Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userThe Edge of the Galaxy
65
0
0.0
(
0
)
Authors
Alis J. Deason
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We use cosmological simulations of isolated Milky Way-mass galaxies, as well as Local Group analogues, to define the edge -- a caustic manifested in a drop in density or radial velocity -- of Galactic-sized haloes, both in dark matter and in stars. In the dark matter, we typically identify two caustics: the outermost caustic located at ~1.4r_200m corresponding to the splashback radius, and a second caustic located at ~0.6r_200m which likely corresponds to the edge of the virialized material which has completed at least two pericentric passages. The splashback radius is ill defined in Local Group type environments where the halos of the two galaxies overlap. However, the second caustic is less affected by the presence of a companion, and is a more useful definition for the boundary of the Milky Way halo. Curiously, the stellar distribution also has a clearly defined caustic, which, in most cases, coincides with the second caustic of the dark matter. This can be identified in both radial density and radial velocity profiles, and should be measurable in future observational programmes. Finally, we show that the second caustic can also be identified in the phase-space distribution of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. Using the current dwarf galaxy population, we predict the edge of the Milky Way halo to be 292 +/- 61 kpc.
rate research
Read More
The edge-on galaxy NGC 891 was probed using near-infrared (NIR) imaging polarimetry in the H-band (1.6 um) with the Mimir instrument on the 1.8 m Perkins Telescope. Polarization was detected with signal-to-noise ratio greater than three out to a surface brightness of 18.8 mag arcsec^-2. The unweighted average and dispersion in polarization percentage (P) across the full disk were 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively, and the same quantities for polarization position angle (P.A.) were 12 deg and 19 deg, respectively. At least one polarization null point, where P falls nearly to zero, was detected in the NE disk but not the SW disk. Several other asymmetries in P between the northern and southern disk were found and may be related to spiral structure. Profiles of P and P.A. along the minor axis of NGC 891 suggest a transition from magnetic (B) field tracing dichroic polarization near the disk mid-plane to scattering dominated polarization off the disk mid-plane. A comparison between NIR P.A. and radio (3.6 cm) synchrotron polarization P.A. values revealed similar B-field orientations in the central-northeast region, which suggests that the hot plasma and cold, star-forming interstellar medium may share a common B-field. Disk-perpendicular polarizations previously seen at optical wavelengths are likely caused by scattered light from the bright galaxy center and are unlikely to be tracing poloidal B-fields in the outer disk.
Studies of the stellar and the HI gas kinematics in dwarf and Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies are essential for deriving constraints on their dark matter distribution. Moreover, a key component to unveil in the evolution of LSBs is why some of them can be classified as superthin. We aim to investigate the nature of the proto-typical superthin galaxy Fourcade-Figueroa (FF), to understand the role played by the dark matter halo in forming its superthin shape and to investigate the mechanism that explains the observed disruption in the approaching side of the galaxy. Combining new HI 21-cm observations obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope with archival data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array we were able to obtain sensitive HI observations of the FF galaxy. These data were modeled with a 3D tilted ring model in order to derive the rotation curve and surface brightness density of the neutral hydrogen. We subsequently used this model, combined with a stellar profile from the literature, to derive the radial distribution of the dark matter in the FF galaxy. For the FF galaxy the Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter distribution provides the best fit to the observed rotation curve. However, the differences with a pseudo-isothermal halo are small. Both models indicate that the core of the dark matter halo is compact. Even though the FF galaxy classifies as superthin, the gas thickness about the galactic centre exhibits a steep flaring of the gas which is in agreement with the edge of the stellar disk. As suggested previously in the literature, the compact dark matter halo might be the main responsible for the superthin structure of the stellar disk in FF. This idea is strengthened through the detection of the mentioned disruption; the fact that the galaxy is disturbed also seems to support the idea that it is not isolation that cause its superthin structure.
We present a kinematical study of the nearly edge-on galaxy ESO 379-G006 that shows the existence of extraplanar ionized gas. With Fabry-Perot spectroscopy at H-alpha, we study the kinematics of ESO 379-G006 using velocity maps and position-velocity diagrams parallel to the major and to the minor axis of the galaxy. We build the rotation curve of the disk and discuss the role of projection effects due to the fact of viewing this galaxy nearly edge-on. The twisting of the isovelocities in the radial velocity field of the disk of ESO 379-G006 as well as the kinematic asymmetries found in some position-velocity diagrams parallel to the minor axis of the galaxy suggest the existence of deviations to circular motions in the disk that can be modeled and explained with the inclusion of a radial inflow probably generated by a bar or by spiral arms. We succeeded in detecting extraplanar Diffuse Ionized Gas in this galaxy. At the same time, from the analysis of position-velocity diagrams, we found some evidence that the extraplanar gas could lag in rotation velocity with respect to the midplane rotation.
We examine how the mass assembly of central galaxies depends on their location in the cosmic web. The HORIZON-AGN simulation is analysed at z~2 using the DISPERSE code to extract multi-scale cosmic filaments. We find that the dependency of galaxy properties on large-scale environment is mostly inherited from the (large-scale) environmental dependency of their host halo mass. When adopting a residual analysis that removes the host halo mass effect, we detect a direct and non-negligible influence of cosmic filaments. Proximity to filaments enhances the build-up of stellar mass, a result in agreement with previous studies. However, our multi-scale analysis also reveals that, at the edge of filaments, star formation is suppressed. In addition, we find clues for compaction of the stellar distribution at close proximity to filaments. We suggest that gas transfer from the outside to the inside of the haloes (where galaxies reside) becomes less efficient closer to filaments, due to high angular momentum supply at the vorticity-rich edge of filaments. This quenching mechanism may partly explain the larger fraction of passive galaxies in filaments, as inferred from observations at lower redshifts.
Understanding how galaxies cease to form stars represents an outstanding challenge for galaxy evolution theories. This process of star formation quenching has been related to various causes, including Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) activity, the influence of large-scale dynamics, and the environment in which galaxies live. In this paper, we present the first results from a follow-up of CALIFA survey galaxies with observations of molecular gas obtained with the APEX telescope. Together with EDGE survey CARMA observations, we collect $^{12}$CO observations that cover approximately one effective radius in 472 CALIFA galaxies. We observe that the deficit of galaxy star formation with respect to the star formation main sequence (SFMS) increases with the absence of molecular gas and with a reduced efficiency of conversion of molecular gas into stars, in line with results of other integrated studies. However, by dividing the sample into galaxies dominated by star formation and galaxies quenched in their centres (as indicated by the average value of the H$alpha$ equivalent width), we find that this deficit increases sharply once a certain level of gas consumption is reached, indicating that different mechanisms drive separation from the SFMS in star-forming and quenched galaxies. Our results indicate that differences in the amount of molecular gas at a fixed stellar mass are the primary driver for the dispersion in the SFMS, and the most likely explanation for the start of star-formation quenching. However, once a galaxy is quenched, changes in star formation efficiency drive how much a retired galaxy separates in star formation rate from star-forming ones of similar masses. In other words, once a paucity of molecular gas has significantly reduced star formation, changes in the star formation efficiency are what drives a galaxy deeper into the red cloud, retiring it.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
