The CO (2-1) emission along the inner dust lane of Centaurus A, observed with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea, shows the molecular gas to be in a thin disk, with a velocity dispersion of only about 10 km s^-1^. The observed line profiles are broadened considerably due to beam smearing of the gas velocity field. The profile shapes are inconsistent with planar circular and noncircular motion. However, a warped disk in a prolate potential provides a good fit to the profile shapes. The morphology and kinematics of the molecular gas is similar to that of the ionized material, seen in Hα. The best- fitting warped disk model not only matches the optical appearance of the dust lane but also agrees with the large-scale map of the CO emission and is consistent with H I measurements at larger radii.
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Quillen et al. (1992) studied this question.