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dc.contributor.author
Treister, Ezequiel
dc.contributor.author
Schawinski, Kevin
dc.contributor.author
et al.
dc.date.accessioned
2020-03-19T08:08:49Z
dc.date.available
2020-03-19T02:36:55Z
dc.date.available
2020-03-19T08:08:49Z
dc.date.issued
2020-02-20
dc.identifier.issn
0004-637X
dc.identifier.issn
2041-8213
dc.identifier.other
10.3847/1538-4357/ab6b28
en_US
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/405651
dc.identifier.doi
10.3929/ethz-b-000405651
dc.description.abstract
We present the highest-resolution—15 pc (0farcs03)—ALMA 12CO(2–1) line emission and 1.3 mm continuum maps, tracers of the molecular gas and dust, respectively, in the nearby merging galaxy system NGC 6240, which hosts two supermassive black holes growing simultaneously. These observations provide an excellent spatial match to existing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical and near-infrared observations of this system. A significant molecular gas mass, ~9 × 109 M ⊙, is located between the two nuclei, forming a clumpy stream kinematically dominated by turbulence, rather than a smooth rotating disk, as previously assumed from lower-resolution data. Evidence for rotation is seen in the gas surrounding the southern nucleus but not in the northern one. Dynamical shells can be seen, likely associated with nuclear supernova remnants. We further detect the presence of significant high-velocity outflows, some of them reaching velocities >500 km s−1, affecting a significant fraction, ~11%, of the molecular gas in the nuclear region. Inside the spheres of influence of the northern and southern supermassive black holes, we find molecular masses of 7.4 × 108 and 3.3 × 109 M ⊙, respectively. We are thus directly imaging the reservoir of gas that can accrete onto each supermassive black hole. These new ALMA maps highlight the critical need for high-resolution observations of molecular gas in order to understand the feeding of supermassive black holes and its connection to galaxy evolution in the context of a major galaxy merger.
en_US
dc.format
application/pdf
en_US
dc.language.iso
en
en_US
dc.publisher
IOP Publishing
dc.rights.uri
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.title
The Molecular Gas in the NGC 6240 Merging Galaxy System at the Highest Spatial Resolution
en_US
dc.type
Journal Article
dc.rights.license
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
dc.date.published
2020-02-24
ethz.journal.title
The Astrophysical Journal
ethz.journal.volume
890
en_US
ethz.journal.issue
2
en_US
ethz.journal.abbreviated
Astrophys. J.
ethz.pages.start
149
en_US
ethz.size
18 p.
en_US
ethz.version.deposit
publishedVersion
en_US
ethz.identifier.wos
ethz.identifier.scopus
ethz.publication.place
Bristol
ethz.publication.status
published
en_US
ethz.date.deposited
2020-03-19T02:37:03Z
ethz.source
SCOPUS
ethz.eth
yes
en_US
ethz.availability
Open access
en_US
ethz.rosetta.installDate
2020-03-19T08:09:03Z
ethz.rosetta.lastUpdated
2024-02-02T10:36:01Z
ethz.rosetta.versionExported
true
ethz.COinS
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