@article {233, title = {{Excitation Mechanisms for HCN (1-0) and HCO+ (1-0) in Galaxies from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey}}, journal = {ArXiv e-prints}, year = {2015}, keywords = {Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015arXiv150907512P}, author = {Privon, G.~C. and Herrero-Illana, R. and Evans, A.~S. and Iwasawa, K. and Perez-Torres, M.~A. and Armus, L. and Diaz-Santos, T. and Murphy, E.~J. and Stierwalt, S. and Aalto, S. and Mazzarella, J.~M. and Barcos-Munoz, L. and Borish, H.~J. and Inami, H. and Kim, D.-C. and Treister, E. and Surace, J.~A. and Lord, S. and Conway, J. and Frayer, D.~T. and Alberdi, A.} } @article {2012A\&A...543A..72R, title = {{e-MERLIN and VLBI observations of the luminous infrared galaxy IC 883: a nuclear starburst and an AGN candidate revealed}}, journal = {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, volume = {543}, year = {2012}, month = {jul}, pages = {A72}, abstract = {Context. The high star formation rates of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) make them ideal places for core-collapse supernova (CCSN) searches. Massive star formation can often be found in coexistence with an active galactic nucleus (AGN), contributing jointly to the energy source of LIRGs. At radio frequencies, where light is unaffected by dust extinction, it is possible to detect compact components within the innermost LIRG nuclear regions, such as SNe and SN remnants, as well as AGN buried deep in the LIRG nuclei.
Aims: Our study of the LIRG IC 883 aims at: (i) investigating the parsec-scale radio structure of the (circum-)nuclear regions of IC 883; (ii) detecting at radio frequencies the two recently reported circumnuclear SNe 2010cu and 2011hi, which were discovered by near-IR (NIR) adaptive optics observations of IC 883; and (iii) further investigating the nature of SN 2011hi at NIR wavelengths.
Methods: We used the electronic European very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network (e-EVN) at 5 GHz, and the electronic Multi-Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network (e-MERLIN) at 6.9 GHz, to observe contemporaneously the LIRG IC 883 at high angular-resolution (from tens to hundreds of milliarcsec) and with high sensitivity ({\l}t}70 {$μ$}Jy), complemented by archival VLBI data at 5 GHz and 8.4 GHz. We also used the Gemini North telescope to obtain late-time JHK photometry for SN 2011hi.
Results: The circumnuclear regions traced by e-MERLIN at 6.9 GHz have an extension of \~{} 1 kpc, at a position angle of 130{\deg}, and show a striking double-sided structure, which very likely corresponds to a warped rotating ring, in agreement with previous studies. Our e-EVN observations at 5 GHz and complementary archival VLBI data at 5 GHz and 8.4 GHz, reveal various milliarcsec compact components in the nucleus of IC 883. A single compact source, an AGN candidate, dominates the emission at both nuclear and circumnuclear scales, as imaged with the e-EVN and e-MERLIN, respectively. The other milliarcsec components are strongly indicative of ongoing nuclear CCSN activity. Our e-EVN observations also provided upper limits to the radio luminosity of the two SNe in IC 883 recently discovered at NIR wavelengths. We refine the classification of SN 2011hi as a Type IIP SN according to our latest epoch of Gemini North observations acquired in 2012, in agreement with a low-luminosity radio SN nature. We estimate a CCSN rate lower limit of 1.1$_{-0.6}$$^{+1.3}$ yr$^{-1}$ for the entire galaxy, based on three nuclear radio SNe and the circumnuclear SNe 2010cu and 2011hi.}, keywords = {galaxies: individual: IC 883, galaxies: starburst, radiation mechanisms: non-thermal, radio lines: stars}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201218816}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012A\%26A...543A..72R}, author = {Romero-Ca{\~n}izales, C. and M. A. P{\'e}rez-Torres and Alberdi, A. and Argo, M.~K. and Beswick, R.~J. and Kankare, E. and Batejat, F. and Efstathiou, A. and Mattila, S. and Conway, J.~E. and Garrington, S.~T. and Muxlow, T.~W.~B. and Ryder, S.~D. and V{\"a}is{\"a}nen, P.} } @article {2012A\&A...540L...5H, title = {{Evidence of nuclear disks in starburst galaxies from their radial distribution of supernovae}}, journal = {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, volume = {540}, year = {2012}, pages = {L5}, abstract = {Galaxy-galaxy interactions are expected to be responsible for triggering massive star formation and possibly accretion onto a supermassive black hole, by providing large amounts of dense molecular gas down to the central kiloparsec region. Several scenarios to drive the gas further down to the central \~{}100 pc, have been proposed, including the formation of a nuclear disk around the black hole, where massive stars would produce supernovae. Here, we probe the radial distribution of supernovae and supernova remnants in the nuclear regions of the starburst galaxies M 82, Arp 299-A, and Arp 220, by using high-angular resolution ({\l}sim} 0.{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}1) radio observations published in the literature (for M 82 and Arp 220), or obtained by ourselves from the European VLBI Network (Arp 299-A). Our main goal was to characterize the nuclear starbursts in those galaxies and thus test scenarios that propose that nuclear disks of sizes \~{}100 pc form in the central regions of starburst galaxies. We obtained the radial distribution of supernovae (SNe) in the nuclear starbursts of M 82, Arp 299-A, and Arp 220, and derived scale-length values for the putative nuclear disks powering the bursts in those central regions. The scale lengths for the (exponential) disks range from \~{}20-30 pc for Arp 299-A and Arp 220, up to \~{}140 pc for M 82. The radial distribution of SNe for the nuclear disks in Arp 299-A and Arp 220 is also consistent with a power-law surface density profile of exponent {$\gamma$} = 1, as expected from detailed hydrodynamical simulations of nuclear disks. Our results support scenarios where a nuclear disk of size \~{}100 pc is formed in (U)LIRGs, and sustained by gas pressure, in which case the accretion onto the black hole could be lowered by supernova feedback. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org}, keywords = {galaxies: individual: Arp 299-A, galaxies: luminosity function, galaxies: starburst, mass function, radiation mechanisms: non-thermal, radio continuum: stars, supernovae: general}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201118545}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012A\%26A...540L...5H}, author = {R. Herrero-Illana and M. A. P{\'e}rez-Torres and Alberdi, A.} } @article {2012MNRAS.422..510R, title = {{EVN observations of the farthest and brightest ULIRGs in the local Universe: the case of IRAS 23365+3604}}, journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {422}, year = {2012}, month = {may}, pages = {510-520}, abstract = {We present high-resolution, high-sensitivity radio images of the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) IRAS 23365+3604. We performed contemporaneous observations at 1.7 and 5.0 GHz, in three epochs separated by 1 year from each other, with the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network (EVN). We also present complementary Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometry Network (MERLIN) at 1.6 and 5.0 GHz, and archival Very Large Array data, taken at 1.4 and 4.9 GHz. We find that the emission at {\tilde}5.0 GHz remains quite compact as seen at different resolutions, whereas at {\tilde}1.7 GHz, high-resolution imaging reveals some extended structure. The nuclear region has an approximate linear size of 200 pc and shows the presence of two main emission components: (i) one with a composite spectrum due to ongoing non-thermal activity (probably due to recently exploded supernovae and the presence of an active galactic nucleus), and (ii) the other with a steep spectrum, likely dominated by an old population of radio emitters, such as supernova remnants. Radiative losses are important, so re-acceleration or replenishment of new electrons is necessary. We estimate a magnetic field strength of {\tilde} 18 {$μ$}G at galactic and {\tilde} 175 {$μ$}G at nuclear scales, which are typical for galaxies in advanced mergers.}, keywords = {galaxies: individual: IRAS 23365+3604, galaxies: starburst, radio continuum: general}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20627.x}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012MNRAS.422..510R}, author = {Romero-Ca{\~n}izales, C. and M. A. P{\'e}rez-Torres and Alberdi, A.} }