arXiv subjects

Karen Lee-Waddell

Publications and source records attributed to Karen Lee-Waddell.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Gemini Follow-up of two massive HI clouds discovered with the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder

Using the Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph (GMOS) we search for optical counterparts of two massive (~10^9 solar masses) neutral hydrogen clouds near the spiral galaxy IC 5270, located in the outskirts of the IC 1459 group. These two HI clouds were recently discovered using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). Two low surface brightness optical counterparts to one of these HI clouds are identified in the new Gemini data that reaches down to magnitudes of ~27.5 mag in the g-band. The observed HI mass to light ratio derived with these new data, M_(HI)/L_g =242, is among the highest reported to date. We are also able to rule out that the two HI clouds are dwarf companions of IC 5270. Tidal interactions and ram pressure stripping are plausible explanations for the physical origin of these two clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The detection of an extremely bright fast radio burst in a phased array feed survey

We report the detection of an ultra-bright fast radio burst (FRB) from a modest, 3.4-day pilot survey with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. The survey was conducted in a wide-field fly's-eye configuration using the phased-array-feed technology deployed on the array to instantaneously observe an effective area of $160$ deg$^2$, and achieve an exposure totaling $13200$ deg$^2$ hr. We constrain the position of FRB 170107 to a region $8'\times8'$ in size (90% containment) and its fluence to be $58\pm6$ Jy ms. The spectrum of the burst shows a sharp cutoff above $1400$ MHz, which could be either due to scintillation or an intrinsic feature of the burst. This confirms the existence of an ultra-bright ($>20$ Jy ms) population of FRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Pre-existing dwarfs, tidal knots and a tidal dwarf galaxy: an unbiased HI study of the gas-rich interacting galaxy group NGC 3166/9

We present Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) and follow-up Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) HI observations of the gas-rich interacting group NGC 3166/9. The sensitive ALFALFA data provide a complete census of HI-bearing systems in the group while the high-resolution GMRT data elucidate their origin, enabling one of the first unbiased physical studies of gas-rich dwarf companions and the subsequent identification of second generation, tidal dwarf galaxies in a nearby group. The ALFALFA maps reveal an extended HI envelope around the NGC 3166/9 group core, which we mosaic at higher resolution using six GMRT pointings spanning ~1 square degree. A thorough search of the GMRT datacube reveals eight low-mass objects with gas masses ranging from 4x10^7 to 3x10^8 M_sol and total dynamical masses up to 1.4x10^9 M_sol. A comparison of the HI fluxes measured from the GMRT data to those measured in the ALFALFA data suggests that a significant fraction (~60%) of the HI is smoothly distributed on scales greater than an arcminute (~7 kpc at the NGC 3166/9 distance). We compute stellar masses and star formation rates for the eight low-mass GMRT detections, using ancillary SDSS and GALEX data, and use these values to constrain their origin. Most of the detections are likely to be either pre-existing dwarf irregular galaxies or short-lived, tidally formed knots; however, one candidate, AGC 208457, is clearly associated with a tidal tail extending below NGC 3166, exhibits a dynamical to gas mass ratio close to unity and has a stellar content and star formation rate that are broadly consistent with both simulated as well as candidate tidal dwarf galaxies from the literature. Our observations therefore strongly suggest that AGC 208457 is a tidal dwarf galaxy.

astro-ph.CO↗