Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

E. Brinks

Publications and source records attributed to E. Brinks.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey V: The CO(J=3-2) Distribution and Molecular Outflow in NGC~4631

We have made the first map of CO(J=3-2) emission covering the disk of the edge-on galaxy, NGC~4631, which is known for its spectacular gaseous halo. The strongest emission, which we model with a Gaussian ring,occurs within a radius of 5 kpc. Weaker disk emission is detected out to radii of 12 kpc, the most extensive molecular component yet seen in this galaxy. From comparisons with infrared data, we find that CO(J=3-2) emission more closely follows the hot dust component, rather than the cold dust,consistent with it being a good tracer of star formation. The first maps of $R_{3-2/1-0}$, H$_2$ mass surface density and SFE have been made for the inner 2.4 kpc radius region. Only 20\% of the SF occurs in this region and excitation conditions are typical of galaxy disks, rather than of central starbursts. The SFE suggests long gas consumption timescales ($>$ $10^9$ yr). The velocity field is dominated by a steeply rising rotation curve in the region of the central molecular ring followed by a flatter curve in the disk. A very steep gradient in the rotation curve is observed at the nucleus, providing the first evidence for a central concentration of mass: M$_{dyn}\,=\,5\,\times\,10^7$ M$_\odot$ within a radius of 282 pc. The velocity field shows anomalous features indicating the presence of molecular outflows; one of them is associated with a previously observed CO(J=1-0) expanding shell. Consistent with these outflows is the presence of a thick ($z$ up to $1.4$ kpc) CO(J=3-2) disk. We suggest that the interaction between NGC~4631 and its companion(s) has agitated the disk and also initiated star formation which was likely higher in the past than it is now. These may be necessary conditions for seeing prominent halos.

astro-ph.GA↗

The Fine-Scale Structure of the neutral Interstellar Medium in nearby Galaxies

We present an analysis of the properties of HI holes detected in 20 galaxies that are part of "The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey" (THINGS). We detected more than 1000 holes in total in the sampled galaxies. Where they can be measured, their sizes range from about 100 pc (our resolution limit) to about 2 kpc, their expansion velocities range from 4 to 36 km/s, and their ages are estimated to range between 3 and 150 Myr. The holes are found throughout the disks of the galaxies, out to the edge of the HI; 23% of the holes fall outside R25. We find that shear limits the age of holes in spirals (shear is less important in dwarf galaxies) which explains why HI holes in dwarfs are rounder, on average than in spirals. Shear, which is particularly strong in the inner part of spiral galaxies, also explains why we find that holes outside R25 are larger and older. We derive the scale height of the HI disk as a function of galactocentric radius and find that the disk flares up in all galaxies. We proceed to derive the surface and volume porosity (Q2D and Q3D) and find that this correlates with the type of the host galaxy: later Hubble types tend to be more porous. The size distribution of the holes in our sample follows a power law with a slope of a ~ -2.9. Assuming that the holes are the result of massive star formation, we derive values for the supernova rate (SNR) and star formation rate (SFR) which scales with the SFR derived based on other tracers. If we extrapolate the observed number of holes to include those that fall below our resolution limit, down to holes created by a single supernova, we find that our results are compatible with the hypothesis that HI holes result from star formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

Extremely Inefficient Star Formation in the Outer Disks of Nearby Galaxies

(Abridged) We combine data from The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey and the GALEX Nearby Galaxy Survey to study the relationship between atomic hydrogen (HI) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) emission outside the optical radius (r25) in 17 spiral and 5 dwarf galaxies. In this regime, HI is likely to represent most of the ISM and FUV emission to trace recent star formation with little bias due to extinction, so that the two quantities closely trace the underlying relationship between gas and star formation rate (SFR). The azimuthally averaged HI and FUV intensities both decline with increasing radius in this regime, with the scale length of the FUV profile typically half that of the HI profile. Despite the mismatch in profiles, there is a significant spatial correlation (at 15" resolution) between local FUV and HI intensities; near r25 this correlation is quite strong, in fact stronger than anywhere inside r25, and shows a decline towards larger radii. The star formation efficiency (SFE) - defined as the ratio of FUV/HI and thus the inverse of the gas depletion time - decreases with galactocentric radius across the outer disks, though much shallower than across the optical disks. On average, we find the gas depletion times to be well above a Hubble time (~10^11 yr). We observe a clear relationship between FUV/HI and HI column in the outer disks, with the SFE increasing with increasing HI column. Despite observing systematic variations in FUV/HI, we find no clear evidence for step-function type star formation thresholds. When compared with results from inside r25, we find outer disk star formation to be distinct in several ways: it is extremely inefficient (depletion times of many Hubble times) with column densities and SFRs lower than found anywhere inside the optical disks. It appears that the HI column is one of, perhaps even the key environmental factor in setting the SFR in outer galaxy disks.

astro-ph.CO↗

NGC 765 - A disturbed H I giant

We present Hi spectral line and radio-continuum VLA data of the galaxy NGC 765, complemented by optical and Chandra X-ray maps. NGC 765 has the largest Hi-to-optical ratio known to date of any spiral galaxy and one of the largest known Hi discs in absolute size with a diameter of 240 kpc measured at a surface density of 2e19 atoms/cm^2. We derive a total Hi mass of M_HI = 4.7e10 Msun, a dynamical mass of Mdyn - 5.1e11 Msun and an Hi mass to luminosity ratio of M_HI/L_B = 1.6, making it the nearest and largest "crouching giant". Optical images reveal evidence of a central bar with tightly wound low-surface brightness spiral arms extending from it. Radio-continuum (L_1.4 GHz = 1.3e21 W/Hz) and X-ray (L_X ~ 1.7e40 erg/s) emission is found to coincide with the optical core of the galaxy, compatible with nuclear activity powered by a low-luminosity AGN. We may be dealing with a galaxy that has retained in its current morphology traces of its formation history. In fact, it may still be undergoing some accretion, as evidenced by the presence of Hi clumps the size < 10 kpc and mass (10e8-10e9 Msun) of small (dIrr) galaxies in the outskirts of its Hi disc and by the presence of two similarly sized companions.

astro-ph.GA↗

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey II: Warm Molecular Gas and Star Formation in Three Field Spiral Galaxies

We present the results of large-area CO J=3-2 emission mapping of three nearby field galaxies, NGC 628, NGC 3521, and NGC 3627, completed at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as part of the Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey. These galaxies all have moderate to strong CO J=3-2 detections over large areas of the fields observed by the survey, showing resolved structure and dynamics in their warm/dense molecular gas disks. All three galaxies were part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey sample, and as such have excellent published multi-wavelength ancillary data. These data sets allow us to examine the star formation properties, gas content, and dynamics of these galaxies on sub-kiloparsec scales. We find that the global gas depletion times for dense/warm molecular gas in these galaxies is consistent with other results for nearby spiral galaxies, indicating this may be independent of galaxy properties such as structures, gas compositions, and environments. Similar to the results from the THINGS HI survey, we do not see a correlation of the star formation efficiency with the gas surface density consistent with the Schmidt-Kennicutt law. Finally, we find that the star formation efficiency of the dense molecular gas traced by CO J=3-2 is potentially flat or slightly declining as a function of molecular gas density, the CO J=3-2/J=1-0 ratio (in contrast to the correlation found in a previous study into the starburst galaxy M83), and the fraction of total gas in molecular form.

astro-ph.CO↗

Probing Evolutionary Mechanisms in Galaxy Clusters: Neutral Atomic Hydrogen in Abell 1367

We present VLA H I imaging data for a field in the NW of the galaxy cluster Abell 1367 (z = 0.02) in an attempt to probe the effect environment has on the interstellar medium of late-type spiral galaxies. Several galaxies show pronounced tails and asymmetries, and 7 out of 10 show significant, several kpc offsets between the HI centroid and the optical. We compare our results against a sample of optically bright, late-type galaxies (spirals) across the central 1.5 Mpc of the cluster taken from the Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey (AGES). We calculate the H I deficiency and find that the expected global trend for the H I deficiency of these spirals to increase with projected proximity to the cluster core, seen in clusters like Coma and Virgo, is not observed. We classified the spirals into four evolutionary states, with the galaxies in each state sharing a similar degree of H I deficiency and optical colour. The common characteristics of the spirals in each evolutionary state suggests they have been subject to similar environmental processes. Many of the spirals in the most common evolutionary state (moderate H I deficiency and blue colour) have an H I intensity maximum which is displaced relative to its optical counterpart. The orientation of these offsets and magnitude of their H I deficiencies together with data from other wavelengths provide observational evidence in support of varying degrees of ram pressure stripping and tidal interaction. In general, our results indicate that the H I disks of bright late-type galaxies in the central part of the cluster are subject to both gas loss and morphological disturbance as a result of their interaction with the cluster environment. This provides further observational evidence of a more complex environment in Abell 1367 as compared to Virgo and Coma.

astro-ph.CO↗

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey III: Comparisons of cold dust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, molecular gas, and atomic gas in NGC 2403

We used 3.6, 8.0, 70, 160 micron Spitzer Space Telescope data, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope HARP-B CO J=(3-2) data, National Radio Astronomy Observatory 12 meter telescope CO J=(1-0) data, and Very Large Array HI data to investigate the relations among PAHs, cold (~20 K) dust, molecular gas, and atomic gas within NGC 2403, an SABcd galaxy at a distance of 3.13 Mpc. The dust surface density is mainly a function of the total (atomic and molecular) gas surface density and galactocentric radius. The gas-to-dust ratio monotonically increases with radius, varying from ~100 in the nucleus to ~400 at 5.5 kpc. The slope of the gas-to-dust ratio is close to that of the oxygen abundance, suggesting that metallicity strongly affects the gas-to-dust ratio within this galaxy. The exponential scale length of the radial profile for the CO J=(3-2) emission is statistically identical to the scale length for the stellar continuum-subtracted 8 micron (PAH 8 micron) emission. However, CO J=(3-2) and PAH 8 micron surface brightnesses appear uncorrelated when examining sub-kpc sized regions.

astro-ph.CO↗

HERACLES: The HERA CO-Line Extragalactic Survey

We present the HERA CO-Line Extragalactic Survey (HERACLES), an atlas of CO emission from 18 nearby galaxies that are also part of The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS) and the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS). We used the HERA multi-pixel receiver on the IRAM 30-m telescope to map the CO J=2-1 line over the full optical disk (defined by the isophotal radius r_25) of each target, at 13" angular resolution and 2.6 km/s velocity resolution. Here we describe the observations and reduction of the data and show channel maps, azimuthally averaged profiles, integrated intensity maps, and peak intensity maps. The implied H2 masses range from 7 \times 10^6 to 6 \times 10^9 M_sun, with four low metallicity dwarf irregular galaxies yielding only upper limits. In the cases where CO is detected, the integrated H2-to-HI ratios range from 0.02 - 1.13 and H2-to-stellar mass ratios from 0.01 to 0.25. Exponential scale lengths of the CO emission for our targets are in the range 0.8 - 3.2 kpc, or 0.2 \pm 0.05 r_25. The intensity-weighted mean velocity of CO matches that of HI very well, with a 1σscatter of only 6 km/s. The CO J=2-1 / J=1-0 line ratio varies over a range similar to that found in the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies, \sim 0.6 - 1.0, with higher values found in the centers of galaxies. The typical line ratio, \sim 0.8, could be produced by optically thick gas with an excitation temperature of \sim 10 K.

astro-ph.CO↗

Collisional debris as laboratories to study star formation

In this paper we address the question whether star formation is driven by local processes or the large scale environment. To do so, we investigate star formation in collisional debris where the gravitational potential well and velocity gradients are shallower and compare our results with previous work on star formation in non-interacting spiral and dwarf galaxies. We have performed multiwavelength spectroscopic and imaging observations (from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared) of 6 interacting systems, identifying a total of 60 star-forming regions in their collision debris. Our analysis indicates that in these regions a) the emission of the dust is at the expected level for their luminosity and metallicity, b) the usual tracers of star formation rate display the typical trend and scatter found in classical star forming regions, and c) the extinction and metallicity are not the main parameters governing the scatter in the properties of intergalactic star forming regions; age effects and variations in the number of stellar populations, seem to play an important role. Our work suggests that local properties such as column density and dust content, rather than the large scale environment seem to drive star formation. This means that intergalactic star forming regions can be used as a reliable tool to study star formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

What is Driving the HI Velocity Dispersion?

We explore what dominant physical mechanism sets the kinetic energy contained in neutral, atomic (HI) gas. We compare the HI line widths predicted from turbulence driven by supernova (SN) explosions and magneto-rotational instability (MRI) to direct observations in 11 disk galaxies. We use high-quality maps of the HI mass surface density and line width, obtained by the THINGS survey. We show that all sample galaxies exhibit a systematic radial decline in the HI line width, which appears to be a generic property of HI disks and also implies a radial decline in kinetic energy density of HI. At a galactocentric radius of r25 there is a characteristic value of the HI velocity dispersion of $10\pm2$ \kms. Inside this radius, galaxies show HI line widths above the thermal value expected from a warm HI component, implying that turbulence drivers must be responsible for maintaining this line width. Therefore, we compare maps of HI kinetic energy to maps of the star formation rate (SFR) and to predictions for energy generated by MRI. We find a positive correlation between kinetic energy of HI and SFR. For a given turbulence dissipation timescale we can estimate the energy input required to maintain the observed kinetic energy. The SN rate implied by the observed recent SFR is sufficient to maintain the observed velocity dispersion, if the SN feedback efficiency is at least ε_SN\simeq0.1. Beyond r25, this efficiency would have to increase to unrealistic values, $ε>1$, suggesting that mechanical energy from young stars does not supply most energy in outer disks. On the other hand, both thermal broadening and turbulence driven by MRI can produce the velocity dispersions and kinetic energies that we observe in this regime.

astro-ph.GA↗

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey I. Star Forming Molecular Gas in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies

We present large-area maps of the CO J=3-2 emission obtained at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope for four spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. We combine these data with published CO J=1-0, 24 micron, and Halpha images to measure the CO line ratios, molecular gas masses, and instantaneous gas depletion times. For three galaxies in our sample (NGC 4254, NGC4321, and NGC 4569), we obtain molecular gas masses of 7E8-3E9 Msun and disk-averaged instantaneous gas depletion times of 1.1-1.7 Gyr. We argue that the CO J=3-2 line is a better tracer of the dense star forming molecular gas than the CO J=1-0 line, as it shows a better correlation with the star formation rate surface density both within and between galaxies. NGC 4254 appears to have a larger star formation efficiency(smaller gas depletion time), perhaps because it is on its first passage through the Virgo Cluster. NGC 4569 shows a large-scale gradient in the gas properties traced by the CO J=3-2/J=1-0 line ratio, which suggests that its interaction with the intracluster medium is affecting the dense star-forming portion of the interstellar medium directly. The fourth galaxy in our sample, NGC 4579, has weak CO J=3-2 emission despite having bright 24 micron emission; however, much of the central luminosity in this galaxy may be due to the presence of a central AGN.

astro-ph↗

Multi-Scale CLEAN: A comparison of its performance against classical CLEAN in galaxies using THINGS

A practical evaluation of the Multi-Scale CLEAN algorithm is presented. The data used in the comparisons are taken from The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS). The implementation of Multi-Scale CLEAN in the CASA software package is used, although comparisons are made against the very similar Multi-Resolution CLEAN algorithm implemented in AIPS. Both are compared against the classical CLEAN algorithm (as implemented in AIPS). The results of this comparison show that several of the well-known characteristics and issues of using classical CLEAN are significantly lessened (or eliminated completely) when using the Multi-Scale CLEAN algorithm. Importantly, Multi-Scale CLEAN reduces significantly the effects of the clean `bowl' caused by missing short-spacings, and the `pedestal' of low-level un-cleaned flux (which affects flux scales and resolution). Multi-Scale CLEAN can clean down to the noise level without the divergence suffered by classical CLEAN. We discuss practical applications of the added contrast provided by Multi-Scale CLEAN using two selected astronomical examples: HI holes in the interstellar medium and anomalous gas structures outside the main galactic disk.

astro-ph↗

High-Resolution Rotation Curves and Galaxy Mass Models from THINGS

We present rotation curves of 19 galaxies from THINGS, The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey. The high spatial and velocity resolution of THINGS make these the highest quality HI rotation curves available to date for a large sample of nearby galaxies, spanning a wide range of HI masses and luminosities. The high quality of the data allows us to derive the geometrical and dynamical parameters using HI data alone. We do not find any declining rotation curves unambiguously associated with a cut-off in the mass distribution out to the last measured point. The rotation curves are combined with 3.6 um data from SINGS (Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey) to construct mass models. Our best-fit, dynamical disk masses, derived from the rotation curves, are in good agreement with photometric disk masses derived from the 3.6 um images in combination with stellar population synthesis arguments and two different assumptions for the stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF). We test the Cold Dark Matter-motivated cusp model, and the observationally motivated central density core model and find that (independent of IMF) for massive, disk-dominated galaxies, all halo models fit apparently equally well; for low-mass galaxies, however, a core-dominated halo is clearly preferred over a cuspy halo. The empirically derived densities of the dark matter halos of the late-type galaxies in our sample are half of what is predicted by CDM simulations, again independent of the assumed IMF.

astro-ph↗

Dynamical Centers and Non-Circular Motions in THINGS Galaxies: Implications for Dark Matter Halos

We present harmonic decompositions of the velocity fields of 19 galaxies from THINGS (The \HI Nearby Galaxy Survey) which quantify the magnitude of the non-circular motions in these galaxies and yield observational estimates of the elongations of the dark matter halo potentials. Additionally, we present accurate dynamical center positions for these galaxies. We show that the positions of the kinematic and photometric centers of the large majority of the galaxies in our sample are in good agreement. The median absolute amplitude of the non-circular motions, averaged over our sample, is $6.7 \kms$, with $\sim 90$ percent of the galaxies having median non-circular motions of less than $\sim 9\kms$. As a fraction of the total rotation velocity this translates into 4.5 percent on average. The mean elongation of the gravitational potential, after a statistical correction for an unknown viewing angle, is $0.017\pm 0.020$, i.e., consistent with a round potential. Our derived non-circular motions and elongations are smaller than what is needed to bring Cold Dark Matter (CDM) simulations in agreement with the observations. In particular, the amplitudes of the non-circular motions are not high enough to hide the steep central mass-density profiles predicted by CDM simulations. We show that the amplitudes of the non-circular motions decrease towards lower luminosities and later Hubble types.

astro-ph↗

Geometrically Derived Timescales for Star Formation in Spiral Galaxies

We estimate a characteristic timescale for star formation in the spiral arms of disk galaxies, going from atomic hydrogen (HI) to dust-enshrouded massive stars. Drawing on high-resolution HI data from The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey and 24$μ$m images from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey we measure the average angular offset between the HI and 24$μ$m emissivity peaks as a function of radius, for a sample of 14 nearby disk galaxies. We model these offsets assuming an instantaneous kinematic pattern speed, $Ω_p$, and a timescale, t(HI-->24$μ$m), for the characteristic time span between the dense \hi phase and the formation of massive stars that heat the surrounding dust. Fitting for $Ω_p$ and t(HI-->24$μ$m), we find that the radial dependence of the observed angular offset (of the \hi and 24$μ$m emission) is consistent with this simple prescription; the resulting corotation radii of the spiral patterns are typically $R_{cor}\simeq 2.7 R_{s}$, consistent with independent estimates. The resulting values of t(HI-->24$μ$m) for the sample are in the range 1--4 Myr. We have explored the possible impact of non-circular gas motions on the estimate of t(HI-->24$μ$m) and have found it to be substantially less than a factor of 2. This implies that a short timescale for the most intense phase of the ensuing star formation in spiral arms, and implies a considerable fraction of molecular clouds exist only for a few Myr before forming stars. However, our analysis does not preclude that some molecular clouds persist considerably longer. If much of the star formation in spiral arms occurs within this short interval t(HI-->24$μ$m), then star formation must be inefficient, in order to avoid the short-term depletion of the gas reservoir.

astro-ph↗

THINGS: The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey

We present "The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS)", a high spectral (<=5.2 km/s) and spatial (~6") resolution survey of HI emission in 34 nearby galaxies obtained using the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA). The overarching scientific goal of THINGS is to investigate fundamental characteristics of the interstellar medium (ISM) related to galaxy morphology, star formation and mass distribution across the Hubble sequence. Unique characteristics of the THINGS database are the homogeneous sensitivity as well as spatial and velocity resolution of the HI data which is at the limit of what can be achieved with the VLA for a significant number of galaxies. A sample of 34 objects at distances 2<D<15Mpc (resulting in linear resolutions of ~100 to 500pc) are targeted in THINGS, covering a wide range of star formation rates (10^-3 to 6 M_sun/yr), total HI masses M_HI (0.01 to 14x10^9 M_sun), absolute luminosities M_B (-11.5 to -21.7 mag) and metallicities (7.5 to 9.2 in units of 12+log[O/H]). We describe the setup of the VLA observations, the data reduction procedures and the creation of the final THINGS data products. We present an atlas of the integrated HI maps, the velocity fields, the second moment (velocity dispersion) maps and individual channel maps of each THINGS galaxy. The THINGS data products are made publicly available through a dedicated webpage. Accompanying THINGS papers address issues such as the small-scale structure of the ISM, the (dark) matter distribution in THINGS galaxies, and the processes leading to star formation.

astro-ph↗

LCDM Satellites and HI Companions - The Arecibo ALFA Survey of NGC 2903

We have conducted a deep, complete HI survey, using Arecibo/ALFA, of a field centered on the nearby, isolated galaxy, NGC 2903, which is similar to the Milky Way in its properties. The field size was 150 kpc x 260 kpc and the final velocity range spanned from 100 to 1133 km/s. The ALFA beams have been mapped as a function of azimuth and cleaned from each azimuth-specific cube prior to forming final cubes. The final HI data are sensitive down to an HI mass of 2 x 10^5 Mo and column density of 2 x 10^{17} cm^{-2} at the 3sigma x 2deltaV level, where sigma is the rms noise level and deltaV is the velocity resolution. NGC 2903 is found to have an HI envelope that is larger than previously known, extending to at least 3 times the optical diameter of the galaxy. Our search for companions yields one new discovery with an HI mass of 2.6 x 10^6 Mo. The companion is 64 kpc from NGC 2903 in projection, is likely associated with a small optical galaxy of similar total stellar mass, and is dark matter dominated, with a total mass >10^8 Mo. In the region surveyed, there are now two known companions: our new discovery and a previously known system that is likely a dwarf spheroidal, lacking HI content. If HI constitutes 1% of the total mass in all possible companions, then we should have detected 230 companions, according to LCDM predictions. Consequently, if this number of dark matter clumps are indeed present, then they contain less than 1% HI content, possibly existing as very faint dwarf spheroidals or as starless, gasless dark matter clumps.

astro-ph↗

Missing Mass in Collisional Debris from Galaxies

Recycled dwarf galaxies can form in the collisional debris of massive galaxies. Theoretical models predict that, contrary to classical galaxies, they should be free of non-baryonic Dark Matter. Analyzing the observed gas kinematics of such recycled galaxies with the help of a numerical model, we demonstrate that they do contain a massive dark component amounting to about twice the visible matter. Staying within the standard cosmological framework, this result most likely indicates the presence of large amounts of unseen, presumably cold, molecular gas. This additional mass should be present in the disks of their progenitor spiral galaxies, accounting for a significant part of the so-called missing baryons.

astro-ph↗