SIMBAD references

The (J,K) = (1,1), (2,2), (3,3), and (4,4) inversion lines of ammonia (NH₃) have been detected toward the nuclear 40'' sized bar of the nearby spiral galaxy Maffei 2. The relative intensities of the ammonia lines are characterized by a rotational temperature of 85K. This is higher than rotational temperatures measured toward IC 342 and most Galactic Center clouds, implying kinetic temperatures >100K. Since the kinetic temperature of the gas is larger than that of the dust, NH₃ is tracing a particularly dense warm gas component that is heated by young massive stars, cloud-cloud collisions, or ion-slip heating in the nuclear starburst. The gas north of the nucleus (V_LSR=-80km/s) is more highly excited than the gas further south (+6km/s). This asymmetry might be related to pronounced morphological distortions that are observed in the north-eastern part of the galaxy.