High Resolution 33 GHz Observations of Embedded Star Formation in NGC 6240
Abstract
Galaxy mergers provide an opportunity to understand star formation in extreme environments. These conditions were common in the early Universe when galaxy collisions were more prevalent. In this study, we observed the luminous infrared galaxy merger NGC 6240 at 33 GHz using the Very Large Array with the goal of estimating its star formation rate and star formation rate surface density. At 33 GHz, the galaxy is optically-thin, allowing us to peer into the active nuclear regions of the galaxy. We measure a star formation rate of 120 solar masses per year and a star formation surface density of 0.5-1x10^12 solar luminosities per kpc^2. Thus, although the nuclei of NGC 6240 contain active supermassive black holes, they are essentially Orion star-forming cores spread over their central half kpc.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #229
- Pub Date:
- January 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AAS...22915309P