ALMA Observations of the Physical and Chemical Conditions in Centaurus A
  Centaurus A, with its gas-rich elliptical host galaxy, NGC 5128, is the
nearest radio galaxy at a distance of 3.8 Mpc. Its proximity allows us to study
the interaction between an active galactic nucleus, radio jets, and molecular
gas in great detail. We present ALMA observations of low J transitions of three
CO isotopologues, HCN, HCO$^{+}$, HNC, CN, and CCH toward the inner projected
500 pc of NGC 5128. Our observations resolve physical sizes down to 40 pc. By
observing multiple chemical probes, we determine the physical and chemical
conditions of the nuclear interstellar medium of NGC 5128. This region contains
molecular arms associated with the dust lanes and a circumnuclear disk (CND)
interior to the molecular arms. The CND is approximately 400 pc by 200 pc and
appears to be chemically distinct from the molecular arms. It is dominated by
dense gas tracers while the molecular arms are dominated by $^{12}$CO and its
rare isotopologues. The CND has a higher temperature, elevated CN/HCN and
HCN/HNC intensity ratios, and much weaker $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O emission than
the molecular arms. This suggests an influence from the AGN on the CND
molecular gas. There is also absorption against the AGN with a low velocity
complex near the systemic velocity and a high velocity complex shifted by about
60 km s$^{-1}$. We find similar chemical properties between the CND in emission
and both the low and high velocity absorption complexes implying that both
likely originate from the CND. If the HV complex does originate in the CND,
then that gas would correspond to gas falling toward the supermassive black
hole.
