44 research outputs found
A Herschel and CARMA view of CO and [C II] in Hickson Compact groups
Understanding the evolution of galaxies from the starforming blue cloud to
the quiescent red sequence has been revolutionized by observations taken with
Herschel Space Observatory, and the onset of the era of sensitive millimeter
interferometers, allowing astronomers to probe both cold dust as well as the
cool interstellar medium in a large set of galaxies with unprecedented
sensitivity. Recent Herschel observations of of H2-bright Hickson Compact
Groups of galaxies (HCGs) has shown that [CII] may be boosted in diffuse
shocked gas. CARMA CO(1-0) observations of these [CII]-bright HCGs has shown
that these turbulent systems also can show suppression of SF. Here we present
preliminary results from observations of HCGs with Herschel and CARMA, and
their [CII] and CO(1-0) properties to discuss how shocks influence galaxy
transitions and star formation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings for IAU Symposium 309, Galaxies in 3D
across the Univers
Star Formation Suppression Due to Jet Feedback in Radio Galaxies with Shocked Warm Molecular Gas
We present Herschel observations of 22 radio galaxies, selected for the presence of shocked, warm molecular hydrogen emission. We measured and modeled spectral energy distributions in 33 bands from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared to investigate the impact of jet feedback on star formation activity. These galaxies are massive, early-type galaxies with normal gas-to-dust ratios, covering a range of optical and infrared colors. We find that the star formation rate (SFR) is suppressed by a factor of ~3–6, depending on how molecular gas mass is estimated. We suggest that this suppression is due to the shocks driven by the radio jets injecting turbulence into the interstellar medium (ISM), which also powers the luminous warm H_2 line emission. Approximately 25% of the sample shows suppression by more than a factor of 10. However, the degree of SFR suppression does not correlate with indicators of jet feedback including jet power, diffuse X-ray emission, or intensity of warm molecular H_2 emission, suggesting that while injected turbulence likely impacts star formation, the process is not purely parameterized by the amount of mechanical energy dissipated into the ISM. Radio galaxies with shocked warm molecular gas cover a wide range in SFR–stellar mass space, indicating that these galaxies are in a variety of evolutionary states, from actively star-forming and gas-rich to quiescent and gas-poor. SFR suppression appears to have the largest impact on the evolution of galaxies that are moderately gas-rich
Jet-related Excitation of the [CII] Emission in the Active Galaxy NGC 4258 with SOFIA
We detect widespread [CII]157.7um emission from the inner 5 kpc of the active
galaxy NGC 4258 with the SOFIA integral field spectrometer FIFI-LS. The
emission is found associated with warm H2, distributed along and beyond the end
of southern jet, in a zone known to contain shock-excited optical filaments. It
is also associated with soft X-ray hot-spots, which are the counterparts of the
`anomalous radio arms' of NGC~4258, and a 1 kpc-long filament on the minor axis
of the galaxy which contains young star clusters. Palomar-CWI H-alpha integral
field spectroscopy shows that the filament exhibits non-circular motions within
NGC 4258. Many of the [CII] profiles are very broad, with the highest line
width, 455 km/s, observed at the position of the southern jet bow-shock.
Abnormally high ratios of L([CII])/L(FIR) and L([CII])/L(PAH7.7um) are found
along and beyond the southern jet and in the X-ray hotspots. These are the same
regions that exhibit unusually large intrinsic [CII] line widths. This suggests
that the [CII] traces warm molecular gas in shocks and turbulence associated
with the jet. We estimate that as much as 40% (3.8 x 10^39 erg/s) of the total
[CII] luminosity from the inner 5 kpc of NGC 4258 arises in shocks and
turbulence (< 1% bolometric luminosity from the active nucleus), the rest being
consistent with [CII] excitation associated with star formation. We propose
that the highly-inclined jet is colliding with, and being deflected around,
dense irregularities in a thick disk, leading to significant energy dissipation
over a wide area of the galaxy.Comment: Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journal Oct 29 201
Lingering Chukchi Sea sea ice and Chukchi Sea mean winds influence population age structure of euphausiids (krill) found in the bowhead whale feeding hotspot near Pt. Barrow, Alaska
© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ashjian, C. J., Okkonen, S. R., Campbell, R. G., & Alatalo, P. Lingering Chukchi Sea sea ice and Chukchi Sea mean winds influence population age structure of euphausiids (krill) found in the bowhead whale feeding hotspot near Pt. Barrow, Alaska. Plos One, 16(7), (2021): e0254418, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254418.Interannual variability in euphausiid (krill) abundance and population structure and associations of those measures with environmental drivers were investigated in an 11-year study conducted in late August–early September 2005–2015 in offshelf waters (bottom depth > 40 m) in Barrow Canyon and the Beaufort Sea just downstream of Distributed Biological Observatory site 5 (DBO5) near Pt. Barrow, Alaska. Statistically-significant positive correlations were observed among krill population structure (proportion of juveniles and adults), the volume of Late Season Melt Water (LMW), and late-spring Chukchi Sea sea ice extent. High proportions of juvenile and adult krill were seen in years with larger volumes of LMW and greater spring sea ice extents (2006, 2009, 2012–2014) while the converse, high proportions of furcilia, were seen in years with smaller volumes of LMW and lower spring sea ice extent (2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2015). These different life stage, sea ice and water mass regimes represent integrated advective responses to mean fall and/or spring Chukchi Sea winds, driven by prevailing atmospheric pressure distributions in the two sets of years. In years with high proportions of juveniles and adults, late-spring and preceding-fall winds were weak and variable while in years with high proportions of furcilia, late-spring and preceding-fall winds were strong, easterly and consistent. The interaction of krill life history with yearly differences in the northward transports of krill and water masses along with sea ice retreat determines the population structure of late-summer krill populations in the DBO5 region near Pt. Barrow. Years with higher proportions of mature krill may provide larger prey to the Pt. Barrow area bowhead whale prey hotspot. The characteristics of prey near Pt. Barrow is dependent on krill abundance and size, large-scale environmental forcing, and interannual variability in recruitment success of krill in the Bering Sea.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation through grants PLR-1023331 (CJA), OPP-0436131 (CJA), PLR-1022139 (RGC), OPP-0436110 (RGC), PLR-1023446 (SRO), and OPP-043166 (SRO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under cooperative agreement NA08OAR4320751 with the University of Alaska (SRO) and cooperative agreements NA17RJ1223 and NA09OAR4320129 with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (CJA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management through Interagency Agreement 0106RU39923/M08PG20021 between the National Marine Fisheries Service and MMS/BOEM (CJA, RGC, SRO) and through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program award number N00014-08-1-0311 from the Office of Naval Research to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (CJA, SRO, RGC). Additional support was provided by the Coastal Marine Institute at the University of Alaska (SRO, RGC) and the James M. and Ruth P. Clark Arctic Research Initiative Fund at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (CJA). The participation of the K-12 teachers was supported by the National Science Foundation through the ARMADA program at the University of Rhode Island (2005, 2006) and through the POLARTrec program at the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (2012)
Shocked POststarbust Galaxy Survey I: Candidate Poststarbust Galaxies with Emission Line Ratios Consistent with Shocks
[Abridged] The Shocked POststarburst Galaxy Survey (SPOGS) aims to identify
transforming galaxies, in which the nebular lines are excited via shocks
instead of through star formation processes. Utilizing the OSSY measurements on
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 catalog, we applied Balmer
absorption and shock boundary criteria to identify 1,067 SPOG candidates
(SPOGs*) within z=0.2. SPOGs* represent 0.2% of the OSSY sample galaxies that
exceed the continuum signal-to-noise cut (and 0.7% of the emission line galaxy
sample). SPOGs* colors suggest that they are in an earlier phase of transition
than OSSY galaxies that meet an E+A selection. SPOGs* have a 13% 1.4GHz
detection rate from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters
survey, higher than most other subsamples, and comparable only to
low-ionization nuclear emission line region hosts, suggestive of the presence
of active galactic nuclei. SPOGs* also have stronger NaD absorption than
predicted from the stellar population, suggestive of cool gas being driven out
in galactic winds. It appears that SPOGs* represent an earlier phase in galaxy
transformation than traditionally selected poststarburst galaxies, and that a
large proportion of SPOGs* also have properties consistent with disruption of
their interstellar media, a key component to galaxy transformation. It is
likely that many of the known pathways to transformation undergo a SPOG phase.
Studying this sample of SPOGs* further, including their morphologies, active
galactic nuclei properties, and environments, has the potential for us to build
a more complete picture of the initial conditions that can lead to a galaxy
evolving.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figures, 3 tables, accepted to ApJ Supplements (Apr 13),
full sample is available on www.spogs.or
Catching Quenching Galaxies: The Nature of the WISE Infrared Transition Zone
We present the discovery of a prominent bifurcation between early-type galaxies and late-type galaxies, in [4.6]–[12] μm colors from the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We then use an emission-line diagnostic comparison sample to explore the nature of objects found both within and near the edges of this WISE infrared transition zone (IRTZ). We hypothesize that this bifurcation might be due to the presence of hot dust and polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features in late-type galaxies. Using a sample of galaxies selected through the Shocked Poststarburst Galaxy Survey (SPOGS), we are able to identify galaxies with strong Balmer absorption (EW(Hδ) > 5 Å) as well as emission lines inconsistent with star formation (deemed SPOG candidates, or SPOGs*) that lie within the optical green valley. Seyferts and low-ionization nuclear emission line regions, whose u − r colors tend to be red, are strongly represented within IRTZ, whereas SPOGs* tend to sit near the star-forming edge. Although active galactic nuclei are well represented in the IRTZ, we argue that the dominant IRTZ population is composed of galaxies that are in late stages of transitioning across the optical green valley, shedding the last of their remnant interstellar media
Luciferin production and luciferase transcription in the bioluminescent copepod Metridia lucens
Bioluminescent copepods are often the most abundant marine zooplankton and play critical roles in oceanic food webs. Metridia copepods exhibit particularly bright bioluminescence, and the molecular basis of their light production has just recently begun to be explored. Here we add to this body of work by transcriptomically profiling Metridia lucens, a common species found in temperate, northern, and southern latitudes. In this previously molecularly-uncharacterized species, we find the typical luciferase paralog gene set found in Metridia. More surprisingly, we recover noteworthy putative luciferase sequences that had not been described from Metridia species, indicating that bioluminescence produced by these copepods may be more complex than previously known. This includes another copepod luciferase, as well as one from a shrimp. Furthermore, feeding experiments using mass spectrometry and 13C labelled L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine firmly establish that M. lucens produces its own coelenterazine luciferin rather than acquiring it through diet. This coelenterazine synthesis has only been directly confirmed in one other copepod species
Evidence for shock-heated gas in the Taffy Galaxies and Bridge from Optical Emission-Line IFU spectroscopy
We present optical IFU observations of the Taffy system (UGC 12914/15); named
for the radio emission that stretches between the two galaxies. Given that
these gas rich galaxies are believed to have recently collided head-on, the
pair exhibits a surprisingly normal total (sub-LIRG) IR luminosity
( L). Previous observations
have demonstrated that a large quantity of molecular and neutral gas have been
drawn out of the galaxies into a massive multi-phase bridge. We present, for
the first time, spatially resolved spectroscopy of the ionized gas in the
system. The results show that the ionized gas is highly disturbed
kinematically, with gas spread in two main filaments between the two galaxies.
The line profiles exhibit widespread double components in both the bridge and
parts of the disks of the galaxies. We investigate the spatial distribution of
the excitation properties of the ionized gas using emission-line diagnostic
diagrams, and conclude that large quantities (up to 40) of the emission
from the entire system is consistent with gas heated in 200 \kms\ shocks.
While the shocked gas is mainly associated with the bridge, there is a
significant amount of shocked gas associated with both galaxies. Confirming
other multi-wavelength indicators, the results suggest that the effects of
shocks and turbulence can continue to be felt in a high-speed galaxy collision
long after the collision has occurred. The persistence of shocks in the Taffy
system may explain the relatively low current star formation rates in the
system as a whole.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Suppression of Star Formation in NGC 1266
NGC1266 is a nearby lenticular galaxy that harbors a massive outflow of molecular gas powered by the mechanical energy of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). It has been speculated that such outflows hinder star formation (SF) in their host galaxies, providing a form of feedback to the process of galaxy formation. Previous studies, however, indicated that only jets from extremely rare, high power quasars or radio galaxies could impart significant feedback on their hosts. Here we present detailed observations of the gas and dust continuum of NGC1266 at millimeter wavelengths. Our observations show that molecular gas is being driven out of the
nuclear region at Ṁ_(out) ≈ 110M_⊙ yr^(−1), of which the vast majority cannot escape the nucleus. Only 2M_⊙ yr^(−1)
is actually capable of escaping the galaxy. Most of the molecular gas that remains is very inefficient at forming
stars. The far-infrared emission is dominated by an ultra-compact (≾50 pc) source that could either be powered
by an AGN or by an ultra-compact starburst. The ratio of the SF surface density (Σ_(SFR)) to the gas surface
density (Σ_(H2)) indicates that SF is suppressed by a factor of ≈ 50 compared to normal star-forming galaxies if
all gas is forming stars, and ≈150 for the outskirt (98%) dense molecular gas if the central region is is powered
by an ultra-compact starburst. The AGN-driven bulk outflow could account for this extreme suppression by
hindering the fragmentation and gravitational collapse necessary to form stars through a process of turbulent
injection. This result suggests that even relatively common, low-power AGNs are able to alter the evolution of
their host galaxies as their black holes grow onto the M-σ relation