Open AccessRam‐pressure stripping of the interstellar medium in NGC 4485
Author(s) -
Clemens M. S.,
Alexander P.,
Green D. A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03069.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , ram pressure , interstellar medium , galaxy , molecular cloud , star formation , hubble sequence , astronomy , spiral galaxy , stars
This paper describes submm, 12 CO (J = 2–1) observations of the interacting pair of galaxies NGC 4490 and 4485, and together with high resolution H i and multifrequency radio continuum data we investigate the evolution of the ISM in this system. We find the following. (i) The smaller member of the pair, NGC 4485, has had the atomic, molecular and dust components of its ISM stripped via ram pressure during its recent passage through the extended H i distribution of NGC 4490. A bow‐shock is identified in the H i ahead of the stripped gas. (ii) Within the disc of NGC 4490 we find a very low H 2 ‐to‐H i ratio as well as a strong correlation between thermal emission and mass of H 2 suggesting that the star formation rate is limited in this case by the conversion of H i to H 2 . (iii) 12 CO emission from an H i and radio‐continuum bridge between the two galaxies is detected.