13 research outputs found
On the contribution of ULXs to stellar feedback: an intermediate mass black hole candidate and the population of ULXs in the low-metallicity starburst galaxy ESO 338-4
X-ray radiation from accreting compact objects is an important part of
stellar feedback. The metal-poor galaxy ESO 338-4 has experienced vigorous
starburst during the last 40 Myr and contains some of the most massive super
star clusters in the nearby Universe. Given its starburst age and its
star-formation rate, ESO 338-4 is one of the most efficient nearby manufactures
of neutron stars and black holes, hence providing an excellent laboratory for
feedback studies. We compared X-ray images and spectra obtained by XMM-Newton
and Chandra telescopes with integral field spectroscopic VLT MUSE observations
in the optical to constrain the nature of strong X-ray emitters. X-ray
observations uncover three ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in ESO 338-4. The
brightest among them, ESO 338~X-1, has X-ray luminosity in excess of 10^{40}
erg/s. We speculate that ESO 338-4 is powered by accretion on an
intermediate-mass (~300Msun) black hole. We show that X-ray radiation from ULXs
and hot superbubbles strongly contributes to HeII ionization and general
stellar feedback in this template starburst galaxy.Comment: A&A, in pres
Kinematics of Interstellar Gas in Nearby UV-Selected Galaxies Measured with HST/STIS Spectroscopy
We measure Doppler shifts of interstellar absorption lines in HST/STIS
spectra of individual star clusters in nearby UV-selected galaxies. Values for
systemic velocities, which are needed to quantify outflow speeds, are taken
from the literature, and verified with stellar lines. We detect outflowing gas
in eight of 17 galaxies via low-ionization lines (e.g., CII, SiII, AlII), which
trace cold and/or warm gas. The starbursts in our sample are intermediate in
luminosity (and mass) to dwarf galaxies and luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs),
and we confirm that their outflow speeds (ranging from -100 km/s to nearly -520
km/s with an accuracy of ~80 km/s) are intermediate to those previously
measured in dwarf starbursts and LIRGs. We do not detect the outflow in
high-ionization lines (such as CIV or SiIV); higher quality data will be needed
to empirically establish how velocities vary with the ionization state of the
outflow. We do verify that the low-ionization UV lines and optical NaI doublet
give roughly consistent outflow velocities solidifying an important link
between studies of galactic winds at low and high redshift. To obtain higher
signal-to-noise, we create a local average composite spectrum, and compare it
to the high-z Lyman Break composite spectrum. Surprisingly, the low-ionization
lines show similar outflow velocities in the two samples. We attribute this to
a combination of weighting towards higher luminosities in the local composite,
as well as both samples being on average brighter than the ``turnover''
luminosity in the v-SFR relation.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Nebular C IV 1550 Imaging of the Metal-Poor Starburst Mrk 71: Direct Evidence of Catastrophic Cooling
We use the Hubble Space Telescope ACS camera to obtain the first spatially
resolved, nebular imaging in the light of C IV 1548,1551 by using the F150LP
and F165LP filters. These observations of the local starburst Mrk 71 in NGC
2366 show emission apparently originating within the interior cavity around the
dominant super star cluster (SSC), Knot A. Together with imaging in He II 4686
and supporting STIS FUV spectroscopy, the morphology and intensity of the C IV
nebular surface brightness and the C IV / He II ratio map provide direct
evidence that the mechanical feedback is likely dominated by catastrophic
radiative cooling, which strongly disrupts adiabatic superbubble evolution. The
implied extreme mass loading and low kinetic efficiency of the cluster wind are
reasonably consistent with the wind energy budget, which is probably enhanced
by radiation pressure. In contrast, the Knot B SSC lies within a well-defined
superbubble with associated soft X-rays and He II 1640 emission, which are
signatures of adiabatic, energy-driven feedback from a supernova-driven
outflow. This system lacks clear evidence of C IV from the limb-brightened
shell, as expected for this model, but the observations may not be deep enough
to confirm its presence. We also detect a small C IV-emitting object that is
likely an embedded compact H II region. Its C IV emission may indicate the
presence of very massive stars (> 100 M_sun) or strongly pressure-confined
stellar feedback.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. Accepted to ApJ Letter
FIGS-Faint Infrared Grism Survey: Description and Data Reduction
The Faint Infrared Grism Survey (FIGS) is a deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3/IR (Wide Field Camera 3 Infrared) slitless spectroscopic survey of four deep fields. Two fields are located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North (GOODS-N) area and two fields are located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-South (GOODS-S) area. One of the southern fields selected is the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Each of these four fields were observed using the WFC3/G102 grism (0.8 μm–1.15 μm continuous coverage) with a total exposure time of 40 orbits (≈100 kilo-seconds) per field. This reaches a continuum depth of AB magnitudes and probes emission lines to . This paper details the four FIGS fields and the overall observational strategy of the project. A detailed description of the Simulation Based Extraction (SBE) method used to extract and combine over 10,000 spectra of over 2000 distinct sources brighter than mag is provided. High fidelity simulations of the observations is shown to significantly improve the background subtraction process, the spectral contamination estimates, and the final flux calibration. This allows for the combination of multiple spectra to produce a final high quality, deep, 1D spectra for each object in the survey
JOYS: JWST Observations of Young protoStars: Outflows and accretion in the high-mass star-forming region IRAS23385+605
Aims: The JWST program JOYS (JWST Observations of Young protoStars) aims at
characterizing the physical and chemical properties of young high- and low-mass
star-forming regions, in particular the unique mid-infrared diagnostics of the
warmer gas and solid-state components. We present early results from the
high-mass star formation region IRAS23385+6053. Methods: The JOYS program uses
the MIRI MRS with its IFU to investigate a sample of high- and low-mass
star-forming protostellar systems. Results: The 5 to 28mum MIRI spectrum of
IRAS23385+6053 shows a plethora of features. While the general spectrum is
typical for an embedded protostar, we see many atomic and molecular gas lines
boosted by the higher spectral resolution and sensitivity compared to previous
space missions. Furthermore, ice and dust absorption features are also present.
Here, we focus on the continuum emission, outflow tracers like the H2, [FeII]
and [NeII] lines as well as the potential accretion tracer Humphreys alpha
HI(7--6). The short-wavelength MIRI data resolve two continuum sources A and B,
where mid-infrared source A is associated with the main mm continuum peak. The
combination of mid-infrared and mm data reveals a young cluster in its making.
Combining the mid-infrared outflow tracer H2, [FeII] and [NeII] with mm SiO
data shows a complex interplay of at least three molecular outflows driven by
protostars in the forming cluster. Furthermore, the Humphreys alpha line is
detected at a 3-4sigma level towards the mid-infrared sources A and B.
Following Rigliaco et al. (2015), one can roughly estimate accretion
luminosities and corresponding accretion rates between ~2.6x10^-6 and
~0.9x10^-4 M_sun/yr. This is discussed in the context of the observed outflow
rates. Conclusions: The analysis of the MIRI MRS observations for this young
high-mass star-forming region reveals connected outflow and accretion
signatures.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for Astronomy & Astrophysics, the paper
is also available at https://www2.mpia-hd.mpg.de/homes/beuther/papers.htm
A Two-dimensional Spectroscopic Study of Emission-line Galaxies in the Faint Infrared Grism Survey (FIGS). I. Detection Method and Catalog
We present the results from the application of a two-dimensional emission line detection method, EMission-line two-Dimensional (EM2D), to the near-infrared G102 grism observations obtained with the Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3) as part of the Cycle 22 Hubble Space Telescope Treasury Program: the Faint Infrared Grism Survey (FIGS). Using the EM2D method, we have assembled a catalog of emission line galaxies (ELGs) with resolved star formation from each of the four FIGS fields. Not only can one better assess the global properties of ELGs, but the EM2D method allows for the analysis and improved study of the individual emission-line region within each galaxy. This paper includes a description of the methodology, advantages, and the first results of the EM2D method applied to ELGs in FIGS. The advantage of 2D emission line measurements includes significant improvement of galaxy redshift measurements, approaching the level of accuracy seen in high-spectral-resolution data, but with greater efficiency; and the ability to identify and measure the properties of multiple sites of star formation and over scales of ~1 kpc within individual galaxies out to z ~ 4. The EM2D method also significantly improves the reliability of high-redshift (z ~ 7) Lyα detections. Coupled with the wide field of view and high efficiency of space-based grism observations, EM2D provides a noteworthy improvement on the physical parameters that can be extracted from grism observations
Emission-line Metallicities from the Faint Infrared Grism Survey and VLT/MUSE
We derive direct-measurement gas-phase metallicities of for 14 low-mass emission-line galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.8 identified in the Faint Infrared Grism Survey. We use deep slitless G102 grism spectroscopy of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, dispersing light from all objects in the field at wavelengths between 0.85 and 1.15 \u3bcm. We run an automatic search routine on these spectra to robustly identify 71 emission-line sources, using archival data from Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) to measure additional lines and confirm redshifts. We identify 14 objects with 0.3 < z < 0.8 with measurable [O iii]\u3bb4363 emission lines in matching VLT/MUSE spectra. For these galaxies, we derive direct electron-temperature gas-phase metallicities with a range of . With matching stellar masses in the range of 10 7.9 M o < M 17 < 10 10.4 M o , we construct a mass-metallicity (MZ) relation and find that the relation is offset to lower metallicities compared to metallicities derived from alternative methods (e.g., R 23 , O3N2, N2O2) and continuum selected samples. Using star formation rates derived from the H\u3b1 emission line, we calculate our galaxies' position on the Fundamental Metallicity Relation, where we also find an offset toward lower metallicities. This demonstrates that this emission-line-selected sample probes objects of low stellar masses but even lower metallicities than many comparable surveys. We detect a trend suggesting galaxies with higher Specific Star Formation (SSFR) are more likely to have lower metallicity. This could be due to cold accretion of metal-poor gas that drives star formation, or could be because outflows of metal-rich stellar winds and SNe ejecta are more common in galaxies with higher SSFR
Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) With the Hubble Space Telescope. I. Survey Description
The Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) is a Cycle 21 Treasury program on the Hubble Space Telescope aimed at the investigation of star formation and its relation with galactic environment in nearby galaxies, from the scales of individual stars to those of ~kiloparsec-size clustered structures. Five-band imaging from the near-ultraviolet to the I band with the Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3), plus parallel optical imaging with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), is being collected for selected pointings of 50 galaxies within the local 12 Mpc. The filters used for the observations with the WFC3 are F275W(λ2704 Å), F336W(λ3355 Å), F438W(λ4325 Å), F555W(λ5308 Å), and F814W(λ8024 Å); the parallel observations with the ACS use the filters F435W(λ4328 Å), F606W(λ5921 Å), and F814W(λ8057 Å). The multiband images are yielding accurate recent (lesssim50 Myr) star formation histories from resolved massive stars and the extinction-corrected ages and masses of star clusters and associations. The extensive inventories of massive stars and clustered systems will be used to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of star formation within galaxies. This will, in turn, inform theories of galaxy evolution and improve the understanding of the physical underpinning of the gas–star formation relation and the nature of star formation at high redshift. This paper describes the survey, its goals and observational strategy, and the initial scientific results. Because LEGUS will provide a reference survey and a foundation for future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and with ALMA, a large number of data products are planned for delivery to the community