Previous abstract Next abstract
M102 is a S0 galaxy with a well-defined edge-on disk and a bulge component. It is however rather unusual among early-type galaxies in its bright far-infrared emissions and slightly tilted dust lane. We have obtained high resolution aperture synthesis data of the CO emission from the central region of this galaxy, and derived the rotation curve of the molecular gas. Our results suggest that the gas rotation increases rapidly to reach a maximum of 320 km~s$^{-1}$ within 1 kpc of the galactic center. This is much faster than would be expected based on the light distribution of the bulge and disk. We discuss two possibilities for the fast-rising gas rotation curves: that there is an unaccounted for mass component in the disk component; or that the dense gas forms a kinematically decoupled system at the galactic center as a result of past capturing or merging processes.