NMA Observations of CO(2-1) and CO(1-0) Emission in the Starburst Region of NGC 4527

Abstract

We have performed high resolution CO(2-1), CO(1-0), HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) observations of a "low star formation efficiency starburst galaxy" NGC 4527 with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array. The integrated intensity ratios, CO(2-1)/CO(1-0) and HCN(1-0)/CO(1-0), are found to be 0.6 +/- 0.05 and 0.06 +/- 0.007, respectively, at the center. These line ratios are smaller than those in prototypical starburst galaxies such as NGC 253 and M82, and we suggest that the fraction of dense molecular gas to the total molecular mass in the central a few kpc region of NGC 4527 is small. This fact may be responsible for the low star formation.