arXiv subjects

David Thilker

Publications and source records attributed to David Thilker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Evolved Supergiants in PHANGS I: Red Supergiants in 19 Galaxies between 5-20 Mpc with HST and JWST

Red supergiants (RSGs) are important for our understanding of supernova progenitors, stellar populations, stellar evolution, mass loss and dust production. Extragalactic surveys of RSGs have a long history in the Local Group, but few studies exist beyond that due to the limited resolution and sensitivity of ground-based and previous space-based infrared observatories. Here we demonstrate the combined power of HST and JWST to push systematic searches of RSGs out to $\sim$20 Mpc. We introduce a catalog of 97057 RSGs -- the largest single-survey release of RSGs -- with masses $\gtrsim$10 M$_{\odot}$ in 19 galaxies from the PHANGS HST+JWST Treasury program. We use HST F814W and JWST F200W photometry to select stars as RSGs based on predicted colors and magnitudes from PARSEC isochrones. The spatial distribution of our recovered RSGs follow the familiar pattern of mostly being concentrated in active star-forming regions such as spiral arms and central starburst rings. The RSG number density on kpc-scales is strongly correlated ($r_s$$\sim$0.82) with local star-formation rate density ($\Sigma_{SFR}$) traced by extinction-corrected far-ultraviolet (FUV) from GALEX+WISE, and weakly correlated ($r_s$$\sim$0.57) with the total stellar mass density ($\Sigma_*$), traced by near-infrared emission from WISE+Spitzer. The number of RSGs per mass of stellar populations with ages 6-30 Myr (the likely age range of RSGs $>$10 M$_{\odot}$) is $\sim$1 per 10$^{3.77\pm0.27}$ M$_{\odot}$, assuming constant star-formation rates from FUV+W4. Our sample will be a useful resource for tracking progenitors and feedback sites of future supernovae in PHANGS, age-dating stellar populations, and more.

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arXiv2025

Multiphase Astrophysics to Unveil the Virgo Environment (MAUVE)

The Multiphase Astrophysics to Unveil the Virgo Environment (MAUVE) project is a multi-facility programme exploring how dense environments transform galaxies. Combining a VLT/MUSE P110 Large Programme and ALMA observations of 40 late-type Virgo Cluster galaxies, MAUVE resolves star formation, kinematics, and chemical enrichment within their molecular gas discs. A key goal is to track the evolution of cold gas that survives in the inner regions of satellites after entering the cluster, and how it evolves across different infall stages. With its high spatial resolution -- probing down to the physical scales of giant molecular cloud complexes -- and multiphase synergy, MAUVE aims to offer a time-resolved view of environmental quenching and set a new benchmark for cluster galaxy studies.

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arXiv2025

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons destruction in star-forming regions across 42 nearby galaxies

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread in the interstellar medium (ISM) of Solar metallicity galaxies, where they play a critical role in ISM heating, cooling, and reprocessing stellar radiation. The PAH fraction, the abundance of PAHs relative to total dust mass, is a key parameter in ISM physics. Using JWST and MUSE observations of 42 galaxies from the PHANGS survey, we analyze the PAH fraction in over 17 000 H II regions spanning a gas-phase oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H) = 8.0-8.8 (Z ~ 0.2-1.3 Zsun), and ~400 isolated supernova remnants (SNRs). We find a significantly lower PAH fraction toward H II regions compared to a reference sample of diffuse ISM areas at matched metallicity. At 12+log(O/H) > 8.2, the PAH fraction toward H II regions is strongly anti-correlated with the local ionization parameter, suggesting that PAH destruction is correlated with ionized gas and/or hydrogen-ionizing UV radiation. At lower metallicities, the PAH fraction declines steeply in both H II regions and the diffuse ISM, likely reflecting less efficient PAH formation in metal-poor environments. Carefully isolating dust emission from the vicinity of optically-identified supernova remnants, we see evidence for selective PAH destruction from measurements of lower PAH fractions, which is, however, indistinguishable at ~50 pc scales. Overall, our results point to ionizing radiation as the dominant agent of PAH destruction within H II regions, with metallicity playing a key role in their global abundance in galaxies.

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arXiv2024

DIISC Survey: Deciphering the Interplay Between the Interstellar Medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic Medium Survey

We present the Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) Survey. This survey is designed to investigate the correlations in properties between the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the interstellar medium (ISM), stellar distributions, and young star-forming regions. The galaxies were chosen to have a QSO sightline within 3.5 times the HI radii probing the disk-CGM interface. The sample contains 34 low-redshift galaxies with a median stellar mass of 10$^{10.45}~\rm M_{\odot}$ probed at a median impact parameter of $\rho=55~kpc$. The survey combines ultraviolet spectroscopic data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope with HI 21 cm hyperfine transition imaging with the Very Large Array (VLA), ultraviolet imaging from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), and optical imaging and spectroscopy with the MMT and Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. We describe the specific goals of the survey, data reduction, high-level data products, and some early results. We present the discovery of a strong inverse correlation, at a confidence level of 99.99%, between Lyman $\alpha$ equivalent width, $\rm W_{Ly\alpha}$, and impact parameter normalized by the HI radius ($\rho/R_{HI}$). We find $\rho/R_{HI}$ to be a better empirical predictor of Lyman $\alpha$ equivalent width than virial radius normalized impact parameter ($\rho/R_{vir}$) or parameterizations combining $\rho,~R_{vir}$, stellar mass, and star formation rate. We conclude that the strong anticorrelation between the Lyman $\alpha$ equivalent width and $\rho/R_{HI}$ indicates that the neutral gas distribution of the CGM is more closely connected to the galaxy's gas disk rather than its stellar and dark matter content.

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arXiv2024

Revealing the elusive companion of the red giant binary 2MASSJ05215658+4359220 from UV HST and Astrosat-UVIT data

Black hole demographics in different environments is critical in view of recent results on massive-stars binarity, and of the multi-messenger detectability of compact objects mergers. But the identification and characterization of non-interacting black holes is elusive, especially in the sparse field stellar population. A candidate non-interactive black hole (BH)+red giant (RG) binary system, 2MASSJ05215658+4359220, was identified by Thompson et al.(2019). We obtained Astrosat/UVIT Far-Ultraviolet (FUV) imaging and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV-optical imaging and spectroscopy of the source, to test possible scenarios for the optically-elusive companion. HST/STIS spectra from about 1,600 to 10,230Ang are best fit by the combination of two stellar sources, a red giant with Teff=4250 (uncertainty 150K), logg=2.0, Radius_RG=27.8Rsun (assuming a single-temperature atmosphere), and a subgiant companion with Teff=6,000K, Radius_comp=2.7Rsun, or Teff=5,270K, Radius_comp=4.2Rsun using models with one-tenth or one-third solar metallicity respectively, logg=3.0, extinction E(B-V)=0.50(uncertainty 0.2), adopting the DR3 Gaia distance D=2,463pc (uncertainty 120pc). No FUV data existed prior to our programs. STIS spectra give an upper limit of 10e-17ergs cm-2 s-1 Ang-1 shortward of 2300Ang; an upper limit of >25.7ABmag was obtained in two UVIT FUV broad-bands. The non-detection of FUV flux rules out a compact companion such as a hot WD. The STIS spectrum shows strong MgII lambda2800Ang emission, typical of chromospherically active red giants. The masses inferred by comparison with evolutionary tracks, about 1 Msun for the red giant and between 1.1 and 1.6Msun for the subgiant companion, suggest past mass transfer, although the red giant currently does not fill its Roche lobe. WFC3 imaging in F218W, F275W, F336W, F475W, and F606W shows an unresolved source in all filters.

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arXiv2024

DIISC-V: Variations in H$\alpha$-to-FUV Star Formation Rate Ratios Across Star-forming Regions in Nearby Galaxies

We present the variations in far-ultraviolet (FUV) and H$\alpha$ star formation rates (SFR), SFR$_{UV}$ and SFR$_{H\alpha}$, respectively, at sub-kpc scales in 11 galaxies as part of the Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar Medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) survey. Using archival GALEX FUV imagery and H$\alpha$+[NII] narrowband images obtained with the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, we detect a total of 1335 (FUV-selected) and 1474 (H$\alpha$-selected) regions of recent high-mass star formation, respectively. We find the H$\alpha$-to-FUV SFR ratios tend to be lower primarily for FUV-selected regions, where SFR$_{H\alpha}$ generally underestimates the SFR by an average factor of 2-3, for SFR $<$ 10$^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. In contrast, the SFRs are generally observed to be consistent for H$\alpha$-selected regions. This discrepancy arises from morphological differences between the two indicators. Extended FUV morphologies and larger areas covered by FUV-only regions, along with decreasing overlap between FUV clumps and compact HII regions with $R/R_{25}$ suggest that stochastic sampling of the initial mass function may be more pronounced in the outer regions of galaxies. Our observed H$\alpha$-to-FUV SFR ratios are also consistent with stochastic star formation model predictions. However, using larger apertures that include diffuse FUV emission results in an offset of 1 dex between SFR$_{H\alpha}$ and SFR$_{UV}$. This suggests that the observed low H$\alpha$-to-FUV SFR ratios in galaxies are likely caused by diffuse FUV emission, which can contribute $\sim$60-90\% to the total FUV flux.

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arXiv2023

The PHANGS-AstroSat Atlas of Nearby Star Forming Galaxies

We present the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS)-AstroSat atlas, which contains ultraviolet imaging of 31 nearby star-forming galaxies captured by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on the AstroSat satellite. The atlas provides a homogeneous data set of far- and near-ultraviolet maps of galaxies within a distance of 22 Mpc and a median angular resolution of 1.4 arcseconds (corresponding to a physical scale between 25 and 160 pc). After subtracting a uniform ultraviolet background and accounting for Milky Way extinction, we compare our estimated flux densities to GALEX observations, finding good agreement. We find candidate extended UV disks around the galaxies NGC 6744 and IC 5332. We present the first statistical measurements of the clumping of the UV emission and compare it to the clumping of molecular gas traced with ALMA. We find that bars and spiral arms exhibit the highest degree of clumping, and the molecular gas is even more clumped than the FUV emission in galaxies. We investigate the variation of the ratio of observed FUV to H$\alpha$ in different galactic environments and kpc-sized apertures. We report that $\sim 65$% variation of the $\log_{10}$(FUV/H$\alpha$) can be described through a combination of dust attenuation with star formation history parameters. The PHANGS-AstroSat atlas enhances the multi-wavelength coverage of our sample, offering a detailed perspective on star formation. When integrated with PHANGS data sets from ALMA, VLT-MUSE, HST and JWST, it develops our comprehensive understanding of attenuation curves and dust attenuation in star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2023

DIISC-III: Signatures of Stellar Disk Growth in Nearby Galaxies

We explore the growth of the stellar disks in 14 nearby spiral galaxies as part of the Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) survey. We study the radial distribution of specific star formation rates (sSFR) and investigate the ratio of the difference in the outer and inner sSFR ($\Delta_{sSFR}~={\rm sSFR}_{out}-{\rm sSFR}_{in}$) of the disk and the total sSFR, $\Delta_{sSFR}$/sSFR to quantify disk growth. We find $\Delta_{sSFR}$/sSFR and the HI gas fraction to show a mild correlation of Spearman's $\rho=0.30$, indicating that star formation and disk growth are likely to proceed outward in galactic disks with high HI gas fractions. The HI gas fractions and $\Delta_{sSFR}$/sSFR of the galaxies also increase with the distance to the nearest L$_\star$ neighbor, suggesting that galaxies are likely to sustain their ISM cold gas and exhibit inside-out growth in isolated environments. However, the HI content in their circumgalactic medium, probed by the Ly$\alpha$ equivalent width (W$_{Ly\alpha}$) excess, is observed to be suppressed in isolated environments, apparent from the strong anti-correlation between the W$_{Ly\alpha}$ excess and the distance to the 5$^{\rm th}$ nearest L$_\star$ neighbor (Spearman's $\rho=-0.62$). As expected, W$_{Ly\alpha}$ is also found to be suppressed in cluster galaxies. We find no relation between the W$_{Ly\alpha}$ excess of the detected CGM absorber and $\Delta_{sSFR}$/sSFR implying that the enhancement and suppression of the circumgalactic HI gas does not affect the direction in which star formation proceeds in a galactic disk or vice-versa.

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arXiv2023

The haloes and environments of nearby galaxies (HERON) -- III. A 45 kpc spiral structure in the GLSB galaxy UGC 4599

We use a 0.7-m telescope in the framework of the Halos and Environments of Nearby Galaxies (HERON) survey to probe low surface brightness structures in nearby galaxies. One of our targets, UGC 4599, is usually classified as an early-type galaxy surrounded by a blue ring making it a potential Hoag's Object analog. Prior photometric studies of UGC 4599 were focused on its bright core and the blue ring. However, the HERON survey allows us to study its faint extended regions. With an eight hour integration, we detect an extremely faint outer disk with an extrapolated central surface brightness of $\mu_\mathrm{0,d}(r)=25.5$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$ down to 31 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ and a scale length of 15 kpc. We identify two distinct spiral arms of pitch angle ~6{\deg} surrounding the ring. The spiral arms are detected out to ~45 kpc in radius and the faint disk continues to ~70 kpc. These features are also seen in the GALEX FUV and NUV bands, in a deep u-band image from the 4.3m Lowell Discovery Telescope (which reveals inner spiral structure emerging from the core), and in HI. We compare this galaxy to ordinary spiral and elliptical galaxies, giant low surface brightness (GLSB) galaxies, and Hoag's Object itself using several standard galaxy scaling relations. We conclude that the pseudobulge and disk properties of UGC 4599 significantly differ from those of Hoag's Object and of normal galaxies, pointing toward a GLSB galaxy nature and filamentary accretion of gas to generate its outer disk.

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arXiv2023

Kinematic analysis of the super-extended HI disk of the nearby spiral galaxy M83

We present new HI observations of the nearby massive spiral galaxy M83, taken with the VLA at $21^{\prime\prime}$ angular resolution ($\approx500$ pc) of an extended ($\sim$1.5 deg$^2$) 10-point mosaic combined with GBT single dish data. We study the super-extended HI disk of M83 (${\sim}$50 kpc in radius), in particular disc kinematics, rotation and the turbulent nature of the atomic interstellar medium. We define distinct regions in the outer disk ($r_{\rm gal}>$central optical disk), including ring, southern area, and southern and northern arm. We examine HI gas surface density, velocity dispersion and non-circular motions in the outskirts, which we compare to the inner optical disk. We find an increase of velocity dispersion ($\sigma_v$) towards the pronounced HI ring, indicative of more turbulent HI gas. Additionally, we report over a large galactocentric radius range (until $r_{\rm gal}{\sim}$50 kpc) that $\sigma_v$ is slightly larger than thermal (i.e. $>8$km s$^{-1}$ ). We find that a higher star formation rate (as traced by FUV emission) is not always necessarily associated with a higher HI velocity dispersion, suggesting that radial transport could be a dominant driver for the enhanced velocity dispersion. We further find a possible branch that connects the extended HI disk to the dwarf irregular galaxy UGCA365, that deviates from the general direction of the northern arm. Lastly, we compare mass flow rate profiles (based on 2D and 3D tilted ring models) and find evidence for outflowing gas at r$_{\rm gal}$ $\sim$2 kpc, inflowing gas at r$_{\rm gal}$ $\sim$5.5 kpc and outflowing gas at r$_{\rm gal}$ $\sim$14 kpc. We caution that mass flow rates are highly sensitive to the assumed kinematic disk parameters, in particular, to the inclination.

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arXiv2022

Exploring extreme conditions for star formation: a deep search for molecular gas in the Leo ring

We carry out sensitive searches for the CO J=1-0 and J=2-1 lines in the giant extragalactic HI ring in Leo to investigate the star formation process within environments where gas metallicities are close to solar but physical conditions are different than those typical of bright galaxy disks. Our aim is to check the range of validity of known scaling relations. We use the IRAM-30m telescope to observe eleven regions close to HI gas peaks or where sparse young massive stars have been found. For all pointed observations we reached a spectral noise between 1 and 5~mK for at least one observed frequencies at 2~km/s spectral resolution. We marginally detect two CO J=1-0 lines in the star forming region Clump~1 of the Leo ring, whose radial velocities are consistent with those of Halpha lines but line widths are much smaller than observed for virialized molecular clouds of similar mass in galaxies. The low signal-to-noise ratio, the small line widths and the extremely low number densities suggest that a more standard population of molecular clouds, still undetected, might be in place. Using upper limits to the CO lines, the most sensitive pointed observations show that the molecular gas mass surface density is lower than expected from the extrapolation of the molecular Kennicutt-Schmidt relation established in the disk of galaxies. The sparse stellar population in the ring, possibly forming ultra diffuse dwarf galaxies, might then be the result of a short molecular gas depletion time in this extreme environment.}

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arXiv2022

PHANGS-JWST First Results: Dust embedded star clusters in NGC 7496 selected via 3.3 $μ$m PAH emission

The earliest stages of star formation occur enshrouded in dust and are not observable in the optical. Here we leverage the extraordinary new high-resolution infrared imaging from JWST to begin the study of dust-embedded star clusters in nearby galaxies throughout the local volume. We present a technique for identifying dust-embedded clusters in NGC 7496 (18.7 Mpc), the first galaxy to be observed by the PHANGS-JWST Cycle 1 Treasury Survey. We select sources that have strong 3.3$μ$m PAH emission based on a $\rm F300M-F335M$ color excess, and identify 67 candidate embedded clusters. Only eight of these are found in the PHANGS-HST optically-selected cluster catalog and all are young (six have SED-fit ages of $\sim1$ Myr). We find that this sample of embedded cluster candidates may significantly increase the census of young clusters in NGC 7496 from the PHANGS-HST catalog -- the number of clusters younger than $\sim$2 Myr could be increased by a factor of two. Candidates are preferentially located in dust lanes, and are coincident with peaks in PHANGS-ALMA CO (2-1) maps. We take a first look at concentration indices, luminosity functions, SEDs spanning from 2700A to 21$μ$m, and stellar masses (estimated to be between $\sim10^4-10^5 M_{\odot}$). The methods tested here provide a basis for future work to derive accurate constraints on the physical properties of embedded clusters, characterize the completeness of cluster samples, and expand analysis to all 19 galaxies in the PHANGS-JWST sample, which will enable basic unsolved problems in star formation and cluster evolution to be addressed.

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arXiv2022

First Detection of the Molecular Cloud Population in the Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disk of M83

We report a CO(3-2) detection of 23 molecular clouds in the extended ultraviolet (XUV) disk of the spiral galaxy M83 with ALMA. The observed 1kpc^2 region is at about 1.24 times the optical radius (R25) of the disk, where CO(2-1) was previously not detected. The detection and non-detection, as well as the level of star formation (SF) activity in the region, can be explained consistently if the clouds have the mass distribution common among Galactic clouds, such as Orion A -- with star-forming dense clumps embedded in thick layers of bulk molecular gas, but in a low-metallicity regime where their outer layers are CO-deficient and CO-dark. The cloud and clump masses, estimated from CO(3-2), range from 8.2x10^2 to 2.3x10^4 Msun and from 2.7x10^2 to 7.5x10^3 Msun, respectively. The most massive clouds appear similar to Orion A in star formation activity as well as in mass, as expected if the cloud mass structure is universal. The overall low SF activity in the XUV disk could be due to the relative shortage of gas in the molecular phase. The clouds are distributed like chains up to 600 pc (or longer) in length, suggesting that the trigger of cloud formation is on large scales. The universal cloud mass structure also justifies the use of high-J CO transitions to trace the total gas mass of clouds, or galaxies, even in the high-z universe. This study is the first demonstration that CO(3-2) is an efficient tracer of molecular clouds even in low-metallicity environments.

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arXiv2022

H$α$ Morphologies of Star Clusters in 16 LEGUS Galaxies: Constraints on HII region evolution timescales

The analysis of star cluster ages in tandem with the morphology of their HII regions can provide insight into the processes that clear a cluster's natal gas, as well as the accuracy of cluster ages and dust reddening derived from Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting. We classify 3757 star clusters in 16 nearby galaxies according to their H$α$ morphology (concentrated, partially exposed, no emission), using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging from the Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). We find: 1) The mean SED ages of clusters with concentrated (1-2 Myr) and partially exposed HII region morphologies (2-3 Myr) indicate a relatively early onset of gas clearing and a short (1-2 Myr) clearing timescale. 2) The reddening of clusters can be overestimated due to the presence of red supergiants, which is a result of stochastic sampling of the IMF in low mass clusters. 3) The age-reddening degeneracy impacts the results of the SED fitting - out of 1408 clusters with M$_*$ $\geq$ 5000 M$_{\odot}$, we find that at least 46 (3%) have SED ages which appear significantly underestimated or overestimated based on H$α$ and their environment, while the total percentage of poor age estimates is expected to be several times larger. 4) Lastly, we examine the dependence of the morphological classifications on spatial resolution. At HST resolution, our conclusions are robust to the distance range spanned by the sample (3-10 Mpc). However, analysis of ground-based H$α$ images shows that compact and partially exposed morphologies frequently cannot be distinguished from each other.

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arXiv2021

DIISC-II: Unveiling the Connections between Star Formation and ISM in the Extended Ultraviolet Disk of NGC 3344

We present our investigation of the Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) disk galaxy, NGC 3344, conducted as part of Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) survey. We use surface and aperture photometry of individual young stellar complexes to study star formation and its effect on the physical properties of the interstellar medium. We measure the specific star-formation rate (sSFR) and find it to increase from $\rm10^{-10} yr^{-1}$ in the inner disk to $\rm>10^{-8} yr^{-1}$ in the extended disk. This provides evidence for inside-out disk growth. If these sSFRs are maintained, the XUV disk stellar mass can double in $\sim$0.5 Gyr, suggesting a burst of star formation. The XUV disk will continue forming stars for a long time due to the high gas depletion times ($τ_{dep}$). The stellar complexes in the XUV disk have high-$Σ_{HI}$ and low-$Σ_{SFR}$ with $τ_{dep}\sim$10 Gyrs, marking the onset of a deviation from the traditional Kennicutt-Schmidt law. We find that both far-ultraviolet (FUV) and a combination of FUV and 24$μ$m effectively trace star formation in the XUV disk. H$α$ is weaker in general and prone to stochasticities in the formation of massive stars. Investigation of the circumgalactic medium at 29.5 kpc resulted in the detection of two absorbing systems with metal-line species: the stronger absorption component is consistent with gas flows around the disk, most likely tracing inflow, while the weaker component is likely tracing corotating circumgalactic gas.

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arXiv2021

DIISC-I: The Discovery of Kinematically Anomalous HI Clouds in M 100

We report the discovery of two kinematically anomalous atomic hydrogen (HI) clouds in M 100 (NGC 4321), which was observed as part of the Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium (DIISC) survey in HI 21 cm at 3.3 km s$^{-1}$ spectroscopic and 44 arcsec$\times$30 arcsec spatial resolution using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. These clouds were identified as structures that show significant kinematic offsets from the rotating disk of M100. The velocity offsets of 40 km s$^{-1}$ observed in these clouds are comparable to the offsets seen in intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs) in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. We find that one anomalous cloud in M 100 is associated with star-forming regions detected in H$α$ and far-ultraviolet imaging. Our investigation shows that anomalous clouds in M 100 may originate from multiple mechanisms, such as star formation feedback-driven outflows, ram-pressure stripping, and tidal interactions with satellite galaxies. Moreover, we do not detect any cool CGM at 38.8 kpc from the center of M 100, giving an upper limit of N(HI) $\le$ $1.7\times10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$ (3$σ$). Since M 100 is in the Virgo cluster, the non-existence of neutral/cool CGM is a likely pathway for turning it into a red galaxy.

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arXiv2021

Gaseous nebulae and massive stars in the giant HI ring in Leo

Chemical abundances in the Leo ring, the largest HI cloud in the local Universe, have recently been determined to be close or above solar, incompatible with a previously claimed primordial origin of the ring. The gas, pre-enriched in a galactic disk and tidally stripped, did not manage to form stars very efficiently in intergalactic space. We map nebular lines in 3 dense HI clumps of the Leo ring and complement these data with archival stellar continuum observations to investigate the slow building up of a sparse population of stars in localized areas of the ring. Individual young stars as massive as O7-types are powering some HII regions. The average star formation rate density is of order of 10^{-5} Msun/yr/kpc^2 and proceeds with local bursts a few hundred parsecs in size, where loose stellar associations of 500-1000 Msun occasionally host massive outliers. The far ultraviolet-to-Halpha emission ratio in nebular regions implies recent stellar bursts, from 2 to 7 Myr ago. The relation between the local HI gas density and the star formation rate in the ring is similar to what is found in dwarfs and outer disks with gas depletion times as long as 100~Gyrs. We find a candidate planetary nebula in a compact and faint Halpha region with [OIII]/Halpha line enhancement, consistent with the estimated mean stellar surface brightness of the ring. The presence of 1 kpc partial ring emitting weak Halpha lines around the brightest and youngest HII region suggests that local shocks might be the triggers of new star forming events.

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arXiv2021

Heavy elements unveil the non primordial origin of the giant HI ring in Leo

The origin and fate of the most extended extragalactic neutral cloud known in the local Universe, the Leo ring, is still debated 38 years after its discovery. Its existence is alternatively attributed to leftover primordial gas with some low level of metal pollution versus enriched gas stripped during a galaxy-galaxy encounter. Taking advantage of MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) operating at the VLT, we performed optical integral field spectroscopy of 3 HI clumps in the Leo ring where ultraviolet continuum emission has been found. We detected, for the first time, ionized hydrogen in the ring and identify 4 nebular regions powered by massive stars. These nebulae show several metal lines ([OIII],[NII],[SII]) which allowed reliable measures of metallicities, found to be close to or above the solar value. Given the faintness of the diffuse stellar counterparts, less than 3 percent of the observed heavy elements could have been produced locally in the main body of the ring and not much more than 15 percent in the HI clump towards M96. This inference, and the chemical homogeneity among the regions, convincingly demonstrates that the gas in the ring is not primordial, but has been pre-enriched in a galaxy disk, then later removed and shaped by tidal forces and it is forming a sparse population of stars.

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