find no such evidence on ∼100 pc spatial scale when characterizing the line profile by a single Gaussian component.},
doi = {10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/34},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22520016}, journal = {Astronomical Journal (Online)},
issn = {1538-3881},
number = 2,
volume = 151,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Mon Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}