Bibcode
DOI
Jogee, Shardha; Shlosman, Isaac; Laine, Seppo; Englmaier, Peter; Knapen, J. H.; Scoville, Nick; Wilson, Christine D.
Referencia bibliográfica
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 575, Issue 1, pp. 156-177.
Fecha de publicación:
8
2002
Revista
Número de citas
56
Número de citas referidas
48
Descripción
Through observations and modeling, we demonstrate how the recently
discovered large-scale bar in NGC 5248 generates spiral structure that
extends from 10 kpc down to 100 pc, fuels star formation on
progressively smaller scales, and drives disk evolution. Deep inside the
bar, two massive molecular spirals cover nearly 180° in azimuth,
show streaming motions of 20-40 km s-1, and feed a starburst
ring of super-star clusters at 375 pc. They also connect to two narrow
K-band spirals that delineate the UV bright star clusters in the ring.
The data suggest that the K-band spirals are young, and the starburst
has been triggered by a bar-driven spiral density wave (SDW). The latter
may even have propagated closer to the center where a second Hα
ring and a dust spiral are found. The molecular and Hubble Space
Telescope data support a scenario where stellar winds and supernovae
efficiently clear out gas from dense star-forming regions on timescales
less than a few Myr. We have investigated the properties of massive CO
spirals within the framework of bar-driven SDWs, incorporating the
effect of gas self-gravity. We find good agreement between the model
predictions and the observed morphology, kinematics, and pitch angle of
the spirals. This combination of observations and modeling provides the
best evidence to date for a strong dynamical coupling between the
nuclear region and the surrounding disk. It also confirms that a low
central mass concentration, which may be common in late-type galaxies,
is particularly favorable to the propagation of a bar-driven gaseous SDW
deep into the central region of the galaxy, whereas a large central mass
concentration favors other processes, such as the formation and
decoupling of nuclear bars.