您选择的条件: Zhi-Yu Zhang
  • Unusually high HCO+/CO ratios in and outside supernova remnant W49B

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) and their environments provide the nearest laboratories to study SN feedback. We performed molecular observations toward SNR W49B, the most luminous Galactic SNR in the X-ray band, aiming to explore signs of multiple feedback channels of SNRs on nearby molecular clouds (MCs). We found very broad HCO+ lines with widths of dv = 48--75 km/s in the SNR southwest, providing strong evidence that W49B is perturbing MCs at a systemic velocity of $V_{LSR}=61$--65 km/s, and placing W49B at a distance of $7.9\pm 0.6$ kpc. We observed unusually high-intensity ratios of HCO+ J=1-0/CO J=1-0 not only at shocked regions ($1.1\pm 0.4$ and $0.70\pm 0.16$), but also in quiescent clouds over 1 pc away from the SNR's eastern boundary (> 0.2). By comparing with the magnetohydrodynamics shock models, we interpret that the high ratio in the broad-line regions can result from a cosmic-ray (CR) induced chemistry in shocked MCs, where the CR ionization rate is enhanced to around 10--100 times of the Galactic level. The high HCO+/CO ratio outside the SNR is probably caused by the radiation precursor, while the luminous X-ray emission of W49B can explain a few properties in this region. The above results provide observational evidence that SNRs can strongly influence the molecular chemistry in and outside the shock boundary via their shocks, CRs, and radiation. We propose that the HCO+/CO ratio is a potentially useful tool to probe an SNR's multichannel influence on MCs.

  • The Volumetric Extended-Schmidt Law: A Unity Slope

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We investigate the extended-Schmidt (ES) law in volume densities ($\rho_{\rm SFR}$ $\propto$ $(\rho_{\rm gas}\rho_{\rm star}^{0.5})^{\alpha^{\rm VES}}$) for spatially-resolved regions in spiral, dwarf, and ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs), and compare to the volumetric Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) law ($\rho_{\rm SFR}$ $\propto$ $\rho_{\rm gas}^{\alpha^{\rm VKS}}$). We first characterize these star formation laws in individual galaxies using a sample of 11 spirals, finding median slopes $\alpha^{\rm VES}$=0.98 and $\alpha^{\rm VKS}$=1.42, with a galaxy-to-galaxy rms fluctuation that is substantially smaller for the volumetric ES law (0.18 vs 0.41). By combining all regions in spirals with those in additional 13 dwarfs and one UDG into one single dataset, it is found that the rms scatter of the volumetric ES law at given x-axis is 0.25 dex, also smaller than that of the volumetric KS law (0.34 dex). At the extremely low gas density regime as offered by the UDG, the volumetric KS law breaks down but the volumetric ES law still holds. On the other hand, as compared to the surface density ES law, the volumetric ES law instead has a slightly larger rms scatter, consistent with the scenario that the ES law has an intrinsic slope of $\alpha^{\rm VES} \equiv$1 but the additional observational error of the scale height increases the uncertainty of the volume density. The unity slope of the ES law implies that the star formation efficiency (=$\rho_{\rm SFR}$/$\rho_{\rm gas}$) is regulated by the quantity that is related to the $\rho_{\rm star}^{0.5}$.

  • Dependence of Chemical Abundance on the Cosmic Ray Ionization Rate in IC 348

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Ions (e.g., H$_3^+$, H$_2$O$^+$) have been used extensively to quantify the cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) in diffuse sightlines. However, measurements of CRIR in low-to-intermediate density gas environments are rare, especially when background stars are absent. In this work, we combine molecular line observations of CO, OH, CH, and HCO$^+$ in the star-forming cloud IC~348, and chemical models to constrain the value of CRIR and study the response of the chemical abundances distribution. The cloud boundary is found to have an $A_{\rm V}$ of approximately 4 mag. From the interior to the exterior of the cloud, the observed $^{13}$CO line intensities drop by an order of magnitude. The calculated average abundance of $^{12}$CO (assuming $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C = 65) is (1.2$\pm$0.9) $\times$10$^{-4}$, which increases by a factor of 6 from the interior to the outside regions. The average abundance of CH (3.3$\pm$0.7 $\times$ 10$^{-8}$) is in good agreement with previous findings in diffuse and translucent clouds ($A_{\rm V}$ $<$ 5 mag). However, we did not find a decline in CH abundance in regions of high extinction ($A_{\rm V}\simeq$8 mag) as previously reported in Taurus. By comparing the observed molecular abundances and chemical models, we find a decreasing trend of CRIR as $A_{\rm V}$ increases. The inferred CRIR of $\zeta_{cr}$ = (4.7$\pm$1.5) $\times$ 10$^{-16}$ s$^{-1}$ at low $A_{\rm V}$ is consistent with H$^+_3$ measurements toward two nearby massive stars.

  • Cold gas disks in main-sequence galaxies at cosmic noon: Low turbulence, flat rotation curves, and disk-halo degeneracy

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We study the dynamics of cold molecular gas in two main-sequence galaxies at cosmic noon (zC-488879 at $z\simeq1.47$ and zC-400569 at $z\simeq2.24$) using new high-resolution ALMA observations of multiple $^{12}$CO transitions. For zC-400569 we also re-analyze high-quality H$\alpha$ data from the SINS/zC-SINF survey. We find that (1) Both galaxies have regularly rotating CO disks and their rotation curves are flat out to $\sim$8 kpc contrary to previous results pointing to outer declines in the rotation speed $V_{\rm rot}$; (2) The intrinsic velocity dispersions are low ($\sigma_{\rm CO}\lesssim15$ km/s for CO and $\sigma_{\rm H\alpha}\lesssim37$ km/s for H$\alpha$) and imply $V_{\rm rot}/\sigma_{\rm CO}\gtrsim17-22$ yielding no significant pressure support; (3) Mass models using HST images display a severe disk-halo degeneracy: models with inner baryon dominance and models with "cuspy" dark matter halos can fit the rotation curves equally well due to the uncertainties on stellar and gas masses; (4) Milgromian dynamics (MOND) can successfully fit the rotation curves with the same acceleration scale $a_0$ measured at $z\simeq0$. The question of the amount and distribution of dark matter in high-$z$ galaxies remains unsettled due to the limited spatial extent of the available kinematic data; we discuss the suitability of various emission lines to trace extended rotation curves at high $z$. Nevertheless, the properties of these two high-$z$ galaxies (high $V_{\rm rot}/\sigma_{\rm V}$ ratios, inner rotation curve shapes, bulge-to-total mass ratios) are remarkably similar to those of massive spirals at $z\simeq0$, suggesting weak dynamical evolution over more than 10 Gyr of the Universe's lifetime.

  • HCN (1-0) opacity of outflowing gas in Arp 220W

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Context. We present our findings for the HCN/H13CN 1-0 line ratio in the molecular outflow of Arp 220 west based on high-resolution ALMA data. Aims. Molecular gas masses in the outflowing gas of galaxies driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or starbursts are important parameters for understanding the feedback of these latter two phenomena and star-formation quenching. The conversion factor of line luminosities to masses is related to the optical depth of the molecular lines. Methods. Using H13CN 1-0, the isotopic line of HCN 1-0, to obtain the line ratio of HCN/H13CN 1-0 is an ideal way to derive the optical depth of HCN 1-0 in outflowing gas. Results. With the nondetection of H13CN 1-0 in the outflowing gas, a 3{\sigma} lower limit of HCN/H13CN 1-0 line ratio is obtained, which is at least three times higher than that found in the whole of the whole system of Arp 220. The high HCN/H13CN 1-0 line ratio indicates low opacity of HCN 1-0 in the outflowing gas, even though the upper limit of HCN 1-0 opacity obtained here is still not good enough to draw any robust conclusions if HCN 1-0 is optically thin. A lower conversion factor of HCN 1-0 luminosity to dense gas mass in the outflowing gas should be used than that used for the host galaxy of Arp 220.

  • Asymmetric star formation triggered by gas inflow in a barred lenticular galaxy PGC 34107

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Comparing to the inactive and gas-poor normal lenticular galaxies (S0s) in the local universe, we study a barred star-forming S0 galaxy, PGC 34107, which has been observed by the Centro Astron\'{o}mico Hispano Alem\'{a}n (CAHA) 3.5-m telescope and the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA). The spatially resolved ionized gas and molecular gas traced by $^{12}$CO(1-0), hereafter CO(1-0), show the similar distribution and kinematics to the stellar component with an off-center star-forming region, $\sim$380 pc away from the center. The resolved kinematics of molecular CO(1-0) emission reveals that there is a blueshifted (redshifted) velocity component on the receding (approaching) side of the galaxy along the stellar bar. This might provide a plausible evidence of non-circular motion, such as the bar-induced molecular gas inflow. The velocity of molecular gas inflow decreases with approaching towards the peak of the off-center star formation in the north, which might be associated with the inner Lindblad resonance (ILR). In addition to CO(1-0), we also detect the isotopic line of $^{13}$CO(1-0). Most $\rm H\alpha$, CO(1-0) and $^{13}$CO(1-0) emissions are concentrated on this northern star-forming region. We find that PGC 34107 follows the local stellar mass-metallicity relation, star-forming main sequence, and the Kennicutt-Schmidt law. The resolved and integrated molecular gas main sequence suggest that there is a higher gas fraction in the galaxy central region, which supports a scenario that the bar-induced gas reservoir provides the raw material, and subsequently triggers the central star formation.

  • PGC 38025: A Star-forming Lenticular Galaxy With an Off-nuclear Star-forming Core

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Lenticular galaxies (S0s) were considered mainly as passive evolved spirals due to environmental effects for a long time; however, most S0s in the field cannot fit into this common scenario. In this work, we study one special case, SDSS J120237.07+642235.3 (PGC 38025), a star-forming field S0 galaxy with an off-nuclear blue core. We present optical integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observation with the 3.5 meter telescope at Calar Alto (CAHA) Observatory, and high-resolution millimeter observation with the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA). We estimated the star formation rate (SFR = 0.446 $M_\odot yr^{-1}$) and gaseous metallicity (12 + log(O/H) = 8.42) for PGC 38025, which follows the star formation main sequence and stellar mass - metallicity relation. We found that the ionized gas and cold molecular gas in PGC 38025 show the same spatial distribution and kinematics, whilst rotating misaligned with stellar component. The off-nuclear blue core is locating at the same redshift as PGC 38025 and its optical spectrum suggest it is \rm H\,{\sc ii} region. We suggest that the star formation in PGC 38025 is triggered by a gas-rich minor merger, and the off-nuclear blue core might be a local star-formation happened during the accretion/merger process.

  • The HI Gas Disk Thickness of the Ultra-diffuse Galaxy AGC 242019

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) are as faint as dwarf galaxies but whose sizes are similar to those of spiral galaxies. A variety of formation mechanisms have been proposed, some of which could result in different disk thicknesses. In this study, we measure the radial profile of the HI scale height (h_g) and flaring angle (h_g/R) of AGC 242019 through the joint Poisson-Boltzmann equation based on its well spatially-resolved HI gas maps. The mean HI scale height of AGC 242019 is \approx 537.15 \pm 89.4 pc, and the mean flaring angle is \approx 0.19 \pm 0.03. As a comparison, we also derive the disk thickness for a sample of 14 dwarf irregulars. It is found that the HI disk of AGC 242019 has comparable thickness to dwarfs. This suggests that AGC 242019 is unlikely to experience much stronger stellar feedback than dwarf galaxies, which otherwise leads to a thicker disk for this galaxy.

  • Sub-percentage measure of distances to redshift of 0.1 by a new cosmic ruler

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Distance-redshift diagrams probe expansion history of the Universe. We show that the stellar mass-binding energy (massE) relation of galaxies proposed in our previous study offers a new distance ruler at cosmic scales. By using elliptical galaxies in the main galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we construct a distance-redshift diagram over the redshift range from 0.05 to 0.2 with the massE ruler. The best-fit dark energy density is 0.675+-0.079 for flat Lambda-CDM, consistent with those by other probes. At the median redshift of 0.11, the median distance is estimated to have a fractional error of 0.34%, much lower than those by supernova (SN) Ia and baryonic acoustic oscillation (BAO) and even exceeding their future capability at this redshift. The above low-z measurement is useful for probing dark energy that dominates at the late Universe. For a flat dark energy equation of state model (flat wCDM), the massE alone constrains w to an error that is only a factor of 2.2, 1.7 and 1.3 times larger than those by BAO, SN Ia, and cosmic microwave background (CMB), respectively.

  • Dense Gas and Star Formation in Nearby Infrared Bright Galaxies: APEX survey of HCN and HCO+ J=2-1

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Both Galactic and extragalactic studies on star formation suggest that stars form directly from dense molecular gas. To trace such high volume density gas, HCN and HCO+ J=1-0 have been widely used for their high dipole moments, relatively high abundances, and often being the strongest lines after CO. However, HCN and HCO+ J=1-0 emission could be arguably dominated by the gas components at low volume densities. HCN J=2-1 and HCO+ J=2-1, with more suitable critical densities and excitation requirements, would trace typical dense gas closely related to star formation. Here we report new observations of HCN J=2-1 and HCO+ J=2-1 towards 17 nearby infrared-bright galaxies with the APEX 12-m telescope. The correlation slopes between luminosities of HCN J=2-1, and HCO+ J=2-1 and total infrared emission are 1.03 +- 0.05 and 1.00 +- 0.05, respectively. The correlations of their surface densities, normalised with the area of radio/sub-millimeter continuum, show even tighter relations (Slopes: 0.99 +- 0.03 and 1.02 +- 0.03). The eight AGN-dominated galaxies show no significant difference from the eleven star-formation dominated galaxies in above relations. The average HCN/HCO+ ratios are 1.15 +- 0.26 and 0.98 +- 0.42 for AGN-dominated and star-formation dominated galaxies, respectively, without obvious dependencies on infrared luminosity, dust temperature, or infrared pumping. The Magellanic Clouds roughly follow the same correlations, expanding to eight orders of magnitude. On the other hand, ultra-luminous infrared galaxies with active galactic nucleus (AGN) systematically lay above the correlations, indicating potential biases introduced by AGNs.

  • Discovery of a radio lobe in the Cloverleaf Quasar at z = 2.56

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The fast growth of supermassive black holes and their feedback to the host galaxies play an important role in regulating the evolution of galaxies, especially in the early Universe. However, due to cosmological dimming and the limited angular resolution of most observations, it is difficult to resolve the feedback from the active galactic nuclei (AGN) to their host galaxies. Gravitational lensing, for its magnification, provides a powerful tool to spatially differentiate emission originated from AGN and host galaxy at high redshifts. Here we report a discovery of a radio lobe in a strongly lensed starburst quasar, H1413+117 or Cloverleaf at redshift $z= 2.56$, based on observational data at optical, sub-millimetre, and radio wavelengths. With both parametric and non-parametric lens models and with reconstructed images on the source plane, we find a differentially lensed, kpc scaled, single-sided radio lobe, located at ${\sim}1.2\,\mathrm{kpc}$ to the north west of the host galaxy on the source plane. From the spectral energy distribution in radio bands, we find that the radio lobe has an energy turning point residing between 1.5 GHz and 8 GHz, indicating an age of 20--50 Myr. This could indicate a feedback switching of Cloverleaf quasar from the jet mode to the quasar mode.

  • Stellar Initial Mass Function Varies with Metallicities and Time

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Most structural and evolutionary properties of galaxies strongly rely on the stellar initial mass function (IMF), namely the distribution of the stellar mass formed in each episode of star formation. As the IMF shapes the stellar population in all stellar systems, it turns out to become one of the most fundamental concepts of modern astronomy. Both constant and variable IMFs across different environments have been claimed despite a large number of theoretical and observational efforts. However, the measurement of the IMF in Galactic stellar populations has been limited by the relatively small number of photometrically observed stars, leading to high uncertainties. Here we report a star-counting result based on ~93,000 spectroscopically observed M-dwarf stars, an order of magnitude more than previous studies, in the 100--300 parsec (pc) Solar neighbourhood. We find unambiguous evidence of a variable IMF that depends on both metallicity and stellar age. Specifically, the stellar population formed at the early time contains fewer low-mass stars compared to the canonical IMF, independent of stellar metallicities. In present days, on the other hand, the proportion of low-mass stars increases with stellar metallicity. The variable abundance of low-mass stars in our Milky Way establishes a powerful benchmark for models of star formation and can heavily impact results in Galactic chemical enrichment modelling, mass estimation of galaxies, and planet formation efficiency.

  • Properties of dense molecular gas along the major axis of M 82

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Dense gas is important for galaxy evolution and star formation. Optically-thin dense-gas tracers, such as isotopologues of HCN, HCO+, etc., are very helpful to diagnose excitation conditions of dense molecular gas. However, previous studies of optically-thin dense-gas tracers were mostly focusing on average properties of galaxies as a whole, due to limited sensitivity and angular resolution. M82, a nearby prototype starburst galaxy, offers a unique case for spatially-resolved studies with single-dish telescopes. With the IRAM 30-m telescope, we observed the J = 1 - 0 transition of H13CN, HC15N, H13CO+, HN13C, H15NC, and SiO J = 2 - 1, HC3N J= 10 - 9, H2CO J = 2 - 1 toward five positions along the major axis of M82. The intensity ratios of I(HCN)/I(H13CN) and I(HCO+)/I(H13CO+) show a significant spatial variation along the major axis, with lower values in the central region than those on the disk, indicating higher optical depths in the central region. The optical depths of HCO+ lines are found to be systematically higher than those of HCN lines at all positions. Futhermore, we find that the 14N/15N ratios have an increasing gradient from the center to the outer disk.

  • The Volumetric Extended-Schmidt Law: A Unity Slope

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We investigate the extended-Schmidt (ES) law in volume densities ($\rho_{\rm SFR}$ $\propto$ $(\rho_{\rm gas}\rho_{\rm star}^{0.5})^{\alpha^{\rm VES}}$) for spatially-resolved regions in spiral, dwarf, and ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs), and compare to the volumetric Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) law ($\rho_{\rm SFR}$ $\propto$ $\rho_{\rm gas}^{\alpha^{\rm VKS}}$). We first characterize these star formation laws in individual galaxies using a sample of 11 spirals, finding median slopes $\alpha^{\rm VES}$=0.98 and $\alpha^{\rm VKS}$=1.42, with a galaxy-to-galaxy rms fluctuation that is substantially smaller for the volumetric ES law (0.18 vs 0.41). By combining all regions in spirals with those in additional 13 dwarfs and one UDG into one single dataset, it is found that the rms scatter of the volumetric ES law at given x-axis is 0.25 dex, also smaller than that of the volumetric KS law (0.34 dex). At the extremely low gas density regime as offered by the UDG, the volumetric KS law breaks down but the volumetric ES law still holds. On the other hand, as compared to the surface density ES law, the volumetric ES law instead has a slightly larger rms scatter, consistent with the scenario that the ES law has an intrinsic slope of $\alpha^{\rm VES} \equiv$1 but the additional observational error of the scale height increases the uncertainty of the volume density. The unity slope of the ES law implies that the star formation efficiency (=$\rho_{\rm SFR}$/$\rho_{\rm gas}$) is regulated by the quantity that is related to the $\rho_{\rm star}^{0.5}$.

  • Stellar Initial Mass Function Varies with Metallicities and Time

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Most structural and evolutionary properties of galaxies strongly rely on the stellar initial mass function (IMF), namely the distribution of the stellar mass formed in each episode of star formation. As the IMF shapes the stellar population in all stellar systems, it turns out to become one of the most fundamental concepts of modern astronomy. Both constant and variable IMFs across different environments have been claimed despite a large number of theoretical and observational efforts. However, the measurement of the IMF in Galactic stellar populations has been limited by the relatively small number of photometrically observed stars, leading to high uncertainties. Here we report a star-counting result based on ~93,000 spectroscopically observed M-dwarf stars, an order of magnitude more than previous studies, in the 100--300 parsec (pc) Solar neighbourhood. We find unambiguous evidence of a variable IMF that depends on both metallicity and stellar age. Specifically, the stellar population formed at the early time contains fewer low-mass stars compared to the canonical IMF, independent of stellar metallicities. In present days, on the other hand, the proportion of low-mass stars increases with stellar metallicity. The variable abundance of low-mass stars in our Milky Way establishes a powerful benchmark for models of star formation and can heavily impact results in Galactic chemical enrichment modelling, mass estimation of galaxies, and planet formation efficiency.

  • Dependence of Chemical Abundance on the Cosmic Ray Ionization Rate in IC 348

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Ions (e.g., H$_3^+$, H$_2$O$^+$) have been used extensively to quantify the cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) in diffuse sightlines. However, measurements of CRIR in low-to-intermediate density gas environments are rare, especially when background stars are absent. In this work, we combine molecular line observations of CO, OH, CH, and HCO$^+$ in the star-forming cloud IC~348, and chemical models to constrain the value of CRIR and study the response of the chemical abundances distribution. The cloud boundary is found to have an $A_{\rm V}$ of approximately 4 mag. From the interior to the exterior of the cloud, the observed $^{13}$CO line intensities drop by an order of magnitude. The calculated average abundance of $^{12}$CO (assuming $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C = 65) is (1.2$\pm$0.9) $\times$10$^{-4}$, which increases by a factor of 6 from the interior to the outside regions. The average abundance of CH (3.3$\pm$0.7 $\times$ 10$^{-8}$) is in good agreement with previous findings in diffuse and translucent clouds ($A_{\rm V}$ $<$ 5 mag). However, we did not find a decline in CH abundance in regions of high extinction ($A_{\rm V}\simeq$8 mag) as previously reported in Taurus. By comparing the observed molecular abundances and chemical models, we find a decreasing trend of CRIR as $A_{\rm V}$ increases. The inferred CRIR of $\zeta_{cr}$ = (4.7$\pm$1.5) $\times$ 10$^{-16}$ s$^{-1}$ at low $A_{\rm V}$ is consistent with H$^+_3$ measurements toward two nearby massive stars.

  • LAMOST meets Gaia: The Galactic Open Clusters

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Open Clusters are born and evolve along the Milky Way plane, on them is imprinted the history of the Galactic disc, including the chemical and dynamical evolution. Chemical and dynamical properties of open clusters can be derived from photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric data of their member stars. Based on the photometric and astrometric data from the Gaia mission, the membership of stars in more than 2000 Galactic clusters has been identified in the literature. The chemical and kinematical properties, however, are still poorly known for many of these clusters. In synergy with the large spectroscopic survey LAMOST (data release 8) and Gaia (data release 2), we report a new comprehensive catalogue of 386 open clusters. This catalogue has homogeneous parameter determinations of radial velocity, metallicity, and dynamical properties, such as orbit, eccentricity, angular momenta, total energy, and 3D Galactic velocity. These parameters allow the first radial velocity determination and the first spectroscopic [Fe/H] determination for 44 and 137 clusters, respectively. The metallicity distribution of majority clusters shows falling trends in the parameter space of the Galactocentric radius, the total energy, and the Z component of angular momentum -- except for two old groups that show flat tails in their own parameter planes. Cluster populations of ages younger and older than 500 Myrs distribute diversely on the disc. The latter has a spatial consistency with the Galactic disc flare. The 3-D spatial comparison between very young clusters (< 100 Myr) and nearby molecular clouds revealed a wide range of metallicity distribution along the Radcliffe gas cloud wave, indicating a possible inhomogeneous mixing or fast star formation along the wave. This catalogue would serve the community as a useful tool to trace the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Milky Way.

  • Non-detection of Broad Hydrogen Radio Recombination Lines in Circinus Galaxy

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The line widths of broad line regions (BLRs) of AGNs are key parameters for understanding the central super massive black holes (SMBHs). However, due to obscuration from dusty torus, optical recombination lines from BLRs in type II AGNs can not be directly detected. Radio recombination lines (RRLs), with low extinction, can be ideal tracers to probe emission from BLRs in type II AGNs. We performed RRL observations for H35$\alpha$ and H36$\alpha$ toward the center of Circinus galaxy with ALMA. Narrow components of H35$\alpha$ and H36$\alpha$, which are thought to be mainly from star forming regions around the nuclear region, are detected. However, only upper limits are obtained for broad H35$\alpha$ and H36$\alpha$. Since Circinus galaxy is one of the nearest AGN, non-detection of broad RRLs in Circinus galaxy at this band tells us that it is hopeless to detect broad RRL emission in local AGNs with current facilities. Submillimetre RRLs, with flux densities that are dozens of times higher than those at the millimetre level, could be the tools to directly detect BLRs in type II AGNs with ALMA, once its backend frequency coverage has been upgraded to several times better than its current capabilities.

  • Multiple gas phases in supernova remnant IC 443: mapping shocked H$_2$ with VLT/KMOS

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Supernovae and their remnants provide energetic feedback to the ambient interstellar medium (ISM), which is often distributed in multiple gas phases. Among them, warm molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) often dominates the cooling of the shocked molecular ISM, which has been observed with the H$_2$ emission lines at near-infrared wavelengths. Such studies, however, were either limited in narrow filter imaging or sparsely sampled mid-infrared spectroscopic observations with relatively poor angular resolutions. Here we present near-infrared ($H$- and $K$-band) spectroscopic mosaic observations towards the A, B, C, and G regions of the supernova remnant (SNR) IC 443, with the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) onboard the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We detected 20 ro-vibrational transitions of H$_2$, one H line (Br$\gamma$), and two [Fe II] lines, which dominate broadband images at both $H$- and $K$-band. The spatial distribution of H$_2$ lines at all regions are clumpy on scales from $\sim 0.1$ pc down to $\sim 0.008$ pc. The fitted excitation temperature of H$_2$ is between 1500 K and 2500 K, indicating warm shocked gas in these regions. The multi-gas-phase comparison shows stratified shock structures in all regions, which explains the co-existence of multiple types of shocks in the same regions. Last, we verify the candidates of young stellar objects previously identified in these regions with our spectroscopic data, and find none of them are associated with young stars. This sets challenges to the previously proposed scenario of triggered star formation by SNR shocks in IC~443.

  • Multiple gas phases in supernova remnant IC 443: mapping shocked H$_2$ with VLT/KMOS

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Supernovae and their remnants provide energetic feedback to the ambient interstellar medium (ISM), which is often distributed in multiple gas phases. Among them, warm molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) often dominates the cooling of the shocked molecular ISM, which has been observed with the H$_2$ emission lines at near-infrared wavelengths. Such studies, however, were either limited in narrow filter imaging or sparsely sampled mid-infrared spectroscopic observations with relatively poor angular resolutions. Here we present near-infrared ($H$- and $K$-band) spectroscopic mosaic observations towards the A, B, C, and G regions of the supernova remnant (SNR) IC 443, with the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) onboard the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We detected 20 ro-vibrational transitions of H$_2$, one H line (Br$\gamma$), and two [Fe II] lines, which dominate broadband images at both $H$- and $K$-band. The spatial distribution of H$_2$ lines at all regions are clumpy on scales from $\sim 0.1$ pc down to $\sim 0.008$ pc. The fitted excitation temperature of H$_2$ is between 1500 K and 2500 K, indicating warm shocked gas in these regions. The multi-gas-phase comparison shows stratified shock structures in all regions, which explains the co-existence of multiple types of shocks in the same regions. Last, we verify the candidates of young stellar objects previously identified in these regions with our spectroscopic data, and find none of them are associated with young stars. This sets challenges to the previously proposed scenario of triggered star formation by SNR shocks in IC~443.