The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052

Details The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052 The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052

Jun 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998apj...500l.129c&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal Letters v.500, p.L129

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

85

Galaxies: Individual Ngc Number: Ngc 1052, Galaxies: Active, Galaxies: Ism, Galaxies: Nuclei, Masers, Radio Lines: Galaxies

Scientific paper

Very luminous water masers have been detected toward only two elliptical galaxies; the emission lines are relatively broad (~90 km s ^{-1} ) and smooth, unlike the narrow maser spikes seen in other active galaxies. We have made the first VLBI observations of the water masers in one of these galaxies, NGC 1052. We find that the masers lie along, rather than perpendicular to, the jet. The scale of the maser emission is about 400 mu as (7000 AU). The masers could be associated with the radio jet, and we show that the jet is energetically capable of powering the observed maser emission by driving slow, nondissociative shocks into circumnuclear, dense molecular clouds. Alternatively, the masers could represent the amplification of the radio continuum emission of the jet by foreground molecular clouds. Further VLBI observations should be able to distinguish between these two possibilities.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052 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 The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Water Masers in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1052 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1331397