eCite Digital Repository
Class I methanol masers related to shocks induced by bar rotation in the nearby starburst galaxy Maffei 2
Citation
Chen, X and Yang, T and Ellingsen, SP and McCarthy, TP and Ren, Z-Y, Class I methanol masers related to shocks induced by bar rotation in the nearby starburst galaxy Maffei 2, The Astrophysical Journal, 926, (1) Article 48. ISSN 1538-4357 (2022) [Refereed Article]
 | PDF 1Mb |
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2022 The Author(s) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac3f32
Abstract
We report the detection of class I methanol maser at the 36.2 GHz transition toward the nearby starburst galaxy Maffei 2 with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. Observations of the 36.2 GHz transition at two epochs separated by ∼4 yr show consistencies in both the spatial distribution and flux density of the methanol emission in this transition. Similar to the detections in other nearby starbursts the class I methanol masers sites are offset by a few hundred pc from the center of the galaxy and appear to be associated with the bar edges of Maffei 2. Narrow spectral features with line widths of a few km s−1 are detected, supporting the hypothesis that they are masing. Compared to other nearby galaxies with the detections in the 36.2 GHz methanol maser transition, the maser detected in Maffei 2 has about an order of magnitude higher isotropic luminosity, and thus represents the first confirmed detection of class I methanol megamasers. The spatial distribution of the 36.2 GHz maser spot clusters may trace the rotational gas flow of the galactic bar, providing direct evidence that the class I methanol maser is related to shocks induced by galactic bar rotation. A tentative detection in the 6.7 GHz class II methanol maser (at a 5σ level) is also reported. This is comparable in luminosity to some of the 6.7 GHz maser sources detected in Galactic star-forming regions. The 6.7 GHz methanol emission appears to be associated with star formation activity in a smaller volume, rather than related to the larger-scale galactic activities.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | astrophysical masers, extragalactic astronomy, circumgalactic medium, barred spiral galaxies, interstellar masers, megamasers |
| Research Division: | Physical Sciences |
| Research Group: | Astronomical sciences |
| Research Field: | Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy |
| Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
| Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
| Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences |
| UTAS Author: | Ellingsen, SP (Professor Simon Ellingsen) |
| UTAS Author: | McCarthy, TP (Dr Tiege McCarthy) |
| ID Code: | 149022 |
| Year Published: | 2022 |
| Deposited By: | Office of the School of Natural Sciences |
| Deposited On: | 2022-03-01 |
| Last Modified: | 2022-04-22 |
| Downloads: | 9 View Download Statistics |
Repository Staff Only: item control page