Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991apj...382l..75h&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 2 - Letters (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 382, Dec. 1, 1991, p. L75-L79.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
54
Carbon Monoxide, Galactic Nuclei, Interstellar Gas, Molecular Spectra, Starburst Galaxies, Submillimeter Waves, Molecular Clouds, Rotational Spectra, Star Formation Rate
Scientific paper
The detection of carbon monoxide (CO) J = 6-5 emission from the starburst nuclei of the galaxies NGC 253, M82, and IC 342 is reported. The 6-5 transition is used as a thermometer of warm molecular gas in starburst nuclei, unambiguously finding that the nuclear molecular gas in starburst galaxies is substantially warmer than in typical disk clouds. Nuclear gas heating could be either large scale, for example, turbulent motions or cloud-cloud collisions in noncircular bar orbits; more local effects of radiation from high-mass star formation and supernovae; or some combination. High CO excitation temperatures can affect galactic nuclear mass estimates and consequently star formation efficiencies deduced from lower J CO lines.
Genzel Reinhard
Graf Urs U.
Harris Andrew I.
Hills Richard E.
Russell Adrian P. G.
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