Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009hst..prop12174l&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #12174. Cycle 18
Physics
Scientific paper
The nuclear spiral in M31, consisting of ionized and neutral dusty gas clouds of typically sub-parsec sizes, shows optical emission lines characteristic of LINERs. Yet the lack of UV radiation from either an active nucleus or massive young stars makes the ionizing source of this nearest LINER a longstanding puzzle. We propose a WFC/UVIS observation of the nuclear spiral, using appropriate narrow-band filters to map the H alpha, [N II] and [O III] lines. The resolving power of HST is essential to measuring the line intensities and their ratios from discrete gas clouds across the nuclear spiral, based on which we can derive the physical properties of gas such as density and ionization state. We will then assess the relative importance of ionization/excitation mechanisms, in particular UV radiation provided by evolved stars and heating by cosmic-rays, by confronting with theoretical models. This study advances our understanding of the regulation of galactic circumnuclear environments, which is in turn crucial to understanding the evolution of the central super-massive black hole and the host galaxy.;
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