Mid-infrared ISO spectroscopy of NGC 4945

TL;DR

This study used mid-infrared ISO spectroscopy to analyze the central region of NGC 4945, finding no evidence for an active galactic nucleus and characterizing the starburst activity, molecular absorption features, and warm molecular hydrogen properties.

Contribution

First detection of CO2 and CO absorption features in an external galaxy's spectrum, and detailed analysis of starburst and molecular gas properties in NGC 4945.

Findings

No evidence for a powerful AGN in NGC 4945.

Starburst age estimated at over 5 million years.

Detected strong PAH emission and molecular absorption features.

Abstract

We have observed the central region of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC4945 with the mid-infrared spectrometers SWS and PHT-S aboard ISO. We do not find any evidence for the existence of the powerful AGN, inferred from hard X-ray observations. The upper limits on our AGN tracers [NeV] 14.32um & 24.32um and [NeVI] 7.65um imply an A(V)>160 towards the NLR, assuming the NLR to be of equal strength as in the Circinus galaxy. Other possibilities are discussed. The starburst excitation indicators [NeIII]15.56um/[NeII]12.81um and L(bol)/L(lyc) suggest that the starburst in the central region is at least 5x10^6 yrs old, and that it accounts for at least half of the nuclear bolometric luminosity. The starburst might well power the entire bolometric luminosity, but the available constraints are also consistent with an up to 50% contribution of the embedded AGN. With PHT-S, at a resolution of approximately 90, we detect strong absorption features of water ice, and, for the first time in an external galaxy, of CO_2 and CO. The same PHT-S spectrum also reveals strong emission from the family of PAH features. Finally, we have observed and detected several pure rotational and ro-vibrational H_2 lines, two of which, the (0-0) S(0) & S(1) lines, allow us to determine the excitation temperature (160K) and warm H_2 mass (2.4x10^7 Msun). The low excitation temperature shows Orion-like shocks not to be representative for the entire emission of the central region of the galaxy and fairly normal PDRs to be perhaps more typical.