LWS Observations of the Colliding Galaxies NGC 4038/39.

摘要

Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) and ground-based Fabry-Perot imaging spectroscopic observations are used to penetrate the extinction to the powerful burst of star formation that has occurred in the extranuclear molecular cloud complex in the galaxy overlap region of the galaxies NGC 4038/39 ('The Antennae'). Parameters of the starburst and typical molecular cloud core characteristics are derived. It is found that the starburst can power the infrared luminosity of this galaxy system.