A Near-infrared Search for Molecular Gas in the Fermi Bubbles

Abstract We present Gemini/NIFS near-IR integral field spectroscopy of the fields-of-view around two AGNs behind Fermi Bubbles ( PDS 456 and 1H1613-097 ) to search for molecular gas in Milky Way’s nuclear wind. These AGN sightlines were selected by presence high-velocity neutral ionized seen UV absorption. do not detect any extended emission from H 2 rovibrational S(0) S(1) lines at 2.224 2.122 μ m either direction. For 1-0 line, 3 σ surface brightness limits derived spectra extracted across full 3″ × NIFS field-of-view are 2.4 10 −17 erg cm −2 s −1 Å arcsec 4.9 −18 . Given these non-detections, we conclude that CO studies absorption more promising approaches characterizing Bubbles.