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Aims: The physics driving features such as breaks observed in galaxy surface brightness (SB) profiles remains contentious. Here, we assess the importance of stellar radial motions in shaping their characteristics. Methods: We use the simulated Milky Way-mass, cosmological discs, from the Ramses Disc Environment Study (RaDES) to characterise the radial redistribution of stars in galaxies displaying type I (pure exponentials), II (downbending), and III (upbending) SB profiles. We compare radial profiles of the mass fractions and the velocity dispersions of different sub-populations of stars according to their birth and current locations. Results: Radial redistribution of stars is important in all galaxies regardless of their light profiles. Type II breaks seem to be a consequence of the combined effects of outward-moving and accreted stars. The former produces shallower inner profiles (lack of stars in the inner disc) and accumulate material around the break radius and beyond, strengthening the break; the latter can weaken or even convert the break into a pure exponential. Further accretion from satellites can concentrate material in the outermost parts, leading to type III breaks that can coexist with type II breaks, but situated further out. Type III galaxies would be the result of an important radial redistribution of material throughout the entire disc, as well as a concentration of accreted material in the outskirts. In addition, type III galaxies display the most efficient radial redistribution and the largest number of accreted stars, followed by type I and II systems, suggesting that type I galaxies may be an intermediate case between types II and III. In general, the velocity dispersion profiles of all galaxies tend to flatten or even ncrease around the locations where the breaks are found. The age and metallicity profiles are also affected, exhibiting...[abridged]
We examine the relation between breaks in the surface brightness profiles and radial abundance gradients within the optical radius in the discs of 134 spiral galaxies from the CALIFA survey. The distribution of the radial abundance (in logarithmic scale) in each galaxy was fitted by simple and broken linear relations. The surface brightness profile was fitted assuming pure and broken exponents for the disc. We find that the maximum absolute difference between the abundances in a disc given by broken and pure linear relations is less than 0.05 dex in the majority of our galaxies and exceeds the scatter in abundances for 26 out of 134 galaxies considered. The scatter in abundances around the broken linear relation is close (within a few percent) to that around the pure linear relation. The breaks in the surface brightness profiles are more prominent. The scatter around the broken exponent in a number of galaxies is lower by a factor of two or more than that around the pure exponent. The shapes of the abundance gradients and surface brightness profiles within the optical radius in a galaxy may be different. A pure exponential surface brightness profile may be accompanied by a broken abundance gradient and vise versa. There is no correlation between the break radii of the abundance gradients and surface brightness profiles. Thus, a break in the surface brightness profile does not need to be accompanied by a break in the abundance gradient.
By taking advantage of the superb measurements of position and velocity for an unprecedented large number of stars provided in Gaia DR2, we have generated the first maps of the rotation velocity, $V_{rm rot}$, and vertical velocity, $V_{rm z}$, distributions as a function of the Galactocentric radius, $R_{rm gal}$, across a radial range of $5<R_{rm gal}<12$~kpc. In the $R-V_{rm rot}$ map, we have identified many diagonal ridge features, which are compared with the location of the spiral arms and the expected outer Lindblad resonance of the Galactic bar. We have detected also radial wave-like oscillations of the peak of the vertical velocity distribution.
We present HI spectral line and optical broadband images of the nearby low surface brightness dwarf galaxy KDG215. The HI images, acquired with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), reveal a dispersion dominated ISM with only weak signatures of coherent rotation. The HI gas reaches a peak mass surface density of 6 M$_{odot}$ pc$^{-2}$ at the location of the peak surface brightness in the optical and the UV. Although KDG215 is gas-rich, the H$alpha$ non-detection implies a very low current massive star formation rate. In order to investigate the recent evolution of this system, we have derived the recent and lifetime star formation histories from archival Hubble Space Telescope images. The recent star formation history shows a peak star formation rate $sim$1 Gyr ago, followed by a decreasing star formation rate to the present day quiescent state. The cumulative star formation history indicates that a significant fraction of the stellar mass assembly in KDG215 has occurred within the last 1.25 Gyr. KDG215 is one of only a few known galaxies which demonstrates such a delayed star formation history. While the ancient stellar population (predominantly red giants) is prominent, the look-back time by which 50% of the mass of all stars ever formed had been created is among the youngest of any known galaxy.
The study of 21cm line observations of atomic hydrogen allows detailed insight into the kinematics of spiral galaxies. We use sensitive high-resolution VLA data from The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS) to search for radial gas flows primarily in the outer parts (up to $3times r_{25}$) of ten nearby spiral galaxies. Inflows are expected to replenish the gas reservoir and fuel star formation under the assumption that galaxies evolve approximately in steady state. We carry out a detailed investigation of existing tilted ring fitting schemes and discover systematics that can hamper their ability to detect signatures of radial flows. We develop a new Fourier decomposition scheme that fits for rotational and radial velocities and simultaneously determines position angle and inclination as a function of radius. Using synthetic velocity fields we show that our novel fitting scheme is less prone to such systematic errors and that it is well suited to detect radial inflows in disks. We apply our fitting scheme to ten THINGS galaxies and find clear indications of, at least partly previously unidentified, radial gas flows, in particular for NGC 2403 and NGC 3198 and to a lesser degree for NGC 7331, NGC 2903 and NGC 6946. The mass flow rates are of the same order but usually larger than the star formation rates. At least for these galaxies a scenario in which continuous mass accretion feeds star formation seems plausible. The other galaxies show a more complicated picture with either no clear inflow, outward motions or complex kinematic signatures.
We introduce a method for producing a galaxy sample unbiased by surface brightness and stellar mass, by selecting star-forming galaxies via the positions of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Whilst matching $sim$2400 supernovae from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey to their host galaxies using IAC Stripe 82 legacy coadded imaging, we find $sim$150 previously unidentified low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs). Using a sub-sample of $sim$900 CCSNe, we infer CCSN-rate and star-formation rate densities as a function of galaxy stellar mass, and the star-forming galaxy stellar mass function. Resultant star-forming galaxy number densities are found to increase following a power-law down to our low mass limit of $sim10^{6.4}$ M$_{odot}$ by a single Schechter function with a faint-end slope of $alpha = -1.41$. Number densities are consistent with those found by the EAGLE simulations invoking a $Lambda$-CDM cosmology. Overcoming surface brightness and stellar mass biases is important for assessment of the sub-structure problem. In order to estimate galaxy stellar masses, a new code for the calculation of galaxy photometric redshifts, zMedIC, is also presented, and shown to be particularly useful for small samples of galaxies.