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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
The CO (J=1-0) emission in M82 has been mapped with the Nobeyama 45-m telescope. The CO intensity distribution in the central region is resolved into two peaks. An axisymmetric model reveals a ring structure of molecular gas at a distance of 80-400 pc (centered near 200 pc) from the nucleus. This “200-pc ring” corresponds to just the region of a star formation burst. The molecular gas in M82 is also expanding out of the galactic plane with a velocity of 100-500 km s−1. The expansion energy of (0.1-1.4) x 1056 erg can be explained by the energy supply of supernovae in the central region.