38 research outputs found
Supercomputer Simulations of Disk Galaxies
The time evolution of models for an isolated disk of highly flattened
galaxies of stars is investigated by direct integration of the Newtonian
equations of motion of N=30,000 identical stars over a time span of many
galactic rotations. Certain astronomical implications of the simulations to
actual disk-shaped (i.e. rapidly rotating) galaxies are explored as well.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure Aat.sty, Aattable.sty, presented by E. Griv at the
JENAM 2000, S02, Moscow, Russia, 200
3D Spectroscopy of Blue Compact Galaxies. Diagnostic Diagrams
Here we present the analysis of 3D spectroscopic data of three Blue Compact
Galaxies (Mrk324, Mrk370, and IIIZw102). Each of the more than 22500 spectra
obtained for each galaxy has been fitted by a single gaussian from which we
have inferred the velocity dispersion (sigma), the peak intensity (Ipeak), and
the central wavelength (lambda_c). The analysis shows that the sigma vs Ipeak
diagrams look remarkably similar to those obtained for giant extragalactic HII
regions. They all present a supersonic narrow horizontal band that extends
across all the range of intensities and that result from the massive nuclear
star-forming regions of every galaxy. The sigma vs Ipeak diagrams present also
several inclined bands of lower intensity and an even larger sigma, arising
from the large galactic volumes that surround the main central emitting knots.
Here we also show that the sigma vs lambda_c and lambda_c vs Ipeak diagrams,
are powerful tools able to unveil the presence of high and low mass stellar
clusters, and thus allow for the possibility of inferring the star formation
activity of distant galaxies, even if these are not spatially resolved.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical
Journa
Chain Galaxies in the Tadpole ACS Field
Colors and magnitudes were determined for 69 chain galaxies, 58 other linear
structures, 32 normal edge-on galaxies, and all of their large star formation
clumps in the HST ACS field of the Tadpole galaxy. Redshifts of 0.5 to 2 are
inferred from comparisons with published color-evolution models. The linear
galaxies have no red nuclear bulges like the normal disk galaxies in our field,
but the star formation clumps in each have about the same colors and
magnitudes. Light profiles along the linear galaxies tend to be flat, unlike
the exponential profiles of normal galaxies. Although the most extreme of the
linear objects look like beaded filaments, they are all probably edge-on disks
that will evolve to late Hubble type galaxies. The lack of an exponential
profile is either the result of a dust scale height that is comparable to the
stellar scale height, or an intrinsically irregular structure. Examples of
galaxies that could be face-on versions of linear galaxies are shown. They have
an irregular clumpy structure with no central bulge and with clump colors and
magnitudes that are comparable to those in the linears. Radiative transfer
solutions to the magnitudes and surface brightnesses of inclined dusty galaxies
suggest that edge-on disks should become more prominent near the detection
limit for surface brightness. The surface brightness distribution of the
edge-on galaxies in this field confirm this selection effect. The star
formation regions are much more massive than in modern galaxies, averaging up
to 10^9 Msun for kpc scales.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, accepted for ApJ, 603, March 1, 200
The Compact Group of Galaxies HCG 31 is in an early phase of merging
We have obtained high spectral resolution (R = 45900) Fabry-Perot velocity
maps of the Hickson Compact Group HCG 31 in order to revisit the important
problem of the merger nature of the central object A+C and to derive the
internal kinematics of the candidate tidal dwarf galaxies in this group. Our
main findings are: (1) double kinematic components are present throughout the
main body of A+C, which strongly suggests that this complex is an ongoing
merger (2) regions and E, to the east and south of complex A+C, present
rotation patterns with velocity amplitudes of and they
counterrotate with respect to A+C, (3) region F, which was previously thought
to be the best example of a tidal dwarf galaxy in HCG 31, presents no rotation
and negligible internal velocity dispersion, as is also the case for region
. HCG 31 presents an undergoing merger in its center (A+C) and it is likely
that it has suffered additional perturbations due to interactions with the
nearby galaxies B, G and Q.Comment: 5 pages + figures - Accepted to ApJ Lette
Multicolour Optical Imaging of IR-Warm Seyfert Galaxies. I. Introduction and Sample Selection
The standard AGN unification models attempt to explain the diversity of
observed AGN types by a few fundamental parameters, where orientation effects
play a paramount role. Whether other factors, such as the evolutionary stage
and the host galaxy properties are equally important parameters for the AGN
diversity, is a key issue that we are addressing with the present data. Our
sample of IR-selected Seyfert galaxies is based on the important discovery that
their integrated IR spectrum contains an AGN signature. This being an almost
isotropic property, our sample is much less affected by orientation/obscuration
effects compared to most Seyfert samples. It therefore provides a test-bed for
the orientation-dependent models of Seyferts, involving dusty tori. We have
obtained multi-colour broad and narrow band imaging for a sample of mid-IR
``warm'' Seyferts and for a control sample of mid-IR ``cold'' galaxies. In the
present paper we describe the sample selection and briefly discuss their IR
properties. We then give an overview of the data collected and present
broad-band images for all our objects. Finally, we summarize the main issues
that will be addressed with these data in a series of forthcoming papers.Comment: 18 pages including 3 figures and 5 tables (tables 1,4,5 are included
as independent files
Astrophysical Bounds on Global Strings
Global topological defects produce nonzero stress-energy throughout
spacetime, and as a result can have observable gravitational influence on
surrounding matter. Gravitational effects of global strings are used to place
bounds on their cosmic abundance. The minimum separation between global strings
is estimated by considering the defects' contribution to the cosmological
energy density. More rigorous constraints on the abundance of global strings
are constructed by examining the tidal forces such defects will have on
observable astrophysical systems. The small number of observed tidally
disrupted systems indicates there can be very few of these objects in the
observable universe.Comment: 14 pages, REVTe
Multiwavelength study of the starburst galaxy NGC7714. I: Ultraviolet-Optical spectroscopy
We have studied the physical conditions in the central 300 pc of the
proto-typical starburst galaxy NGC 7714. Our analysis is based on ultraviolet
spectroscopy with the HST+GHRS and ground-based optical observations.The data
are interpreted using evolutionary models optimized for young starburst
regions. The massive stellar population is derived in a self-consistent way
using the continuum and stellar absorption lines in the ultraviolet and the
nebular emission line optical spectrum.
The central starburst has an age of about 4.5 Myr, with little evidence for
an age spread. Wolf-Rayet features at the ultraviolet indicates a stellar
population of 2000 Wolf-Rayet stars. The overall properties of the newly
formed stars are quite similar to those derived, e.g., in 30 Doradus. A
standard Salpeter IMF is consistent with all observational constraints. We find
evidence for spatial structure within the central 300 pc sampled. Therefore it
is unlikely that the nucleus of NGC 7714 hosts a single star cluster exceeding
the properties of other known clusters. Contrary to previous suggestions, we
find no evidence for a nuclear supernova rate that would significantly exceed
the total disk-integrated rate. About one supernova event per century is
predicted.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures in a tar file. Accepted for publication in ApJ,
1999, March, issue 51
2D Spectroscopy of Candidate Polar-Ring Galaxies: I. The Pair of Galaxies UGC 5600/09
Observations of the pair of galaxies VV 330 with the SCORPIO multimode
instrument on the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope are
presented. Large-scale velocity fields of the ionized gas in H-alfa and
brightness distributions in continuum and H-alfa have been constructed for both
galaxies with the help of a scanning Fabry Perot interferometer. Long-slit
spectroscopy is used to study the stellar kinematics. Analysis of the data
obtained has revealed a complex structure in each of the pair components. Three
kinematic subsystems have been identified in UGC 5600: a stellar disk, an inner
gas ring turned with respect to the disk through ~80degrees, and an outer gas
disk. The stellar and outer gas disks are noncoplanar. Possible scenarios for
the formation of the observed multicomponent kinematic galactic structure are
considered, including the case where the large-scale velocity field of the gas
is represented by the kinematic model of a disk with a warp. The velocity field
in the second galaxy of the pair, UGC 5609, is more regular. A joint analysis
of the data on the photometric structure and the velocity field has shown that
this is probably a late-type spiral galaxy whose shape is distorted by the
gravitational interaction, possibly, with UGC 5600.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
The Gas Content in Galactic Disks: Correlation with Kinematics
We consider the relationship between the total HI mass in late-type galaxies
and the kinematic properties of their disks. The mass for galaxies with
a wide variety of properties, from dwarf dIrr galaxies with active star
formation to giant low-brightness galaxies, is shown to correlate with the
product ( is the rotational velocity, and is the radial
photometric disks scale length), which characterizes the specific angular
momentum of the disk. This relationship, along with the anticorrelation between
the relative mass of HI in a galaxy and , can be explained in terms of the
previously made assumption that the gas density in the disks of most galaxies
is maintained at a level close to the threshold (marginal) stability of a
gaseous layer to local gravitational perturbations. In this case, the
regulation mechanism of the star formation rate associated with the growth of
local gravitational instability in the gaseous layer must play a crucial role
in the evolution of the gas content in the galactic disk.Comment: revised version to appear in Astronomy Letters, 8 pages, 5 EPS
figure
Merging Galaxies in the SDSS EDR
We present a new catalog of merging galaxies obtained through an automated
systematic search routine. The 1479 new pairs of merging galaxies were found in
approximately 462 sq deg of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release
(SDSS EDR; Stoughton et al. 2002) photometric data, and the pair catalog is
complete for galaxies in the magnitude range 16.0 <= g* <= 20.
The selection algorithm, implementing a variation on the original
Karachentsev (1972) criteria, proved to be very efficient and fast. Merging
galaxies were selected such that the inter-galaxy separations were less than
the sum of the component galaxies' radii.
We discuss the characteristics of the sample in terms of completeness, pair
separation, and the Holmberg effect. We also present an online atlas of images
for the SDSS EDR pairs obtained using the corrected frames from the SDSS EDR
database. The atlas images also include the relevant data for each pair member.
This catalog will be useful for conducting studies of the general
characteristics of merging galaxies, their environments, and their component
galaxies. The redshifts for a subset of the interacting and merging galaxies
and the distribution of angular sizes for these systems indicate the SDSS
provides a much deeper sample than almost any other wide-area catalog to date.Comment: 58 pages, which includes 15 figures and 6 tables. Figures 2, 8, 9,
10, 11, 13, and 14 are provided as JPEG files. For online atlas, see
http://home.fnal.gov/~sallam/MergePair/ . Accepted for publication in A