2,939 research outputs found
Metallicities of galaxies in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void
Does the void environment have a sizable effect on the evolution of dwarf
galaxies? If yes, the best probes should be the most fragile least massive
dwarfs. We compiled a sample of about one hundred dwarfs with M_B in the range
-12 to -18 mag, falling within the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. The goal is to
study their evolutionary parameters -- gas metallicity and gas mass-fraction,
and to address the epoch of the first substantial episode of Star Formation.
Here we present and discuss the results of O/H measurements in 38 void
galaxies, among which several the most metal-poor galaxies are found with the
oxygen abundances of 12+log(O/H)=7.12-7.3 dex.Comment: 2 pages, one figure. To appear in proceedings of 'Environment and the
Formation of Galaxies: 30 years later,' (Lisbon, September 2010), published
by Springer-Verla
Neutral Gas Distributions and Kinematics of Five Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies
We present the results of high spatial resolution HI observations of five
intrinsically compact dwarf galaxies which are currently experiencing a strong
burst of star formation. The HI maps indicate that these systems have a complex
and clumpy interstellar medium. Unlike typical dwarf irregular galaxies, these
Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies exhibit strong central concentrations in
their neutral gas distributions which may provide a clue to the origin of their
strong star-burst activity. Furthermore, while all of the systems do appear to
be rotating, based on observed velocity gradients, the kinematics are complex.
All systems have non-ordered kinematic structure at some level; some of the
extended gas is not necessarily kinematically connected to the main system.
The observed gas distributions and kinematics place constraints on
evolutionary scenarios for BCDs. Evolutionary links between BCDs, dwarf
irregulars, and dwarf ellipticals have been postulated to explain their high
star formation rates and low luminosity, low metallicity nature. The BCDs
appear to have higher central mass concentrations in both gas and stellar
content than the dwarf irregulars, indicating that evolutionary scenarios
connecting these two classes will require mass redistribution. In addition, the
fact that BCDs are rotationally supported systems indicates that BCDs are
unlikely to evolve into dwarf ellipticals without substantial loss of angular
momentum. Thus, while such evolutionary scenarios may still be possible with
the aid of mergers or tidal interactions, the isolated nature of BCDs suggests
that the majority of BCDs will not fade to become objects similar to the
present day dwarf ellipticals.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures. To appear in A
A Serendipitous Search for High-Redshift Lyman alpha Emission: Two Primeval Galaxy Candidates at z~3
In the course of our ongoing search for serendipitous high-redshift Lyman
alpha (LyA) Emissionin deep archival Keck spectra, we discovered two very high
equivalent width (W_{obs} ~ 450A, 2-sigma) LyA emission line candidates at z ~3
in a moderate dispersion (R~1200) spectrogram. Both lines have low velocity
dispersions (sigma_v ~ 60 km/s) and deconvolved radii r ~ 1 kpc (h = 0.5). We
argue that the lines are LyA, and are powered by stellar ionization. The
surface density of robust, high equivalent width LyA candidates is estimated to
be ~3 \pm 2 per arcmin^2 per unit redshift at z ~ 3, consistent with the
estimate of Cowie etal (1998). The LyA emission line source characteristics are
consistent with the galaxies undergoing their first burst of star formation,
ie, with being primeval. Source sizes and velocity dispersions are comparable
to the theoretical primeval galaxy model of Lin and Murray (1992) based on the
inside-out, self-similar collapse of an isothermal sphere. In this model, star
formation among field galaxies is a protracted process. Galaxies are thought to
be able to display high equivalent widths for only the first few x 10 Myr. This
time is short in relation to the difference in look back times between z=3 and
z=4, and implies that a substantial fraction of strong line-emitting galaxies
at z=3 were formed at redshifts z < 4. We discuss the significance of
high-equivalent width LyA-emitting galaxies in terms of the emerging picture of
the environment, and the specific characteristics of primeval galaxy formation
at high redshift.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, one table. To appear in the Astrophysical
Journa
Total Infrared Luminosity Estimation of Resolved and Unresolved Galaxies
The total infrared (TIR) luminosity from galaxies can be used to examine both
star formation and dust physics. We provide here new relations to estimate the
TIR luminosity from various Spitzer bands, in particular from the 8 micron and
24 micron bands. To do so, we use 45" subregions within a subsample of nearby
face-on spiral galaxies from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey
(SINGS) that have known oxygen abundances as well as integrated galaxy data
from the SINGS, the Local Volume Legacy Survey (LVL) and Engelbracht et al.
(2008) samples. Taking into account the oxygen abundances of the subregions,
the star formation rate intensity, and the relative emission of the polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons at 8 micron, the warm dust at 24 micron and the cold dust
at 70 micron and 160 micron we derive new relations to estimate the TIR
luminosity from just one or two of the Spitzer bands. We also show that the
metallicity and the star formation intensity must be taken into account when
estimating the TIR luminosity from two wave bands, especially when data
longward of 24 micron are not available.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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