arXiv subjects

Zhi-Yu Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi-Yu Zhang.

107 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Cloud structure of three Galactic infrared dark star-forming regions from combining ground and space based bolometric observations

We have modified the iterative procedure introduced by Lin et al. (2016), to systematically combine the submm images taken from ground based (e.g., CSO, JCMT, APEX) and space (e.g., Herschel, Planck) telescopes. We applied the updated procedure to observations of three well studied Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs): G11.11-0.12, G14.225-0.506 and G28.34+0.06, and then performed single-component, modified black-body fits to derive $\sim$10$"$ resolution dust temperature and column density maps. The derived column density maps show that these three IRDCs exhibit complex filamentary structures embedding with rich clumps/cores. We compared the column density probability distribution functions (N-PDFs) and two-point correlation (2PT) functions of the column density field between these IRDCs with several OB cluster-forming regions. Based on the observed correlation and measurements, and complementary hydrodynamical simulations for a 10$^{4}$ $\rm M_{\odot}$ molecular cloud, we hypothesize that cloud evolution can be better characterized by the evolution of the (column) density distribution function and the relative power of dense structures as a function of spatial scales, rather than merely based on the presence of star-forming activity. Based on the small analyzed sample, we propose four evolutionary stages, namely: {\it cloud integration, stellar assembly, cloud pre-dispersal and dispersed-cloud.} The initial {\it cloud integration} stage and the final {\it dispersed cloud} stage may be distinguished from the two intermediate stages by a steeper than $-$4 power-law index of the N-PDF. The {\it cloud integration} stage and the subsequent {\it stellar assembly} stage are further distinguished from each other by the larger luminosity-to-mass ratio ($>$40 $\rm L_{\odot}/M_{\odot}$) of the latter.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Cosmic-ray induced destruction of CO in star-forming galaxies

We explore the effects of the expected higher cosmic ray (CR) ionization rates $ζ_{\rm CR}$ on the abundances of carbon monoxide (CO), atomic carbon (C), and ionized carbon (C$^+$) in the H$_2$ clouds of star-forming galaxies. The study of Bisbas et al. (2015) is expanded by: a) using realistic inhomogeneous Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) structures, b) a detailed chemical analysis behind the CR-induced destruction of CO, and c) exploring the thermal state of CR-irradiated molecular gas. CRs permeating the interstellar medium with $ζ_{\rm CR}$$\gtrsim 10\times$(Galactic) are found to significantly reduce the [CO]/[H$_2$] abundance ratios throughout the mass of a GMC. CO rotational line imaging will then show much clumpier structures than the actual ones. For $ζ_{\rm CR}$$\gtrsim 100\times$(Galactic) this bias becomes severe, limiting the utility of CO lines for recovering structural and dynamical characteristics of H$_2$-rich galaxies throughout the Universe, including many of the so-called Main Sequence (MS) galaxies where the bulk of cosmic star formation occurs. Both C$^+$ and C abundances increase with rising $ζ_{\rm CR}$, with C remaining the most abundant of the two throughout H$_2$ clouds, when $ζ_{\rm CR}\sim (1-100)\times$(Galactic). C$^+$ starts to dominate for $ζ_{\rm CR}$$\gtrsim 10^3\times$(Galactic). The thermal state of the gas in the inner and denser regions of GMCs is invariant with $T_{\rm gas}\sim 10\,{\rm K}$ for $ζ_{\rm CR}\sim (1-10)\times$(Galactic). For $ζ_{\rm CR}$$\sim 10^3\times$(Galactic) this is no longer the case and $T_{\rm gas}\sim 30-50\,{\rm K}$ are reached. Finally we identify OH as the key species whose $T_{\rm gas}-$sensitive abundance could mitigate the destruction of CO at high temperatures.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The Molecular Gas Environment in the 20 km s$^{-1}$ Cloud in the Central Molecular Zone

We recently reported a population of protostellar candidates in the 20 km s$^{-1}$ cloud in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way, traced by H$_2$O masers in gravitationally bound dense cores. In this paper, we report high-angular-resolution ($\sim$3'') molecular line studies of the environment of star formation in this cloud. Maps of various molecular line transitions as well as the continuum at 1.3 mm are obtained using the Submillimeter Array. Five NH$_3$ inversion lines and the 1.3 cm continuum are observed with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The interferometric observations are complemented with single-dish data. We find that the CH$_3$OH, SO, and HNCO lines, which are usually shock tracers, are better correlated spatially with the compact dust emission from dense cores among the detected lines. These lines also show enhancement in intensities with respect to SiO intensities toward the compact dust emission, suggesting the presence of slow shocks or hot cores in these regions. We find gas temperatures of $\gtrsim$100 K at 0.1-pc scales based on RADEX modelling of the H$_2$CO and NH$_3$ lines. Although no strong correlations between temperatures and linewidths/H$_2$O maser luminosities are found, in high-angular-resolution maps we notice several candidate shock heated regions offset from any dense cores, as well as signatures of localized heating by protostars in several dense cores. Our findings suggest that at 0.1-pc scales in this cloud star formation and strong turbulence may together affect the chemistry and temperature of the molecular gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Carbon monoxide in an extremely metal-poor galaxy

Extremely metal-poor galaxies with metallicity below 10% of the solar value in the local universe are the best analogues to investigating the interstellar medium at a quasi-primitive environment in the early universe. In spite of the ongoing formation of stars in these galaxies, the presence of molecular gas (which is known to provide the material reservoir for star formation in galaxies, such as our Milky Way) remains unclear. Here, we report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), the primary tracer of molecular gas, in a galaxy with 7% solar metallicity, with additional detections in two galaxies at higher metallicities. Such detections offer direct evidence for the existence of molecular gas in these galaxies that contain few metals. Using archived infrared data, it is shown that the molecular gas mass per CO luminosity at extremely low metallicity is approximately one-thousand times the Milky Way value.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Multi-wavelength study of the supernova remnant Kes 79 (G33.6+0.1): On its supernova properties and expansion into a molecular environment

Kes 79 (G33.6+0.1) is an aspherical thermal composite supernova remnant (SNR) observed across the electromagnetic spectrum and showing an unusual highly-structured morphology, in addition to harboring a central compact object (CCO). Using the CO J=1-0, J=2-1, and J=3-2 data, we provide the first direct evidence and new morphological evidence to support the physical interaction between the SNR and the molecular cloud at $V_LSR\sim 105$ km s$^{-1}$. We revisit the 380 ks XMM-Newton observations and perform a dedicated spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopic study with careful background subtraction. The overall X-ray-emitting gas is characterized by an under-ionized ($τ_c \sim 6\times 10^{11}$ cm^${-3}$) cool ($kT_c \approx 0.20$ keV) plasma with solar abundances, plus an under-ionized ($τ_h\sim 8\times 10^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$) hot ($kT_h\approx 0.80$ keV) plasma with elevated Ne, Mg, Si, S and Ar abundances. Kes 79 appears to have a double-hemisphere morphology viewed along the symmetric axis. Projection effect can explain the multiple shell structures and the thermal composite morphology. The X-ray filaments, spatially correlated with the 24 um IR filaments, are suggested to be due to the SNR shock interaction with dense gas, while the halo forms from SNR breaking out into a tenuous medium. The high-velocity, hot ($kT_h\sim 1.4$--1.6 keV) ejecta patch with high metal abundances, together with the non-uniform metal distribution across the SNR, indicating an asymmetric SN explosion of Kes 79. We refine the Sedov age to 4.4--6.7 kyr and the mean shock velocity to 730 km s$^{-1}$. Our multi-wavelength study suggests a progenitor mass of $\sim 15$--20 solar masses for the core-collapse explosion that formed Kes 79 and its CCO, PSR J1852+0040.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Millimeter Spectral Line Mapping Observations Toward Four Massive Star Forming HII Regions

We present spectral line mapping observations toward four massive star-forming regions (Cepheus A, DR21S, S76E and G34.26+0.15), with the IRAM 30 meter telescope at 2 mm and 3 mm bands. Totally 396 spectral lines from 51 molecules, one helium recombination line, ten hydrogen recombination lines, and 16 unidentified lines were detected in these four sources. An emission line of nitrosyl cyanide (ONCN, 14$_{0,14}$-13$_{0,13}$) was detected in G34.26+0.15, as first detection in massive star-forming regions. We found that the $c$-C$_{3}$H$_{2}$ and NH$_{2}$D show enhancement in shocked regions as suggested by evidences of SiO and/or SO emission. Column density and rotational temperature of CH$_{3}$CN were estimated with the rotational diagram method for all four sources. Isotope abundance ratios of $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C were derived using HC$_{3}$N and its $^{13}$C isotopologue, which were around 40 in all four massive star-forming regions and slightly lower than the local interstellar value ($\sim$65). $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N and $^{16}$O/$^{18}$O abundance ratios in these sources were also derived using double isotopic method, which were slightly lower than that in local interstellar medium. Except for Cep A, $^{33}$S/$^{34}$S ratio in the other three targets were derived, which were similar to that in the local interstellar medium. The column density ratios of N(DCN)/N(HCN) and N(DCO$^{+}$)/N(HCO$^{+}$) in these sources were more than two orders of magnitude higher than the elemental [D]/[H] ratio, which is 1.5$\times$10$ ^{-5}$. Our results show the later stage sources, G34.26+0.15 in particular, present more molecular species than earlier stage ones. Evidence of shock activity is seen in all stages studied.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Expanding molecular bubble surrounding Tycho's supernova remnant (SN 1572) observed with IRAM 30 m telescope: evidence for a single-degenerate progenitor

Whether the progenitors of SNe Ia are single-degenerate or double-degenerate white dwarf (WD) systems is a highly debated topic. To address the origin of the Type Ia Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR), SN 1572, we have carried out a $^{12}$CO J=2-1 mapping and a 3-mm line survey toward the remnant using the IRAM 30 m telescope. We show that Tycho is surrounded by a clumpy molecular bubble at a local standard of rest velocity of $\sim 61$ km s$^{-1}$ which expands at a speed of $\sim 4.5$ km s$^{-1}$ and has a mass of $\sim 220$ M$_\odot$ (at the distance of 2.5 kpc). Enhanced $^{12}$CO J=2-1 line emission relative to $^{12}$CO J=1-0 emission and possible line broadenings (in velocity range $-64$ to $-60$ km s$^{-1}$) are found at the northeastern boundary of the SNR, where the shell is deformed and decelerated. These features, combined with the morphological correspondence between the expanding molecular bubble and Tycho, suggest that the SNR is associated with the bubble at the velocity range $-66$ to $-57$ km s$^{-1}$. The most plausible origin for the expanding bubble is the fast outflow (with velocity of hundreds km s$^{-1}$) driven from the vicinity of a WD as it accreted matter from a nondegenerate companion star. The SNR has been expanding in the low-density wind-blown bubble, and the shock wave has just reached the molecular cavity wall. The SNR has been expanding in the low-density wind-blown bubble, and the shock wave has just reached the molecular cavity wall. This is the first unambiguous detection of an expanding bubble driven by the progenitor of a Type-Ia SNR, which constitutes evidence for a single-degenerate progenitor for this SN Ia.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Gone with the heat: A fundamental constraint on the imaging of dust and molecular gas in the early Universe

Images of dust continuum and carbon monoxide (CO) line emission are powerful tools for deducing structural characteristics of galaxies, such as disk sizes, H$_2$ gas velocity fields and enclosed H$_2$ and dynamical masses. We report on a fundamental constraint set by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on the observed structural and dynamical characteristics of galaxies, as deduced from dust continuum and CO-line imaging at high redshifts. As the CMB temperature rises in the distant Universe, the ensuing thermal equilibrium between the CMB and the cold dust and H$_2$ gas progressively erases all spatial and spectral contrasts between their brightness distributions and the CMB. For high-redshift galaxies, this strongly biases the recoverable H$_2$ gas and dust mass distributions, scale lengths, gas velocity fields and dynamical mass estimates. This limitation is unique to mm/submm wavelengths and unlike its known effect on the global dust continuum and molecular line emission of galaxies, it cannot be addressed simply. We nevertheless identify a unique signature of CMB-affected continuum brightness distributions, namely an increasing rather than diminishing contrast between such brightness distributions and the CMB when the cold dust in distant galaxies is imaged at frequencies beyond the Raleigh-Jeans limit. For the molecular gas tracers, the same effect makes the atomic carbon (CI) lines maintain a larger contrast than the CO lines against the CMB.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

SMA observations of C2H in High-Mass Star Forming Regions

C$_2$H is a representative hydrocarbon that is abundant and ubiquitous in the interstellar medium (ISM). To study its chemical properties, we present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the C$_2$H $N=3-2$ and HC$_3$N $J=30-29$ transitions and the 1.1 mm continuum emission toward four OB cluster-forming regions, AFGL 490, ON 1, W33 Main, and G10.6-0.4, which cover a bolometric luminosity range of $\sim$10$^3$--10$^6$ $L_{\odot}$. We found that on large scales, the C$_2$H emission traces the dense molecular envelope. However, for all observed sources, the peaks of C$_2$H emission are offset by several times times 10$^4$ AU from the peaks of 1.1 mm continuum emission, where the most luminous stars are located. By comparing the distribution and profiles of C$_2$H hyperfine lines and the 1.1 mm continuum emission, we find that the C$_2$H column density (and abundance) around the 1.1 mm continuum peaks is lower than those in the ambient gas envelope. Chemical models suggest that C$_2$H might be transformed to other species owing to increased temperature and density; thus, its reduced abundance could be the signpost of the heated molecular gas in the $\sim$10$^4$ AU vicinity around the embedded high-mass stars. Our results support such theoretical prediction for centrally embedded $\sim10^3$--$10^6L_{\odot}$ OB star-forming cores, while future higher-resolution observations are required to examine the C$_2$H transformation around the localized sites of high-mass star formation.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The Weak Carbon Monoxide Emission In An Extremely Metal Poor Galaxy, Sextans A

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the primary coolants of gas and an easily accessible tracer of molecular gas in spiral galaxies but it is unclear if CO plays a similar role in metal poor dwarfs. We carried out a deep observation with IRAM 30 m to search for CO emission by targeting the brightest far-IR peak in a nearby extremely metal poor galaxy, Sextans A, with 7% Solar metallicity. A weak CO J=1-0 emission is seen, which is already faint enough to place a strong constraint on the conversion factor (a_CO) from the CO luminosity to the molecular gas mass that is derived from the spatially resolved dust mass map. The a_CO is at least seven hundred times the Milky Way value. This indicates that CO emission is exceedingly weak in extremely metal poor galaxies, challenging its role as a coolant in these galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

SMT CO (2-1) Observations of Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies

We present CO $J$=2-1 observations towards 32 nearby gas-rich star-forming galaxies selected from the ALFALFA and WISE catalogs, using the Sub-millimeter Telescope. Our sample is selected to be dominated by intermediate-$M_{\rm *}$ galaxies. The scaling-relations between molecular gas, atomic gas and galactic properties (stellar mass, NUV$- r$ and WISE color W3$-$W2) are examined and discussed. Our results show that (1). In the galaxies with stellar mass $M_{\rm *}$ $\leqslant 10^{10}$ $M_{\odot}$, HI fraction ($f_{\rm HI}$ $\equiv$ $M_{\rm HI}$/$M_{\rm *}$) is significantly higher than that of more massive galaxies, while H$_2$ gas fraction ($f_{\rm H_2}$ $\equiv$ $M_{\rm H_2}$/$M_{\rm *}$) remain nearly unchanged. (2). Comparing with $f_{\rm H_2}$, $f_{\rm HI}$ correlates better with both $M_{\rm *}$ and NUV$- r$. (3). A new parameter, WISE color W3$-$W2 (12\,$μ$m$-$4.6\,$μ$m) is introduced, which is similar to NUV$- r$ in tracing star formation activity, and we find that W3$-$W2 has a tighter anti-correlation with log $f_{\rm H_2}$ than the anti-correlation of (NUV$- r$) - $f_{\rm HI}$, (NUV$- r$) - $f_{\rm H_2}$ and (W3$-$W2) - $f_{\rm HI}$. This indicates that W3$-$W2 can trace the H$_2$ fraction in galaxies. For gas ratio $M_{\rm H_2}$/$M_{\rm HI}$, only in the intermediate-$M_{\rm *}$ galaxies it appears to depend on $M_{\rm *}$ and NUV$- r$. We find a tight correlation between the molecular gas mass $M_{\rm H_2}$ and 12\,$μ$m (W3) luminosities ($L_{\rm 12\,μm}$), and the slope is close to unity (1.03 $\pm$ 0.06) for the SMT sample. This correlation may reflect that the cold gas and dust are well mixed on global galactic scale. Using the all-sky 12\,$μ$m (W3) data available in WISE, this correlation can be used to estimate CO flux for molecular gas observations and can even predict H$_2$ mass for star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Inefficient Star Formation In Extremely Metal Poor Galaxies

The first galaxies contain stars born out of gas with little or no metals. The lack of metals is expected to inhibit efficient gas cooling and star formation but this effect has yet to be observed in galaxies with oxygen abundance relative to hydrogen below a tenth of that of the Sun. Extremely metal poor nearby galaxies may be our best local laboratories for studying in detail the conditions that prevailed in low metallicity galaxies at early epochs. Carbon Monoxide (CO) emission is unreliable as tracers of gas at low metallicities, and while dust has been used to trace gas in low-metallicity galaxies, low-spatial resolution in the far-infrared has typically led to large uncertainties. Here we report spatially-resolved infrared observations of two galaxies with oxygen abundances below 10 per cent solar, and show that stars form very inefficiently in seven star-forming clumps of these galaxies. The star formation efficiencies are more than ten times lower than found in normal, metal rich galaxies today, suggesting that star formation may have been very inefficient in the early Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Physical conditions of molecular gas in the Circinus galaxy: Multi-J CO and CI 1-0 observations

We report mapping observations of the $^{12}$CO $J=3-2$, $4-3$, $6-5$, and $7-6$ transitions and the CI 492 GHz transition toward the central 40$''\times$40$''$ region of the Circinus galaxy, using the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope. We also detected $^{13}$CO $J=3-2$ at the central position of Circinus. These observations are to date the highest CO transitions reported in Circinus. With large velocity gradient (LVG) modeling and likelihood analysis we try to obtain density, temperature, and column density of the molecular gas in three regions: the nuclear region ($D< 18''\sim$ 360 pc), the entire central 45$''$ ($D<45''\sim$ 900pc) region, and the star-forming (S-F) ring (18$''<D<45''$). In the nuclear region, we can fit the CO excitation with a single excitation component, yielding an average condition of $n_{\rm H_2} \sim 10^{3.2}$cm$^{-3}$, $T_{\rm kin}$ $\sim$ 200 K, and d$v$/d$r \sim$ 3 km s$^{-1}$pc$^{-1}$. In the entire 45$''$ region, two excitation components are needed with $n_{\rm H_2}$ $\sim$ 10$^{4.2}$ and 10$^{3.0}$ cm$^{-3}$, $T_{\rm kin}\sim$ 60 K and 30 K, and $M_{\rm H_2}\sim$ $2.3\times 10^7$ M$_\odot$ and $6.6 \times 10^7$ M$_\odot$, respectively. The gas excitation in the S-F ring can also be fitted with two LVG components, after subtracting the CO fluxes in the 18$''$ region. The S-F ring region contributes 80\% of the molecular mass in the 45$''$ region. For the 45$''$ region, we find a conversion factor of $N({\rm H_2})/I_{\rm CO\ 1-0}$ = $0.37\times 10^{20}$ cm$^{-2} ({\rm K\ km\ s}^{-1})^{-1}$, about 1/5 of the Galactic disk value. The luminosity ratios of CI and $^{12}$CO $J=3-2$ ($R_{\rm CI/CO\ J=3-2}$) in Circinus basically follow a linear trend. The average $R_{\rm CI/CO\ J=3-2}$ in Circinus is $\sim$ 0.2, lying at an intermediate value between non-AGN nuclear region and high-redshift galaxies.

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arXiv2014

Molecular gas heating mechanisms, and star formation feedback in merger/s tarbursts: NGC 6240 and Arp 193 as case studies

We used the SPIRE/FTS instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO) to obtain the Spectral Line Energy Distributions (SLEDs) of CO from J=4-3 to J=13-12 of Arp 193 and NGC 6240, two classical merger/starbursts selected from our molecular line survey of local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs: L_{IR}>=10^{11} L_{sol}). The high-J CO SLEDs are then combined with ground-based low-J CO, {13}CO, HCN, HCO+, CS line data and used to probe the thermal and dynamical states of their large molecular gas reservoirs. We find the two CO SLEDs strongly diverging from J=4-3 onwards, with NGC6240 having a much higher CO line excitation than Arp193, despite their similar low-J CO SLEDs and L_{FIR}/L_{CO,1-0}, L_{HCN}/L_{CO} (J=1-0) ratios (proxies of star formation efficiency and dense gas mass fraction). In Arp193, one of the three most extreme starbursts in the local Universe, the molecular SLEDs indicate a small amount ~(5-15)% of dense gas (n>=10^{4}cm^{-3}) unlike NGC6240 where most of the molecular gas (~(60-70)%) is dense n~(10^4-10^5)cm^{-3}. Strong star-formation feedback can drive this disparity in their dense gas mass fractions, and also induce extreme thermal and dynamical states for the molecular gas.In NGC6240, and to a lesser degree in Arp193, we find large molecular gas masses whose thermal states cannot be maintained by FUV photons from Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs). We argue that this may happen often in metal-rich merger/starbursts, strongly altering the initial conditions of star formation. ALMA can now directly probe these conditions across cosmic epoch, and even probe their deeply dust-enshrouded outcome, the stellar IMF averaged over galactic evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Dense Gas Tracers and Star Formation Laws in Active Galaxies: APEX Survey of HCN J=4-3, HCO+ J=4-3, and CS J=7-6

We report HCN J=4-3, HCO+ J=4-3, and CS J=7-6 observations in 20 nearby star-forming galaxies with the Acatama Pathfinder EXperiment 12-m telescope. Combined with 4 HCN, 3 HCO+, and 4 CS detections in literature, we probe the empirical link between the luminosity of molecular gas (L_gas) and that of infrared emission (L_IR), up to the highest gas densities (10^6 - 10^8 cm-3) that have been probed so far. For nearby galaxies with large radii, we measure the IR luminosity within the submm beam-size (14"-18") to match the molecular emission. We find linear slopes for L_CS76-L_IR and L_HCN43-L_IR, and a slightly super-linear slope for L_HCO+43-L_IR. The correlation of L_CS76-L_IR even extends over eight orders of luminosity magnitude down to Galactic dense cores, with a fit of log(L_IR)=1.00(\pm 0.01) \times log(L_CS76) + 4.03(\pm 0.04). Such linear correlations appear to hold for all densities >10^4 cm-3, and indicate that star formation rate is not related to free-fall time scale for dense molecular gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

The molecular gas in Luminous Infrared Galaxies: a new emergent picture

Results from a large, multi-J CO, {13}CO, and HCN line survey of Luminous Infrared Galaxies (L_{IR}>=10^{10} L_{\odot}) in the local Universe (z<=0.1), complemented by CO J=4--3 up to J=13--12 observations from the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO), paints a new picture for the average conditions of the molecular gas of the most luminous of these galaxies with turbulence and/or large cosmic ray (CR) energy densities U_{CR} rather than far-UV/optical photons from star-forming sites as the dominant heating sources. Especially in ULIRGs (L_{IR}>10^{12} L_{\odot}) the Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs) can encompass at most \sim few% of their molecular gas mass while the large U_{CR} and the strong turbulence in these merger/starbursts, can volumetrically heat much of their molecular gas to T_{kin}\sim(100-200)K, unhindered by the high dust extinctions. Moreover the strong supersonic turbulence in ULIRGs relocates much of their molecular gas at much higher average densities than in isolated spirals. This renders low-J CO lines incapable of constraining the properties of the bulk of the molecular gas in ULIRGs, with substantial and systematic underestimates of its mass possible when only such lines are used. A comparative study of multi-J HCN lines and CO SLEDs from J=1--0 up to J=13--12 of NGC 6240 and Arp 193 offers a clear example of two merger/starbursts whose similar low-J CO SLEDs, and L_{IR}/L_{CO,1-0}, L_{HCN, 1-0}/L_{CO,1-0} ratios, yield no indications about their strongly diverging CO SLEDs beyond J=4--3, and ultimately the different physical conditions in their molecular ISM. The much larger sensitivity of ALMA and its excellent site in the Atacama desert now allows the observations necessary to ....

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

A Kiloparsec-Scale Binary Active Galactic Nucleus Confirmed by the Expanded Very Large Array

We report the confirmation of a kpc-scale binary active galactic nucleus (AGN) with high-resolution radio images from the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a double-peaked [O III] AGN at z = 0.39 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our previous near-infrared adaptive optics imaging reveals two nuclei separated by 1.4" (7.4 kpc), and our optical integral-field spectroscopy suggests that they are a type-1--type-2 AGN pair. However, these data alone cannot rule out the single AGN scenario where the narrow emission-line region associated with the secondary is photoionized by the broad-line AGN in the primary. Our new EVLA images at 1.4, 5.0, and 8.5 GHz show two steep-spectrum compact radio sources spatially coincident with the optical nuclei. The radio power of the type-2 AGN is an order-of-magnitude in excess of star-forming galaxies with similar extinction-corrected [O II] 3727 luminosities, indicating that the radio emission is powered by accretion. Therefore, SDSS J150243.1+111557 is one of the few confirmed kpc-scale binary AGN systems. Spectral-energy-distribution modeling shows that SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a merger of two ~10^{11} M_sun galaxies. With both black hole masses around 10^8 Msun, the AGNs are accreting at ~10 times below the Eddington limit.

astro-ph.CO↗