210 research outputs found
NGC 4569: recent evidence for a past ram pressure stripping event
Deep 21-cm HI line observations of the Virgo cluster spiral galaxy NGC 4569
have been obtained with the VLA in its D configuration and with the Effelsberg
100-m telescope. A low surface density arm was discovered in the west of the
galaxy, whose velocity field is distinct from that of the overall disk
rotation. The observed gas distribution, velocity field, and velocity
dispersion are compared to snapshots of dynamical simulations that include the
effects of ram pressure. Two different scenarios were explored: (i) ongoing
stripping and (ii) a major stripping event that took place about 300 Myr ago.
It is concluded that only the post-stripping scenario can reproduce the main
observed characteristics of NGC 4569. It is not possible to determine if the
gas disk of NGC 4569 had already been truncated before it underwent the ram
pressure event that lead to its observed HI deficiency.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Shocks in relativistic transverse stratified jets, a new paradigm for radio-loud AGN
The transverse stratification of active galactic nuclei (AGN) jets is
suggested by observations and theoretical arguments, as a consequence of
intrinsic properties of the central engine (accretion disc + black hole) and
external medium. On the other hand, the one-component jet approaches are
heavily challenged by the various observed properties of plasmoids in radio
jets (knots), often associated with internal shocks. Given that such a
transverse stratification plays an important role on the jets acceleration,
stability, and interaction with the external medium, it should also induce
internal shocks with various strengths and configurations, able to describe the
observed knots behaviours. By establishing a relation between the transverse
stratification of the jets, the internal shock properties, and the multiple
observed AGN jet morphologies and behaviours, our aim is to provide a
consistent global scheme of the various AGN jet structures. Working on a large
sample of AGN radio jets monitored in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI)
by the MOJAVE collaboration, we determined the consistency of a systematic
association of the multiple knots with successive re-collimation shocks. We
then investigated the re-collimation shock formation and the influence of
different transverse stratified structures by parametrically exploring the two
relativistic outflow components with the specific relativistic hydrodynamic
(SRHD) code AMRVAC. We were able to link the different spectral classes of AGN
with specific stratified jet characteristics, in good accordance with their
VLBI radio properties and their accretion regimes.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Counterrotation in magnetocentrifugally driven jets and other winds
Rotation measurement in jets from T Tauri stars is a rather difficult task.
Some jets seem to be rotating in a direction opposite to that of the underlying
disk, although it is not yet clear if this affects the totality or part of the
outflows. On the other hand, Ulysses data also suggest that the solar wind may
rotate in two opposite ways between the northern and southern hemispheres. We
show that this result is not as surprising as it may seem and that it emerges
naturally from the ideal MHD equations. Specifically, counterrotating jets
neither contradict the magnetocentrifugal driving of the flow nor prevent
extraction of angular momentum from the disk. The demonstration of this result
is shown by combining the ideal MHD equations for steady axisymmetric flows.
Provided that the jet is decelerated below some given threshold beyond the
Alfven surface, the flow will change its direction of rotation locally or
globally. Counterrotation is also possible for only some layers of the outflow
at specific altitudes along the jet axis. We conclude that the counterrotation
of winds or jets with respect to the source, star or disk, is not in
contradiction with the magnetocentrifugal driving paradigm. This phenomenon may
affect part of the outflow, either in one hemisphere, or only in some of the
outflow layers. From a time-dependent simulation, we illustrate this effect and
show that it may not be permanent.Comment: To appear in ApJ
Counter-rotation in relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jets
Young stellar object observations suggest that some jets rotate in the
opposite direction with respect to their disk. In a recent study, Sauty et al.
(2012) have shown that this does not contradict the magnetocentrifugal
mechanism that is believed to launch such outflows. Signatures of motions
transverse to the jet axis and in opposite directions have recently been
measured in M87 (Meyer et al. 2013). One possible interpretation of this motion
is the one of counter rotating knots. Here, we extend our previous analytical
derivation of counter-rotation to relativistic jets, demonstrating that
counter-rotation can indeed take place under rather general conditions. We show
that both the magnetic field and a non-negligible enthalpy are necessary at the
origin of counter-rotating outflows, and that the effect is associated with a
transfer of energy flux from the matter to the electromagnetic field. This can
be realized in three cases : if a decreasing enthalpy causes an increase of the
Poynting flux, if the flow decelerates, or, if strong gradients of the magnetic
field are present. An illustration of the involved mechanism is given by an
example of relativistic MHD jet simulation.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
Can cluster environment modify the dynamical evolution of spiral galaxies?
Over the past decade many effects of the cluster environment on member galaxies have been established. These effects are manifest in the amount and distribution of gas in cluster spirals, the luminosity and light distributions within galaxies, and the segregation of morphological types. All these effects could indicate a specific dynamical evolution for galaxies in clusters. Nevertheless, a more direct evidence, such as a different mass distribution for spiral galaxies in clusters and in the field, is not yet clearly established. Indeed, Rubin, Whitmore, and Ford (1988) and Whitmore, Forbes, and Rubin (1988) (referred to as RWF) presented evidence that inner cluster spirals have falling rotation curves, unlike those of outer cluster spirals or the great majority of field spirals. If falling rotation curves exist in centers of clusters, as argued by RWF, it would suggest that dark matter halos were absent from cluster spirals, either because the halos had become stripped by interactions with other galaxies or with an intracluster medium, or because the halos had never formed in the first place. Even if they didn't disagree with RWF, other researchers pointed out that the behaviour of the slope of the rotation curves of spiral galaxies (in Virgo) is not so clear. Amram, using a different sample of spiral galaxies in clusters, found only 10% of declining rotation curves (2 declining vs 17 flat or rising) in opposition to RWF who find about 40% of declining rotation curves in their sample (6 declining vs 10 flat or rising), we will hereafter briefly discuss the Amram data paper and compare it to the results of RWF. We have measured the rotation curves for a sample of 21 spiral galaxies in 5 nearby clusters. These rotation curves have been constructed from detailed two-dimensional maps of each galaxy's velocity field as traced by emission from the Ha line. This complete mapping, combined with the sensitivity of our CFHT 3.60 m. + Perot-Fabry + CCD observations, allows the construction of high-quality rotation curves. Details concerning the acquisition and reduction procedures of the data are given in Amram. We present and discuss our preliminary analysis and compare them with RWF's results
Globular clusters and dwarf galaxies in Fornax - I. Kinematics in the cluster core from multi-object spectroscopy
We acquired radial velocities of a significant number of globular clusters
(GCs) on wide fields between galaxies in the nearby Fornax cluster of galaxies,
in order to derive their velocity dispersion radial profile and to probe the
dynamics of the cluster. We used FLAMES on the VLT to obtain accurate
velocities for 149 GCs, within a ~500x150 kpc strip centered on NGC 1399, the
Fornax central galaxy. These objects are at the very bright tail (M_V < -9.5)
of the GC luminosity function, overlapping the so-called ``ultra-compact
dwarfs'' magnitude range. Eight of the brightest FLAMES-confirmed members
indeed show hints of resolution in the subarcsecond pre-imaging data we used
for selecting the ~500 targets for FLAMES spectroscopy. Ignoring the GCs around
galaxies by applying 3d_25 diameter masks, we find 61 GCs of 20.0 < V < 22.2
lying in the intra-cluster (IC) medium. The velocity dispersion of the
population of ICGCs is 200 km/s at ~150 kpc from the central NGC 1399 and rises
to nearly 400 km/s at 200 kpc, a value which compares with the velocity
dispersion of the population of dwarf galaxies, thought to be infalling from
the surroundings of the cluster.Comment: To be published in A&A Letters. 4 pages, 3 figures, 3 table
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