Kinematics of spatially extended high-velocity outflow from the nucleus of M51

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/166356· OSTI ID:7137744

Cecil, G

Kinematics of high-velocity N(+) were mapped across the Seyfert-line narrow-line region (NLR) at the center of the active spiral galaxy M51. Line intensity, line width, gas excitation, and radio continuum all peak in an extranuclear cloud about 4 arcsec south of the nucleus. Within the cloud, the high-velocity gas is spatially resolved into sharply defined features. In particular, line profiles and channel maps show N(+) emission enhanced in a shell of unresolved thickness. The H-alpha distribution is more uniform, indicating that the N(+) enhancement is driven by temperature/ionization variations rather than by mass. Gas of highest velocity is concentrated at the bright, arcuate southeastern boundary of the N(+) shell. The nuclear isopleths are elliptical in line emission and the radio continuum, with the major axis aimed at this surface. The kinematics of this surface are deprojected to show that two superposed cloud systems are expanding at about 500 km/s in the galactic disk. Thus in this NLR, line broadening and the asymmetries of the emission line profiles arise from geometry, not selective obscuration. 66 references.

• Research Organization: Hawaii Univ., Honolulu (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7137744
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 329
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALAXY NUCLEI
GAS FLOW
BALMER LINES
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
EXCITATION
IONIZATION
IONIZED GASES
SHOCK WAVES
SPIRAL CONFIGURATION
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASES
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies