No Arabic abstract
We study the Kennicutt-Schmidt star formation law and efficiency in the gaseous disk of the isolated galaxy CIG 96 (NGC 864), with special emphasis on its unusually large atomic gas (HI) disk (r_HI/r_25 = 3.5, r_25 = 1.85). We present deep GALEX near and far ultraviolet observations, used as a recent star formation tracer, and we compare them with new, high resolution (16, or 1.6 kpc) VLA HI observations. The UV and HI maps show good spatial correlation outside the inner 1, where the HI phase dominates over H_2. Star-forming regions in the extended gaseous disk are mainly located along the enhanced HI emission within two (relatively) symmetric giant gaseous spiral arm-like features, which emulate a HI pseudo-ring at a r simeq 3 . Inside such structure, two smaller gaseous spiral arms extend from the NE and SW of the optical disk and connect to the previously mentioned HI pseudo-ring. Interestingly, we find that the (atomic) Kennicutt-Schmidt power law index systematically decreases with radius, from N simeq 3.0 +- 0.3 in the inner disk (0.8 - 1.7) to N = 1.6 +- 0.5 in the outskirts of the gaseous disk (3.3 - 4.2). Although the star formation efficiency (SFE), the star formation rate per unit of gas, decreases with radius where the HI component dominates as is common in galaxies, we find that there is a break of the correlation at r = 1.5 r_25. At radii 1.5 r_25 < r < 3.5 r_25, mostly within the HI pseudo-ring structure, there exist regions whose SFE remains nearly constant, SFE simeq 10^-11 yr^-1. We discuss about possible mechanisms that might be triggering the star formation in the outskirts of this galaxy, and we suggest that the constant SFE for such large radii r > 2 r_25 and at such low surface densities might be a common characteristic in extended UV disk galaxies.
In the context of the AMIGA project, we used Fabry-Perot observations in order to study the dynamics of the ionised gas in the isolated galaxy CIG 0314. From the Halpha observations, we could obtain the velocity field and rotation curve of the galaxy. A detail analysis of the velocity field is done in order to understand the kinematics of the gas to gather clues on the mechanisms which favour or inhibit star formation, in particular along the bar. The visible and dark matter content can be reached, as well as an estimation of the mass of the galaxy.
We present a HI synthesis imaging study of NGC 864 (CIG 96), a spiral galaxy well isolated from similarly sized companions, yet presenting an intriguing asymmetry in its integral HI spectrum. The asymmetry in the HI profile is associated with a strong kinematical perturbation in the gaseous envelope of the galaxy, where at one side the decay of the rotation curve is faster than keplerian. We detect a small (M(HI) = 5 x 10^6 Msun) galaxy with a faint optical counterpart at around 80 kpc projected distance from NGC 864. This galaxy is probably not massive enough to have caused the perturbations in NGC 864. We discuss alternatives, such as the accretion of a gaseous companion at a radial velocity lower than the maximum.
Asymmetries in HI in galaxies are often caused by the interaction with close companions, making isolated galaxies an ideal framework to study secular evolution. The AMIGA project has demonstrated that isolated galaxies show the lowest level of asymmetry in their HI integrated profiles, yet some present significant asymmetries. CIG 96 (NGC 864) is a representative case reaching a 16% level. Our aim is to investigate the HI asymmetries of this spiral galaxy and what processes have triggered the star-forming regions observed in the XUV pseudoring. We performed deep optical observations at CAHA 1.23m, 2.2m and VST telescopes. We reach surface brightness (SB) limits of mu_2.2m = 27.5 mag arcsec-2 (Cous R) and mu_VST = 28.7mag arcsec-2 (r) that show the XUV pseudoring of the galaxy in detail. Additionally, a wavelet filtering of the HI data cube from our deep observations with E/VLA telescope allowed us to reach a column density of N_HI = 8.9x10^18 cm -2 (5sigma) (28x28 beam), lower than in any isolated galaxy. We confirm that the HI extends farther than 4xr_25 in all directions. Furthermore, we detect for the first time two gaseous structures (10^6 Msol) in the outskirts. The g-r colour index image from 1.23m shows extremely blue colours in certain regions of the pseudoring where N_HI>8.5x10^20 cm-2 , whereas the rest show red colours. Galactic cirrus contaminate the field, setting an unavoidable detection limit at 28.5mag arcsec-2 (r). We detect no stellar link within 1degx1deg or gaseous link within 40x40 between CIG 96 and any companion. The isolation criteria rule out interactions with other similar-sized galaxies for at least 2.7Gyr. Using existing stellar evolution models, the age of the pseudoring is estimated at 1Gyr or older. Undetected previously accreted companions and cold gas accretion remain as the main hypothesis to explain the optical pseudoring and HI features of CIG 96.
We present our results of the spectroscopic study of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4143 - an outskirt member of the Ursa Major cluster. Using the observations at the 6-m SAO RAS telescope with the SCORPIO-2 spectrograph and also the archive data of panoramic spectroscopy with the SAURON IFU at the WHT, we have detected an extended inclined gaseous disk which is traced up to a distance of about 3.5 kpc from the center, with a spin approximately opposite to the spin of the stellar disk. The galaxy images in the H-alpha and [NII]6583 emission lines obtained at the 2.5-m CMO SAI MSU telescope with the MaNGaL instrument have shown that the emission lines are excited by a shock wave. A spiral structure that is absent in the stellar disk of the galaxy is clearly seen in the brightness distribution of ionized-gas lines (H-alpha and [NII] from the MaNGaL data and [OIII] from the SAURON data). A complex analysis of both the Lick index distribution along the radius and of the integrated colors, including the ultraviolet measurements with the GALEX space telescope and the near-infrared measurements with the WISE space telescope, has shown that there has been no star formation in the galaxy, perhaps, for the last 10 Gyr. Thus, the recent external-gas accretion detected in NGC 4143 from its kinematics, was not accompanied by star formation, probably, due to an inclined direction of the gas inflow onto the disk.
Galaxies accrete material from the environment through acquisition and merging events. We study the nearby S0 galaxy IC 5181 to address the origin of the ionized-gas component orbiting the galaxy on polar orbit ionized gas of IC 5181 from broad and narrow-band imaging. We measure the ionized-gas and stellar kinematics and the line strengths of the Lick indices of the stellar component along both the major and minor axis. The age, metallicity, and [alpha/Fe] enhancement of the stellar populations are derived using single stellar population models with variable element abundance ratios. The ionized-gas metallicity is obtained from the equivalent width of the emission lines. IC 5181 is a morphologically undisturbed S0 galaxy with a classical bulge made by old stars with super solar metallicity and overabundance. Stellar age and metallicity decrease in the disk region. The galaxy hosts a geometrically and kinematically decoupled component of ionized gas. It is elongated along the galaxy minor axis and in orthogonal rotation with respect to the galaxy disk. We interpret the kinematical decoupling as suggestive of a component of gas, which is not related to the stars and having an external origin. It was accreted by IC 5181 on polar orbits from the surrounding environment.