The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies: VIII. The rate of asymmetric HI profiles in spiral galaxies

(abridged) Measures of the HI properties of a galaxy are among the most sensitive interaction diagnostic at our disposal. We report here on a study of HI profile asymmetries (e.g., lopsidedness) in a sample of some of the most isolated galaxies in the local Universe. This presents us with an excellent opportunity to quantify the range of intrinsic HI asymmetries and provides us with a zero-point calibration for evaluating these measurements in less isolated samples. We characterize the HI profile asymmetries and search for correlations between HI asymmetry and their environments, as well as their optical and far infrared (FIR) properties. We use high signal-to-noise global HI profiles for galaxies in the AMIGA project (http://amiga.iaa.csic.es). We restrict our study to N=166 galaxies with accurate measures of the HI shape properties. We quantify asymmetries using a flux ratio parameter. The asymmetry parameter distribution of our isolated sample is well described by a Gaussian model. The width of the distribution is sigma=0.13, and could be even smaller (sigma=0.11) if instrumental errors are reduced. Only 2% of our carefully vetted isolated galaxies sample show an asymmetry in excess of 3sigma. By using this sample we minimize environmental effects as confirmed by the lack of correlation between HI asymmetry and tidal force (one-on-one interactions) and neighbor galaxy number density. On the other hand, field galaxy samples show wider distributions and deviate from a Gaussian curve. As a result we find higher asymmetry rates (~10-20%) in such samples. We find evidence that the spiral arm strength is inversely correlated with the HI asymmetry. We also find an excess of FIR luminous galaxies with larger HI asymmetries that may be spirals associated with hidden accretion events. Our sample presents the smallest fraction of asymmetric HI profiles compared with any other yet studied.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in A&

AMIGA project: Active galaxies in a complete sample of isolated galaxies

The project AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) provides a statistically significant sample of the most isolated galaxies in the northern sky. Such a control sample is necessary to understand the role of the environment in evolution and galaxy properties like the interstellar medium (ISM), star formation and nuclear activity. The data is publicly released under a VO interface at http://amiga.iaa.es/. One of our main goals is the study of nuclear activity in non-interacting galaxies using different methods. We focus on the well known radiocontinuum-far infrared (FIR) correlation in order to findradio-excess galaxies which are candidates to host an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and FIR colours to find obscured AGN candidates. We looked for the existing information on nuclear activity in the V\'eron-Cetty catalogue and in the NASA Extragalactic Database (NED). We also used the nuclear spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which allow us to determine the possible presence of an AGN and to study the properties of the underlying stellar populations. We produced a final catalogue of AGN-candidate galaxies which will provide a baseline for the study of the nuclear activity depending on the environment. We find that the fraction of FIR selected AGN-candidates ranges between 7% and 20%. There are no radio-excess galaxies in our sample above a factor 5 of radio excess which is the lowest rate found in comparison with other samples in denser environments. Finally, we obtained a fraction of about 22% of AGN using the optical spectra, a significant fraction for a sample of isolated galaxies. We conclude that the environment plays a crucial and direct role in triggering radio nuclear activity and not only via the density-morphology or the density-luminosity relations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the contributed talk given at the conference "Galaxies in Isolation: Exploring Nature vs. Nurture" held in Granada, May 12-15, 200

Setting the normalcy level of HI properties in isolated galaxies

Studying the atomic gas (HI) properties of the most isolated galaxies is essential to quantify the effect that the environment exerts on this sensitive component of the interstellar medium. We observed and compiled HI data for a well defined sample of ~ 800 galaxies in the Catalog of Isolated Galaxies, as part of the AMIGA project (Analysis of the ISM in Isolated GAlaxies, http://amiga.iaa.es), which enlarges considerably previous samples used to quantify the HI deficiency in galaxies located in denser environments. By studying the shape of 182 HI profiles, we revisited the usually accepted result that, independently of the environment, more than half of the galaxies present a perturbed HI disk. In isolated galaxies this would certainly be a striking result if these are supposed to be the most relaxed systems, and has implications in the relaxation time scales of HI disks and the nature of the most frequent perturbing mechanisms in galaxies. Our sample likely exhibits the lowest HI asymmetry level in the local Universe. We found that other field samples present an excess of ~ 20% more asymmetric HI profiles than that in CIG. Still a small percentage of galaxies in our sample present large asymmetries. Follow-up high resolution VLA maps give insight into the origin of such asymmetries.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Conference 'Galaxies in Isolation: Exploring Nature vs. Nurture', Granada, 12-15 May 2009. To be published in the ASP Conference Serie

Search For Companions Of Nearby Isolated Galaxies

The radial velocities are measured for 45 galaxies located in the neighborhoods of 29 likely isolated galaxies in a new catalog. We find that about 85% of these galaxies actually are well isolated objects. 4% of nearby galaxies with V_LG<3500 km/s are this kind of cosmic "orphan".Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies - II. Morphological refinement

We present a complete POSS II-based refinement of the optical morphologies for galaxies in the Karatchenseva's Catalog of Isolated Galaxies that forms the basis of the AMIGA project. Comparison with independent classifications made for an SDSS overlap sample of more than 200 galaxies confirms the reliability of the early vs. late-type discrimination and the accuracy of spiral subtypes within DeltaT = 1-2. CCD images taken at the OSN were also used to solve ambiguities. 193 galaxies are flagged for the presence of nearby companions or signs of distortion likely due to interaction. This most isolated sample of galaxies in the local Universe is dominated by 2 populations: 1) 82% spirals (Sa-Sd) with the bulk being luminous systems with small bulges (63% between types Sb-Sc) and 2) a significant population of early-type E-S0 galaxies (14%). Most of the types later than Sd are low luminosity galaxies concentrated in the local supercluster where isolation is difficult to evaluate. The late-type spiral majority of the sample spans a luminosity range M_B-corr = -18 to -22 mag. Few of the E/S0 population are more luminous than -21.0 marking an absence of, an often sought, super L* merger (eg fossil elliptical) population. The rarity of high luminosity systems results in a fainter derived M* for this population compared to the spiral optical luminosity function (OLF). The E-S0 population is from 0.2 to 0.6 mag fainter depending how the sample is defined. This marks the AMIGA sample as almost unique among samples that compare early and late-type OLFs separately. In other samples, which always involve galaxies in higher density environments, M*(E/S0) is almost always 0.3-0.5 mag brighter than M*(S), presumably reflecting a stronger correlation between M* and environmental density for early-type galaxies.Comment: A&A accepted, 13 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables. Higher resolution Fig. 1 and full tables are available on the AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) website at http://www.iaa.es/AMIGA.htm

Effects of the environment on galaxies in the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies: physical satellites and large scale structure

We aim to identify and quantify the effects of the satellite distribution around a sample of galaxies in the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG), as well as the effects of the Large Scale Structure (LSS) using the SDSS-DR9. To recover the physically bound galaxies we focus on the satellites which are within the escape speed of each CIG galaxy. We also propose a more conservative method using the stacked Gaussian distribution of the velocity difference of the neighbours. The tidal strengths affecting the primary galaxy are estimated to quantify the effects of the local and LSS environments. We also define the projected number density parameter at the 5$^{\rm th}$ nearest neighbour to characterise the LSS around the CIG galaxies. Out of the 386 CIG galaxies considered in this study, at least 340 (88\% of the sample) have no physically linked satellite. Out of the 386 CIG galaxies, 327 (85\% of the sample) have no physical companion within a projected distance of 0.3 Mpc. The CIG galaxies are distributed following the LSS of the local Universe, although presenting a large heterogeneity in their degree of connection with it. A clear segregation appears between early-type CIG galaxies with companions and isolated late-type CIG galaxies. Isolated galaxies are in general bluer, with likely younger stellar populations and rather high star formation with respect to older, redder CIG galaxies with companions. Reciprocally, the satellites are redder and with an older stellar populations around massive early-type CIG galaxies, while they have a younger stellar content around massive late-type CIG galaxies. This suggests that the CIG is composed of a heterogeneous population of galaxies, sampling from old to more recent, dynamical systems of galaxies.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

HI asymmetry in the isolated galaxy CIG 85 (UGC 1547)

We present the results from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) interferometric HI and 20 cm radio continuum observations of CIG 85, an isolated asymmetric galaxy from the AMIGA (Analysis of the Interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) sample. Despite being an isolated galaxy, CIG 85 showed an appreciable optical and HI spectral asymmetry and therefore was an excellent candidate for resolved HI studies to understand the reasons giving rise to asymmetries in isolated galaxies. The galaxy was imaged in HI and 20 cm radio continuum using the GMRT. For a detailed discussion of the results we also made use of multi-wavelength data from archival SDSS, GALEX and Halpha imaging. We find the HI in CIG 85 to have a clumpy, asymmetric distribution which in the NW part is correlated with optical tail like features, but the HI velocity field displays a relatively regular rotation pattern. Evaluating all the observational evidence, we come to a conclusion that CIG 85 is most likely a case of a disturbed spiral galaxy which now appears to have the morphology of an irregular galaxy. Although it is currently isolated from major companions, the observational evidence is consistent with HI asymmetries, a highly disturbed optical disk and recent increase in star formation having been caused by a minor merger, remnants of which are now projected in front of the optical disk. If this is correct, the companion will be fully accreted by CIG 85 in the near future.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&

The role of environment in triggering starburst galaxies: A sample of isolated galaxies

The project AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) will provide a statistically significant sample of the most isolated galaxies in the northern sky. Such a control sample is necessary to assess the role of the environment in galaxy properties and evolution. The sample is based on the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG, Karachentseva, 1973) and the database will include blue and near-infrared luminosities, far-infrared (FIR) emission, atomic gas (HI) emission, radio continuum, and, for a redshift limited subsample of about 200 galaxies, CO and H$\alpha$ emission. The data will be released and periodically updated at http://www.iaa.csic.es/AMIGA.html. Here, we present the project and its status, as well as a preliminary analysis of the relation between star formation activity and the environment. We found a trend that the galaxies with asymmetric HI spectrum also tend to show an enhanced star formation, traced by a high value of $L_{FIR}/M(HI)$, indicating that a perturbed gas kinematics and enhanced SF are related.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in "The Evolution of Starbursts", ed. S. Huettemeister et al., AIP Proceeding