HI 21cm mapping of the host galaxy of AT2018cow: a fast-evolving
  luminous transient within a ring of high column density gas
  We report Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) HI 21cm imaging of CGCG
137-068, the host galaxy of the fast-evolving luminous transient (FELT)
AT2018cow. This is the first study of the gas properties of a FELT host galaxy.
We obtain a total HI mass of $(6.6 \pm 0.9) \times 10^8$ M$_\odot$ for the host
galaxy, which implies an atomic gas depletion time of $3$ Gyr and a
gas-to-stellar mass ratio of $0.47$, consistent with values in normal
star-forming dwarf galaxies. At spatial resolutions of $\geq 6$ kpc, the HI of
CGCG 137-068 appears to be distributed in a disk, in mostly regular rotation.
However, at spatial resolutions of $2$ kpc, the highest column density HI is
found to lie in an asymmetric ring around the central regions, with HI column
densities $\geq 10^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$; AT2018cow lies within this high column
density ring. This HI ring could be suggestive of an interaction between CGCG
137-068 and a companion galaxy. Such a ring is ideal for the formation of
compact regions of star formation hosting massive stars which are likely
progenitors of FELTs. We measure a 1.4 GHz flux density of $1.13 \pm 0.13$ mJy
for AT2018cow on 2018 August 27.
