191 research outputs found
Gas Loss by Ram Pressure Stripping and Internal Feedback From Low Mass Milky Way Satellites
The evolution of dwarf satellites of the Milky Way is affected by the
combination of ram pressure and tidal stripping, and internal feedback from
massive stars. We investigate gas loss processes in the smallest satellites of
the Milky Way using three-dimensional, high resolution, idealized wind tunnel
simulations, accounting for gas loss through both ram pressure stripping and
expulsion by supernova feedback. Using initial conditions appropriate for a
dwarf galaxy like Leo T, we investigate whether or not environmental gas
stripping and internal feedback can quench these low mass galaxies on the
expected timescales, shorter than 2 Gyr. We find that supernova feedback
contributes negligibly to the stripping rate for these low star formation rate
galaxies. However, we also find that ram pressure stripping is less efficient
than expected in the stripping scenarios we consider. Our work suggests that,
although ram pressure stripping can eventually completely strip these galaxies,
other physics is likely at play to reconcile our computed stripping times with
the rapid quenching timescales deduced from observations of low mass Milky Way
dwarf galaxies. We discuss the roles additional physics may play in this
scenario, including host-satellite tidal interactions, cored vs. cuspy dark
matter profiles, reionization, and satellite pre-processing. We conclude that a
proper accounting of these physics together is necessary to understand the
quenching of low mass Milky Way satellites.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
A Gaseous Group with Unusual Remote Star Formation
We present VLA 21-cm observations of the spiral galaxy ESO 481-G017 to
determine the nature of remote star formation traced by an HII region found 43
kpc and ~800 km s^-1 from the galaxy center (in projection). ESO 481-G017 is
found to have a 120 kpc HI disk with a mass of 1.2x10^10 Msun and UV GALEX
images reveal spiral arms extending into the gaseous disk. Two dwarf galaxies
with HI masses close to 10^8 Msun are detected at distances of ~200 kpc from
ESO 481-G017 and a HI cloud with a mass of 6x10^7 Msun is found near the
position and velocity of the remote HII region. The HII region is somewhat
offset from the HI cloud spatially and there is no link to ESO 481-G017 or the
dwarf galaxies. We consider several scenarios for the origin of the cloud and
HII region and find the most likely is a dwarf galaxy that is undergoing ram
pressure stripping. The HI mass of the cloud and Halpha luminosity of the HII
region (10^38.1 erg s^-1) are consistent with dwarf galaxy properties, and the
stripping can trigger the star formation as well as push the gas away from the
stars.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, accepted by PAS
Episodic starbursts in dwarf spheroidal galaxies: a simple model
Dwarf galaxies in the Local Group appear to be stripped of their gas within
270 kpc of the host galaxy. Color-magnitude diagrams of these dwarfs, however,
show clear evidence of episodic star formation (\Delta{}t ~ a few Gyr) over
cosmic time. We present a simple model to account for this behaviour. Residual
gas within the weak gravity field of the dwarf experiences dramatic variations
in the gas cooling time around the eccentric orbit. This variation is due to
two main effects. The azimuthal compression along the orbit leads to an
increase in the gas cooling rate of ~([1+\epsilon]/[1-\epsilon])^2. The
Galaxy's ionizing field declines as 1/R^2 for R>R_disk although this reaches a
floor at R~150 kpc due to the extragalactic UV field ionizing intensity. We
predict that episodic SF is mostly characteristic of dwarfs on moderately
eccentric orbits (\epsilon>0.2) that do not come too close to the centre
(R>R_disk) and do not spend their entire orbit far away from the centre (R>200
kpc). Up to 40% of early infall dwarf spheroidals can be expected to have
already had at least one burst since the initial epoch of star formation, and
10% of these dwarf spheriodals experiencing a second burst. Such a model can
explain the timing of bursts in the Carina dwarf spheroidal and restrict the
orbit of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal. However, this model fails to explain why
some dwarfs, such as Ursa Minor, experience no burst post-infall.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures. ApJ accepte
The Neutral Hydrogen Bridge between M31 and M33
The Green Bank Telescope has been used to search for 21cm HI emission over a
large area between the galaxies M31 and M33 in an attempt to confirm at 9.1
arcmin angular resolution the detection by Braun and Thilker (2004) of a very
extensive neutral gas "bridge" between the two systems at the level NHI
approximately 10^{17} cm^{-2}. We detect HI emission at several locations up to
120 kpc in projected distance from M31, at least half the distance to M33, with
velocities similar to that of the galaxies, confirming the essence of the Braun
and Thilker discovery. The HI does not appear to be associated with the
extraplanar high-velocity clouds of either galaxy. In two places we measure NHI
> 3 x 10^{18} cm^{-2}, indicative of concentrations of HI with ~10^5 solar
masses on scales <2 kpc, but over most of the field we have only 5sigma upper
limits of NHI <= 1.4 x 10^{18} cm^{-2}. In very deep measurements in two
directions HI lines were detected at a few 10^{17} cm^{-2}. The absence of
emission at another location to a 5sigma limit NHI <= 1.5 x 10^{17} cm^{-2}
suggests that the HI bridge is either patchy or confined to within ~125 kpc of
M31. The measurements also cover two of M31's dwarf galaxies, And II and And
XV, but in neither case is there evidence for associated HI at the 5sigma level
of 1.4 x 10^4 solar masses of HI for And II, and 9.3 x 10^3 solar masses for
And XV.Comment: Submitted to the Astronomical Journa
Are Newly Discovered HI High Velocity Clouds Minihalos in the Local Group?
A set of HI sources extracted from the north Galactic polar region by the
ongoing ALFALFA survey has properties that are consistent with the
interpretation that they are associated with isolated minihalos in the
outskirts of the Local Group (LG). Unlike objects detected by previous surveys,
such as the Compact High Velocity Clouds of Braun & Burton (1999), the HI
clouds found by ALFALFA do not violate any structural requirements or halo
scaling laws of the LambdaCDM structure paradigm, nor would they have been
detected by extant HI surveys of nearby galaxy groups other than the LG. At a
distance of d Mpc, their HI masses range between $5 x 10^4 d^2 and 10^6 d^2
solar and their HI radii between <0.4d and 1.6 d kpc. If they are parts of
gravitationally bound halos, the total masses would be on order of 10^8--10^9
solar, their baryonic content would be signifcantly smaller than the cosmic
fraction of 0.16 and present in a ionized gas phase of mass well exceeding that
of the neutral phase. This study does not however prove that the minihalo
interpretation is unique. Among possible alternatives would be that the clouds
are shreds of the Leading Arm of the Magellanic Stream.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; to appear Ap.J. Letter
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