Authors: Susanne Aalto
Publish Date: 2007/10/26
Volume: 313, Issue: 1-3, Pages: 273-278
Abstract
Molecular line emission is a useful tool for probing the highly obscured inner kpc of starburst galaxies and buried AGNs Molecular line ratios serve as diagnostic tools of the physical conditions of the gas—but also of its chemical properties Both provide important clues to the type and evolutionary stage of the nuclear activity While CO emission remains the main tracer for molecular distribution and dynamics molecules such as HCN HNC HCO+ CN and HC3N are useful for probing the properties of the denser n≳104 cm−3 starforming gas Here I discuss current views on how line emission from these species can be interpreted in luminous galaxies HNC HCO+ and CN are all species that can be associated both with photon dominated regions PDRs in starbursts—as well as Xray dominated regions XDRs associated with AGN activity HC3N line emission may identify galaxies where the starburst is in the early stage of its evolution
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