SHOCK EXCITED MOLECULES IN NGC 1266: ULIRG CONDITIONS AT THE CENTER OF A BULGE-DOMINATED GALAXY

Journal Article · Fri Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/779/2/L19· OSTI ID:22364090

Pellegrini, E. W.; Smith, J. D.; Crocker, A. F. ^[1]; Wolfire, M. G. ^[2]; Draine, B. T. ^[3]; Croxall, K. V. ^[4]; Van der Werf, P. ^[5]; Dale, D. A. ^[6]; Rigopoulou, D. ^[7]; Wilson, C. D. ^[8]; Schinnerer, E.; Groves, B. A.; Kreckel, K.; Sandstrom, K. M.; Walter, F. ^[9]; Armus, L.; Murphy, E. J. ^[10]; Calzetti, D. ^[11]; Koda, J. ^[12]; others, and

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States)
2. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States)
3. Princeton University Observatory, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544-1001 (United States)
4. Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)
5. Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300-RA Leiden (Netherlands)
6. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States)
7. Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom)
8. Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada)
9. Max Planck Institut fur Astronomie, Konigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
10. Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
11. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States)
12. Department of Physics and Astronomy, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800 (United States)

We investigate the far infrared (IR) spectrum of NGC 1266, a S0 galaxy that contains a massive reservoir of highly excited molecular gas. Using the Herschel Fourier Transform Spectrometer, we detect the {sup 12}CO ladder up to J = (13-12), [C I] and [N II] lines, and also strong water lines more characteristic of UltraLuminous IR Galaxies (ULIRGs). The {sup 12}CO line emission is modeled with a combination of a low-velocity C-shock and a photodissociation region. Shocks are required to produce the H{sub 2}O and most of the high-J CO emission. Despite having an IR luminosity 30 times less than a typical ULIRG, the spectral characteristics and physical conditions of the interstellar medium of NGC 1266 closely resemble those of ULIRGs, which often harbor strong shocks and large-scale outflows.

• OSTI ID: 22364090
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 779, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
CARBON 12
CARBON MONOXIDE
DISSOCIATION
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
GALAXIES
INFRARED SPECTRA
LUMINOSITY
MOLECULES
PHOTOLYSIS
PHOTONS
STAR CLUSTERS
VELOCITY
WATER