Thomas Nikola

CO (J = 7→6) Observations of NGC 253: Cosmic-Ray-heated Warm Molecular Gas

We report observations of the CO J = 7 → 6 transition toward the starburst nucleus of NGC 253. This is the highest excitation CO measurement in this source to date and allows an estimate of the molecular gas excitation conditions. Comparison of the CO line intensities with a large velocity gradient, escape probability model indicates that the bulk of the × 107 M☉ of molecular gas in the central 180 pc is highly excited. A model with T ~ 120 K, n ~ 4.5 × 104 cm-3, is consistent with the observed CO intensities, as well as the rotational H2 lines observed with the Infrared Space Observatory. The inferred mass of warm, dense molecular gas is 10-30 times the atomic gas mass as traced through its [C II] and [O I] line emission. This large mass ratio is inconsistent with photodissociation region models in which the gas is heated by far-UV starlight. It is also not likely that the gas is heated by shocks in outflows or cloud-cloud collisions. We conclude that the best mechanism for heating the gas is cosmic rays, which provide a natural means of uniformly heating the full volume of molecular clouds. With the tremendous supernova rate in the nucleus of NGC 253, the cosmic-ray heating rate is at least ~800 times greater than that in the Galaxy, more than sufficient to match the cooling observed in the CO lines.

Detection of the 205 μm [N II] line from the Carina Nebula

We report the first detection of the 205 μm 3P1 P0 [N II] line from a ground-based observatory using a direct detection spectrometer. The line was detected from the Carina star formation region using the South Pole Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer (SPIFI) on the Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory (AST/RO) at the South Pole. The [N II] 205 μm line strength indicates a low-density (n ~ 32 cm-3) ionized medium, similar to the low-density ionized halo previously reported in its [O III] 52 and 88 μm line emission. When compared with the Infrared Space Observatory [C II] observations of this region, we find that 27% of the [C II] line emission arises from this low-density ionized gas, but the large majority (~73%) of the observed [C II] line emission arises from the neutral interstellar medium. This result supports and underpins prior conclusions that most of the observed [C II] 158 μm line emission from Galactic and extragalactic sources arises from the warm, dense photodissociated surfaces of molecular clouds. The detection of the [N II] line demonstrates the utility of Antarctic sites for THz spectroscopy.

DETECTION OF THE 158 μm [C II] TRANSITION AT z = 1.3: EVIDENCE FOR A GALAXY-WIDE STARBURST

We report the detection of 158 μm [C II] fine-structure line emission from MIPS J142824.0+352619, a hyperluminous (L IR ~ 1013 L ☉) starburst galaxy at z = 1.3. The line is bright, corresponding to a fraction L [C II]/L FIR 2 × 10–3 of the far-IR (FIR) continuum. The [C II], CO, and FIR continuum emission may be modeled as arising from photodissociation regions (PDRs) that have a characteristic gas density of n ~ 104.2 cm–3, and that are illuminated by a far-UV radiation field ~103.2 times more intense than the local interstellar radiation field. The mass in these PDRs accounts for approximately half of the molecular gas mass in this galaxy. The L [C II]/L FIR ratio is higher than observed in local ultraluminous infrared galaxies or in the few high-redshift QSOs detected in [C II], but the L [C II]/L FIR and L CO/L FIR ratios are similar to the values seen in nearby starburst galaxies. This suggests that MIPS J142824.0+352619 is a scaled-up version of a starburst nucleus, with the burst extended over several kiloparsecs.

SPIFI: A direct-detection imaging spectrometer for submillimeter wavelengths

The South Pole Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer (SPIFI) is the first instrument of its kind-a direct-detection imaging spectrometer for astronomy in the submillimeter band. SPIFIs focal plane is a square array of 25 silicon bolometers cooled to 60 mK; the spectrometer consists of two cryogenic scanning Fabry-Perot interferometers in series with a 60-mK bandpass filter. The instrument operates in the short submillimeter windows (350 and 450 microm) available from the ground, with spectral resolving power selectable between 500 and 10,000. At present, SPIFIs sensitivity is within a factor of 1.5-3 of the photon background limit, comparable with the best heterodyne spectrometers. The instruments large bandwidth and mapping capability provide substantial advantages for specific astrophysical projects, including deep extragalactic observations. We present the motivation for and design of SPIFI and its operational characteristics on the telescope.

Strong C^+ Emission in Galaxies at z ~ 1-2: Evidence for Cold Flow Accretion Powered Star Formation in the Early Universe

We have recently detected the [CII] 157.7 micron line in eight star forming galaxies at redshifts 1 to 2 using the redshift(z) Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS). Our sample targets star formation dominant sources detected in PAH emission. This represents a significant addition to [CII] observations during the epoch of peak star formation. We have augmented this survey with observations of the [OI] 63 micron line and far infrared photometry from the PACS and SPIRE Herschel instruments as well as Spitzer IRS spectra from the literature showing PAH features. Our sources exhibit above average gas heating efficiency, many with both [OI]/FIR and [CII]/FIR ~1% or more. The relatively strong [CII] emission is consistent with our sources being dominated by star formation powered PDRs, extending to kpc scales. We suggest that the star formation mode in these systems follows a Schmidt-Kennicutt law similar to local systems, but at a much higher rate due to molecular gas surface densities 10 to 100 times that of local star forming systems. The source of the high molecular gas surface densities may be the infall of neutral gas from the cosmic web. In addition to the high [CII]/FIR values, we also find high [CII]/PAH ratios and, in at least one source, a cool dust temperature. This source, SWIRE 4-5, bears a resemblance in these diagnostics to shocked regions of Stephans Quintet, suggesting that another mode of [CII] excitation in addition to normal photoelectric heating may be contributing to the observed [CII] line.

Detection of the 13CO J = 6→ 5 transition in the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

We report the detection of 13CO J = 6→ 5 emission from the nucleus of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with the redshift (z) and Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS), a new submillimeter grating spectrometer. This is the first extragalactic detection of the 13CO J = 6→ 5 transition, which traces warm, dense molecular gas. We employ a multiline LVG analysis and find ≈35%-60% of the molecular interstellar medium is both warm (T ~ 110 K) and dense (nH2 ~ 104 cm−3). We analyze the potential heat sources and conclude that ultraviolet and X-ray photons are unlikely to be energetically important. Instead, the molecular gas is most likely heated by an elevated density of cosmic rays or by the decay of supersonic turbulence through shocks. If the cosmic rays and turbulence are created by stellar feedback within the starburst, then our analysis suggests the starburst may be self-limiting.

First Detections of the [N II] 122 μm Line at High Redshift: Demonstrating the Utility of the Line for Studying Galaxies in the Early Universe

We report the first detections of the [N II] 122 μm line from a high-redshift galaxy. The line was strongly (>6σ) detected from SMMJ02399–0136, and H1413+117 (the Cloverleaf QSO) using the Redshift (z) and Early Universe Spectrometer on the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. The lines from both sources are quite bright with line to far-infrared (FIR) continuum luminosity ratios that are ~7.0 × 10–4 (Cloverleaf) and 2.1 × 10–3 (SMMJ02399). With ratios 2-10 times larger than the average value for nearby galaxies, neither source exhibits the line-to-continuum deficits seen in nearby sources. The line strengths also indicate large ionized gas fractions, ~8%-17% of the molecular gas mass. The [O III]/[N II] line ratio is very sensitive to the effective temperature of ionizing stars and the ionization parameter for emission arising in the narrow-line region (NLR) of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Using our previous detection of the [O III] 88 μm line, the [O III]/[N II] line ratio for SMMJ02399–0136 indicates that the dominant source of the line emission is either stellar H II regions ionized by O9.5 stars, or the NLR of the AGN with ionization parameter log(U) = –3.3 to –4.0. A composite system, where 30%-50% of the FIR lines arise in the NLR also matches the data. The Cloverleaf is best modeled by a superposition of ~200 M82-like starbursts accounting for all of the FIR emission and 43% of the [N II] line. The remainder may come from the NLR. This work demonstrates the utility of the [N II] and [O III] lines in constraining properties of the ionized medium.

High-J CO Sleds in Nearby Infrared Bright Galaxies Observed By Herschel/PACS

We report the detection of far-infrared (FIR) CO rotational emission from nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) and starburst galaxies, as well as several merging systems and Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). Using Herschel-PACS, we have detected transitions in the J

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