The Molecular Gas in the NGC 6240 Merging Galaxy System at the Highest Spatial Resolution

Abstract

We present the highest resolution --- 15 pc (0.03'') --- ALMA ${}^{12}$CO(2-1) line emission and 1.3mm continuum maps, tracers of the molecular gas and dust, respectively, in the nearby merging galaxy system NGC 6240, that hosts two supermassive black holes growing simultaneously. These observations provide an excellent spatial match to existing Hubble optical and near-infrared observations of this system. A significant molecular gas mass, $\sim$9$\times$10${}^9$M${}_{\odot }$, is located in between the two nuclei, forming a clumpy stream kinematically dominated by turbulence, rather than a smooth rotating disk as previously assumed from lower resolution data. Evidence for rotation is seen in the gas surrounding the southern nucleus, but not in the northern one. Dynamical shells can be seen, likely associated with nuclear supernovae remnants. We further detect the presence of significant high velocity outflows, some of them reaching velocities $>$500 km/s, affecting a significant fraction, $\sim$11\% of the molecular gas in the nuclear region. Inside the spheres of influence of the northern and southern supermassive black holes we find molecular masses of 7.4$\times$10${}^8$M${}_{\odot }$ and 3.3$\times$10${}^9$M${}_{\odot }$, respectively. We are thus directly imaging the reservoir of gas that can accrete onto each supermassive black hole. These new ALMA maps highlight the critical need for high resolution observations of molecular gas in order to understand the feeding of supermassive black holes and its connection to galaxy evolution in the context of a major galaxy merger.

27 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal

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• The JWST/NIRSpec view of the nuclear region in the prototypical merging galaxy NGC 6240
• Dissecting the Extended X-ray Emission in the Merging Pair NGC 6240
• The Hot Interstellar Medium
• Molecular Gas in the Nuclear Region of NGC 6240
• Dynamical evolution timescales for the triple supermassive black hole system in NGC 6240
• Forming Stars in a Dual AGN Host: Molecular and Ionized Gas in the Nearby, Luminous Infrared Merger, Mrk 266
• Outflowing shocked gas dominates the NIR H${}_2$ emission from the dual AGN NGC6240
• Probing Heavily Obscured AGN in Major Galaxy Mergers Using the mm-X-ray Correlation
• Mapping the diffuse interstellar bands $\lambda$5780 and $\lambda$6284 in the luminous infrared galaxy merger NGC 6240
• X-ray and CO-Derived Column Densities in AGN: A Study of Obscuration Properties in CTAGN and Non-CTAGN
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