12CO(J=2→1) and 12CO(J=3→2) observations of Virgo Cluster spiral galaxies with the KOSMA telescope

We present (CO)-C-12 J=2 -->1 and (CO)-C-12 J=3 -->2 observations of Virgo Cluster spiral galaxies. The observations have been made with the KOSMA (Kolner Observatorium fur SubMillimeter Astronomie) 3m sub-mm telescope located on the Gornergrat near Zermatt, Switzerland. With beam sizes of 80 " and 120 " the KOSMA telescope is well suited for the investigation of global properties of Virgo Cluster galaxies. Our dataset of higher CO transitions with an equivalent beam size to the (CO)-C-12 J=1 -->0 survey by Stark et al. (1986), performed with the AT&T Bell Laboratory 7m telescope (beam size 100 ") and the ISO [CII] 158 mum (beam size 80 ") survey of late-type galaxies from the Virgo Cluster by Leech et al. (1999) allows a more precise description of the global excitation conditions and the distribution of the ISM in quiescent spiral galaxies.