Dense molecular gas tracers in the central 1 kpc region of the superwind galaxy NGC 1808 have been imaged by ALMA at a resolution of 1" (~50 pc). Integrated intensities and line intensity ratios of HCN (1-0), H$^{ 13}$CN (1-0), HCO$^+$ (1-0), H$^{ 13}$CO$^+$ (1-0), HOC$^+$ (1-0), HCO$^+$ (4-3), CS (2-1), C$_2$H (1-0), and previously detected CO (1-0) and CO (3-2) are presented. SiO (2-1) and HNCO (4-3) are detected toward the circumnuclear disk (CND), indicating the presence of shocked dense gas. There is evidence that an enhanced intensity ratio of HCN(1-0)/HCO$^+$(1-0) reflects star formation activity, possibly in terms of shock heating and electron excitation in the CND and a star-forming ring at radius ~300 pc. A non-LTE analysis indicates that the molecular gas traced by HCN, H$^{ 13}$CN, HCO$^+$, and H$^{ 13}$CO$^+$ in the CND is dense ($n_{ \mathrm{ H}_2}$~$10^5$ cm$^{ -3}$) and warm (20 K$<T_\mathrm{ k}$<100 K). The calculations yield a low average gas density of $n_{ \mathrm{ H}_2}$~$10^2\mathrm{ -}10^3$ cm$^{ -3}$ for a temperature of $T_\mathrm{ k}\geq30$ K in the nuclear outflow. Dense gas tracers HCN (1-0), HCO$^+$ (1-0), CS (2-1), and C$_2$H (1-0) are detected for the first time in the superwind of NGC 1808, confirming the presence of a velocity gradient in the outflow direction.
Categories: astro-ph.GA