Exploring the inner region of NGC 1316 through CO ALMA data

SAPONARA, J.; REYNALDI, M. V.; SMITH CASTELLI, A. V.; FAIFER, F.; BENAGLIA, P.; SESTO, LEANDRO; ESCUDERO, C.

Congreso; 62 Reunión Anual de la Asociacion Argentina de Astronomia; 2020

The merger remnant NGC 1316 (Fornax A) is the brightest galaxy in the Fornax cluster, and it is the third nearest radio-bright galaxy (D=20.8± 0.5 Mpc) hosting an Active Galactic Nuclei. Due to the complexity of this source, on a variety of scales and components, it was observed at different wavelengths. Deep optical images revealed complex structures such as ripples and loops in its outer regions, while far-infrared observations show prominent dust extinction in its inner part. The dust is found in diverse structures that include a north-west shell, a south-east blob, an extended component to the south- west, and dust patches among them. Some of these features are well traced by CO as well. The presence of a bent nuclear jet was reported in previous works, after radio continuum observations, suggesting an interaction between the jet and the interstellar medium of the galaxy. NGC 1316 is a remarkable object because it harbours a notable subpopulation of young globular clusters. To better understand the history and the physical processes that are currently taking place in the inner region of NGC 1316, we started to gather the public data at various spectral ranges, from instruments such as ALMA, VLA, Chandra and HST. In this poster, we will focus on the available CO(J=2-1) ALMA data, and the information that could be retrieved from them.