| |
 |
| Paper: |
High Resolution Observations of OH Megamaser Galaxies |
| Volume: |
320, The Neutral ISM in Starburst Galaxies |
| Page: |
187 |
| Authors: |
Pihlstrom, Y. |
| Abstract: |
VLBI imaging at different spatial resolutions has proved essential to understand the nature of extragalactic OH megamaser emission. Here we discuss the results of high resolution observations of OH megamasers in ultraluminous infrared galaxies, which indicate that the observed OH maser emission commonly is associated with circumnuclear disks. The most striking result is that of III Zw 35, where the maser emission appears to be in a ring-like structure. This ring geometry can explain the two compact clumps of emission previously observed, and modeling using a torus can successfully reproduce the observed emission. In addition, multi-epoch imaging of the continuum in III Zw 35 can determine whether the radio emission, which presumably provides the OH maser seed photons, comes from young radio supernovae or supernova remnants. We also briefly mention preliminary results from VLBA observations of the OH megamasers in two IRAS galaxies. |
|
|
|
|
|
