We present the results of our spectral line surveys in the 1.3 and 2 mm windows toward the carbon-rich envelope of IRC +10216. There were 377 lines are detected in total, of which 360 lines are assigned to 57 known molecules (including 29 rare isotopomers and two cyclic isomers). Only 17 weak lines remain unidentified. Rotational lines of isotopomers 13 CCH and HN 13 C are detected for the first time in IRC +10216 . The detection of the formaldehyde lines in this star is also confirmed. Possible abundance differences among the three 13 C-substituted isotopic isomers of HC 3 N is reported. Isotopic ratios of C and O are confirmed to be nonsolar while those of S and Si to be nearly solar. Column densities have been estimated for 15 molecular species. Modified spectroscopic parameters have been calculated for NaCN, Na 13 CN, KCN, and SiC 2 . Transition frequencies from the present observations were used to improve the spectroscopic parameters of Si 13 CC, 29 SiC 2 , and 30 SiC 2 .

We have imaged in CO(2-1) the molecular gas in NGC 1275 (Perseus A), the cD galaxy at the center of the Perseus Cluster, at a spatial resolution of ∼1 kpc over a central region of radius ∼10 kpc. Per A is known to contain ∼1.3 × 10 10 M ⊙ of molecular gas, which has been proposed to be captured from mergers with or ram-pressure stripping of gas-rich galaxies, or accreted from a X-ray cooling flow. The molecular gas detected in our image has a total mass of ∼4 ×10 9 M ⊙ , and for the first time can be seen to be concentrated in three radial filaments with lengths ranging from at least 1.1-2.4 kpc all lying in the east-west -2directions spanning the center of the galaxy to radii of ∼8 kpc. The eastern and outer western filaments exhibit larger blueshifted velocities with decreasing radii, whereas the inner western filament spans the systemic velocity of the galaxy. The molecular gas shows no signature of orbital motion, and is therefore unlikely to have been captured from gas-rich galaxies. Instead, we are able to reproduce the observed kinematics of the two outer filaments as free-fall in the gravitational potential of Per A, as would be expected if they originate from a X-ray cooling flow. Indeed, all three filaments lie between two prominent X-ray cavities carved out by radio jets from Per A, and closely resembles the spatial distribution of the coolest X-ray gas in the cluster core. The inferred mass-deposition rate into the two outermost filaments alone is roughly 75 M ⊙ yr −1 . This cooling flow can provide a nearly continuous supply of molecular gas to fuel the active nucleus in Per A.

We present results of a 12 CO J = 3-2 survey of 125 nearby galaxies obtained with the 10-m Heinrich-Hertz-Telescope, with the aim to characterize the properties of warm and dense molecular gas in a large variety of environments. With an angular resolution of 22 ′′ , 12 CO 3-2 emission was detected in 114 targets. Based on 61 galaxies observed with equal beam sizes the 12 CO 3-2/1-0 integrated line intensity ratio R 31 is found to vary from 0.2 to 1.9, with an average value of 0.81. No correlations are found for R 31 to Hubble type and far infrared luminosity. Possible indications for a correlation with inclination angle and the 60µm/100µm color temperature of the dust are not significant. Higher R 31 ratios than in "normal" galaxies, hinting at enhanced molecular excitation, may be found in galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei. Even higher average values are determined for galaxies with bars or starbursts, the latter being identified by the ratio of infrared luminosity versus isophotal area, log [(L FIR /L ⊙ )/(D 2 25 /kpc 2 )] > 7.25. (U)LIRGs are found to have the highest averaged R 31 value. This may be a consequence of particularly vigorous star formation activity, triggered by galaxy interaction and merger events. The nuclear CO luminosities are slightly sublinearly correlated with the global FIR luminosity in both the 12 CO J = 3-2 and the 1-0 lines. The slope of the log-log plots rises with compactness of the respective galaxy subsample, indicating a higher average density and a larger fraction of thermalized gas in distant luminous galaxies. While linear or sublinear correlations for the 12 CO J = 3-2 line can be explained, if the bulk of the observed J = 3-2 emission originates from molecular gas with densities below the critical one, the case of the 12 CO J = 1-0 line with its small critical density remains a puzzle.

We present the first results of an ALMA spectral survey of strong absorption lines for common interstellar species in the z = 0.89 molecular absorber toward the lensed blazar PKS 1830−211. The dataset brings essential information on the structure and composition of the absorbing gas in the foreground galaxy. In particular, we find absorption over large velocity intervals ( 100 km s −1 ) toward both lensed images of the blazar. This suggests either that the galaxy inclination is intermediate and that we sample velocity gradients or streaming motions in the disk plane, that the molecular gas has a large vertical distribution or extraplanar components, or that the absorber is not a simple spiral galaxy but might be a merger system. The number of detected species is now reaching a total of 42 different species plus 14 different rare isotopologues toward the SW image, and 14 species toward the NE line-of-sight. The abundances of CH, H 2 O, HCO + , HCN, and NH 3 relative to H 2 are found to be comparable to those in the Galactic diffuse medium. Of all the lines detected so far toward PKS 1830−211, the ground-state line of ortho-water has the deepest absorption. We argue that ground-state lines of water have the best potential for detecting diffuse molecular gas in absorption at high redshift.

We have mapped the central region of NGC 4945 in the J = 2 → 1 transition of 12 CO, 13 CO, and C 18 O, as well as the continuum at 1.3 mm, at an angular resolution of 5 ′′ × 3 ′′ with the Submillimeter Array. The relative proximity of NGC 4945 (distance of only 3.8 Mpc) permits a detailed study of the circumnuclear molecular gas and dust in a galaxy exhibiting both an AGN (classified as a Seyfert 2) and a circumnuclear starburst in an inclined ring with radius ∼2. ′′ 5 (∼50 pc). We infer the systemic velocity ∼585 km s −1 from channel maps and PV-diagrams. We find that all three molecular lines trace an inclined rotating disk with major axis aligned with that of the starburst ring and large-scale galactic disk, and which exhibits solid-body rotation within a radius of ∼5 ′′ (∼95 pc). The rotation curve flattens beyond this radius, and the isovelocity contours exhibit an S-shaped asymmetry suggestive of a highly inclined bar as has been invoked to produce a similar asymmetry observed on larger scales. We infer an inclination for the nuclear disk of 62 • ±2 • , somewhat smaller than the inclination of the large-scale galactic disk of ∼78 • . The continuum emission at 1.3 mm also extends beyond the starburst ring, and is dominated by thermal emission from dust. If it traces the same dust emitting in the far-infrared, then the bulk of this dust must be heated by star-formation activity rather than the AGN. We discover a kinematically-decoupled component at the center of the disk with a radius smaller than 1. ′′ 4 (27 pc), but which spans approximately the same range of velocities as the surrounding disk. This component has a higher density than its surroundings, and is a promising candidate for the circumnuclear molecular torus invoked by AGN unification models.

We present high resolution images of the 12 CO(2-1) emission in the central 1 ′ (1 kpc) of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A), observed using the Submillimeter Array. We elucidate for the first time the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in this region with a resolution of 6. ′′ 0 × 2. ′′ 4 (100 pc × 40 pc). We spatially resolve the circumnuclear molecular gas in the inner 24 ′′ × 12 ′′ (400 pc × 200 pc), which is elongated along a position angle P.A. ≃ 155 • and perpendicular to the radio/X-ray jet. The SE and NW components of the circumnuclear gas are connected to molecular gas found at larger radii. This gas appears as two parallel filaments at P.A. = 120 • , which are coextensive with the long sides of the 3 kiloparsec parallelogram shape of the previously observed dust continuum, as well as ionized and pure rotational H 2 lines. Spatial and kinematical asymmetries are apparent in both the circumnuclear and outer gas, suggesting non-coplanar and/or non-circular motions. We extend to inner radii (r < 200 pc) previously studied warped disk models built to reproduce the central parallelogram-shaped structure. Adopting the warped disk model we would confirm a gap in emission between the radii r = 200 -800 pc (12 ′′ -50 ′′ ), as has been suggested previously. Although this model explains this prominent feature, however, our 12 CO(2 − −1) observations show relevant deviations from this model. Namely, the physical connection between the circumnuclear gas and that at larger radii, brighter SE and NW sides on the parallelogram-shaped feature, and an outer curvature of its long sides. Overall it resembles more closely an S-shaped morphology, a trend that is also found in other molecular species. Hence, we explore qualitatively the possible contribution of a weak bi-symmetric potential which would naturally explain these peculiarities.

We study the molecular outflow of the nearby evolved S star 1 Gru. We imaged the outflow in CO J ¼ 2 1 and dust continuum with the Submillimeter Array. The CO emission was detected over a very broad velocity width of $90 km s À1. Our high-resolution images show that the outflow at low velocities (15 km s À1) is elongated eastwest and at high velocities (!25 km s À1) is displaced north (at redshifted velocities) and south (blueshifted velocities) of center as defined by the dust continuum source. We model the spatial-kinematic structure of the lowvelocity outflow as a flared disk with a central cavity of radius 200 AU and an expansion velocity of 11 km s À1 , inclined by 55 to our line of sight. We attribute the high-velocity component to a bipolar outflow that emerges perpendicular to this disk with a velocity of up to $45 km s À1. This high-velocity outflow may play an important role in shaping the gas envelope previously ejected by the AGB star and thus produce a bipolar morphology when the object evolves into a proto-planetary nebula.

The launching mechanism of the jets of active galactic nuclei is poorly constrained observationally, owing to the large distances to these objects and the very small scales (sub-parsec) involved. To better constrain theoretical models, it is especially important to get information from the region close to the physical base of the jet, where the plasma acceleration takes place. In this paper, we report multi-epoch and multifrequency continuum observations of the z = 2.5 blazar PKS 1830−211 with ALMA, serendipitously coincident with a strong γ-ray flare reported by Fermi-LAT. The blazar is lensed by a foreground z = 0.89 galaxy, with two bright images of the compact core separated by 1 . Our ALMA observations individually resolve these two images (although not any of their substructures), and we study the change in their relative flux ratio with time (four epochs spread over nearly three times the time delay between the two lensed images) and frequency (between 350 and 1050 GHz, rest frame of the blazar), during the γ-ray flare. In particular, we detect a remarkable frequency-dependent behavior of the flux ratio, which implies the presence of a chromatic structure in the blazar (i.e., a core-shift effect). We rule out the possibility of micro-and milli-lensing effects and propose instead a simple model of plasmon ejection in the blazar's jet to explain the time and frequency variability of the flux ratio. We suggest that PKS 1830−211 is likely to be one of the best sources to probe the activity at the base of a blazar's jet at submillimeter wavelengths, thanks to the peculiar geometry of the system. The implications of the core shift in absorption studies of the foreground z = 0.89 galaxy (e.g., constraints on the cosmological variations of fundamental constants) are discussed.