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The Astrophysical Journal Volume 688 Number 2 Create an alert RSS this journal

Stephanie J. Bush et al. 2008 ApJ 688 875 doi:10.1086/592180

The Structure of Active Merger Remnant NGC 6240 from IRAC Observations

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Stephanie J. Bush1, Zhong Wang1, Margarita Karovska1 and Giovanni G. Fazio1

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Abstract References
NGC 6240 is a rare object in the local universe: an active merger remnant viewed at the point of merging where two active galactic nuclei are visible. We present IRAC data of this object, providing high-sensitivity maps of the stellar and PAH distribution in this complicated system. We use photometry to analyze the variation in these distributions with radius and provide an SED in the four IRAC bands: 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μm. We fit the radial profiles of the 3.6 μm band to r1/4 and exponential profiles to evaluate the structure of the remnant. Finally, we compare the IRAC images with multiwavelength data and examine how outflows in the X-ray, Hα, and CO correlate with 8 μm emission. The results support the general picture of NGC 6240 as a system experiencing a major merger and transitioning from a disk galaxy to a spheroid. The sensitivity of IRAC to low surface brightness mid-infrared features provides detailed information on the extended distributions of stars and dust in this rare system.

Subject headings

galaxies: active; galaxies: irregular; galaxies: interactions; galaxies: photometry; infrared: galaxies


Dates

Issue 2 (2008 December 1)

Received 2007 October 30, accepted for publication 2008 July 10



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