2000/01/17 by P. van der Werf, Paul P. van der Werf, van der Werf, Paul P.
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0001296
invited review, to appear in Molecular Hydrogen in Space, eds. F. Combes and G. Pineau des Forets, Cambridge University Press. 8 pages with 3 embedded postscript figures; uses cupconf.sty
arxiv created 2000/01/17 · openalex publication_date 2000/01/17 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2022/10/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Observations and interpretation of extragalactic rotational and rovibrational\nH2 emission are reviewed. Direct observations of H2 lines do not trace bulk H2\nmass, but excitation rate. As such, the H2 lines are unique diagnostics, if the\nexcitation mechanism can be determined, which generally requires high-quality\nspectroscopy and suitable additional data. The diagnostic power of the H2 lines\nis illustrated by two cases studies: H2 purely rotational line emission from\nthe disk of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC891 and high resolution imaging and\nspectroscopy of H2 vibrational line emision from the luminous merger NGC6240.\n