94 research outputs found
Probing galaxy evolution through HI 21-cm emission and absorption: current status and prospects with the Square Kilometre Array
One of the major science goals of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is to
understand the role played by atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in the evolution of
galaxies throughout cosmic time. The hyperfine transition line of the hydrogen
atom at 21-cm is one of the best tools to detect and study the properties of HI
gas associated with galaxies. In this article, we review our current
understanding of HI gas and its relationship with galaxies through observations
of the 21-cm line both in emission and absorption. In addition, we provide an
overview of the HI science that will be possible with SKA and its pre-cursors
and pathfinders, i.e. HI 21-cm emission and absorption studies of galaxies from
nearby to high redshifts that will trace various processes governing galaxy
evolution.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures, accepted on 27 May 2022 for publication in the
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy (to appear in the special issue on
"Indian participation in the SKA"), figure 4 has been update
MIGHTEE-HI: the HI Size-Mass relation over the last billion years
We present the observed HI size-mass relation of galaxies from the
MIGHTEE Survey Early Science data. The high sensitivity of MeerKAT allows us to
detect galaxies spanning more than 4 orders of magnitude in HI mass, ranging
from dwarf galaxies to massive spirals, and including all morphological types.
This is the first time the relation has been explored on a blind homogeneous
data set which extends over a previously unexplored redshift range of , i.e. a period of around one billion years in cosmic time. The sample
follows the same tight logarithmic relation derived from previous work, between
the diameter () and the mass () of HI discs. We measure
a slope of , an intercept of , and an
observed scatter of dex. For the first time, we quantify the intrinsic
scatter of dex (), which provides a constraint
for cosmological simulations of galaxy formation and evolution. We derive the
relation as a function of galaxy type and find that their intrinsic scatters
and slopes are consistent within the errors. We also calculate the relation for two redshift bins and do not find any evidence for
evolution with redshift. These results suggest that over a period of one
billion years in lookback time, galaxy discs have not undergone significant
evolution in their gas distribution and mean surface mass density, indicating a
lack of dependence on both morphological type and redshift.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
MIGHTEE-H I: the MH I – M* relation over the last billion years
We study the MHI−M⋆ relation over the last billion years using the MIGHTEE-H i sample. We first model the upper envelope of the MHI−M⋆ relation with a Bayesian technique applied to a total number of 249 H i-selected galaxies, without binning the datasets, while taking account of the intrinsic scatter. We fit the envelope with both linear and non-linear models, and find that the non-linear model is preferred over the linear one with a measured transition stellar mass of log10 (M⋆M⊙) = 9.15±0.87, beyond which the slope flattens. This finding supports the view that the lack of H i gas is ultimately responsible for the decreasing star formation rate observed in the massive main-sequence galaxies. For spirals alone, which are biased towards the massive galaxies in our sample, the slope beyond the transition mass is shallower than for the full sample, indicative of distinct gas processes ongoing for the spirals/high-mass galaxies from other types with lower stellar masses. We then create mock catalogues for the MIGHTEE-H i detections and non-detections with two main galaxy populations of late- and early-type galaxies to measure the underlying MHI−M⋆ relation. We find that the turnover in this relation persists whether considering the two galaxy populations as a whole or separately. We note that an underlying linear relation could mimic this turnover in the observed scaling relation, but a model with a turnover is strongly preferred. Measurements on the logarithmic average of H i masses against the stellar mass are provided as a benchmark for future studies
MIGHTEE-HI: The first MeerKAT HI mass function from an untargeted interferometric survey
We present the first measurement of the HI mass function (HIMF) using data
from MeerKAT, based on 276 direct detections from the MIGHTEE Survey Early
Science data covering a period of approximately a billion years (). This is the first HIMF measured using interferometric data over
non-group or cluster field, i.e. a deep blank field. We constrain the
parameters of the Schechter function which describes the HIMF with two
different methods: and Modified Maximum Likelihood (MML).
We find a low-mass slope , `knee' mass
and normalisation
(
kms Mpc) for and
, `knee' mass and normalisation for MML. When using we
find both the low-mass slope and `knee' mass to be consistent within
with previous studies based on single-dish surveys. The cosmological mass
density of HI is found to be slightly larger than previously reported:
from and from MML but consistent within the uncertainties. We find
no evidence for evolution of the HIMF over the last billion years.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Degradation behaviors and mechanisms of MoS2 crystals relevant to bioabsorbable electronics
Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) exhibits unique semiconducting and bioresorption properties, giving this material enormous potential for electronic/biomedical applications, such as bioabsorbable electronics. In this regard, understanding the degradation performance of monolayer MoS2 in biofluids allows modulation of the properties and lifetime of related bioabsorbable devices and systems. Herein, the degradation behaviors and mechanisms of monolayer MoS2 crystals with different misorientation angles are explored. High-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) biodegrade faster than low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), exhibiting degraded edges with wedge and zigzag shapes, respectively. Triangular pits that formed in the degraded grains have orientations opposite to those of the parent crystals, and these pits grow into larger pits laterally. These behaviors indicate that the degradation is induced and propagated based on intrinsic defects, such as grain boundaries and point defects, because of their high chemical reactivity due to lattice breakage and the formation of dangling bonds. High densities of dislocations and point defects lead to high chemical reactivity and faster degradation. The structural cause of MoS2 degradation is studied, and a feasible approach to study changes in the properties and lifetime of MoS2 by controlling the defect type and density is presented. The results can thus be used to promote the widespread use of two-dimensional materials in bioabsorption applications
MIGHTEE-\HI: Possible interactions with the galaxy NGC~895
The transformation and evolution of a galaxy is strongly influenced by
interactions with its environment. Neutral hydrogen (\HI) is an excellent way
to trace these interactions. Here, we present \HI\ observations of the spiral
galaxy NGC~895, which was previously thought to be isolated. High-sensitivity
\HI\ observations from the MeerKAT large survey project MIGHTEE reveal possible
interaction features, such as extended spiral arms, and the two newly
discovered \HI\ companions, that drive us to change the narrative that it is an
isolated galaxy. We combine these observations with deep optical images from
the Hyper Suprime Camera to show an absence of tidal debris between NGC 895 and
its companions. We do find an excess of light in the outer parts of the
companion galaxy MGTHJ022138.1-052631 which could be an indication of
external perturbation and thus possible sign of interactions. Our analysis
shows that NGC~895 is an actively star-forming galaxy with a SFR of
, a value typical for high stellar mass
galaxies on the star forming main sequence. It is reasonable to state that
different mechanisms may have contributed to the observed features in NGC~895
and this emphasizes the need to revisit the target with more detailed
observations. Our work shows the high potential and synergy of using
state-of-the-art data in both \HI\ and optical to reveal a more complete
picture of galaxy environments.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
HIV infection and drugs of abuse: role of acute phase proteins
Background
HIV infection and drugs of abuse such as methamphetamine (METH), cocaine, and alcohol use have been identified as risk factors for triggering inflammation. Acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are the biomarkers of inflammation. Hence, the interactive effect of drugs of abuse with acute phase proteins in HIV-positive subjects was investigated. Methods
Plasma samples were utilized from 75 subjects with METH use, cocaine use, alcohol use, and HIV-positive alone and HIV-positive METH, cocaine, and alcohol users, and age-matched control subjects. The plasma CRP and SAA levels were measured by ELISA and western blot respectively and the CD4 counts were also measured. Results
Observed results indicated that the CRP and SAA levels in HIV-positive subjects who are METH, cocaine and alcohol users were significantly higher when compared with either drugs of abuse or HIV-positive alone. The CD4 counts were also dramatically reduced in HIV-positive with drugs of abuse subjects compared with only HIV-positive subjects. Conclusions
These results suggest that, in HIV-positive subjects, drugs of abuse increase the levels of CRP and SAA, which may impact on the HIV infection and disease progression
Assessing variability for disease resistance and nutritional quality traits in an interspecific collection of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea )
MIGHTEE-Hi: Evolution of Hi Scaling Relations of Star-forming Galaxies at z < 0.5*
We present the first measurements of H I galaxy scaling relations from a blind survey at z > 0.15. We perform spectral stacking of 9023 spectra of star-forming galaxies undetected in H I at 0.23 < z < 0.49, extracted from MIGHTEE-H I Early Science data cubes, acquired with the MeerKAT radio telescope. We stack galaxies in bins of galaxy properties (stellar mass M *, star formation rateSFR, and specific star formation rate sSFR, with sSFR ≡ M */SFR), obtaining ≳5σ detections in most cases, the strongest H I-stacking detections to date in this redshift range. With these detections, we are able to measure scaling relations in the probed redshift interval, finding evidence for a moderate evolution from the median redshift of our sample z med ~ 0.37 to z ~ 0. In particular, low-M * galaxies ( {\mathrm{log}}_{10}({M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot })\sim 9 )experienceastrongHIdepletion( 0.5dexinlog10(MHI/M⊙)
), while massive galaxies ( {\mathrm{log}}_{10}({M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot })\sim 11$ ) keep their H I mass nearly unchanged. When looking at the star formation activity, highly star-forming galaxies evolve significantly in M H I (f H I, where f H I ≡ M H I/M *) at fixed SFR (sSFR), while at the lowest probed SFR (sSFR) the scaling relations show no evolution. These findings suggest a scenario in which low-M * galaxies have experienced a strong H I depletion during the last ~5 Gyr, while massive galaxies have undergone a significant H I replenishment through some accretion mechanism, possibly minor mergers. Interestingly, our results are in good agreement with the predictions of the SIMBA simulation. We conclude that this work sets novel important observational constraints on galaxy scaling relations
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