ALMA: Forest of Molecular Signals in Star Forming Galaxy

[bystander]

Forest of Molecular Signals in Star Forming Galaxy
ALMA | NAOJ | NRAO | ESO | 2017 Nov 06

[img3="The starburst galaxy NGC 253 and the radio spectra obtained with ALMA. ALMA detected radio signals from 19 different molecules at the center of this galaxy.
Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Ando et al.
Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit"]http://www.almaobservatory.org/wp-conte ... 80x510.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]

Astronomers found a rich molecular reservoir in the heart of an active star-forming galaxy with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Among eight clouds identified at the center of the galaxy NGC 253, one exhibits very complex chemical composition, while in the other clouds many signals are missing. This chemical richness and diversity shed light on the nature of the baby boom galaxy.

Ryo Ando, a graduate student of the University of Tokyo, and his colleagues observed the galaxy NGC 253 and for the first time, they resolved the locations of star formation in this galaxy down to the scale of a molecular cloud, which is a star formation site with a size of about 30 light-years. As a result, they identified eight massive, dusty clouds aligned along the center of the galaxy. ...

Different molecules emit radio waves at different frequencies. Using this feature, the team investigated the chemical composition of the distant clouds by analyzing the radio signals precisely. They identified signals from various molecules including formaldehyde (H₂CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and many organic molecules.

One of the clouds stood out with its extremely rich chemical composition. The team identified footprints of 19 different molecules in the cloud, such as thioformaldehyde (H₂CS), propyne (CH₃CCH), and complex organic molecules including methanol (CH₃OH) and acetic acid (CH₃COOH). ...

Diverse Nuclear Star-Forming Activities in the Heart of NGC 253
Resolved with 10-pc-scale ALMA Images - Ryo Ando et al

• Astrophysical Journal 849(2):81 (2017 Nov 10) DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa8fd4
  arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1710.01432 > 04 Oct 2017

[saturno2]

Before explanation says:
.... " and many organic molecules "
But, what organic molecules?
It is important.

[neufer]

Before explanation says:
.... " and many organic molecules "
But, what organic molecules?
It is important.

" and many inorganic molecules "
" and many other organic molecules "
" and many organic vegetables "