A high resolution mid-infrared image of the Starburst Galaxy M82

Abstract

We have produced high-resolution images of the nuclear region of M82 with SpectroCam-10, a mid-infrared instrument at the Palomar 5 m telescope. These images were taken at 11.7 μm and 9.8 μm with a 1μm filter bandpass at the diffraction limit of 0.6 arcsec, making them the highest resolution maps yet available of M82. In addition, we have obtained high-resolution (λ/Δλ=2000) maps of the velocity field of the nuclear disk of M82 in the 12.81 μm line emission of [NeII]. In these proceedings we present the 11.7 μm image, which will appear together with the 9.8 μm map and the [Ne II] spectra in a subsequent paper, now in preparation. This image shows very clearly a bridge structure joining the eastern and western clusters.