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Shocked gas in IRAS F17207-0014: ISM collisions and outflows.

Authors :
Medling, Anne M.
U., Vivian
Rich, Jeffrey A.
Kewley, Lisa J.
Armus, Lee
Dopita, Michael A.
Max, Claire E.
Sanders, David
Sutherland, Ralph
Source :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; 4/11/2015, Vol. 448 Issue 3, p2301-2311, 11p
Publication Year :
2015

Abstract

We combine optical and near-infrared adaptive optics-assisted integral field observations of the merging ultraluminous infrared galaxies IRAS F17207-0014 from the Wide-Field Spectrograph and Keck/OH-Suppressing Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS). The optical emission line ratios [N II]/Hα, [S II]/Hα, and [O I]/Hα reveal a mixing sequence of shocks present throughout the galaxy, with the strongest contributions coming from large radii (up to 100 per cent at ∼5 kpc in some directions), suggesting galactic-scale winds. The near-infrared observations, which have approximately 30 times higher spatial resolution, show that two sorts of shocks are present in the vicinity of the merging nuclei: low-level shocks distributed throughout our field-of-view evidenced by an H<subscript>2</subscript>/Brγ line ratio of ∼0.6-4, and strong collimated shocks with a high H<subscript>2</subscript>/Brγ line ratio of ∼4-8, extending south from the two nuclear discs approximately 400 pc (∼0.5 arcsec). Our data suggest that the diffuse shocks are caused by the collision of the interstellar media associated with the two progenitor galaxies and the strong shocks trace the base of a collimated outflow coming from the nucleus of one of the two discs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00358711
Volume :
448
Issue :
3
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
110198820
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv081