Abstract
For current millimeter interferometers, sensitivity considerations typically limit high-resolution mapping of galactic nuclei to transitions of the dominant CO isotopomer. Once ALMA arrives, CO will still be useful as a probe of the nuclear geometry, kinematics, and heating on the smallest possible scales. However, high-resolution observations of less abundant molecular species, tracing a wider range of physical conditions, should become nearly as routine. I discuss two of these probes (SiO and HCN) and explore what they may be able to tell us about the properties of dust and molecular gas in galactic nuclei.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-133 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP |
| Issue number | 577 |
| State | Published - 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | The Dusty and Molecular Universe - A Prelude to Herschel and ALMA - Paris, France Duration: Oct 27 2004 → Oct 29 2004 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aerospace Engineering
- Space and Planetary Science
Keywords
- Galaxies: ISM
- Galaxies: nuclei
- Radio lines: galaxies