ALMA Images of the Host Cloud of the Intermediate-mass Black Hole Candidate CO-0.40-0.22$^* : No Evidence for Cloud-Black Hole Interaction, but Evidence for a Cloud-Cloud Collision

TL;DR

Re-analysis of ALMA data shows no evidence for an intermediate-mass black hole in CO-0.40-0.22, but reveals signs of a cloud-cloud collision with potential for star formation, contradicting previous IMBH hypotheses.

Contribution

This study refutes prior IMBH evidence and provides new insights into cloud-cloud collision dynamics and conditions in CO-0.40-0.22.

Findings

No evidence for IMBH after re-analysis

Identification of cloud-cloud collision signatures

High-density post-shock gas indicating potential star formation

Abstract

This paper reports a re-analysis of archival ALMA data of the high velocity (-width) compact cloud (HVCC) CO-0.40-0.22, which has recently been hypothesized to host an intermediate-mass black Hole (IMBH). If beam-smearing effects, difference in beam sizes among frequency bands, and Doppler shift due to the motion of the Earth are considered accurately, none of the features reported as evidence for an IMBH in previous studies are confirmed in the re-analyzed ALMA images. Instead, through analysis of the position--velocity structure of the HCN J=3-2 data cube, we have found kinematics typical of a cloud-cloud collision (CCC), namely, two distinct velocity components bridged by broad emission features with elevated temperatures and/or densities. One velocity component has a straight filamentary shape with approximately constant centroid velocities along its length but with a steep, V-shaped velocity gradient across its width. This contradicts the IMBH scenario but is consistent with a collision between two dissimilar-sized clouds. From a non-LTE analysis of the multi-transition methanol lines, the volume density of the post-shock gas has been measured to be $\gtrsim 10^6\ \mathrm{cm}^{-3}$, indicating that the CCC shock can compress gas in a short timescale to densities typical of star-forming regions. Evidence for star formation has not been found, possibly because the cloud is in an early phase of CCC-triggered star formation or because the collision is non-productive.