Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2000-03-31
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
17 pages, 3 postscript figures, AASTeX format, in press for Astronomical Journal, July 2000
Scientific paper
10.1086/301428
Archival VLA data has been used to produce arcsecond-resolution 6- and 20-cm images of the region surrounding the nuclear 200-pc (~15") starburst in NGC 253. Twenty-two discrete sources stronger than 0.4 mJy have been detected within ~2 kpc (~3') of the galaxy nucleus; almost all these sources must be associated with the galaxy. None of the radio sources coincides with a detected X-ray binary, so they appear to be due to supernova remnants and H II regions. The region outside the central starburst has a derived radio supernova rate of <~0.1/yr, and may account for at least 20% of the recent star formation in NGC 253. Most of the newly identified sources have steep, nonthermal radio spectra, but several relatively strong thermal sources also exist, containing the equivalent of tens of O5 stars. These stars are spread over tens of parsecs, and are embedded in regions having average ionized gas densities of 20-200/cm^3, much lower than in the most active nuclear star-forming regions in NGC 253 or in the super star clusters seen in other galaxies. The strongest region of thermal emission coincides with a highly reddened area seen at near-infrared wavelengths, possibly containing optically obscured H II regions.
No associations
LandOfFree
Cicrumnuclear Supernova Remnants and HII Regions in NGC 253 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 Cicrumnuclear Supernova Remnants and HII Regions in NGC 253, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cicrumnuclear Supernova Remnants and HII Regions in NGC 253 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-290943