Catalogue of the morphological features in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4^4G)

A catalogue of the morphological features for the complete Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S$^4$G), including 2352 nearby galaxies, is presented. The measurements are made using 3.6 $\mu$m images, largely tracing the old stellar population; at this wavelength the effects of dust are also minimal. The measured features are the sizes, ellipticities, and orientations of bars, rings, ringlenses, and lenses. Measured in a similar manner are also barlenses (lens-like structures embedded in the bars), which are not lenses in the usual sense, being rather the more face-on counterparts of the boxy/peanut structures in the edge-on view. In addition, pitch angles of spiral arm segments are measured for those galaxies where they can be reliably traced. More than one pitch angle may appear for a single galaxy. All measurements are made in a human-supervised manner so that attention is paid to each galaxy. We used isophotal analysis, unsharp masking, and fitting ellipses to measured structures. We find that the sizes of the inner rings and lenses normalized to barlength correlate with the galaxy mass: the normalized sizes increase toward the less massive galaxies; it has been suggested that this is related to the larger dark matter content in the bar region in these systems. Bars in the low mass galaxies are also less concentrated, likely to be connected to the mass cut-off in the appearance of the nuclear rings and lenses. We also show observational evidence that barlenses indeed form part of the bar, and that a large fraction of the inner lenses in the non-barred galaxies could be former barlenses in which the thin outer bar component has dissolved.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Characterization of galactic bars from 3.6 μ m S 4 G imaging

Context. Stellar bars play an essential role in the secular evolution of disk galaxies because they are responsible for the redistribution of matter and angular momentum. Dynamical models predict that bars become stronger and longer in time, while their rotation speed slows down. Aims. We use the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) 3.6 μm imaging to study the properties (length and strength) and fraction of bars at z = 0 over a wide range of galaxy masses (M∗ ≈ 108−1011 M⊙) and Hubble types (−3 ≤ T ≤ 10).Methods. We calculated gravitational forces from the 3.6 μm images for galaxies with a disk inclination lower than 65°. We used the maximum of the tangential-to-radial force ratio in the bar region (Qb) as a measure of the bar-induced perturbation strength for a sample of ~600 barred galaxies. We also used the maximum of the normalized m = 2 Fourier density amplitude (A2max) to characterize the bar. Bar sizes were estimated i) visually; ii) from ellipse fitting; iii) from the radii of the strongest torque; and iv) from the radii of the largest m = 2 Fourier amplitude in the bar region. By combining our force calculations with the H i kinematics from the literature, we estimated the ratio of the halo-to-stellar mass (Mh/M∗) within the optical disk and by further using the universal rotation curve models, we obtained a first-order model of the rotation curve decomposition of 1128 disk galaxies. Results. We probe possible sources of uncertainty in our Qb measurements: the assumed scale height and its radial variation, the influence of the spiral arms torques, the effect of non-stellar emission in the bar region, and the dilution of the bar forces by the dark matter halo (our models imply that only ~10% of the disks in our sample are maximal). We find that for early- and intermediate-type disks (−3 ≤ TQb by about 10−15%, which is of the same order as the uncertainty associated with estimating the vertical scale height. The halo correction on Qb becomes important for later types, implying a reduction of ~20−25% for T = 7−10. Whether the halo correction is included or not, the mean Qb shows an increasing trend with T. However, the mean A2max decreases for lower mass late-type systems. These opposing trends are most likely related to the reduced force dilution by bulges when moving towards later type galaxies. Nevertheless, when treated separately, both the early- and late-type disk galaxies show a strong positive correlation between Qb and A2max. For spirals the mean ε ≈ 0.5 is nearly independent of T, but it drops among S0s (≈0.2). The Qb and ε show a relatively tight dependence, with only a slight difference between early and late disks. For spirals, all our bar strength indicators correlate with the bar length (scaled to isophotal size). Late-type bars are longer than previously found in the literature. The bar fraction shows a double-humped distribution in the Hubble sequence (~75% for Sab galaxies), with a local minimum at T = 4 (~40%), and it drops for M∗ ≲ 109.5−10 M⊙. If we use bar identification methods based on Fourier decomposition or ellipse fitting instead of the morphological classification, the bar fraction decreases by ~30−50% for late-type systems with T ≥ 5 and correlates with Mh/M∗. Our Mh/M∗ ratios agree well with studies based on weak lensing analysis, abundance matching, and halo occupation distribution methods, under the assumption that the halo inside the optical disk contributes roughly a constant fraction of the total halo mass (~4%). Conclusions. We find possible evidence for the growth of bars within a Hubble time; as (1) bars in early-type galaxies show larger density amplitudes and disk-relative sizes than their intermediate-type counterparts; and (2) long bars are typically strong. We also observe two clearly distinct types of bars, between early- and intermediate-type galaxies (T</p

Study of the morphological features in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S⁴G)

Abstract Conspicuous morphological features such as rings, ringlenses, lenses, barlenses, and spiral arms are observed in many nearby disk galaxies. These features are believed to form due to the so-called secular evolution after the galaxies were formed, which means that their disks evolve in a more passive fashion and in longer timescales, compared to their formation processes. This slow evolution of disks is due to the effect of non-axisymmetric potentials, among which, a bar potential is perhaps the most effective of all. Strong rotating bars redistribute angular momentum and material through the disks of galaxies very effciently, and produce resonances. At these resonances the material is trapped and starts forming stars, creating beautiful rings. However, rings are not the only structure observed in disk galaxies. There are also spiral arms that, might or might not be created by bars. Other type of structures are lenses, which in images appear as flat light distributions with sharp edges, and ringlenses, whose appearance is intermediate between those of rings and lenses. Also, there are barlenses, which are conspicuous lens-like structures embedded in bars, and have been suggested to be the more face-on counterparts of Boxy/Peanut/X-shaped bulges. The study of the physical properties of all these structures provides a tool to investigate the mechanisms that create them and hence, to determine which are the processes that drive the slow evolution of galaxies. In this thesis I study the morphological structures using mainly data from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S⁴G), by means of their sizes, orientations, shapes and colors. The S⁴G contains images of ~ 2500 nearby galaxies of all Hubble types at 3.6 and 4.5 μm, allowing a dust free view of the old stellar population which is subject of the secular evolution. Among the results presented in this thesis and the respective companion papers are the following. A catalog that contains the sizes, ellipticities and position angles of the morphological features in the S⁴G was created. This catalog also includes the measurements of the pitch angles of spiral arms. There is a corroboration of previous results showing that different types of morphological features appear in galaxies with different Hubble stages and bar families, and a confirmation of the resonant nature of rings but also of a high fraction of lenses and ringlenses. There is also an observation indicating that low mass galaxies lack nuclear structures such as nuclear rings due to the lack of inner Lindblad resonances caused by their low central mass concentrations. Observational evidence is presented indicating that a fraction of inner lenses in unbarred galaxies might be former barlenses of which the "thin bar" has probably dissolved or it is too faint to be detected. The sizes of barlenses show a tight linear correlation with those of bars, being the size of the barlens typically half the size of the bar. The study of the optical colors of barlenses reveals their similarity with bars, giving observational evidence that their stellar populations are similar, and distinguishes them from disks and nuclear regions. The orientations of barlenses with respect to that of bars and disks reveal that barlenses are vertically thick structures. All these results support the idea that barlenses are the vertically thick inner parts of bars and hence relate them observationally to Boxy/Peanut/X-shaped bulges. These results and others are published in a series of original papers in which I have collaborated and that are appended at the end of this work

DMT Jahresbericht 1990 Mit neuen Konzepten in die Zukunft

Available from TIB Hannover: ZO 2386(1990) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

The shapes of spiral arms in the S

Context. Spiral galaxies are very common in the local Universe, but their formation, evolution, and interplay with bars remain poorly understood after more than a century of astronomical research on the topic. Aims. We use a sample of 391 nearby galaxies from the S4G survey to characterise the winding angle and amplitude of spiral arms as a function of disc properties, such as bar strength, in all kinds of spirals (grand-design, multi-armed, and flocculent). Methods. We derived global pitch angles in 3.6 μm de-projected images from (i) average measurements of individual logarithmic spiral segments, and (ii) for a subsample of 32 galaxies, from 2D Fourier analyses. The strength of spirals was quantified from the tangential-to-radial force ratio and from the normalised m = 2 Fourier density amplitudes. Results. In galaxies with more than one measured logarithmic segment, the spiral pitch angle varies on average by ∼10° between segments, but by up to ≳15 − 20°. The distribution of the global pitch angle versus Hubble type (T) is very similar for barred and non-barred galaxies when 1 ≲ T ≲ 5. Most spiral galaxies (> 90%) are barred for T >  5. The pitch angle is not correlated with bar strength, and only weakly with spiral strength. The amplitude of spirals is correlated with bar strength (and less tightly, with bar length) for all types of spirals. The mean pitch angle is hardly correlated with the mass of the supermassive black hole (estimated from central stellar velocity dispersion), with central stellar mass concentration, or with shear, questioning previous results in the literature using smaller samples. Conclusions. We do not find observational evidence that spiral arms are driven by stellar bars or by invariant manifolds. Most likely, discs that are prone to the development of strong bars are also reactive to the formation of prominent spirals, explaining the observed coupling between bar and spiral amplitudes

The shapes of spiral arms in the S⁴G survey and their connection with stellar bars

Abstract Context.: Spiral galaxies are very common in the local Universe, but their formation, evolution, and interplay with bars remain poorly understood after more than a century of astronomical research on the topic. Aims: We use a sample of 391 nearby galaxies from the S⁴G survey to characterise the winding angle and amplitude of spiral arms as a function of disc properties, such as bar strength, in all kinds of spirals (grand-design, multi-armed, and flocculent). Methods: We derived global pitch angles in 3.6 μm de-projected images from (i) average measurements of individual logarithmic spiral segments, and (ii) for a subsample of 32 galaxies, from 2D Fourier analyses. The strength of spirals was quantified from the tangential-to-radial force ratio and from the normalised m = 2 Fourier density amplitudes. Results: In galaxies with more than one measured logarithmic segment, the spiral pitch angle varies on average by ∼10° between segments, but by up to ≳15 − 20°. The distribution of the global pitch angle versus Hubble type (T) is very similar for barred and non-barred galaxies when 1 ≲ T ≲ 5. Most spiral galaxies (&gt; 90%) are barred for T &gt;  5. The pitch angle is not correlated with bar strength, and only weakly with spiral strength. The amplitude of spirals is correlated with bar strength (and less tightly, with bar length) for all types of spirals. The mean pitch angle is hardly correlated with the mass of the supermassive black hole (estimated from central stellar velocity dispersion), with central stellar mass concentration, or with shear, questioning previous results in the literature using smaller samples. Conclusions: We do not find observational evidence that spiral arms are driven by stellar bars or by invariant manifolds. Most likely, discs that are prone to the development of strong bars are also reactive to the formation of prominent spirals, explaining the observed coupling between bar and spiral amplitudes

Colors of barlenses:evidence for connecting them to boxy/peanut bulges

Abstract Aims: We aim to study the colors and orientations of structures in low and intermediate inclination barred galaxies. We test the hypothesis that barlenses, roundish central components embedded in bars, could form part of the bar in a similar manner to boxy/peanut bulges in the edge-on view. Methods: A sample of 79 barlens galaxies was selected from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S⁴G) and the Near IR S0 galaxy Survey (NIRS0S), based on previous morphological classifications at 3.6 μm and 2.2 μm wavelengths. For these galaxies the sizes, ellipticities, and orientations of barlenses were measured, parameters which were used to define the barlens regions in the color measurements. In particular, the orientations of barlenses were studied with respect to those of the “thin bars” and the line-of-nodes of the disks. For a subsample of 47 galaxies color index maps were constructed using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images in five optical bands, u, g, r, i, and z. Colors of bars, barlenses, disks, and central regions of the galaxies were measured using two different approaches and color−color diagrams sensitive to metallicity, stellar surface gravity, and short lived stars were constructed. Color differences between the structure components were also calculated for each individual galaxy, and presented in histogram form. Results: We find that the colors of barlenses are very similar to those of the surrounding bars, indicating that most probably they form part of the bar. We also find that barlenses have orientations closer to the disk line-of-nodes than to the thin bars, which is consistent with the idea that they are vertically thick, in a similar manner as the boxy/peanut structures in more inclined galaxies. Typically, the colors of barlenses are also similar to those of normal E/S0 galaxies. Galaxy by galaxy studies also show that in spiral galaxies very dusty barlenses also exist, along with barlenses with rejuvenated stellar populations. The central regions of galaxies are found to be on average redder than bars or barlenses, although galaxies with bluer central peaks also exist

Revisiting the continuum reverberation lags in the AGN PKS 0558−504

Funding: DHGB acknowledges CONACYT support #319800 and of the researchers programme for Mexico. Research by AJB is supported by National Science Foundation grant AST-1907290. JVHS acknowledges funds from a Science and Technology Facilities Council grant ST/R000824/1 research fellowship. YRL acknowledges the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China through grant no. 11922304 and from the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS.We present a revised analysis of the photometric reverberation mapping campaign of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 0558 − 504 carried out with the Swift Observatory during 2008–2010. Previously, Gliozzi et al. (2013) found using the Discrete Correlation Function (DCF) method that the short-wavelength continuum variations lagged behind variations at longer wavelengths, the opposite of the trend expected for thermal reprocessing of X-rays by the accretion disc, and they interpreted their results as evidence against the reprocessing model. We carried out new DCF measurements that demonstrate that the inverted lag-wavelength relationship found by Gliozzi et al. resulted from their having interchanged the order of the driving and responding light curves when measuring the lags. To determine the inter-band lags and uncertainties more accurately, we carried out new measurements with four independent methods. These give consistent results showing time delays increasing as a function of wavelength, as expected for the disc reprocessing scenario. The slope of the re-analysed delay spectrum appears to be roughly compatible with the predicted τ ∝ λ4/3 relationship for reprocessing by an optically thick and geometrically thin accretion disc, although the data points exhibit a large scatter about the fitted power-law trend.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe