105 research outputs found
VLT/MUSE view of the highly ionized outflow cones in the nearby starburst ESO338-IG04
The Ly line is an important diagnostic for star formation at high
redshift, but interpreting its flux and line profile is difficult because of
the resonance nature of Ly. Trends between the escape of Ly
photons and dust and properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) have been
found, but detailed comparisons between Ly emission and the properties
of the gas in local high-redshift analogs are vital for understanding the
relation between Ly emission and galaxy properties. For the first time,
we can directly infer the properties of the ionized gas at the same location
and similar spatial scales of the extended Ly halo around ESO 338-IG04.
We obtained VLT/MUSE integral field spectra. We used ionization parameter
mapping of the [SII]/[OIII] line ratio and the kinematics of H to study
the ionization state and kinematics of the ISM of ESO338-IG04. The velocity map
reveals two outflows. The entire central area of the galaxy is highly ionized
by photons leaking from the HII regions around the youngest star clusters.
Three highly ionized cones have been identified, of which one is associated
with an outflow. We propose a scenario where the outflows are created by
mechanical feedback of the older clusters, while the highly ionized gas is
caused by the hard ionizing photons emitted by the youngest clusters. A
comparison with the Ly map shows that the (approximately bipolar)
asymmetries observed in the Ly emission are consistent with the base of
the outflows detected in H. No clear correlation with the ionization
cones is found. The mechanical and ionization feedback of star clusters
significantly changes the state of the ISM by creating ionized cones and
outflows. The comparison with Ly suggests that especially the outflows
could facilitate the escape of Ly photons [Abridged].Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters, 4 pages, 2 figure
MUSE Illuminates Channels for Lyman Continuum Escape in the Halo of SBS 0335-52E
We report on the discovery of ionised gas filaments in the circum-galactic
halo of the extremely metal-poor compact starburst SBS 0335-052E in a 1.5h
integration with the MUSE integral-field spectrograph. We detect these features
in H and [OIII] emission down to surface-brightness levels of erg scmarcsec. The filaments have
projected diameters of 2.1 kpc and extend more than 9 kpc to the north and
north-west from the main stellar body. We also detect extended nebular HeII
4686 emission that brightens towards the north-west at the rim of a
star-burst driven super-shell, suggestive of a locally enhanced UV radiation
field due to shocks. We also present a velocity field of the ionised gas. The
filaments appear to connect seamlessly in velocity space to the kinematical
disturbances caused by the shell. Similar to high- star-forming galaxies,
the ionised gas in this galaxy is dispersion dominated. We argue that the
filaments were created via feedback from the starburst and that these ionised
structures in the halo may act as escape channels for Lyman continuum radiation
in this gas-rich system.Comment: Revised version after peer review. Accepted for publication in A&A
letter
Super star cluster feedback driving ionization, shocks and outflows in the halo of the nearby starburst ESO 338-IG04
Stellar feedback strongly affects the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies.
Stellar feedback in the first galaxies likely plays a major role in enabling
the escape of LyC photons, which contribute to the re-ionization of the
Universe. Nearby starburst galaxies serve as local analogues allowing for a
spatially resolved assessment of the feedback processes in these galaxies. We
characterize the feedback effects from the star clusters in the local
high-redshift analogue ESO 338-IG04 on the ISM and compare the results with the
properties of the most massive clusters. We use high quality VLT/MUSE optical
integral field data to derive the physical properties of the ISM such as
ionization, density, shocks, and perform new fitting of the spectral energy
distributions of the brightest clusters in ESO 338-IG04 from HST imaging. ESO
338-IG04 has a large ionized halo which we detect to a distance of 9 kpc. We
identify 4 Wolf-Rayet (WR) clusters based on the blue and red WR bump. We
follow previously identified ionization cones and find that the ionization of
the halo increases with distance. Analysis of the galaxy kinematics shows two
complex outflows driven by the numerous young clusters in the galaxy. We find a
ring of shocked emission traced by an enhanced [OI]/H ratio surrounding
the starburst and at the end of the outflow. Finally we detect nitrogen
enriched gas associated with the outflow, likely caused by the WR stars in the
massive star clusters. Photo-ionization dominates the central starburst and
sets the ionization structure of the entire halo, resulting in a density
bounded halo, facilitating the escape of LyC photons. Outside the central
starburst, shocks triggered by an expanding super bubble become important. The
shocks at the end of the outflow suggest interaction between the hot outflowing
material and the more quiescent halo gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 22 pages, 15
figure
The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample. VIII. Characterizing Lyman-Alpha Scattering in Nearby Galaxies
We examine the dust geometry and Ly{\alpha} scattering in the galaxies of the
Lyman Alpha Reference Sample (LARS), a set of 14 nearby (0.02 < < 0.2)
Ly{\alpha} emitting and starbursting systems with Hubble Space Telescope
Ly{\alpha}, H{\alpha}, and H{\beta} imaging. We find that the global dust
properties determined by line ratios are consistent with other studies, with
some of the LARS galaxies exhibiting clumpy dust media while others of them
show significantly lower Ly{\alpha} emission compared to their Balmer
decrement. With the LARS imaging, we present Ly{\alpha}/H{\alpha} and
H{\alpha}/H{\beta} maps with spatial resolutions as low as 40 pc, and
use these data to show that in most galaxies, the dust geometry is best modeled
by three distinct regions: a central core where dust acts as a screen, an
annulus where dust is distributed in clumps, and an outer envelope where
Ly{\alpha} photons only scatter. We show that the dust that affects the escape
of Ly{\alpha} is more restricted to the galaxies' central regions, while the
larger Ly{\alpha} halos are generated by scattering at large radii. We present
an empirical modeling technique to quantify how much Ly{\alpha} scatters in the
halo, and find that this "characteristic" scattering distance correlates with
the measured size of the Ly{\alpha} halo. We note that there exists a slight
anti-correlation between the scattering distance of Ly{\alpha} and global dust
properties.Comment: 32 pages, 51 figures, accepted to Ap
The Lyman alpha Reference Sample: Extended Lyman alpha Halos Produced at Low Dust Content
We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Lya),
performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the
Lyman alpha Reference Sample (LARS). We present images of 14 starburst galaxies
at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Lya, Halpha, and the far
ultraviolet continuum. We show that Lya is emitted on scales that
systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination
nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20 percent radius, RP20, Lya radii are
larger than those of Halpha by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average
of 2.4. The average ratio of Lya-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much
of the Lya light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the
"Relative Petrosian Extension" of Lya compared to Halpha, \xi_ext = RP20_Lya /
RP20_Ha, we find \xi_ext to be uncorrelated with total Lya luminosity. However
\xi_ext is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in
the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not
the only one) in order to spread Lya photons throughout the interstellar medium
and drive a large extended Lya halo.Comment: Published in ApJ Letters ~~ 6 pages using emulateapj, 4 figures ~~
Higher-resolution, larger, nicer jpeg versions of Figures 1 and 2 can be
found here: http://xayes.org/pub/press_lars.htm
The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample: III. Properties of the Neutral ISM from GBT and VLA Observations
We present new H I imaging and spectroscopy of the 14 UV-selected
star-forming galaxies in the Lyman Alpha Reference Sample (LARS), aimed for a
detailed study of the processes governing the production, propagation, and
escape of Ly photons. New H I spectroscopy, obtained with the 100m
Green Bank Telescope (GBT), robustly detects the H I spectral line in 11 of the
14 observed LARS galaxies (although the profiles of two of the galaxies are
likely confused by other sources within the GBT beam); the three highest
redshift galaxies are not detected at our current sensitivity limits. The GBT
profiles are used to derive fundamental H I line properties of the LARS
galaxies. We also present new pilot H I spectral line imaging of 5 of the LARS
galaxies obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). This imaging
localizes the H I gas and provides a measurement of the total H I mass in each
galaxy. In one system, LARS 03 (UGC 8335 or Arp 238), VLA observations reveal
an enormous tidal structure that extends over 160 kpc from the main interacting
systems and that contains 10 M of H I. We compare various H I
properties with global Ly quantities derived from HST measurements. The
measurements of the Ly escape fraction are coupled with the new direct
measurements of H I mass and significantly disturbed H I velocities. Our
robustly detected sample reveals that both total H I mass and linewidth are
tentatively correlated with key Ly tracers. Further, on global scales,
these data support a complex coupling between Ly propagation and the H
I properties of the surrounding medium.Comment: Preprint form, 16 figures, accepted in Ap
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