The contours on the right figure show the SMA data obtained and analyzed by the group.

Can a galaxy  collision trigger massive bursts of star formation? or is it related to  the growth of a super-massive black hole? In an attempt to answer these  intriguing scientific questions, an international team led by  researchers at the NAOJ Nobeyama and the University of Tokyo observed  the nearest colliding galaxy pair from the Earth, the “Antennae  galaxies”, using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii.

The team used  the SMA to map the relatively warm and dense molecular gas cloud - the  exact fuel for future star formation and black hole growth - at an  angular resolution that is more than 10 times higher than previously  possible. “What was only seen as a blurred picture before has now become  increasingly sharp, thanks to the high resolution power offered by the  SMA” says Junko Ueda who is a graduate student at the University of  Tokyo and the principal investigator of the team.

The team used  this new image to identify regions in the Antennae galaxies that do not  show clear signs of star clusters in optical images, but have ample  amounts of molecular gas clouds. These are regions that will possibly  host numerous star clusters in the future, and the intense bursts of  star formation could be triggered by the immense galaxy collision.

The high  quality SMA image also shows new hints of gas streaming to the central  region of the galaxy, which may be related to the growth of the central  super massive black hole. Astronomers believe that many of the galaxies  in the universe host black holes at galaxy centers.

See the webside for more details:http://www.nao.ac.jp/E/release/2011/11/22/galaxy-collisions.html  （SY）