Search

[Context] Methanol masers of Class I (collisionally pumped) and Class II (radiatively pumped) have been studied in great detail in our Galaxy in a variety of astrophysical environments such as shocks and star-forming regions and are they are helpful to analyze the properties of the dense interstellar medium. However, the study of methanol masers in external galaxies is still in its infancy., [Aims] Our main goal is to search for methanol masers in the central molecular zone (CMZ; inner 500 pc) of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253., [Methods] Covering a frequency range between 84 and 373 GHz (λ = 3.6–0.8 mm) at high angular (1.″6 ∼ 27 pc) and spectral (∼8–9 km s−1) resolution with ALCHEMI (ALMA Comprehensive High-resolution Extragalactic Molecular Inventory), we have probed different regions across the CMZ of NGC 253. In order to look for methanol maser candidates, we employed the rotation diagram method and a set of radiative transfer models., [Results] We detect for the first time masers above 84 GHz in NGC 253, covering an ample portion of the J−1 → (J − 1)0 − E line series (at 84, 132, 229, and 278 GHz) and the J0 → (J − 1)1 − A series (at 95, 146, and 198 GHz). This confirms the presence of the Class I maser line at 84 GHz, which was already reported, but now being detected in more than one location. For the J−1 → (J− 1)0 − E line series, we observe a lack of Class I maser candidates in the central star-forming disk., [Conclusions] The physical conditions for maser excitation in the J−1 → (J − 1)0 − E line series can be weak shocks and cloud-cloud collisions as suggested by shock tracers (SiO and HNCO) in bi-symmetric shock regions located in the outskirts of the CMZ. On the other hand, the presence of photodissociation regions due to a high star-formation rate would be needed to explain the lack of Class I masers in the very central regions., PH is a member of and received financial support for this research from the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne. PH is grateful to Arnaud Belloche, Dario Colombo, Yu Gao, and Sudeep Neupane, for their constructive advice and fruitful discussions along a variety of aspects covered in this work. VMR is funded by the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador (Doctores con experiencia) Grant (COOL: Cosmic Origins Of Life; 2019–T1/TIC–15379), and from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) through the Ramón y Cajal programme (grant RYC2020-029387-I). L.C. has received partial support from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI; project number PID2019-105552RB-C41). KS thanks MOST grant 109-2112-M-001-020. NH acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP21K03634. This work makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2017.1.00161.L and ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.00162.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

Measuring isotopic ratios is a sensitive technique used to obtain information on stellar nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution. We present measurements of the carbon and sulphur abundances in the interstellar medium of the central region of our Galaxy. The selected targets are the +50km/s Cloud and several l.o.s. clouds towards Sgr B2(N). Towards the +50km/s Cloud, we observed the J=2-1 rotational transitions of CS, C34S, 13CS, C33S, and 13C34S, and the J=3-2 transitions of CS and C34S with the IRAM-30m telescope, as well as the J=6-5 transitions of C34S and 13CS with the APEX 12m telescope, all in emission. The J=2-1 rotational transitions of CS, C34S, 13CS, and 13C34S were observed with ALMA in the envelope of Sgr B2(N), with those of CS and C34S also observed in the l.o.s. clouds towards Sgr B2(N), all in absorption. In the +50km/s Cloud we derive a 12C13C isotopic ratio of ~22.1, that leads, with the measured 13CS/C34S line intensity ratio, to a 32S/34S ratio of 16.3+3.0-2.4. We also derive the 32S/34S isotopic ratio more directly from the two isotopologues 13CS and 13C34S, which leads to an independent 32S/34S estimation of 16.3+2.1-1.7 and 17.9+-5.0 for the +50km/s Cloud and Sgr B2(N), respectively. We also obtain a 34S/33S ratio of ~4.3 in the +50 km/s Cloud. Previous studies observed a decreasing trend in the 32S/34S isotopic ratios when approaching the Galactic centre. Our result indicates a termination of this tendency at least at a galactocentric distance of 130-30+60 pc. This is at variance with findings based on 12C/13C, 14N/15N and 18O/17O isotope ratios, where the above-mentioned trend is observed to continue right to the central molecular zone. This can indicate a drop in the production of massive stars at the Galactic centre, in the same line as recent metallicity gradient studies, and opens the work towards a comparison with Galactic and stellar evolution models., Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication by A&A

NGC 4945 is one of the nearest (~3.8 Mpc; 1" ~ 19 pc) starburst galaxies. ALMA band 3 (3--4\,mm) observations of HCN, HCO+, CS, C3H2, SiO, HCO, and CH3C2H were carried out with ~2" resolution. The lines reveal a rotating nuclear disk of projected size 10" x 2" with position angle ~45 deg, inclination ~75 deg and an unresolved bright central core of size, 31 pages, 29 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in A&A; for the draft showing figures with full resolution, see https://gongyan2444.github.io/pdf/Henkel-NGC4945.pdf

We used the IRAM 30m telescope to observe the frequency range [86-116]GHz towards the central regions of the starburst galaxies M83, M82, and NGC253, the AGNs M51, NGC1068, and NGC7469, and the ULIRGs Arp220 and Mrk231. Assuming LTE conditions, we calculated the column densities of 27 molecules and 10 isotopologues. Among others, we report the first tentative detections of CH3CHO, HNCO, and NS in M82 and, for the first time in the extragalactic medium, HC5N in NGC253. Halpha recombination lines were only found in M82 and NGC253. Vibrationally excited lines of HC3N were only detected in Arp220. CH3CCH emission is only seen in the starburst-dominated galaxies. By comparison of the fractional abundances among the galaxies, we looked for the molecules that are best suited to characterise the chemistry of starbursts, AGNs and ULIRGs, as well as the differences among galaxies within the same group., Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, 12 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics