Systematically Measuring Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (SMUDGes). I. Survey Description and First Results in the Coma Galaxy Cluster and Environs

We present a homogeneous catalog of 275 large (effective radius $gtrsim$ 5.3 arcsec) ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) candidates lying within an $approx$ 290 square degree region surrounding the Coma cluster. The catalog results from our automated postprocessing of data from the Legacy Surveys, a three-band imaging survey covering 14,000 square degrees of the extragalactic sky. We describe a pipeline that identifies UDGs and provides their basic parameters. The survey is as complete in these large UDGs as previously published UDG surveys of the central region of the Coma cluster. We conclude that the majority of our detections are at roughly the distance of the Coma cluster, implying effective radii $ge 2.5$ kpc, and that our sample contains a significant number of analogs of DF 44, where the effective radius exceeds 4 kpc, both within the cluster and in the surrounding field. The $g-z$ color of our UDGs spans a large range, suggesting that even large UDGs may reflect a range of formation histories. A majority of the UDGs are consistent with being lower stellar mass analogs of red sequence galaxies, but we find both red and blue UDG candidates in the vicinity of the Coma cluster and a relative overabundance of blue UDG candidates in the lower density environments and the field. Our eventual processing of the full Legacy Surveys data will produce the largest, most homogeneous sample of large UDGs.

Systematically Measuring Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (SMUDGes). II. Expanded Survey Description and the Stripe 82 Catalog

We present 226 large ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) candidates ($r_e > 5.3$arcsec, $mu_{0,g} > 24$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$) in the SDSS Stripe 82 region recovered using our improved procedure developed in anticipation of processing the entire Legacy Surveys footprint. The advancements include less constrained structural parameter fitting, expanded wavelet filtering criteria, consideration of Galactic dust, estimates of parameter uncertainties and completeness based on simulated sources, and refinements of our automated candidate classification. We have a sensitivity $sim$1 mag fainter in $mu_{0,g}$ than the largest published catalog of this region. Using our completeness-corrected sample, we find that (1) there is no significant decline in the number of UDG candidates as a function of $mu_{0,g}$ to the limit of our survey ($sim$ 26.5 mag arcsec$^{-2}$); (2) bluer candidates have smaller Sersic $n$; (3) most blue ($g-r < 0.45$ mag) candidates have $mu_{0,g} lesssim 25$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$ and will fade to populate the UDG red sequence we observe to $sim 26.5$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$; (4) any red UDGs that exist significantly below our $mu_{0,g}$ sensitivity limit are not descended from blue UDGs in our sample; and (5) candidates with lower $mu_{0,g}$ tend to smaller $n$. We anticipate that the final SMUDGes sample will contain $sim$ 30$times$ as many candidates.

VLA Imaging of HI-bearing Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies from the ALFALFA Survey

Ultra-diffuse galaxies have generated significant interest due to their large optical extents and low optical surface brightnesses, which challenge galaxy formation models. Here we present resolved synthesis observations of 12 HI-bearing ultra-diffuse galaxies (HUDs) from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), as well as deep optical imaging from the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. We present the data processing and images, including total intensity HI maps and HI velocity fields. The HUDs show ordered gas distributions and evidence of rotation, important prerequisites for the detailed kinematic models in Mancera Pi~na et al. (2019b). We compare the HI and stellar alignment and extent, and find the HI extends beyond the already extended stellar component and that the HI disk is often misaligned with respect to the stellar one, emphasizing the importance of caution when approaching inclination measurements for these extreme sources. We explore the HI mass-diameter scaling relation, and find that although the HUDs have diffuse stellar populations, they fall along the relation, with typical global HI surface densities. This resolved sample forms an important basis for more detailed study of the HI distribution in this extreme extragalactic population.

Ultra Diffuse Galaxies in the IC1459 Group from the VEGAS Survey

Using deep g,r,i imaging from the VEGAS survey, we have searched for ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the IC 1459 group. Assuming they are group members, we identify 9 galaxies with physical sizes and surface brightnesses that match the UDG criteria within our measurement uncertainties. They have mean colours of g--i = 0.6 and stellar masses of $sim$10$^8$ M$_{odot}$. Several galaxies appear to have associated systems of compact objects, e.g. globular clusters. Two UDGs contain a central bright nucleus, with a third UDG revealing a remarkable double nucleus. This appears to be the first reported detection of a double nucleus in a UDG - its origin is currently unclear.

Resolved HI in two ultra-diffuse galaxies from contrasting non-cluster environments

We report on the first resolved HI observations of two blue ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs)using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). These observations add to the sofar limited number of UDGs with resolved HI data. The targets are from contrasting non-cluster environments: UDG-B1 is projected in the outskirts of Hickson Compact Group 25 and Secco-dI-2 (SdI-2) is an isolated UDG. These UDGs also have contrasting effective radii with Re of 3.7 kpc (similar to the Milky Way) and 1.3 kpc respectively. SdI-2 has an unusually large MHI/M* ratio =28.9, confirming a previous single dish HI observation. Both galaxies display HI morphological and kinematic signatures consistent with a recent tidal interaction, which is also supported by observations from other wavelengths, including optical spectroscopy. Within the limits of the observations resolution, our analysis indicates that SdI-2 is dark matter-dominated within its HI radius and this is also likely to be the case for UDG-B1. Our study highlights the importance of high spatial and spectral resolution HI observations for the study of the dark matter properties of UDGs.