arXiv subjects

Evelyn J. Johnston

Publications and source records attributed to Evelyn J. Johnston.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

The Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS): VI. The Alignment of Dwarf Galaxies in The Fornax Cluster

Using the photometric data from the Next Generation Fornax Survey, we find a significant radial alignment signal among the Fornax dwarf galaxies. For the first time, we report that the radial alignment signal of nucleated dwarfs is stronger than that of non-nucleated ones at 2.4$σ$ confidence level, and the dwarfs located in the outer region ($R>R_{\rm{vir}}/3$; $R_{\rm{vir}}$ is the Fornax virial radius) show slightly stronger radial alignment signal than those in the inner region ($R<R_{\rm{vir}}/3$) at $1.5σ$ level. We also find that the significance of radial alignment signal is independent of the luminosities or sizes of the dwarfs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS): V. Discovery of a dwarf-dwarf galaxy pair at z=0.30 and its characterization using deep VLT/MUSE observations

We report the detection of a pair of dwarf galaxies at $z\!=\!0.30$ which may be in the early stages of an interaction. Both galaxies have stellar masses of $<10^{9}M_\odot$, and display a projected separation of $\sim\!29$kpc and a physical separation of $\sim\!240$kpc. Evidence of ongoing star formation has been found in both galaxies, with neither one showing an enhanced star-formation rate that would be expected if they were already interacting. One galaxy displays a disturbed morphology but shows ordered gas rotation, which may reflect a previous minor merger event in the recent history of that system. The nearest spectroscopically confirmed neighbour lies at a distance of 38Mpc. These results indicate that these dwarf galaxies have no neighbouring massive galaxies, however with the data available we have been unable to determine whether these galaxies are isolated in the field or belong to a group of low-mass galaxies. As a detection of a rare dwarf-dwarf pair beyond the Local Universe, this system provides an uncommon opportunity to explore the properties of galaxy groups in the low-galaxy mass regime as a function of redshift.

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arXiv2018

Mapping the Kinematically Decoupled Core in NGC 1407 with MUSE

Studies of the kinematics of NGC 1407 have revealed complex kinematical structure, consisting of the outer galaxy, an embedded disc within a radius of $\sim60$ arcsec, and a kinematically decoupled core (KDC) with a radius of less than 30arcsec. However, the size of the KDC and the amplitude of the kinematic misalignment it induces have not yet been determined. In this paper, we explore the properties of the KDC using observations from the MUSE Integral Field Spectrograph to map out the kinematics in the central arcminute of NGC 1407. Velocity and kinemetry maps of the galaxy reveal a twist of $\sim$148 degree in the central $10$ arcseconds of the galaxy, and the higher-order moments of the kinematics reveal that within the same region, this slowly-rotating galaxy displays no net rotation. Analysis of the stellar populations across the galaxy found no evidence of younger stellar populations in the region of the KDC, instead finding uniform age and super-solar $α$-enhancement across the galaxy, and a smoothly decreasing metallicity gradient with radius. We therefore conclude that NGC 1407 contains a triaxial, kiloparsec-scale KDC with distinct kinematics relative to the rest of the galaxy, and which is likely to have formed through either a major merger or a series of minor mergers early in the lifetime of the galaxy. With a radius of $\sim$5 arcseconds or $\sim0.6$ kpc, NGC 1407 contains the smallest KDC mapped by MUSE to date in terms of both its physical and angular size.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Spectroscopic decomposition of the galaxy and halo of the cD galaxy NGC 3311

Information on the star-formation histories of cD galaxies and their extended stellar haloes lie in their spectra. Therefore, to determine whether these structures evolved together or through a two-phase formation, we need to spectroscopically separate the light from each component. We present a pilot study to use BUDDI to fit and extract the spectra of the cD galaxy NGC 3311 and its halo in an Integral Field Spectroscopy datacube, and carry out a simple stellar populations analysis to study their star-formation histories. Using MUSE data, we were able to isolate the light of the galaxy and its halo throughout the datacube, giving spectra representing purely the light from each of these structures. The stellar populations analysis of the two components indicates that, in this case, the bulk of the stars in both the halo and the central galaxy are very old, but the halo is more metal poor and less $α$-enriched than the galaxy. This result is consistent with the halo forming through the accretion of much smaller satellite galaxies with more extended star formation. It is noteworthy that the apparent gradients in age and metallicity indicators across the galaxy are entirely consistent with the radially-varying contributions of galaxy and halo components, which individually display no gradients. The success of this study is promising for its application to a larger sample of cD galaxies that are currently being observed by IFU surveys.

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arXiv2016

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Bulge-Disc Decomposition of IFU Datacubes (BUDDI)

With the availability of large integral-field unit (IFU) spectral surveys of nearby galaxies, there is now the potential to extract spectral information from across the bulges and discs of galaxies in a systematic way. This information can address questions such as how these components built up with time, how galaxies evolve and whether their evolution depends on other properties of the galaxy such as its mass or environment. We present BUDDI, a new approach to fit the two-dimensional light profiles of galaxies as a function of wavelength to extract the spectral properties of these galaxies' discs and bulges. The fitting is carried out using GalfitM, a modified form of Galfit which can fit multi-waveband images simultaneously. The benefit of this technique over traditional multi-waveband fits is that the stellar populations of each component can be constrained using knowledge over the whole image and spectrum available. The decomposition has been developed using commissioning data from the SDSS-IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey with redshifts z<0.14 and coverage of at least 1.5 effective radii for a spatial resolution of 2.5 arcsec FWHM and field of view of >22 arcsec, but can be applied to any IFU data of a nearby galaxy with similar or better spatial resolution and coverage. We present an overview of the fitting process, the results from our tests, and we finish with example stellar population analyses of early-type galaxies from the MaNGA survey to give an indication of the scientific potential of applying bulge-disc decomposition to IFU data.

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arXiv2014

Overview of the SDSS-IV MaNGA Survey: Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory

We present an overview of a new integral field spectroscopic survey called MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory), one of three core programs in the fourth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) that began on 2014 July 1. MaNGA will investigate the internal kinematic structure and composition of gas and stars in an unprecedented sample of 10,000 nearby galaxies. We summarize essential characteristics of the instrument and survey design in the context of MaNGA's key science goals and present prototype observations to demonstrate MaNGA's scientific potential. MaNGA employs dithered observations with 17 fiber-bundle integral field units that vary in diameter from 12" (19 fibers) to 32" (127 fibers). Two dual-channel spectrographs provide simultaneous wavelength coverage over 3600-10300 A at R~2000. With a typical integration time of 3 hr, MaNGA reaches a target r-band signal-to-noise ratio of 4-8 (per A, per 2" fiber) at 23 AB mag per sq. arcsec, which is typical for the outskirts of MaNGA galaxies. Targets are selected with stellar mass greater than 1e9 Msun using SDSS-I redshifts and i-band luminosity to achieve uniform radial coverage in terms of the effective radius, an approximately flat distribution in stellar mass, and a sample spanning a wide range of environments. Analysis of our prototype observations demonstrates MaNGA's ability to probe gas ionization, shed light on recent star formation and quenching, enable dynamical modeling, decompose constituent components, and map the composition of stellar populations. MaNGA's spatially resolved spectra will enable an unprecedented study of the astrophysics of nearby galaxies in the coming 6 yr.

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arXiv2014

Understanding the transformation of spirals to lenticulars

By studying the individual star-formation histories of the bulges and discs of lenticular (S0) galaxies, it is possible to build up a sequence of events that leads to the cessation of star formation and the consequent transformation from the progenitor spiral. In order to separate the bulge and disc stellar populations, we spectroscopically decomposed long-slit spectra of Virgo Cluster S0s into bulge and disc components. Analysis of the decomposed spectra shows that the most recent star formation activity in these galaxies occurred within the bulge regions, having been fuelled by residual gas from the disc. These results point towards a scenario where the star formation in the discs of spiral galaxies are quenched, followed by a final episode of star formation in the central regions from the gas that has been funnelled inwards through the disc.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

The Origin of S0s in Clusters: evidence from the bulge and disc star formation histories

The individual star formation histories of bulges and discs of lenticular (S0) galaxies can provide information on the processes involved in the quenching of their star formation and subsequent transformation from spirals. In order to study this transformation in dense environments, we have decomposed long-slit spectroscopic observations of a sample of 21 S0s from the Virgo Cluster to produce one-dimensional spectra representing purely the bulge and disc light for each galaxy. Analysis of the Lick indices within these spectra reveals that the bulges contain consistently younger and more metal-rich stellar populations than their surrounding discs, implying that the final episode of star formation within S0s occurs in their central regions. Analysis of the $α$-element abundances in these components further presents a picture in which the final episode of star formation in the bulge is fueled using gas that has previously been chemically enriched in the disc, indicating the sequence of events in the transformation of these galaxies. Systems in which star formation in the disk was spread over a longer period contain bulges in which the final episode of star formation occurred more recently, as one might expect for an approximately coeval population in which the transformation from spiral to S0 occurred at different times. With data of this quality and the new analysis method deployed here, we can begin to describe this process in a quantitative manner for the first time.

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arXiv2013

Clues to the Formation of Lenticular Galaxies Using Spectroscopic Bulge-Disk Decomposition

Lenticular galaxies have long been thought of as evolved spirals, but the processes involved to quench the star formation are still unclear. By studying the individual star formation histories of the bulges and disks of lenticulars, it is possible to look for clues to the processes that triggered their transformation from spirals. To accomplish this feat, we present a new method for spectroscopic bulge-disk decomposition, in which a long-slit spectrum is decomposed into two one-dimensional spectra representing purely the bulge and disk light. We present preliminary results from applying this method to lenticular galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax Clusters, in which we show that the most recent star formation activity in these galaxies occurred within the bulges. We also find that the bulges are in general more Fe-enriched than the disks of the same galaxy, and that this enrichment grows stronger as the age of the bulge becomes younger. These results point towards a scenario where the star formation in the disks of spiral galaxies are quenched, followed by a burst of star formation in the central regions from the gas that has been funnelled inwards through the disk.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Disentangling the stellar populations in the counter-rotating disc galaxy NGC 4550

In order to try and understand its origins, we present high-quality long-slit spectral observations of the counter-rotating stellar discs in the strange S0 galaxy NGC 4550. We kinematically decompose the spectra into two counter-rotating stellar components (plus a gaseous component), in order to study both their kinematics and their populations. The derived kinematics largely confirm what was known previously about the stellar discs, but trace them to larger radii with smaller errors; the fitted gaseous component allows us to trace the hydrogen emission lines for the first time, which are found to follow the same rather strange kinematics previously seen in the [OIII] line. Analysis of the populations of the two separate stellar components shows that the secondary disc has a significantly younger mean age than the primary disc, consistent with later star formation from the associated gaseous material. In addition, the secondary disc is somewhat brighter, also consistent with such additional star formation. However, these measurements cannot be self-consistently modelled by a scenario in which extra stars have been added to initially-identical counter-rotating stellar discs, which rules out Evans & Collett's (1994) elegant "separatrix-crossing" model for the formation of such massive counter-rotating discs from a single galaxy, leaving some form of unusual gas accretion history as the most likely formation mechanism.

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