Bibcode
Knapen, J. H.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 286, Issue 2, pp. 403-414.
Advertised on:
4
1997
Citations
28
Refereed citations
26
Description
New high-resolution, high-sensitivity Westerbork Synthesis Radio
Telescope Hi synthesis observations of the spiral galaxy NGC 3631 are
presented. In the total atomic hydrogen map, the spiral arms are well
distinguished from the interarm regions, while the sensitivity allows
detection of Hi in all but a few isolated regions of the areas between
the spiral arms. Most of the atomic hydrogen is located within the
optical disc, but the Hi extends to some 1.5R_opt. The Hi follows the
spiral arms, and streaming motions of up to ~15 km s^-1 (projected) can
be identified from the velocity field. Assuming a constant inclination
angle of 17 deg, a rotation curve is derived which is declining slightly
in the outer parts of the disc. An analysis of a residual velocity
field, obtained after the subtraction of an axisymmetric model based on
the rotation curve, confirms the existence of streaming motions near the
spiral arms in an otherwise undisturbed disc.