TAURUS observations of the velocity field in the inner zone of NGC 6946

Munoz-Tunon, C.; Cepa, J.; Beckman, J. E.
Bibliographical reference

(Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Summer School on Evolutionary Phenomena in Galaxies, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain, July 4-15, 1988) Astrophysics and Space Science (ISSN 0004-640X), vol. 157, no. 1-2, July 1989, p. 157-163.

Advertised on:
7
1989
Number of authors
3
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
2
Refereed citations
2
Description
A two-dimensional velocity map in H-alpha of the inner 4 arc min zone of the Scd starburst galaxy NGC 6946 has been obtained using the TAURUS interferometric spectrometer on the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope. The major axis rotation curve is a clean kinematic superposition of a central 1 kpc sphere with solid body rotation and a disk with density falling inversely with radius. Clear evidence is shown of symmetrical radial motions in the plane of the galaxy with velocity up to 100 km/s along axes offset from the major axis by up to + or - 30 deg. Along the bar at position angle 160 deg, outflow out to -2 kpc and significant inflow beyond this radius are seen. These velocity fields give clues to the nature of the starburst process within the central 1 kpc zone of the galaxy.