read more
Home arrow Document
   
Subscriber Authentication Point
 
   
Free access article

Issue A&A
Volume 369, Number 3, April III 2001
Page(s) L33 - L36
Section Letters
DOI 10.1051/0004-6361:20010250



A&A 369, L33-L36 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010250

Kinematics of molecular gas in the nucleus of NGC 1068, from H $\boldmath\mathsf}$ line emission observed with VLT

D. Alloin1, E. Galliano1, J. G. Cuby1, O. Marco1, D. Rouan2, Y. Clénet2, G. L. Granato3 and A. Franceschini3

1  European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago, Chile
2  Observatoire Paris Meudon, 92190 Meudon, France
3  Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy

(Received 9 January 2001 / Accepted 16 February 2001 )

Abstract
We present results about the distribution and kinematics of the molecular environment of the AGN in NGC 1068, over a $1.5'' \times 3.5''$ region around the central engine in NGC 1068, derived from H2 line emission detected with ISAAC at VLT/ANTU on ESO/Paranal. The H2 emitting molecular gas is found to be distributed along the East-West direction and with two main peak emission (knots) located at a distance of about 70 pc from the central engine. The eastern H2 knot is more intense than the western one. The line profiles mapped across the entire $1.5'' \times 3.5''$ region, at a spatial resolution of $0.3''\times 0.45''$, appear to be quite complex with either a blue or red wing. At first order, we find a velocity difference of 140 km s-1 between the two knots; if interpreted as quasi-Keplerian velocity, this implies a central enclosed mass of $10^8 M_{\odot}$.


Key words: galaxies : NGC 1068 -- galaxies : Seyfert -- galaxies : nuclei -- galaxies : molecular gas -- galaxies : active -- infrared : galaxies -- instrumentation: mid-IR

Offprint request: D. Alloin, dalloin@eso.org

SIMBAD Objects



© ESO 2001


What is OpenURL?