Hot Ammonia in the Center of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3079

TL;DR

This study reports ammonia and hydroxyl observations in NGC 3079's center, revealing complex gas dynamics, temperatures, and potential maser activity linked to nuclear jets and star formation.

Contribution

First detailed ammonia and hydroxyl line analysis in NGC 3079's nucleus, identifying shock-related masers and gas properties with high spatial and spectral resolution.

Findings

Detected multiple ammonia inversion lines with distinct velocity components.

Identified ammonia masers likely associated with shocks from nuclear winds.

Measured high rotational temperatures indicating hot molecular gas.

Abstract

We present the results of ammonia observations toward the center of NGC 3079. The NH3(J, K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) inversion lines were detected in absorption with the Tsukuba 32-m telescope, and the NH3(1,1) through (6,6) lines with the VLA, although the profile of NH3(3,3) was in emission in contrast to the other transitions. The background continuum source, whose flux density was ~50 mJy, could not be resolved with the VLA beam of ~< 0."09 x 0."08. All ammonia absorption lines have two distinct velocity components: one is at the systemic velocity and the other is blueshifted, and both components are aligned along the nuclear jets. For the systemic components, the relatively low temperature gas is extended more than the high temperature gas. The blueshifted NH3(3,3) emission can be regarded as ammonia masers associated with shocks by strong winds probably from newly formed massive stars or supernova explosions in dense clouds in the nuclear megamaser disk. Using para-NH3(1,1), (2,2), (4,4) and (5,5) lines with VLA, we derived the rotational temperature Trot = 120 +- 12 K and 157 +- 19 K for the systemic and blueshifted components, respectively. The total column densities of NH3(0,0)-(6,6), assuming Tex ~Trot, were (8.85+-0.70) x 10^16 cm^-2 and (4.47+-0.78) x 10^16 cm-2 for the systemic and blueshifted components, respectively. The fractional abundance of NH3 relative to molecular hydrogen H2 for the systemic and blueshifted was [NH3]/[H2]=1.3x10^-7 and 6.5 x 10^-8, respectively. We also found the F = 4-4 and F = 5-5 doublet lines of OH 2{Pi}3/2 J = 9/2 in absorption, which could be fitted by two velocity components, systemic and redshifted components. The rotational temperature of OH was estimated to be Trot,OH >~ 175 K, tracing hot gas associated with the interaction of the fast nuclear outflow with dense molecular material around the nucleus.