Hydrogen Fluoride toward Luminous Nearby Galaxies: NGC 253 and NGC 4945

Abstract

We present the detection of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in two luminous nearby galaxies, NGC 253 and NGC 4945 using the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared on board the Herschel Space Observatory. The HF line toward NGC 253 has a P-Cygni profile, while an asymmetric absorption profile is seen toward NGC 4945. The P-Cygni profile in NGC 253 suggests an outflow of molecular gas with a mass of M(H₂)_out ~ 1 × 10⁷ M _⊙ and an outflow rate as large as dot M ~6.4 M _⊙ yr^-1. In the case of NGC 4945, the axisymmetric velocity components in the HF line profile are compatible with the interpretation of a fast-rotating nuclear ring surrounding the nucleus and the presence of inflowing gas. The gas falls into the nucleus with an inflow rate of <=1.2 M _⊙ yr^-1, inside an inner radius of <=200 pc. The gas accretion rate to the central active galactic nucleus is much smaller, suggesting that the inflow may be triggering a nuclear starburst. From these results, the HF J = 1-0 line is seen to provide an important probe of the kinematics of absorbing material along the sight-line to nearby galaxies with bright dust continuum and a promising new tracer of molecular gas in high-redshift galaxies.