Molecular and ionized gas in the peculiar galaxy NGC 2146

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (44) References (21) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Molecular and Ionized Gas in the Peculiar Galaxy NGC 2146 Young, Judith S. ; Claussen, M. J. ; Kleinmann, S. G. ; Rubin, Vera C. ; Scoville, Nick Abstract New observations probing the molecular and ionized gas contents of the ultrahigh surface brightness peculiar spiral galaxy NGC 2146 are presented. Interferometric mapping in the J = 1-0 transition of CO shows that the dynamical center of the galaxy lies toward a dense dust lane. Single-dish CO observations indicate that the molecular mass of the galaxy in the central 15 kpc is 10^10^ M_sun_. An image of this galaxy at Hα reveals strong emission from the central 5 kpc, as well as a string of H II regions extending along an arc 8' (50 kpc) long. Optical spectroscopy of the disk and arc provide evidence for a high mass concentration (10^9^ M_sun_) within the central 100 pc, highly noncircular motions along the major axis, and a significant discrepancy between the velocities of the H II regions in the arc and those in the disk (assuming that they lie in the same plane). Comparison of the Hα and CO distributions indicates that the high-mass star formation efficiency, defined as the star formation rate per unit mass of H_2_, is elevated by more than two orders of magnitude in the center of NGC 2146 relative to that in the outer disk. These unusual morphological and dynamical features may be the result of a galaxy-galaxy interaction, but the other galaxy has yet to be identified. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: August 1988 DOI: 10.1086/185240 Bibcode: 1988ApJ...331L..81Y Keywords: Interstellar Gas; Ionized Gases; Molecular Gases; Peculiar Galaxies; Spiral Galaxies; Star Distribution; Star Formation Rate; Carbon Monoxide; Galactic Nuclei; H Alpha Line; H Ii Regions; Astrophysics; GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL NGC NUMBER: NGC 2146; GALAXIES: INTERACTIONS; STARS: FORMATION full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (2) NED (2)