  Using the IRAM 30m radio telescope we have mapped the tidal arm feature
south-east of NGC 3077 where we recently detected molecular gas in the CO (1-0)
and (2-1) transitions. We find that the molecular gas is much more extended
than previously thought (several kpc). The CO emission can be separated into at
least 3 distinct complexes with equivalent radii between 250pc and 700pc - the
newly detected complexes therefore range among the largest molecular complexes
in the local universe. Mass estimates based on virialization and employing an
X_CO factor yield a total mass for the complexes of order 4 x 10^7 M_sun, i.e.
more than the estimated molecular mass within NGC 3077 itself. This implies
that interactions between galaxies can efficiently remove heavy elements and
molecules from a galaxy and enrich the intergalactic medium. A comparison of
the distribution of HI and CO shows no clear correlation. However, CO is only
found in regions where the HI column density exceeds 1.1 x 10^21 cm^-2. HI
masses for the molecular complexes mapped are of the same order as the
corresponding molecular masses. Since the complexes have all the ingredients to
form stars in the future, we are thus presumably witnessing the birth of a
dwarf galaxy. This process may have dominated the creation of dwarf galaxies at
larger look-back times.
