Dense Molecular Gas in the Starburst Nucleus of NGC 1808

Abstract

Abstract Dense molecular gas tracers in the central 1 kpc region of the superwind galaxy NGC 1808 have been imaged by ALMA at a resolution of 1″ (∼50 pc). Integrated intensities and line intensity ratios of HCN (1–0), H13CN (1–0), HCO+ (1–0), H13CO+ (1–0), HOC+ (1–0), HCO+ (4–3), CS (2–1), C2H (1–0), and previously detected CO (1–0) and CO (3–2) are presented. SiO (2–1) and HNCO (4–3) are detected toward the circumnuclear disk (CND), indicating the presence of shocked dense gas. There is evidence that an enhanced intensity ratio of HCN (1–0)/HCO+ (1–0) reflects star formation activity, possibly in terms of shock heating and electron excitation in the CND and a star-forming ring at radius ∼300 pc. A non-local thermodynamic equilibrium analysis indicates that the molecular gas traced by HCN, H13CN, HCO+, and H13CO+ in the CND is dense ( ) and warm (20 K ≲ T k ≲ 100 K). The calculations yield a low average gas density of for a temperature of in the nuclear outflow. Dense gas tracers HCN (1–0), HCO+ (1–0), CS (2–1), and C2H (1–0) are detected for the first time in the superwind of NGC 1808, confirming the presence of a velocity gradient in the outflow direction.