Can galaxy growth be sustained through HI-rich minor mergers?

Local galaxies with specific star-formation rates (star-formation rate per unit mass; sSFR~0.2-10/Gyr) as high as distant galaxies (z~1-3), are very rich in HI. Those with low stellar masses, log M_star (M_sun)=8-9, for example, have M_HI/M_star~5-30. Using continuity arguments of Peng et al. (2014), whereby the specific merger rate is hypothesized to be proportional to the specific star-formation rate, and HI gas mass measurements for local galaxies with high sSFR, we estimate that moderate mass galaxies, log M_star (M_sun)=9-10.5, can acquire sufficient gas through minor mergers (stellar mass ratios ~4-100) to sustain their star formation rates at z~2. The relative fraction of the gas accreted through minor mergers declines with increasing stellar mass and for the most massive galaxies considered, log M_star (M_sun)=10.5-11, this accretion rate is insufficient to sustain their star formation. We checked our minor merger hypothesis at z=0 using the same methodology but now with relations for local normal galaxies and find that minor mergers cannot account for their specific growth rates, in agreement with observations of HI-rich satellites around nearby spirals. We discuss a number of attractive features, like a natural down-sizing effect, in using minor mergers with extended HI disks to support star formation at high redshift. The answer to the question posed by the title, "Can galaxy growth be sustained through \HI-rich minor mergers?", is maybe, but only for relatively low mass galaxies and at high redshift.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; in final acceptance by A&

A systematic investigation of edge-on starburst galaxies: Evidence for supernova-driven superwinds

We are completing a project designed to realistically assess the global/cosmological significance of superwinds by attempting to systematize our understanding of them (determine their incidence rate and the dependence of their properties on the star-formation that drives them). Specifically, we are analyzing data from an optical spectroscopic and narrow-band imaging survey of an infrared flux-limited sample of about 50 starburst galaxies whose stellar disks are viewed nearly edge-on. This edge-on orientation is crucial because the relevant properties of the superwind can be far more easily measured when the flow is seen in isolation against the sky rather than projected onto the much brighter gas associated with the starburst galaxy itself

An improved half-life limit of the double beta decay of 94^{94}Zr into the excited state of 94^{94}Mo

A search for the double beta decay transition of $^{94}$Zr into the first excited state of $^{94}$Mo has been performed at the Felsenkeller underground laboratory in Dresden, Germany. A 341.1 g zirconium sample with natural isotopic composition has been measured for 43.9 d in an ultra low background gamma spectroscopy setup. No signal has been observed and a new best lower half-life limit is set as $5.2\times10^{19}$ yr (90% CI). This limit is valid for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ and $2\nu\beta\beta$ decay into excited states of $^{94}$Mo but cannot distinguish between the two modes. Existing limits are improved by 50%

The Milky Way as a High Redshift Galaxy: The Importance of Thick Disk Formation in Galaxies

We compare the star-formation history and dynamics of the Milky Way (MW) with the properties of distant disk galaxies. During the first ~4 Gyr of its evolution, the MW formed stars with a high star-formation intensity (SFI), Sigma_SFR~0.6 Msun/yr/kpc2 and as a result, generated outflows and high turbulence in its interstellar medium. This intense phase of star formation corresponds to the formation of the thick disk. The formation of the thick disk is a crucial phase which enables the MW to have formed approximately half of its total stellar mass by z~1 which is similar to "MW progenitor galaxies" selected by abundance matching. This agreement suggests that the formation of the thick disk may be a generic evolutionary phase in disk galaxies. Using a simple energy injection-kinetic energy relationship between the 1-D velocity dispersion and SFI, we can reproduce the average perpendicular dispersion in stellar velocities of the MW with age. This relationship, its inferred evolution, and required efficiency are consistent with observations of galaxies from z~0-3. The high turbulence generated by intense star formation naturally resulted in a thick disk, a chemically well-mixed ISM, and is the mechanism that links the evolution of MW to the observed characteristics of distant disk galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted to ApJ Letter