arXiv subjects

A. Del Olmo

Publications and source records attributed to A. Del Olmo.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

Ripples and tails in the compact group of galaxies Hickson 54

HCG 54 has been classified as a compact galaxy group by Hickson, but its nature is uncertain because of its unusual properties. We present here a study of HCG~54 based on deep optical images and spectroscopy as well as high spatial and spectral resolution HI observations obtained at the VLA. Both optical and radio data indicate clearly that HCG~54 is a product of a recent merger involving at least two galaxies. Our optical images have revealed a blue elongated structure associated with HCG 54a embedded in a rounder and redder stellar envelope. Several ripples or shells whose center is located near HCG 54a and b are also detected. These observed features are similar to those found in the numerical simulations of tidal interactions involving two equal mass disk galaxies. This system is embedded in an HI cloud 12 kpc in diameter, and a 20 kpc HI tidal tail emerges from its western edge. Both the HI distribution and kinematics are consistent with a recent history of a deeply penetrating interaction or a merger. Based on the analysis of our new data we propose that HCG 54 is the remnant of a merger in an advanced stage, whose main body is what has been called HCG 54a, while HCG 54b marks the location of a strong starburst induced by the interaction, as evidenced by the Wolf Rayet stellar population that we detect. Optical spectra of HCG 54c and d show HII region features and are interpreted as tidal debris of the collision undergoing active star formation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Where is the Neutral Atomic Gas in Hickson Groups?

We have analyzed the total HI contents of 72 Hickson compact groups of galaxies (HCGs) and the detailed spatial distributions and kinematics of HI within a subset of 16 groups using the high angular resolution observations obtained with the VLA in order to investigate a possible evolutionary scenario for these densest systems in the present day galaxy hierarchy. For the more homogeneous subsample of 48 groups, we found a mean HI deficiency of DefHI = 40 (40% of the expected HI for the LBs and morphological types of the member galaxies). The individual galaxies show larger degrees of deficiency than the groups globally, DefHI = 0.62 (24% of the expected HI), due in most cases to efficient gas stripping from individual galaxies into the group environment visible in the VLA maps. The degree of deficiency is found to be similar to the central galaxies of Virgo and Coma cluster, and Coma I group, in spite of the significantly different characteristics of these environments. Phase transformation of the HI should explain the deficiency. The detection rate of HCGs at X-ray wavelengths is larger for HI deficient groups. In the evolutionary scenario we propose, the amount of detected HI would decrease further with evolution, by continuous tidal stripping and/or heating. The H2 content also tends to be lower than expected for the galaxies in HI deficient groups, this may suggest that the HI stripping by frequent tidal interaction breaks the balance between the disruption of molecular clouds by star formation and the replenishment from the ambient HI.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Tracing interactions in HCGs through the HI

We present a global study of HI spectral line mapping for 16 Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) combining new and unpublished VLA data, plus the analysis of the HI content of individual galaxies. Sixty percent of the groups show morphological and kinematical signs of perturbations (from multiple tidal features to concentration of the HI in a single enveloping cloud) and sixty five of the resolved galaxies are found to be HI deficient with respect to a sample of isolated galaxies. In total, 77% of the groups suffer interactions among all its members which provides strong evidence of their reality. We find that dynamical evolution does not always produce HI deficiency, but when this deficiency is observed, it appears to correlate with a high group velocity dispersion and in some cases with the presence of a first-ranked elliptical. The X-ray data available for our sample are not sensitive enough for a comparison with the HI mass; however this study does suggest a correlation between HI deficiency and hot gas since velocity dispersions are known from the literature to correlate with X-ray luminosity.

astro-ph↗