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Makoto Nagai

Publications and source records attributed to Makoto Nagai.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

ATT12: The Antarctic 12-m Terahertz Telescope for Studies of Dusty Galaxies. I. Instrument Sensitivity and Science Forecasts

We present a feasibility study of the Antarctic 12m Terahertz Telescope (ATT12), a next-generation facility to be constructed at New Dome Fuji in Antarctica, designed to open up the FIR and THz windows for extragalactic astronomy. While ATT12 will enable a wide range of Galactic and extragalactic science, this paper focuses on its potential for studies of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) across cosmic time. Using realistic atmospheric transmission models and the planned instrumental specifications of heterodyne spectrometers and wide-field multi-color continuum cameras, we assess the expected sensitivity and scientific capabilities. We show that spectroscopic observations will enable detections of [CII]158um from galaxies with log(LIR/Lsun)>12 out to z~7, while [OIII]88um will remain observable for HyLIRG-class systems up to z~10. Line ratios including [OIII]52/88um, [NII]122/205um, and [OIII]/[NIII] will provide unique diagnostics of electron density and O/N abundance at z~4-8. Wide-field continuum surveys with the continuum cameras (KIDS-1/2; 300-850 GHz) will reach confusion-limited depths of ~1-2 mJy over ~10,000 deg$^2$, detecting of order $10^{6}$-$10^{7}$ DSFGs with log(LIR/Lsun)>12 at z<5 and $\lesssim10^{3}$--$10^{4}$ HyLIRGs up to z~7 or higher. Higher-frequency cameras (KIDS-3/4; >850 GHz) are designed for targeted follow-up observations and to extend coverage toward the THz regime. Taken together, ATT12 will provide the first statistically representative samples of DSFGs across cosmic time and, through synergy with ALMA, JWST, and the proposed FIR Probe PRIMA, will establish a multi-wavelength framework in which ATT12 discovers large samples through wide-area surveys, ALMA provides high-resolution follow-up of gas and ISM structure, JWST probes stellar populations and metallicity in the rest-frame optical/NIR, and PRIMA delivers ultra-sensitive FIR spectroscopy.

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ALMA [CI] Image of the Circumnuclear Disk of the Milky Way: Inflowing Low-density Molecular Gas

We present ALMA [\ion{C}{1}]~$^3P_1$--$^3P_0$ imaging of the central $6.6\times4.2~\mathrm{pc}^2$ region of the Galaxy encompassing the circumnuclear disk (CND). The data reveal low-density ($n_\mathrm{H_2}\sim10^3~$cm$^{-3}$) molecular gas with inward motion, widespread both inside and outside the CND. The normalized [\ion{C}{1}] to CS~7--6 intensity difference decreases inwardly from $R=4$~pc to 1.7~pc and azimuthally along the CND's rotation, likely tracing paths of low-density gas inflow. By projecting spaxels into orbital coordinates assuming a velocity field model, we identify four kinematic features: a pair of spiral outer streamers toward the CND, inner streamers extending to 0.5~pc from Sgr~A$^*$, an outer disk at $ R\sim3$--6~pc, and the rotating ring at $R=2$~pc. $P$--$P$--$V$ correlation between the inner streamers and H42$α$ indicates gas supply to the mini-spiral through the western arc (WA) and northern arm (NA). The total inflowing mass is $1.5\times10^4~M_\odot$, 1.7 times the mass of the rotating ring. The identified flows can be organized into two main pathways connecting the CND exterior and interior: ``WA flow'' feeding the mini-spiral WA via the CND, and ``NA flow'' bypassing the purely rotating orbit. The inflow rate along the former is approximately constant (0.1--0.16~$M_\odot~\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$), implying a CND dwelling time comparable to its orbital period and supporting the CND's transient nature. We also identify two [\ion{C}{1}]-bright clumps (CBCs) lacking dense-gas counterparts near the contact point between the northern outer streamer and the CND. Apparently intact against tidal disruption despite subcritical densities, the CBCs may represent a chemically young phase shortly after formation in colliding flows.

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New method for subtraction of common background fluctuation for radio camera: Chunked Principal Component Analysis method

We present a new algorithm, ChunkedPCA, to remove common background fluctuations from datasets acquired with a radio camera. ChunkedPCA is an improvement on using PCA to achieve fewer artifacts and better RMS on the cleaned dataset. The proposed algorithm determines the background fluctuation by grouping the detector pixels not used in the direct observation of the source. This group is then used to get the background fluctuation for that time and used to subtract the background from the data of all pixels. We apply ChunkedPCA for the numerical simulation data and a real observation data obtained with the MKID camera on the Nobeyama 45-m telescope to verify the effectiveness of the ChunkedPCA. We confirm that using the ChunkedPCA method preserves the flux of the astronomical sources and produces a cleaner baseline than the conventional PCA method.

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Commissioning the CMB polarization telescope GroundBIRD with the full set of detectors

GroundBIRD is a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment for observing the polarization pattern imprinted on large angular scales ($\ell > 6$ ) from the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain. Our primary scientific objective is a precise measurement of the optical depth $τ$ ($σ(τ) \sim 0.01$) to the reionization epoch of the Universe to cross-check systematic effects in the measurements made by previous experiments. GroundBIRD observes a wide sky area in the Northern Hemisphere ($\sim 40\%$ of the full sky) while continuously rotating the telescope at a high speed of up to 20 rotations per minute (rpm) to overcome the fluctuations of atmospheric radiation. We have adopted the NbTiN/Al hybrid microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) as focal plane detectors. We observe two frequency bands centered at 145 GHz and 220 GHz. The 145 GHz band picks up the peak frequency of the CMB spectrum. The 220 GHz band helps accurate removal of the contamination of thermal emission from the Galactic interstellar dust. The MKID arrays (138 MKIDs for 145GHz and 23 MKIDs for 220GHz) were designed and optimized so as to minimize the contamination of the two-level-system noise and maximize the sensitivity. The MKID arrays were successfully installed in May 2023 after the performance verification tests were performed at a laboratory. GroundBIRD has been upgraded to use the full MKID arrays, and scientific observations are now underway. The telescope is automated, so that all observations are performed remotely. Initial validations, including polarization response tests and observations of Jupiter and the moon, have been completed successfully. We are now running scientific observations.

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Atomic Carbon in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way : Possible Cosmic-ray Induced Chemistry or Time-Dependent Chemistry Associated with SNR Sagittarius A East

Being one of the most abundant atomic/molecular species observed in dense molecular gas, atomic carbon ($\mathrm{C}^0$) is a potential good tracer of molecular gas mass in many chemical/physical environments, though the $\mathrm{C^0}$ abundance variation outside the Galactic disk region is yet to be fully known. This paper presents a wide-field 500 GHz [CI] map of the Galactic central molecular zone (CMZ) obtained with the ASTE 10-m telescope. Principal component analysis and non-LTE multi-transition analysis have shown that the [CI] emission predominantly originates from the low-excitation gas component with a 20-50 K temperature and $\sim 10^3\ \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ density, whereas $\mathrm{C^0}$ abundance is likely suppressed in the high-excitation gas component. The average $N(\mathrm{C}^0)$/$N(\mathrm{CO})$ abundance ratio in the CMZ is 0.3-0.4, which is 2-3 times that in the Galactic disk. The $N(\mathrm{C}^0)$/$N(\mathrm{CO})$ ratio increases to 0.7 in the innermost 10 pc region and to $\sim2$ in the circumnuclear disk. We discovered $\mathrm{C^0}$-rich regions distributed in a ring-shape encircling the supernova remnant (SNR) Sgr A east, indicative that the $\mathrm{C}^0$-enrichment in the central 10 pc region is a consequence of a molecular cloud-SNR interaction. In the 15 atom/molecules included in principal component analysis (PCA), CN is the only other species that increases in the [CI]-bright ring. The origin of the [CI]-bright ring is likely a cosmic-ray dominated region created by low-energy cosmic-ray particles accelerated by Sgr A east or primitive molecular gas collected by the SNR in which the $\mathrm{C}^0$-to-CO conversion has not reached the equilibrium.

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Atomic Carbon [CI]$(^3P_1-^3P_0)$ Mapping of the Nearby Galaxy M83

Atomic carbon (CI) has been proposed to be a global tracer of the molecular gas as a substitute for CO, however, its utility remains unproven. To evaluate the suitability of CI as the tracer, we performed [CI]$(^3P_1-^3P_0)$ (hereinafter [CI](1-0)) mapping observations of the northern part of the nearby spiral galaxy M83 with the ASTE telescope and compared the distributions of [CI](1-0) with CO lines (CO(1-0), CO(3-2), and $^{13}$CO(1-0)), HI, and infrared (IR) emission (70, 160, and 250$ μ$m). The [CI](1-0) distribution in the central region is similar to that of the CO lines, whereas [CI](1-0) in the arm region is distributed outside the CO. We examined the dust temperature, $T_{\rm dust}$, and dust mass surface density, $Σ_{\rm dust}$, by fitting the IR continuum-spectrum distribution with a single-temperature modified blackbody. The distribution of $Σ_{\rm dust}$ shows a much better consistency with the integrated intensity of CO(1-0) than with that of [CI](1-0), indicating that CO(1-0) is a good tracer of the cold molecular gas. The spatial distribution of the [CI] excitation temperature, $T_{\rm ex}$, was examined using the intensity ratio of the two [CI] transitions. An appropriate $T_{\rm ex}$ at the central, bar, arm, and inter-arm regions yields a constant [C]/[H$_2$] abundance ratio of $\sim7 \times 10^{-5}$ within a range of 0.1 dex in all regions. We successfully detected weak [CI](1-0) emission, even in the inter-arm region, in addition to the central, arm, and bar regions, using spectral stacking analysis. The stacked intensity of [CI](1-0) is found to be strongly correlated with $T_{\rm dust}$. Our results indicate that the atomic carbon is a photodissociation product of CO, and consequently, compared to CO(1-0), [CI](1-0) is less reliable in tracing the bulk of "cold" molecular gas in the galactic disk.

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Factorization of Antenna Efficiency of Aperture-type antenna: Beam Coupling and Two Spillovers

Antenna efficiency is one of the most important figures-of-merit of a radio telescope for observations especially at millimeter wavelengths or shorter wavelengths, even for a multibeam radio telescope. To analyze a system with a beam waveguide, a lossless antenna consisting of two apertures in series is considered in the frame of the scalar wave approximation. We found that the antenna efficiency can be evaluated with the field distribution over the second aperture, and that the antenna efficiency is factorized into three factors: efficiencies of beam coupling, transmission spillover, and reception spillover. The factorization is applicable to general aperture-type antennas with beam waveguides, and can relate the aperture efficiency to the pupil function. We numerically confirmed our factorization with an optical simulation. This evaluation enables us to manage the aberrations and is useful in design of multibeam radio telescopes.

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GroundBIRD : A CMB polarization experiment with MKID arrays

GroundBIRD is a ground-based experiment for the precise observation of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). To achieve high sensitivity at large angular scale, we adopt three features in this experiment: fast rotation scanning, microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) and cold optics. The rotation scanning strategy has the advantage to suppress $1/f$ noise. It also provides a large sky coverage of 40\%, which corresponds to the large angular scales of $l \sim 6$. This allows us to constrain the tensor-to-scalar ratio by using low $l$ B-mode spectrum. The focal plane consists of 7 MKID arrays for two target frequencies, 145 GHz and 220 GHz band. There are 161 pixels in total, of which 138 are for 144 GHz and 23 are for 220 GHz. This array is currently under development and the prototype will soon be evaluated in telescope. The GroundBIRD telescope will observe the CMB at the Teide observatory. The telescope was moved from Japan to Tenerife and is now under test. We present the status and plan of the GroundBIRD experiment.

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HCN $J$=4-3, HNC $J$=1-0, $\mathrm{H^{13}CN}$ $J$=1-0, and $\mathrm{HC_3N}$ $J$=10-9 Maps of Galactic Center Region II.: Physical Properties of Dense Gas Clumps and Probability of Star Formation

We report a statistical analysis exploring the origin of the overall low star formation efficiency (SFE) of the Galactic central molecular zone (CMZ) and the SFE diversity among the CMZ clouds using a wide-field HCN $J$=4-3 map, whose optically thin critical density ($\sim10^7\,\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$) is the highest among the tracers ever used in CMZ surveys. Logistic regression is performed to empirically formulate star formation probability of 195 HCN clumps, 13 of which contain star formation signatures. The explanatory parameters in the best-fit model are reduced into the virial parameter $α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ without significant contribution from other parameters, whereas the performance of the model without $α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ is no better than that using randomly generated data. The threshold $α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ is 6, which translates into a volume density ($n_{\mathrm{H_2}}$) of $10^{4.6}\,\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ with the $n_{\mathrm{H_2}}$-$α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ correlation. The scarcity of the low-$α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ clumps, whose fraction to all HCN clumps is 0.1, can be considered as one of the immediate causes of the suppressed SFE. No correlation between the clump size or mass and star formation probability is found, implying that HCN $J$=4-3 does not immediately trace the mass of star-forming gas above a threshold density. Meanwhile, star-forming and non-star-forming clouds are degenerate in the physical parameters of the CS $\mathit{J}$=1-0 clouds, highlighting the efficacy of the HCN $\mathit{J}$=4-3 line to probe star-forming regions in the CMZ. The time scale of the high-$α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ to low-$α_{\mathrm{vir}}$ transition is $\lesssim2$ Myr, which is consistent with the tidal compression and X1/X2 orbit transition models but possibly does not fit the cloud-cloud collision picture.

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Analytical expression of aperture efficiency affected by Seidel aberrations

The effect of aberrations on the aperture efficiency has not been discussed analytically, though aberrations determine the performance of a wide field-of-view system. Expansion of a wavefront error and a feed pattern into a series of the Zernike polynomials enables us to calculate the aperture efficiency. We explicitly show the aperture efficiency affected by the Seidel aberrations and derive the conditions for reducing the effects of the spherical aberration and coma. In particular, the condition for coma can reduce a pointing error. We performed Physical Optics simulations and found that, if the Strehl ratio is higher than 0.8, the derived expression provides the aperture efficiencies with a precision of < 2%.

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HCN $J$=4-3, HNC $J$=1-0, $\mathrm{H^{13}CN}$ $J$=1-0, and $\mathrm{HC_3N}$ $J$=10-9 Maps of Galactic Center Region I: Spatially-Resolved Measurements of Physical Conditions and Chemical Composition

This {\it supplement} paper presents the maps of HCN $J$=4-3, HNC $J$=1-0, $\mathrm{H^{13}CN}$ $J$=1-0, and HC$_3$N $J$=10-9 for the Galactic central molecular zone (CMZ), which have been obtained using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment and Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45-m telescope. Three-dimensional maps (2-D in space and 1-D in velocity) of the gas kinetic temperature ($T_\mathrm{kin}$), hydrogen volume density ($n_\mathrm{H_2}$), and fractional abundances of eight molecules (HCN, HNC, $\mathrm{HC_3N}$, HCO$^+$, $\mathrm{H_2CO}$, SiO, CS, and $\mathrm{N_2H^+}$) have been constructed from our and archival data. We have developed a method with hierarchical Bayesian inference for this analysis, which has successfully suppressed the artificial correlations among the parameters created by systematic errors due to the deficiency in the simple one-zone excitation analysis and the calibration uncertainty. The typical values of $T_\mathrm{kin}$ and $n_\mathrm{H_2}$ are $10^{1.8}\ $K and $10^{4.2}\ \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$, respectively, and the presence of an additional cold/low-density component is also indicated. The distribution of high-temperature regions is poorly correlated with known active star-forming regions, while a few of them coincide with shocked clouds. Principal component analysis has identified two distinct groups in the eight analyzed molecules: one group with large PC1 and PC2 scores and the other with a large $T_\mathrm{kin}$ dependence, which could be explained using two regimes of shock chemistry with fast ($\gtrsim 20\ \mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$) and slow ($\lesssim 20\ \mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$) velocity shocks, respectively. This supports the idea that the mechanical sputtering of dust grains and the mechanical heating play primary roles in the chemical and thermal processes in CMZ clouds.

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ALMA multiline observations toward the central region of NGC 613

We report ALMA observations of molecular gas and continuum emission in the 90 and 350 GHz bands toward a nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 613. Radio continuum emissions were detected at 95 and 350 GHz from both the circum-nuclear disk (CND) ($r\leq90$ pc) and a star-forming ring (250 pc $\leq r\leq 340$ pc), and the 95 GHz continuum was observed to extend from the center at a position angle of $20^{\circ} \pm 8^{\circ}$. The archival 4.9 GHz data and our 95 GHz data show spectral indices of $α\leq -0.6$ and $-0.2$ along the jets and in the star-forming ring; these can be produced by synchrotron emission and free-free emission, respectively. In addition, we detected the emission of CO(3-2), HCN(1-0), HCN(4-3), HCO$^+$(1-0), HCO$^+$(4-3), CS(2-1), and CS(7-6) in both the CND and ring. The rotational temperatures and column densities of molecules derived from $J=1-0$ and $4-3$ lines of HCN and HCO$^+$ and $J=2-1$ and $7-6$ of CS in the CND and ring were derived. Furthermore, a non-LTE model revealed that the kinetic temperature of $T_{\rm k}=350-550$ K in the CND is higher than $T_{\rm k}=80-300$ K in the ring, utilizing the intensity ratios of HCN, HCO$^+$, and CS. The star-formation efficiency in the CND is almost an order of magnitude lower than those at the spots in the star-forming ring, while the dominant activity of the central region is the star formation rather than active galactic nuclei. We determined that the large velocity dispersion of CO extending toward the north side of the CND and decomposing into blueshifted and redshifted features is probably explained by the effect of the radio jets. These results strongly suggest that the jets heat the gas in the CND, in which the feedback prevents star formation.

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A Multi-Line Ammonia Survey of the Galactic Center Region with the Tsukuba 32-m Telescope - I. Observations and Data

We present survey data of the NH3 (J, K) = (1, 1)--(6, 6) lines, simultaneously observed with the Tsukuba 32-m telescope, in the main part of the central molecular zone of the Galaxy. The total number of on-source positions was 2655. The lowest three transitions were detected with S/N > 3 at 2323 positions (93% of all the on-source positions). Among 2323, the S/N of (J, K ) = (4, 4), (5, 5), and (6, 6) exceeded 3.0 at 1426 (54%), 1150 (43%), and 1359 (51%) positions, respectively. Simultaneous observations of the lines enabled us to accurately derive intensity ratios with less systematic errors. Boltzmann plots indicate there are two temperature components: cold ($\sim$ 20 K) and warm ($\sim$ 100 K). Typical intensity ratios of Tmb(2,2)/Tmb(1,1), Tmb(4,4)/Tmb(2,2), Tmb(5,5)/Tmb(4,4), and Tmb(6,6)/Tmb(3,3) were 0.71, 0.45, 0.65, and 0.17, respectively. These line ratios correspond to diversity of rotational temperature, which results from mixing of the two temperature components.

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Large-scale CO (J=4-3) Mapping toward the Orion-A Giant Molecular Cloud

We have mapped the Orion-A Giant Molecular Cloud in the CO (J=4-3) line with the Tsukuba 30-cm submillimeter telescope.The map covered a 7.125 deg^2 area with a 9' resolution, including main components of the cloud such as Orion Nebula, OMC-2/3, and L1641-N. The most intense emission was detected toward the Orion KL region. The integrated intensity ratio between CO (J=4-3) and CO (J=1-0) was derived using data from the Columbia-Univ. de Chile CO survey, which was carried out with a comparable angular resolution. The ratio was r_{4-3/1-0} ~ 0.2 in the southern region of the cloud and 0.4-0.8 at star forming regions. We found a trend that the ratio shows higher value at edges of the cloud. In particular the ratio at the north-eastern edge of the cloud at (l, b) = (208.375 deg, -19.0 deg) shows the specific highest value of 1.1. The physical condition of the molecular gas in the cloud was estimated by non-LTE calculation. The result indicates that the kinetic temperature has a gradient from north (Tkin=80 K) to south (20 K). The estimation shows that the gas associated with the edge of the cloud is warm (Tkin~60 K), dense (n_{H_2}~10^4 cm^{-3}), and optically thin, which may be explained by heating and sweeping of interstellar materials from OB clusters.

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CO-0.30-0.07: A Peculiar Molecular Clump with an Extremely Broad Velocity Width

The high velocity dispersion compact cloud CO-0.30-0.07 is a peculiar molecular clump discovered in the central moleculr zone of the Milky Way, which is characterized by its extremely broad velocity emissions ($\sim 145\ \rm{km s^{-1}}$) despite the absence of internal energy sources. We present new interferometric maps of the cloud in multiple molecular lines in frequency ranges of 265--269 GHz and 276--280 GHz obtained using the Sumbmillimeter Array, along with the single-dish images previously obtained with the ASTE 10-m telescope. The data show that the characteristic broad velocity emissions are predominantly confined in two parallel ridges running through the cloud center. The central ridges are tightly anti-correlated with each other in both space and velocity, thereby sharply dividing the entire cloud into two distinct velocity components (+15 km s$^{-1}$ and +55 km s$^{-1}$). This morphology is consistent with a model in which the two velocity components collide with a relative velocity of 40 $\mathrm{km s^{-1}}$ at the interface defined by the central ridges, although an alternative explanation with a highly inclined expanding-ring model is yet to be fully invalidated. We have also unexpectedly detected several compact clumps ($\lesssim 0.1\ $pc in radius) likely formed by shock compression. The clumps have several features in common with typical star-forming clouds: high densities ($10^{6.5-7.5}\ \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$), rich abundances of hot-core-type molecular species, and relatively narrow velocity widths apparently decoupled from the furious turbulence dominating the cloud. The cloud CO-0.30-0.07 is possibly at an early phase of star formation activity triggered by the shock impact.

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Hot Ammonia in the Center of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3079

We present the results of ammonia observations toward the center of NGC 3079. The NH3(J, K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) inversion lines were detected in absorption with the Tsukuba 32-m telescope, and the NH3(1,1) through (6,6) lines with the VLA, although the profile of NH3(3,3) was in emission in contrast to the other transitions. The background continuum source, whose flux density was ~50 mJy, could not be resolved with the VLA beam of ~< 0."09 x 0."08. All ammonia absorption lines have two distinct velocity components: one is at the systemic velocity and the other is blueshifted, and both components are aligned along the nuclear jets. For the systemic components, the relatively low temperature gas is extended more than the high temperature gas. The blueshifted NH3(3,3) emission can be regarded as ammonia masers associated with shocks by strong winds probably from newly formed massive stars or supernova explosions in dense clouds in the nuclear megamaser disk. Using para-NH3(1,1), (2,2), (4,4) and (5,5) lines with VLA, we derived the rotational temperature Trot = 120 +- 12 K and 157 +- 19 K for the systemic and blueshifted components, respectively. The total column densities of NH3(0,0)-(6,6), assuming Tex ~Trot, were (8.85+-0.70) x 10^16 cm^-2 and (4.47+-0.78) x 10^16 cm-2 for the systemic and blueshifted components, respectively. The fractional abundance of NH3 relative to molecular hydrogen H2 for the systemic and blueshifted was [NH3]/[H2]=1.3x10^-7 and 6.5 x 10^-8, respectively. We also found the F = 4-4 and F = 5-5 doublet lines of OH 2{Pi}3/2 J = 9/2 in absorption, which could be fitted by two velocity components, systemic and redshifted components. The rotational temperature of OH was estimated to be Trot,OH >~ 175 K, tracing hot gas associated with the interaction of the fast nuclear outflow with dense molecular material around the nucleus.

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High Velocity Compact Clouds in the Sagittarius C Region

We report the detection of extremely broad emission toward two molecular clumps in the Galactic central molecular zone. We have mapped the Sagittarius C complex ($-0^\circ.61 < l < -0^\circ.27$, $-0^\circ.29 < b < 0^\circ.04$) in the HCN $J$ = 4--3, $\mathrm{^{13}CO}$ $J$ = 3--2, and $\mathrm{H^{13}CN}$ $J$ = 1--0 lines with the ASTE 10 m and NRO 45 m telescopes, detecting bright emission with $80\mbox{--}120$\ $\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$ velocity width (in full-width at zero intensity) toward CO$-0.30$$-0.07$ and CO$-0.40$$-0.22$, which are high velocity compact clouds (HVCCs) identified with our previous CO $J$ = 3--2 survey. Our data reveal an interesting internal structure of CO$-0.30$$-0.07$ comprising a pair of high velocity lobes. The spatial-velocity structure of CO$-0.40$$-0.22$ can be also understood as multiple velocity component, or a velocity gradient across the cloud. They are both located on the rims of two molecular shells of about 10 pc in radius. Kinetic energies of CO$-0.30$$-0.07$ and CO$-0.40$$-0.22$ are $\left(0.8\mbox{--}2\right)\times10^{49}$ erg and $\left(1\mbox{--}4\right)\times10^{49}$ erg, respectively. We propose several interpretations of their broad emission: collision between clouds associated with the shells, bipolar outflow, expansion driven by supernovae (SNe), and rotation around a dark massive object. There scenarios cannot be discriminated because of the insufficient angular resolution of our data, though the absence of visible energy sources associated with the HVCCs seems to favor the cloud--cloud collision scenario. Kinetic energies of the two molecular shells are $1\times10^{51}$ erg and $0.7\times10^{51}$ erg, which can be furnished by multiple SN or hypernova explosions in $2\times10^5$ yr. These shells are candidates of molecular superbubbles created after past active star formation.

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Kinematics of Shocked Molecular Gas Adjacent to the Supernova Remnant W44

We mapped molecular gas toward the supernova remnant W44 in the HCO+ J=1-0 line with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope and in the CO J=3-2 line with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment 10 m telescope. High-velocity emission wings were detected in both lines over the area where the radio shell of W44 overlaps the molecular cloud in the plane of the sky. We found that the average velocity distributions of the wing emission can be fitted by a uniform expansion model. The best-fit expansion velocities are 12.2+-0.3 km/s and 13.2+-0.2 km/s in HCO+ and CO, respectively. The non-wing CO J=3-2 component is also fitted by the same model with an expansion velocity of 4.7+-0.1 km/s . This component might be dominated by a post shock higher-density region where the shock velocity had slowed down. The kinetic energy of shocked molecular gas is estimated to be (3.5+-1.3)x10^{49} erg. Adding this and the energy of the previously identified HI shell, we concluded that (1.2+-0.2)x10^{50} erg has been converted into gas kinetic energy from the initial baryonic energy of the W44 supernova. We also found ultra-high-velocity CO J=3-2 wing emission with a velocity width of ~100 km/s at (l, b)=(+34.73d, -0.47d). The origin of this extremely high-velocity wing is a mystery.

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