Gravitational torques imply molecular gas inflow towards the nucleus of M51

Abstract

The transport of gas towards the centre of galaxies is critical for black hole feeding and, indirectly, it can control active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We have quantified the molecular gas inflow in the central R<1kpc of M51 to be 1 Msun/yr, using a new gravitational torque map and the molecular gas traced by the PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey (PAWS). The nuclear stellar bar is responsible for this gas inflow. We have also used torque profiles to estimate the location of dynamical resonances, suggesting a corotation for the bar at R~20", and a corotation for the spiral at R~100". We demonstrate how important it is to correct 3.6um images for dust emission in order to compute gravitational torques, and we carefully examine further sources of uncertainty. Our observational measurement of gas inflow can be compared with nuclear molecular outflow rates and provide useful constraints for numerical simulations.

19 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by A&A

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Cited by in corpus (38)

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• The Spatial Relation between Young Star Clusters and Molecular Clouds in M 51 with LEGUS
• Go with the Flow: Understanding Inflow Mechanisms in Galaxy Collisions
• The young star cluster population of M51 with LEGUS - II. Testing environmental dependencies
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• The PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey (PAWS). The Role of Spiral Arms in Cloud and Star Formation
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• Role of magnetic fields in fueling Seyfert nuclei
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• Classifying and modelling spiral structures in hydrodynamic simulations of astrophysical discs
• The complex multi-component outflow of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 7130
• Resolved Molecular Gas Observations of MaNGA Post-starbursts Reveal a Tumultuous Past
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• Structures induced by companions in galactic discs
• Rediscovering the Milky Way with orbit superposition approach and APOGEE data II. Chrono-chemo-kinematics of the disc
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• Gravitational Torques from a Lopsided Young Stellar Component Sustain High Black Hole Accretion Rates in NGC 4593