arXiv subjects

D. J. Pisano

Publications and source records attributed to D. J. Pisano.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Green Bank Telescope observations of low column density HI around NGC 2997 and NGC 6946

Observations of ongoing HI accretion in nearby galaxies have only identified about 10% of the needed fuel to sustain star formation in these galaxies. Most of these observations have been conducted using interferometers and may have missed lower column density, diffuse, HI gas that may trace the missing 90% of gas. Such gas may represent the so-called "cold flows" predicted by current theories of galaxy formation to have never been heated above the virial temperature of the dark matter halo. As a first attempt to identify such cold flows around nearby galaxies and complete the census of HI down to N(HI)~10^18 cm^-2, I used the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to map the circumgalactic (r < 100-200 kpc) HI environment around NGC 2997 and NGC 6946. The resulting GBT observations cover a four square degree area around each galaxy with a 5-sigma detection limit of N(HI)~10^18 cm^-2 over a 20 km/s linewidth. This project complements absorption line studies, which are well-suited to the regime of lower N(HI). Around NGC 2997, the GBT HI data reveal an extended HI disk and all of its surrounding gas-rich satellite galaxies, but no filamentary features. Furthermore, the HI mass as measured with the GBT is only 7% higher than past interferometric measurements. After correcting for resolution differences, the HI extent of the galaxy is 23% larger at the N(HI)~1.2x10^18 cm^-2 level as measured by the GBT. On the other hand, the HI observations of NGC 6946 reveal a filamentary feature apparently connecting NGC 6946 with its nearest companions. This HI filament has N(HI)~10^18 cm^-2 and a FWHM of 55+-5 km/s and was invisible in past interferometer observations. The properties of this filament are broadly consistent with being a cold flow or debris from a past tidal interaction between NGC 6946 and its satellites.

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arXiv2013

Radio continuum observations of local star-forming galaxies using the Caltech Continuum Backend on the Green Bank Telescope

We observed radio continuum emission in 27 local (D < 70 Mpc) star-forming galaxies with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope between 26 GHz and 40 GHz using the Caltech Continuum Backend. We obtained detections for 22 of these galaxies at all four sub-bands and four more marginal detections by taking the average flux across the entire bandwidth. This is the first detection (full or marginal) at these frequencies for 22 of these galaxies. We fit spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for all of the four-sub-band detections. For 14 of the galaxies, SEDs were best fit by a combination of thermal free-free and nonthermal synchrotron components. Eight galaxies with four-sub-band detections had steep spectra that were only fit by a single nonthermal component. Using these fits, we calculated supernova rates, total number of equivalent O stars, and star formation rates within each ~23 arcsecond beam. For unresolved galaxies, these physical properties characterize the galaxies' recent star formation on a global scale. We confirm that the radio-far-infrared correlation holds for the unresolved galaxies' total 33 GHz flux regardless of their thermal fractions, though the scatter on this correlation is larger than that at 1.4 GHz. In addition, we found that for the unresolved galaxies, there is an inverse relationship between the ratio of 33 GHz flux to total far-infrared flux and the steepness of the galaxy's spectral index between 1.4 GHz and 33 GHz. This relationship could be an indicator of the timescale of the observed episode of star formation.

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arXiv2013

High velocity clouds in the Galactic All Sky Survey I. Catalogue

We present a catalogue of high-velocity clouds (HVCs) from the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS) of southern-sky neutral hydrogen, which has 57 mK sensitivity and 1 km/s velocity resolution and was obtained with the Parkes Telescope. Our catalogue has been derived from the stray-radiation corrected second release of GASS. We describe the data and our method of identifying HVCs and analyse the overall properties of the GASS population. We catalogue a total of 1693 HVCs at declinations < 0 deg, including 1111 positive velocity HVCs and 582 negative velocity HVCs. Our catalogue also includes 295 anomalous velocity clouds (AVCs). The cloud line-widths of our HVC population have a median FWHM of ~19 km/s, which is lower than found in previous surveys. The completeness of our catalogue is above 95% based on comparison with the HIPASS catalogue of HVCs, upon which we improve with an order of magnitude in spectral resolution. We find 758 new HVCs and AVCs with no HIPASS counterpart. The GASS catalogue will shed an unprecedented light on the distribution and kinematic structure of southern-sky HVCs, as well as delve further into the cloud populations that make up the anomalous velocity gas of the Milky Way.

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arXiv2013

Connecting Transitions in Galaxy Properties to Refueling

We relate transitions in galaxy structure and gas content to refueling, here defined to include both the external gas accretion and the internal gas processing needed to renew reservoirs for star formation. We analyze two z=0 data sets: a high-quality ~200-galaxy sample (the Nearby Field Galaxy Survey, data release herein) and a volume-limited ~3000-galaxy sample with reprocessed archival data. Both reach down to baryonic masses ~10^9Msun and span void-to-cluster environments. Two mass-dependent transitions are evident: (i) below the "gas-richness threshold" scale (V~125km/s), gas-dominated quasi-bulgeless Sd--Im galaxies become numerically dominant, while (ii) above the "bimodality" scale (V~200km/s), gas-starved E/S0s become the norm. Notwithstanding these transitions, galaxy mass (or V as its proxy) is a poor predictor of gas-to-stellar mass ratio M_gas/M_*. Instead, M_gas/M_* correlates well with the ratio of a galaxy's stellar mass formed in the last Gyr to its preexisting stellar mass, such that the two ratios have numerically similar values. This striking correspondence between past-averaged star formation and current gas richness implies routine refueling of star-forming galaxies on Gyr timescales. We argue that this refueling underlies the tight M_gas/M_* vs. color correlations often used to measure "photometric gas fractions." Furthermore, the threshold and bimodality scale transitions reflect mass-dependent demographic shifts between three refueling regimes --- accretion dominated, processing dominated, and quenched. In this picture, gas-dominated dwarfs are explained not by inefficient star formation but by overwhelming gas accretion, which fuels stellar mass doubling in <~1Gyr. Moreover, moderately gas-rich bulged disks such as the Milky Way are transitional, becoming abundant only in the narrow range between the threshold and bimodality scales.

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arXiv2013

A Pilot for a VLA HI Deep Field

High-resolution 21-cm HI deep fields provide spatially and kinematically resolved neutral gas maps at different redshifts, which are key to understanding galaxy evolution across cosmic time and testing predictions of cosmological simulations. Here we present results from a pilot for the COSMOS HI Large Extragalactic Survey (CHILES) done with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We take advantage of the newly expanded capabilities of the telescope to probe the redshift interval 0<z<0.193 in one observation. We observe the COSMOS field for 50 hours, which contains 413 galaxies with optical spectroscopic redshifts in the imaged field of view of 34' x 34' and the observed redshift interval. We have detected neutral hydrogen gas in 33 galaxies in different environments spanning the probed redshift range, including three without a previously known spectroscopic redshift. The detections have a range of HI and stellar masses, indicating the diversity of galaxies we are probing. We discuss the observations, data reduction, results and highlight interesting detections. We find that the VLA's B-array is the ideal configuration for HI deep fields since its long spacings mitigate RFI. This pilot shows that the VLA is ready to carry out such a survey, and serves as a test for future HI deep fields planned with other SKA pathfinders.

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arXiv2013

Discrete clouds of neutral gas between the galaxies M31 and M33

Spiral galaxies must acquire gas to maintain their observed level of star formation beyond the next few billion years (Leroy et al. 2008). A source of this material may be the gas that resides between galaxies, but our understanding of the state and distribution of this gas is incomplete (Shull et al. 2012). Radio observations (Braun & Thilker 2004) of the Local Group of galaxies have revealed hydrogen gas extending from the disk of the galaxy M31 at least halfway to M33. This feature has been interpreted to be the neutral component of a condensing intergalactic filament (Davé et al. 2001) which would be able to fuel star formation in M31 and M33, but simulations suggest that such a feature could also result from an interaction between both galaxies within the past few billion years (Bekki 2008). Here we report radio observations showing that about 50 per cent percent of this gas is composed of clouds, while the rest is distributed in an extended, diffuse component. The clouds have velocities comparable to those of M31 and M33, and have properties suggesting they are unrelated to other Local Group objects. We conclude that the clouds are likely to be transient condensations of gas embedded in an intergalactic filament and are therefore a potential source of fuel for future star formation in M31 and M33.

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arXiv2012

The HI environment of the M101 group

We present a wide (8.5x6.7 degree, 1050x825 kpc), deep (sigma(N_HI)=10^(16.8-17.5) cm^-2) neutral hydrogen (HI) map of the M101 galaxy group. We identify two new HI sources in the group environment, one an extremely low surface brightness (and hitherto unknown) dwarf galaxy, and the other a starless HI cloud, possibly primordial in origin. Our data show that M101's extended HI envelope (Huchtmeier & Witzel 1979) takes the form of a ~100 kpc long tidal loop or plume of HI extending to the southwest of the galaxy. The plume has an HI mass ~ 10^8 Msun and a peak column density of N_HI=5x10^17 cm^-2, and while it rotates with the main body of M101, it shows kinematic peculiarities suggestive of a warp or flaring out of the rotation plane of the galaxy. We also find two new HI clouds near the plume with masses ~ 10^7 Msun, similar to HI clouds seen in the M81/M82 group, and likely also tidal in nature. Comparing to deep optical imaging of the M101 group, neither the plume nor the clouds have any extended optical counterparts down to a limiting surface brightness of mu_B = 29.5. We also trace HI at intermediate velocities between M101 and NGC 5474, strengthening the case for a recent interaction between the two galaxies. The kinematically complex HI structure in the M101 group, coupled with the optical morphology of M101 and its companions, suggests that the group is in a dynamically active state that is likely common for galaxies in group environments.

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arXiv2011

An HI Survey of Six Local Group Analogs. II. HI properties of group galaxies

We have conducted an HI 21 cm emission-line survey of six loose groups of galaxies chosen to be analogs to the Local Group. The survey was conducted using the Parkes Multibeam instrument and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) over a ~1 Mpc^2 area and covering the full depth of each group, with a M(HI) sensitivity of ~7x10^5 M(sun). Our survey detected 110 sources, 61 of which are associated with the six groups. All of these sources were confirmed with ATCA observations or were previously cataloged by HIPASS. The sources all have optical counterparts and properties consistent with dwarf irregular or late-type spiral galaxies. We present here the HI properties of the groups and their galaxies. We derive an HI mass function for the groups that is consistent with being flatter than the equivalent field HIMF. We also derive a circular velocity distribution function, tracing the luminous dark matter halos in the groups, that is consistent with those of the Local Group and HIPASS galaxies, both of which are shallower than that of clusters or predictions from CDM models of galaxy formation.

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arXiv2011

3D Spectroscopy of Local Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Kinematic Maps of a Sample of 22 Objects

We use three dimensional optical spectroscopy observations of a sample of 22 local Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) to create kinematic maps. By means of these, we classify the kinematics of these galaxies into three different classes: rotating disk (RD), perturbed rotation (PR), and complex kinematics (CK). We find 48% are RDs, 28% are PRs, and 24% are CKs. RDs show rotational velocities that range between $\sim50$ and $\sim200 km s^{-1}$, and dynamical masses that range between $\sim1\times10^{9}$ and $\sim3\times10^{10} M_{\odot}$. We also address the following two fundamental questions through the study of the kinematic maps: \emph{(i) What processes are triggering the current starbust in LCBGs?} We search our maps of the galaxy velocity fields for signatures of recent interactions and close companions that may be responsible for the enhanced star formation in our sample. We find 5% of objects show evidence of a recent major merger, 10% of a minor merger, and 45% of a companion. This argues in favor of ongoing interactions with close companions as a mechanism for the enhanced star formation activity in these galaxies. \emph{(ii) What processes may eventually quench the current starbust in LCBGs?} Velocity and velocity width maps, together with emission line ratio maps, can reveal signatures of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) activity or supernova (SN) driven galactic winds that could halt the current burst. We find only 5% of objects with clear evidence of AGN activity, and 27% with kinematics consistent with SN-driven galactic winds. Therefore, a different mechanism may be responsible for quenching the star formation in LCBGs. Finally, from our analysis, we find that the velocity widths of RDs, rather than accounting exclusively for the rotational nature of these objects, may account as well for other kinematic components, and may not be good tracers of their dynamical masses.

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arXiv2011

Unveiling Extragalactic Star Formation Using Radio Recombination Lines: An EVLA Pilot Study with NGC 253

Radio recombination lines (RRLs) are powerful, extinction-free diagnostics of the ionized gas in young, star-forming regions. Unfortunately, these lines are difficult to detect in external galaxies. We present the results of EVLA observations of the RRL and radio continuum emission at 33 GHz from NGC 253, a nearby nuclear starburst galaxy. We detect the previously unobserved H58a and H59a RRLs and make simultaneous sensitive measurements of the continuum. We measure integrated line fluxes of $44.3 \pm 0.7$ W m$^{-2}$ and $39.9 \pm 0.8$ W m$^{-2}$ for the H58a and H59a lines, respectively. The thermal gas in NGC 253 is kinematically complex with multiple velocity components. We constrain the density of the thermal gas to $1.4 - 4 \times 10^4$ cm$^{-3}$ and estimate an ionizing photon flux of $1 \times 10^{53}$ s$^{-1}$. We use the RRL kinematics and the derived ionizing photon flux to show that the nuclear region of NGC 253 is not gravitationally bound, which is consistent with the outflow of gas inferred from the X-ray and Halpha measurements. The line profiles, fluxes, and kinematics of the H58a and H59a lines agree with those of RRLs at different frequencies confirming the accuracy of the previous, more difficult, high frequency observations. We find that the EVLA is an order of magnitude more efficient for extragalactic RRL observations than the VLA. These observations demonstrate both the power of the EVLA and the future potential of extragalactic RRL studies with the EVLA.

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arXiv2011

VLA and ATCA Search for Natal Star Clusters in Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies

In order to investigate the relationship between the local environment and the properties of natal star clusters, we obtained radio observations of 25 star-forming galaxies within 20 Mpc using the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Natal star-forming regions can be identified by their characteristic thermal radio emission, which is manifest in their spectral index at centimeter wavelengths. The host galaxies in our sample were selected based upon their likelihood of harboring young star formation. In star-forming regions, the ionizing flux of massive embedded stars powers the dominant thermal free-free emission of those sources, resulting in a spectral index of α {\gtrsim} -0.2 (where Sν {\propto} να), which we compute. With the current sensitivity, we find that of the 25 galaxies in this sample only five have radio sources with spectral indices that are only consistent with a thermal origin; four have radio sources that are only consistent with a non-thermal origin; six have radio sources whose nature is ambiguous due to uncertainties in the spectral index; and sixteen have no detected radio sources. For those sources that appear to be dominated by thermal emission, we infer the ionizing flux of the star clusters and the number of equivalent O7.5 V stars that are required to produce the observed radio flux densities. The most radio-luminous clusters that we detect have an equivalent of ~7x103 O7.5 V stars, and the smallest only have an equivalent of ~102 O7.5 V stars; thus these star-forming regions span the range of large OB-associations to moderate "super star clusters" (SSCs). With the current detection limits, we also place upper limits on the masses of clusters that could have recently formed...

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arXiv2011

The Evolution of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Disks or Spheroids?

Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) are a diverse class of galaxies characterized by high luminosity, blue color, and high surface brightness that sit at the critical juncture of galaxies evolving from the blue to the red sequence. As part of our multi-wavelength survey of local LCBGs, we have been studying the HI content of these galaxies using both single-dish telescopes and interferometers. Our goals are to determine if single-dish HI observations represent a true measure of the dynamical mass of LCBGs and to look for signatures of recent interactions that may be triggering star formation in LCBGs. Our data show that while some LCBGs are undergoing interactions, many appear isolated. While all LCBGs contain HI and show signatures of rotation, the population does not lie on the Tully-Fisher relation nor can it evolve onto it. Furthermore, the HI maps of many LCBGs show signatures of dynamically hot components, suggesting that we are seeing the formation of a thick disk or spheroid in at least some LCBGs. There is good agreement between the HI and H-alpha kinematics for LCBGs, and both are similar in appearance to the H-alpha kinematics of high redshift star-forming galaxies. Our combined data suggest that star formation in LCBGs is primarily quenched by virial heating, consistent with model predictions.

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arXiv2010

Measuring the halo mass function in loose groups

Using data from our Parkes & ATCA HI survey of six groups analogous to the Local Group, we find that the HI mass function and velocity distribution function for loose groups are the same as those for the Local Group. Both mass functions confirm that the "missing satellite" problem exists in other galaxy groups.

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arXiv2010

GASS: The Parkes Galactic All-Sky Survey. II. Stray-Radiation Correction and Second Data Release

The Parkes Galactic All-Sky Survey (GASS) is a survey of Galactic atomic hydrogen (HI) emission in the southern sky observed with the Parkes 64-m Radio Telescope. The first data release was published by McClure-Griffiths et al. (2009). We remove instrumental effects that affect the GASS and present the second data release. We calculate the stray-radiation by convolving the all-sky response of the Parkes antenna with the brightness temperature distribution from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) all sky 21-cm line survey, with major contributions from the 30-m dish of the Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia (IAR) in the southern sky. Remaining instrumental baselines are corrected using the LAB data for a first guess of emission-free baseline regions. Radio frequency interference is removed by median filtering. After applying these corrections to the GASS we find an excellent agreement with the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) survey. The GASS is the highest spatial resolution, most sensitive, and is currently the most accurate HI survey of the Galactic HI emission in the southern sky. We provide a web interface for generation and download of FITS cubes.

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arXiv2009

The Evolution of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Disks or Spheroids?

Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) are a diverse class of galaxies characterized by high luminosities, blue colors, and high surface brightnesses. Residing at the high luminosity, high mass end of the blue sequence, LCBGs sit at the critical juncture of galaxies that are evolving from the blue to the red sequence. Yet we do not understand what drives the evolution of LCBGs, nor how they will evolve. Based on single-dish HI observations, we know that they have a diverse range of properties. LCBGs are HI-rich with M(HI)=10^{9-10.5} M(sun), have moderate M(dyn)=10^{10-12} M(sun), and 80% have gas depletion timescales less than 3 Gyr. These properties are consistent with LCBGs evolving into low-mass spirals or high mass dwarf ellipticals or dwarf irregulars. However, LCBGs do not follow the Tully-Fisher relation, nor can most evolve onto it, implying that many LCBGs are not smoothly rotating, virialized systems. GMRT and VLA HI maps confirm this conclusion revealing signatures of recent interactions and dynamically hot components in some local LCBGs, consistent with the formation of a thick disk or spheroid. Such signatures and the high incidence of close companions around LCBGs suggest that star formation in local LCBGs is likely triggered by interactions. The dynamical masses and apparent spheroid formation in LCBGs combined with previous results from optical spectroscopy are consistent with virial heating being the primary mechanism for quenching star formation in these galaxies.

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arXiv2009

3D Spectroscopy of Local Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Kinematics of NGC 7673

The kinematic properties of the ionized gas of local Luminous Compact Blue Galaxy (LCBG) NGC 7673 are presented using three dimensional data taken with the PPAK integral field unit at the 3.5-m telescope in the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán. Our data reveal an asymmetric rotating velocity field with a peak to peak difference of 60 km s$^{-1}$. The kinematic centre is found to be at the position of a central velocity width maximum ($σ=54\pm1$ km s$^{-1}$), which is consistent with the position of the luminosity-weighted centroid of the entire galaxy. The position angle of the minor rotation axis is 168$^{\circ}$ as measured from the orientation of the velocity field contours. At least two decoupled kinematic components are found. The first one is compact and coincides with the position of the second most active star formation region (clump B). The second one is extended and does not have a clear optical counterpart. No evidence of active galactic nuclei activity or supernovae galactic winds powering any of these two components has been found. Our data, however, show evidence in support of a previously proposed minor merger scenario in which a dwarf galaxy, tentatively identified with clump B, is falling into NGC 7673. and triggers the starburst. Finally, it is shown that the dynamical mass of this galaxy may be severely underestimated when using the derived rotation curve or the integrated velocity width, under the assumption of virialization.

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arXiv2009

Anomalous HI in NGC 2997

We present deep HI observations of the moderately inclined spiral galaxy, NGC 2997. The goal of these observations was to search for HI clouds in the vicinity of NGC 2997 analogous to the high velocity clouds of the Milky Way and gain insight into their origins. We find evidence for the presence of a galactic fountain as well as the accretion of intragalactic material, however we do not identify any large clouds of HI far from the disk of the galaxy. NGC 2997 has a thick, lagging HI disk that is modeled with a vertical velocity gradient of 18-31 km/s/kpc. Anomalous velocity HI clouds with masses of order 10^7 Msun, which cannot be explained by galactic fountain models allow us to estimate a lower limit to the accretion of extragalactic gas of 1.2 Msun/yr. The number and mass of these clouds have implications for cosmological simulations of large scale structure and the presence of dark matter halos. We have used values from the the literature to estimate a star formation rate of 5 +/- 1 Msun/yr and to derive a new distance to NGC 2997 of 12.2 +/- 0.9 Mpc using published Tully-Fisher relations.

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arXiv2009

How do Galaxies Accrete Gas and Form Stars?

Great strides have been made in the last two decades in determining how galaxies evolve from their initial dark matter seeds to the complex structures we observe at z=0. The role of mergers has been documented through both observations and simulations, numerous satellites that may represent these initial dark matter seeds have been discovered in the Local Group, high redshift galaxies have been revealed with monstrous star formation rates, and the gaseous cosmic web has been mapped through absorption line experiments. Despite these efforts, the dark matter simulations that include baryons are still unable to accurately reproduce galaxies. One of the major problems is our incomplete understanding of how a galaxy accretes its baryons and subsequently forms stars. Galaxy formation simulations have been unable to accurately represent the required gas physics on cosmological timescales, and observations have only just begun to detect the star formation fuel over a range of redshifts and environments. How galaxies obtain gas and subsequently form stars is a major unsolved, yet tractable problem in contemporary extragalactic astrophysics. In this paper we outline how progress can be made in this area in the next decade.

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