CO emission from Centaurus A

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/185039· OSTI ID:5465204

Phillips, T G; Ellison, B N; Keene, J B; Leighton, R B; Howard, R J

CO(2-1) emission has been detected along the major axis of the dust lane in Centaurus A out to a distance of 2-arcmin from the active nucleus. The derived radial distribution of molecular gas (H2) is centrally peaked with a scale length of about 1.5 kpc and is similar to that expected from a small Sc galaxy. The total H2 mass is about a billion solar masses, comparable to the mass of atomic gas. The molecular gas appears to be concentrated mostly at inner radii, while the atomic gas is found predominantly at larger radii. At current linear resolution of 1 kpc, infalling molecular gas near the nucleus could not be detected; the kinematics of the CO emission from the nuclear region is consistent with circular rotation. The systematic velocity of the molecular disk is found to be 547 km/s, similar to previous values determined for Centaurus A from H I and H II regions in the disk, and to recent values for stars in the elliptical component, indicating that, if it were to be considered as a disk galaxy-elliptical galaxy merger system, Centaurus A would be well relaxed. 16 references.

• Research Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
• OSTI ID: 5465204
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 322; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DUSTS
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
FLUIDS
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GASES
H1 REGIONS
H2 REGIONS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MASS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULES
MOTION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIO GALAXIES
ROTATION
SPACE