Warm Molecular Hydrogen in the Galactic Wind of M82

TL;DR

This study detects warm molecular hydrogen knots and filaments extending over 3 kpc in M82's galactic wind, offering new insights into the molecular component's structure, excitation, and stability in galactic winds.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed observations of extraplanar warm H_2 in M82's wind, highlighting a new method to study molecular gas in galactic winds.

Findings

Detection of warm H_2 knots and filaments up to 3 kpc from the galactic plane.

Constraints on the topology, excitation, and heating of wind-entrained molecular gas.

Demonstrates deep H_2 imaging as a promising tool for studying molecular components in galactic winds.

Abstract

We report the detection of a complex of extraplanar warm H_2 knots and filaments extending more than ~3 kpc above and below the galactic plane of M82, roughly coincident with the well-known galactic wind in this system. Comparisons of these data with published results at other wavelengths provide quantitative constraints on the topology, excitation, heating, and stability against disruption of the wind-entrained molecular ISM in this prototypical galactic wind. Deep H_2 2.12 um observations such as these represent a promising new method to study the elusive but potentially important molecular component of galactic winds.