Ram pressure stripping of galactic gas is generally assumed to be inefficient
in galaxy groups due to the relatively low density of the intragroup medium and
the small velocity dispersions of groups. To test this assumption, we obtained
Chandra X-ray data of the starbursting spiral NGC 2276 in the NGC 2300 group of
galaxies, a candidate for a strong galaxy interaction with hot intragroup gas.
The data reveal a shock-like feature along the western edge of the galaxy and a
low-surface-brightness tail extending to the east, similar to the morphology
seen in other wavebands. Spatially resolved spectroscopy shows that the data
are consistent with intragroup gas being pressurized at the leading western
edge of NGC 2276 due to the galaxy moving supersonically through the intragroup
medium at a velocity ~850 km/s. Detailed modelling of the gravitational
potential of NGC 2276 shows that the resulting ram-pressure could significantly
affect the morphology of the outer gas disc but is probably insufficient to
strip large amounts of cold gas from the disc. We estimate the mass loss rates
due to turbulent viscous stripping and starburst outflows being swept back by
ram pressure, showing that both mechanisms could plausibly explain the presence
of the X-ray tail. Comparison to existing HI measurements shows that most of
the gas escaping the galaxy is in a hot phase. With a total mass loss rate of
roughly 5 M_Sun/yr, the galaxy could be losing its entire present HI supply
within a Gyr. This demonstrates that the removal of galactic gas through
interactions with a hot intragroup medium can occur rapidly enough to transform
the morphology of galaxies in groups. Implications of this for galaxy evolution
in groups and clusters are briefly discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
