DETECTION OF A METHANOL MEGAMASER IN A MAJOR-MERGER GALAXY

Journal Article · Tue Feb 10 04:00:00 EST 2015 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L2· OSTI ID:22364272

Chen, Xi; Baan, Willem A.; Qiao, Hai-Hua; Li, Juan; An, Tao ^[1]; Ellingsen, Simon P. ^[2]

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1. Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030 (China)
2. School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania (Australia)

We have detected emission from both the 4{sub −1}→3{sub 0} E (36.2 GHz) class I and 7{sub −2}→8{sub −1} E (37.7 GHz) class II methanol transitions toward the center of the closest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220. The emission in both methanol transitions shows narrow spectral features and has luminosities approximately 8 orders of magnitude stronger than those observed from typical class I methanol masers observed in Galactic star formation regions. The emission is also orders of magnitude stronger than the expected intensity of thermal emission from these transitions and based on these findings we suggest that the emission from the two transitions are masers. These observations provide the first detection of a methanol megamaser in the 36.2 and 37.7 GHz transitions and represent only the second detection of a methanol megamaser, following the recent report of an 84 GHz methanol megamaser in NGC 1068. We find that the methanol megamasers are significantly offset from the nuclear region and arise toward regions where there is Hα emission, suggesting that they are associated with starburst activity. The high degree of correlation between the spatial distribution of the 36.2 GHz methanol and X-ray plume emission suggests that the production of strong extragalactic class I methanol masers is related to galactic-outflow-driven shocks and perhaps cosmic rays. In contrast to OH and H{sub 2}O megamasers which originate close to the nucleus, methanol megamasers provide a new probe of feedback (e.g., outflows) processes on larger scales and of star formation beyond the circumnuclear starburst regions of active galaxies.

• OSTI ID: 22364272
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 800; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
APPROXIMATIONS
CORRELATIONS
DETECTION
EMISSION SPECTRA
FEEDBACK
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
GHZ RANGE
LUMINOSITY
MASERS
METHANOL
MOLECULES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
WATER
X RADIATION