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C.L. Taylor (California State University Sacramento), G.R. Petitpas (University of Maryland)
We present high resolution observations of the CO emission in NGC~404, a nearby dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxy (D = 3.3 Mpc). NGC~404 is only the third dwarf elliptical to have its CO emission mapped by interferometric observations, and is the first outside the Local Group. Our observations show a very concentrated, marginally resolved structure about 9 \times 9 arcseconds in diameter. This corresponds to a very small cloud at the center of a much larger distribution of stars. NGC~404 is surrounded by a doughnut shaped distribution of HI gas centered on the stellar component. The CO and HI appear to be kinematically distinct components, suggesting that the HI may be part of the galaxy's original gas distribution, while the CO may be recycled from the products of stellar evolution.
C.L.T. has been supported by CSU Sacramento via a Research and Creative Activity Award. G.R.P. has been supported by the Laboratory for Millimeter-Wave Astronomy through NSF grant AST 99-81289
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.