Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1998-06-25
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
10 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX (mn.sty & psfig.sty). Accepted for publication in MNRAS
Scientific paper
10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01928.x
We present near-infrared emission line images of the circumnuclear ring in NGC1068. We have measured the Br_gamma fluxes in a number of star forming complexes and derived extinctions for each of these by comparison with H_alpha. We investigate the star forming histories of these regions and find that a short burst of star formation occured co-evally throughout the ring within the last 30-40 Myr, and perhaps as recently as 4-7 Myr ago. The 1-0 S(1) flux and S(1)/Br_gamma ratios indicate that as well as fluorescence, shock excited H_2 emission contributes to the total flux. There is excess H_2 flux to the North-West where the ionisation cone crosses the ring, and we have shown it is possible that the non-stellar continuum from the Seyfert nucleus which produces the high excitation lines could also be causing fluorescence at the edges of molecular clouds in the ring. The nuclear 1-0 S(1) is more extended than previously realised but only along the bar's major axis, and we consider mechanisms for its excitation.
Davies Richard I.
Sugai Hajime
Ward Martin J.
No associations
LandOfFree
Star Formation in the Circumnuclear Environment of NGC1068 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Star Formation in the Circumnuclear Environment of NGC1068, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Star Formation in the Circumnuclear Environment of NGC1068 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-322400