Formation of Molecular Gas in the debris of violent Galaxy Interactions
BRAINE, J.
Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux [L3AB]
Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers [OASU]
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] [LAB]
Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux [L3AB]
Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers [OASU]
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] [LAB]
DUC, P.A.
Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée [DAPNIA]
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Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée [DAPNIA]
BRAINE, J.
Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux [L3AB]
Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers [OASU]
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] [LAB]
Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux [L3AB]
Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers [OASU]
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] [LAB]
DUC, P.A.
Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée [DAPNIA]
< Reduce
Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée [DAPNIA]
Language
en
Article de revue
This item was published in
Nature. 2000, vol. 403, p. 867-869
Nature Publishing Group
English Abstract
In many gravitational interactions between galaxies, gas and stars that have been torn from either or both of the precursor galaxies can collect in \'tidal tails\'. Star formation begins anew in these regions to produce ...Read more >
In many gravitational interactions between galaxies, gas and stars that have been torn from either or both of the precursor galaxies can collect in \'tidal tails\'. Star formation begins anew in these regions to produce \'tidal dwarf galaxies\', giving insight into the process of galaxy formation through the well-defined timescale of the interaction. But tracking the star formation process has proved to be difficult: the tidal dwarf galaxies with young stars showed no evidence of the molecular gas out of which new stars form. Here we report the discovery of molecular gas (carbon monoxide emission) in two tidal dwarf galaxies. In both cases, the molecular gas peaks at the same location as the maximum in atomic-hydrogen density, unlike most gas-rich galaxies. We infer from this that the molecular gas formed from the HI, rather than being torn in molecular form from the interacting galaxies. Star formation in the tidal dwarfs appears to mimic that process in normal spiral galaxies like our own.Read less <
Origin
Hal imported