Spotting a Small DOG: Formation of a Nucleus in the Fourcade-Figueroa Galaxy
Horacio Dottori
In this study, we dive into data from the IRAS, WISE, and Planck satellites, uncovering an unresolved dust condensation at the heart of the Fourcade-Figueroa galaxy (ESO270-G017) that hints at the presence of a forming nucleus—a potential small DOG (Dust Obscured Galaxy) in the making. By modeling the condensation’s continuum spectrum across a range from 3 to 1300 μm using the DUSTY code, we find that the best-fit model, determined via a Chi square test, describes the condensation as a shell with an outer temperature of approximately 12 K and an inner boundary temperature nearing 500 K. This shell extends to an outer radius of 86.2 pc, enclosing an inner cavity with a radius of 0.086 pc. The luminosity of this condensation is estimated to be 1.08 × 10³⁴ W, suggesting a burst of massive star formation reminiscent of the intense activity found within the central 5 pc of R 136 in the LMC and NGC 3603, the ionizing cluster of the Carina arm’s giant HII region.
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