CO aperture synthesis of NGC 4038/39 (ARP 244)

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/168334· OSTI ID:6851561

Stanford, S A; Sargent, A I; Sanders, D B; Scoville, N Z ^[1]

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1. Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (USA)

High-resolution CO observations of the merging galaxies NGC 4038/39 (the Antennae) have been made with the Owens Valley Millimeter Wave Interferometer. Three concentrations of CO emission were detected. In addition to masses of a few x 100 million solar masses at each nucleus, approximately 1.2 x 10 to the 9th solar masses of molecular gas was discovered in a 32 arcsec x 22 arcsec region where the two galaxies overlap. Within this region are four distinct clumps. These coincide with H-alpha, 10 microns, and radio continuum peaks, suggesting that they are extremely active sites of star formation. The galaxy interaction appears to have concentrated gas at the nuclei of NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 and to have engendered enhanced star formation activity in the region where their disks overlap. From estimates of the SFR in this overlap region, it is suggested that the gas will be completely depleted in 240 million yr. 27 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6851561
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 349; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BALMER LINES
BASIC INTERACTIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COSMIC GASES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
FLUIDS
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GASES
GRAVITATIONAL INTERACTIONS
INFRARED RADIATION
INTERACTIONS
INTERFEROMETERS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MAPS
MASS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MORPHOLOGY
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SPACE
SPECTRA
STAR EVOLUTION