• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.295-296
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• 2012

We provide a new physical insight on the hot molecular clouds near the nucleus of the heavily obscured AGN IRAS 01250+2832, based on the results of near-infrared high-resolution spectroscopy of gaseous CO ro-vibrational absorption lines with Subaru/IRCS. The detected CO absorption lines up to highly excited rotational levels reveal that hot dense molecular clouds exist around the AGN under the peculiar physical conditions.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.169-173
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• 2017

We provide a new physical insight on the hot molecular clouds near the nucleus of the obscured AGNs. We performed near-infrared spectroscopic observations of heavily obscured AGNs in order to reveal physical characteristics of molecular clouds, especially focused on the CO fundamental ro-vibrational absorption around $4.7{\mu}m$. We have made systematic moderate-resolution spectroscopic observations toward 30 representative (U)LIRGs using the AKARI/IRC, and some of the ULIRGs showed the strong CO absorption feature. For three bright (U)LIRGs that show a steep red continuum with the deep CO absorption feature, IRAS 08572+3915, UGC 05101, and IRAS 01250+2832, we have also made high-resolution spectroscopic observations using the Subaru/IRCS. We have successfully detected many absorption lines up to highly excited rotational levels, and these lines are very deep and extremely broad. The derived physical conditions of molecular clouds are extreme; the gas temperature is as high as several 100 to a 1000 K, the $H_2$ column density is larger than $10^{22}cm^{-2}$, and the gas density is greater than $10^7cm^{-3}$. Such hot and dense molecular clouds must exist around the central engine of the AGN.