{"id":14835,"date":"2017-08-30T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14835"},"modified":"2017-08-30T01:45:28","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T05:45:28","slug":"eso-radio-telescope-array-detects-turbulent-reservoirs-of-cold-gas-in-starburst-galaxies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14835","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Radio telescope array detects turbulent reservoirs of cold gas in starburst galaxies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest\u00a0ESO<\/a>\u00a0(European Southern Observatory) report:<\/p>\n

ALMA Finds Huge Hidden Reservoirs of Turbulent Gas
\nin Distant Galaxies<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This cartoon shows how gas falling into distant starburst galaxies ends up in vast turbulent reservoirs of cool gas extending 30 000 light-years from the central regions. ALMA has been used to detect these turbulent reservoirs of cold gas surrounding similar distant starburst galaxies. By detecting CH+ for the first time in the distant Universe, this research opens up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star formation. Credit: ESO\/L. Benassi [Larger images<\/a>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>ALMA has been used to detect turbulent reservoirs of cold gas surrounding distant starburst galaxies. By detecting CH+ for the first time in the distant Universe this research opens up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star formation. The presence of this molecule sheds new light on how galaxies manage to extend their period of rapid star formation. The results appear in the journal Nature.<\/p>\n

A team led by Edith Falgarone (Ecole Normale Sup\u00e9rieure and Observatoire de Paris, France) has used the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA<\/a>) to detect signatures of the carbon\u00a0hydride<\/a>\u00a0molecule CH+<\/sup>\u00a0[1]<\/a>\u00a0in distant\u00a0starburst galaxies<\/a>\u00a0[2]<\/a>. The group identified strong signals of CH+<\/sup>\u00a0in five out of the six galaxies studied, including the Cosmic Eyelash (eso1012<\/a>)\u00a0[3]<\/a>. This research provides new information that helps astronomers understand the growth of galaxies and how a galaxy\u2019s surroundings fuel star formation.<\/p>\n

\u201cCH+<\/sup>\u00a0is a special molecule. It needs a lot of energy to form and is very reactive, which means its lifetime is very short and it can\u2019t be transported far. CH+<\/sup>\u00a0therefore traces how energy flows in the galaxies and their surroundings,<\/em>\u201d said Martin Zwaan, an astronomer at ESO, who contributed to the paper.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How CH+<\/sup>\u00a0traces energy can be thought of by analogy to being on a boat in a tropical ocean on a dark, moonless night. When the conditions are right, fluorescent plankton can light up around the boat as it sails. The turbulence caused by the boat sliding through the water excites the plankton to emit light, which reveals the existence of the the turbulent regions in the underlying dark water. Since CH+<\/sup>\u00a0forms exclusively in small areas where turbulent motions of gas dissipates, its detection in essence traces energy on a galactic scale.<\/p>\n