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| Paper: |
The Chemical Evolution of Starbursts |
| Volume: |
408, The Starburst−AGN Connection |
| Page: |
322 |
| Authors: |
MartÃn, S. |
| Abstract: |
The chemistry observed in the central region of galaxies is expected to be strongly influenced by the type of nuclear activity (i.e. SB and/or AGN). During the last few years, our understanding of the molecular composition of the extragalactic nuclear ISM has stepped forward thanks to the increased sensitivity of the instruments operating in the mm and sub-mm wavelength. A total of 40 molecular species have been detected outside the Milky Way. However, to make sense of the rapidly increasing extragalactic molecular information, finding the best tracers of the different nuclear activity is of key importance to understand the processes taking place in the most obscured regions of galactic nuclei.
I present a summary of the latest results in extragalactic chemistry. Special attention will be paid to the different diagnostic diagrams proposed to disentangle the SB vs. AGN contribution based on the ratios between CO, HCN, and HCO+, as well as those proposed to define a sequence within the nuclear starburst evolution through the observation of the HNCO/CS ratio, found to be highly contrasted among starburst nuclei. I also discuss the potential of spectral line surveys as a step forward in the understanding the chemistry of extragalactic sources. Recent results of ongoing line surveys both in single-dish (IRAM 30m) and aperture synthesis telescopes (SMA) will be presented.
The advent of a new generation of sensitive instruments such as ALMA in the nearby future will offer us the possibility of disentangling the chemical composition of AGN and SB which will be essential to understand the chemistry of the highly obscured nuclei at high redshifts. |
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