Extremely Large Telescope

Abstract:

NGC 613 is a nearby barred spiral galaxy with a nuclear ring. Exploiting high spatial resolution (≈20 pc) Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array 12CO(1-0) observations, we study the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the nuclear ring and its vicinity, identifying 158 spatially- and spectrally-resolved GMCs. The GMC sizes (Rc) are comparable to those of the clouds in the Milky Way (MW) disc, but their gas masses, observed linewidths (σobs, los) and gas mass surface densities are larger. The GMC size – linewidth relation ($\sigma _{\mathrm{obs,los}}\propto R_{\mathrm{c}}^{0.77}$) is steeper than that of the clouds of the MW disc and centre, and the GMCs are on average only marginally gravitationally bound (with a mean virial parameter 〈αobs, vir〉 ≈ 1.7). We discuss the possible origins of the steep size – linewidth relation and enhanced observed linewidths of the clouds and suggest that a combination of mechanisms such as stellar feedback, gas accretion and cloud-cloud collisions, as well as the gas inflows driven by the large-scale bar, may play a role.

Abstract:

We present measurements of the atmospheric optical turbulence as a function of zenith angle using two identical instruments, Shack-Hartmann Image Motion Monitors (SHIMMs), to measure atmospheric parameters concurrently. One instrument was pointed near zenith, while the other collected data by tracking a single star until it set and thus sampling zenith angles continuously to the horizon. By comparing these measurements, we can attribute changes in the atmospheric parameters to the changing zenith angle rather than variations in local turbulence conditions. The primary purpose of this experiment is to make comparisons between the measurements of the scintillation index, σ I2, and Fried parameter, r ₀, with current theories. In this demonstration, we find that there is a strong agreement between the models and the instrument up until zenith angles of 70^∘, above which model and measurements begin to deviate. We discuss various ways in which limitations in models and our instrument may cause these deviations.