Far-infrared line imaging of the starburst ring in NGC 1097 with the Herschel/PACS spectrometer

NGC 1097 is a nearby SBb galaxy with a Seyfert nucleus and a bright starburst ring. We study the physical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the ring using spatially resolved far-infrared spectral maps of the circumnuclear starburst ring of NGC 1097, obtained with the PACS spectrometer on board the Herschel Space Observatory. In particular, we map the important ISM cooling and diagnostic emission lines of [OI] 63 μm, [OIII] 88 μm, [NII] 122 μm, [CII] 158 μm and [NII] 205 μm. We observe that in the [OI] 63 μm, [OIII] 88 μm, and [NII] 122 μm line maps, the emission is enhanced in clumps along the NE part of the ring. We observe evidence of rapid rotation in the circumnuclear ring, with a rotation velocity of ~220 km s^(−1) (inclination uncorrected) measured in all lines. The [OI] 63 μm/[CII] 158 μm ratio varies smoothly throughout the central region, and is enhanced on the northeastern part of the ring, which may indicate a stronger radiation field. This enhancement coincides with peaks in the [OI] 63 μm and [OIII] 88 μm maps. Variations of the [NII] 122 μm/[NII] 205 μm ratio correspond to a range in the ionized gas density between 150 and 400 cm^(−3).