  New high resolution CO(3-2) interferometric map of the IR-bright interacting
galaxy system VV114 observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) reveal a
substantial amount of warm and dense gas in the IR-bright but optically
obscured galaxy, VV114E, and the overlap region connecting the two nuclei. A
1.8 x 1.4 kpc concentration of CO(3-2) emitting gas with a total mass of 4 x
10^9 Msun coincides with the peaks of NIR, MIR, and radio continuum emission
found previously by others, identifying the dense fuel for the AGN and/or the
starburst activity there. Extensive CO(2-1) emission is also detected,
revealing detailed distribution and kinematics that are consistent with the
earlier CO(1-0) results. The widely distributed molecular gas traced in CO(2-1)
and the distributed discrete peaks of CO(3-2) emission suggest that a spatially
extended intense starbursts may contribute significantly to its large IR
luminosity. These new observations further support the notion that VV114 is
approaching its final stage of merger, when violent central inflow of gas
triggers intense starburst activity possibly boosting the IR luminosity above
the ultraluminous threshold.
