[CII] map of the molecular ring and arms of the spiral galaxy NGC 7331

TL;DR

This study maps the [CII] emission across the entire molecular ring and arms of NGC 7331, revealing how the neutral and ionized gas contributions vary spatially and with galaxy inclination, providing insights into gas heating and [CII] emission origins.

Contribution

First comprehensive [CII] map of NGC 7331's molecular ring and arms, analyzing neutral fraction variation and effects of galaxy inclination on [CII] emission interpretation.

Findings

Neutral fraction increases with distance from galaxy center.

Ionized gas contributes more to [CII] emission near star-forming regions.

Inclination affects the observed [CII] emission distribution.

Abstract

We present the [CII] 157.7 micron map of galaxy NGC 7331 obtained with FIFI-LS on SOFIA. This map extends an existent Herschel/PACS observation of the central strip of the galaxy to encompass the entire molecular ring and much of the disk, including multiple spiral arms with intense far-IR emission. We also present Herschel archival data of the [NII] 205 micron line which covers a substantial part of the [CII] SOFIA observations and allows us to estimate the neutral fraction of the [CII] emission along the ring and disk of the galaxy. We find that the neutral fraction rises with the distance from the center. In addition, by tracing the azimuthal variation of the neutral fraction, we are able to see how our observing perspective affects this measurement. The high inclination of NGC 7331 allows us to glimpse the internal walls of the molecular ring. There, young bright stars emit UV radiation causing more [CII] emission to be produced in the ionized gas. On the outer walls, opaque dust shrouds the rest of the ring, making the neutral medium the dominant source of [CII] emission. Through spatial analysis comparing the [CII] emission to tracers of gas heating, we are able to investigate how the photoelectric heating efficiency varies throughout NGC 7331 and extend global measurements of the [CII] deficit to local environments. Since the origin of [CII] emission has typically been studied in face-on galaxies, our results shed a new light on the interpretation of [CII] emission especially when studying distant galaxies with unknown inclination.