174 research outputs found
The stellar host in star-forming low-mass galaxies: Evidence for two classes
The morphological evolution of star-forming galaxies provides important clues
to understand their physical properties, as well as the triggering and
quenching mechanisms of star formation. We aim at connecting morphology and
star-formation properties of low-mass galaxies (median stellar mass
10 M) at low redshift ().
We use a sample of medium-band selected star-forming galaxies from the
GOODS-North field. H images for the sample are created combining both
spectral energy distribution fits and HST data. Using them, we mask the star
forming regions to obtain an unbiased two-dimensional model of the light
distribution of the host galaxies. For this purpose we use , a
new Bayesian photometric decomposition code. We apply it independently to 7 HST
bands assuming a S\'ersic surface brightness model.
Star-forming galaxy hosts show low S\'ersic index (with median
0.9), as well as small sizes (median 1.6 kpc), and negligible
change of the parameters with wavelength (except for the axis ratio, which
grows with wavelength). Using a clustering algorithm, we find two different
classes of star-forming galaxies: A more compact, redder, and high- (class
A) and a more extended, bluer and lower- one (class B). We also find
evidence that the first class is more spheroidal-like. In addition, we find
that 48% of the analyzed galaxies present negative color gradients (only 5% are
positive).
The host component of low-mass star-forming galaxies at separates
into two different classes, similar to what has been found for their higher
mass counterparts. The results are consistent with an evolution from class B to
class A. Several mechanisms from the literature, like minor and major mergers,
and violent disk instability, can explain the physical process behind the
likely transition between the classes. [abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 13 pages, 11
figure
The astroclimatological comparison of the Paranal Observatory and El Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory
The new extremely large telescope projects need accurate evaluation of the
candidate sites. In this paper we present the astroclimatological comparison
between the Paranal Observatory, located on the coast of the Atacama Desert
(Chile), and the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), located in La
Palma (Canary Islands). We apply a statistical analysis using long term
databases from Paranal and Carlsberg Meridian Telescope (CAMC) weather
stations. Significant differences between the two analyzed sites have been
found.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 11 pages, 12 figures, 12 table
Molecular gas in low-metallicity starburst galaxies: Scaling relations and the CO-to-H conversion factor
We study the molecular content and the star formation efficiency of 21 Blue
Compact Dwarfs (BCDs). We present CO(1-0) and (2-1) observations, further
supplemented with additional CO measurements and multiwavelength ancillary data
from the literature. We find the CO luminosity to be correlated with the
stellar and HI masses, SFR tracers, the size of the starburst and its
metallicity. BCDs appear offset from the Schmidt-Kennicutt (SK) law, showing
extremely low (0.1 Gyr) H2 and H2+HI depletion timescales. The
departure from the SK law is smaller when considering H2+HI rather than H2
only, and is larger for BCDs with lower metallicity and higher specific SFR.
Thus, the molecular fraction and H2 depletion timescale of BCDs is found to be
strongly correlated with metallicity. Using this and assuming that the
empirical correlation found between the specific SFR and galaxy-averaged H2
depletion timescale of more metal-rich galaxies extends to lower masses, we
derive a metallicity-dependent CO-to-H2 conversion factor , with in qualitative agreement
with previous determinations, dust-based measurements, and recent model
predictions. Our results suggest that in vigorously star-forming dwarfs the
fraction of H2 traced by CO decreases by a factor of about 40 from to , leading to a strong underestimation of
the H2 mass in metal-poor systems when a Galactic is
considered. Adopting we find that departures from the SK law
are partially resolved. Our results suggest that starbursting dwarfs have
shorter depletion gas timescales and lower molecular fractions compared to
normal late-type disc galaxies even accounting for the molecular gas not traced
by CO emission in metal-poor environments, raising additional constraints to
model predictions (Abridged).Comment: 18 pages, 14 Figures, 4 Tables: Accepted for publication in A&
Optical Surface Photometry of a Sample of Disk Galaxies. II Structural Components
This work presents the structural decomposition of a sample of 11 disk
galaxies, which span a range of different morphological types. The U, B, V, R,
and I photometric information given in Paper I (color and color-index images
and luminosity, ellipticity, and position-angle profiles) has been used to
decide what types of components form the galaxies before carrying out the
decomposition. We find and model such components as bulges, disks, bars, lenses
and rings.Comment: 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
On the Extreme Positive Feedback Star-Forming Mode from Massive and Compact Superstar Clusters
The force of gravity acting within the volume occupied by young, compact and
massive superstar clusters, is here shown to drive in situ all the matter
deposited by winds and supernovae into several generations of star formation.
These events are promoted by radiative cooling which drains the thermal energy
of the ejected gas causing its accumulation to then rapidly exceed the
gravitational instability criterion. A detailed account of the integrated
ionizing radiation and mechanical luminosity as a function of time is here
shown to lead to a new stationary solution. In this, the mass deposition rate
, instead of causing a wind as in the adiabatic solution, turns into a
positive feedback star-forming mode equal to the star formation rate. Some of
the implications of this extreme positive feedback mode are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journal Letter
Astronomical site selection: On the use of satellite data for aerosol content monitoring
The main goal of this work is the analysis of new approaches to the study of
the properties of astronomical sites. In particular, satellite data measuring
aerosols have recently been proposed as a useful technique for site
characterization and searching for new sites to host future very large
telescopes. Nevertheless, these data need to be critically considered and
interpreted in accordance with the spatial resolution and spectroscopic
channels used. In this paper we have explored and retrieved measurements from
satellites with high spatial and temporal resolutions and concentrated on
channels of astronomical interest. The selected datasets are OMI on board the
NASA Aura satellite and MODIS on board the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites. A
comparison of remote sensing and in situ techniques is discussed. As a result,
we find that aerosol data provided by satellites up to now are not reliable
enough for aerosol site characterization, and in situ data are required.Comment: LaTeX2e MN v2.2, 16 pages with 13 figures. Accepted for Mon. Not. R.
Astron. Soc.(2008
Starburst galaxies in the COSMOS field : clumpy star-formation at redshift 0 < z <0.5
This work has been funded by the Spanish MINECO, Grant ESTALLIDOS, AYA2013-47742-C4-2P and AYA2010-21887-C04-04. J.M.A. acknowledges support from the European Research Council Starting Grant SEDMorph (P.I. V. Wild). R.H.G. acknowledges the FPI grant from MINECO within ESTALLIDOS project.Context. At high redshift, starburst galaxies present irregular morphologies with 10-20% of their star formation occurring in giant clumps. These clumpy galaxies are considered the progenitors of local disk galaxies. To understand the properties of starbursts at intermediate and low redshift, it is fundamental to track their evolution and the possible link with the systems at higher z. Aims. We present an extensive, systematic, and multiband search and analysis of the starburst galaxies at redshift (0 1010. We classify galaxies into three main types, depending on their HST morphology: single knot (Sknot), single star-forming knot plus diffuse light (Sknot+diffuse), and multiple star-forming knots (Mknots/clumpy) galaxy. We found a fraction of Mknots/clumpy galaxy fclumpy = 0.24 considering out total sample of starburst galaxies up to z ∼ 0.5. The individual star-forming knots in our sample follows the same L(Hα) vs. size scaling relation as local giant HII regions. However, they slightly differ from the one provided using samples at high redshift. This result highlights the importance of spatially resolving the star-forming regions for this kind of study. Star-forming clumps in the central regions of Mknots galaxies are more massive, and present higher star formation rates, than those in the outskirts. This trend is less clear when we consider either the mass surface density or surface star formation rate. Sknot galaxies do show properties similar to both dwarf elliptical and irregulars in the surface brightness (μ) versus Mhost diagram in the B-band, and to spheroidals and ellipticals in the μ versus Mhost diagram in the V-band. Conclusions. The properties of our star-forming knots in Sknot+diffuse and Mknots/clumpy galaxies support the predictions of recent numerical simulations claiming that they have been produced by violent disk instabilities. We suggest that the evolution of these knots means that large and massive clumps at the galaxy centers represent the end product of the coalescence of surviving smaller clumps from the outskirts. Our results support this mechanism and make it unlikely that mergers are the reason behind the observed starburst knots. Sknot galaxies might be transitional phases of the Blue Compact Dwarfs (BCD) class, with their properties consistent with spheroidal-like, but blue structures.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
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