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Peculiar Gas Dynamics in the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

Bärbel Koribalski
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 2121, Australiabkoribal@atnf.csiro.au
John B. Whiteoak
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 2121, Australiabkoribal@atnf.csiro.au
Sally Houghton
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 2121, Australiabkoribal@atnf.csiro.au School of Physics, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia

Abstract

Here we present our first results of a study of the neutral hydrogen gas (HI) in the southern spiral galaxy NGC 253 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The relative proximity of NGC 253 makes it a very suitable object for detailed studies of large-scale, as well as nuclear, gas dynamics. Several peculiar features have been found. The HI distribution is asymmetric in the outer regions, probably as a result of the strong warping of the spiral arms. A bar associated with the disc, clearly visible in the optical and near-infrared, also reveals its signature in the neutral hydrogen gas. HI absorption measurements reveal unusual motions of the gas in the nuclear region which seem to indicate a fast-rotating ring of cold gas as well as outflow of gas. Similar features have been found in other starburst galaxies, such as M 82, NGC 1808 and NGC 4945, and are interpreted in terms of bar-induced gas dynamics and star formation.

Type
Extragalactic
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1995

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