arXiv subjects

Lister Staveley-Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Lister Staveley-Smith.

165 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

The Multi-Phase Medium in the Interstellar Complex N44

We have obtained high-resolution HI observations of N44, one of the largest HII complexes in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The distribution and internal motions of the HI gas show dynamic effects of fast stellar winds and supernova blasts. Numerous HI holes are detected, with the most prominent two corresponding to the optically identified superbubbles Shell 1 and Shell 2. The HI gas associated with Shell 1 shows an expansion pattern similar to that of the ionized gas shell, but the mass and kinetic energy of the HI shell are 3--7 times those of the ionized gas shell. The total kinetic energy of the neutral and ionized gas of Shell 1 is still more than a factor of 5 lower than expected in a pressure-driven superbubble. It is possible that the central OB association was formed in a molecular cloud and a visible superbubble was not fully developed until the ambient molecular gas had been dissociated and cleared away. This hypothesis is supported by the existence of a molecular cloud toward N44 and the fact that the apparent dynamic age of the superbubble Shell 1 is much shorter than the age of its OB association LH47. Accelerated HI gas is detected at the supernova remnant 0523-679. The mass and kinetic energy in the associated HI gas are also much higher than those in the ionized gas of 0523-679. Studies of interstellar gas dynamics using ionized gas alone are clearly inadequate; neutral gas components must be included.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

HI and dark matter in the windy starburst dwarf galaxy NGC1705

We present 21cm HI line observations of the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC1705. Previous optical observations show a strong outflow powered by an ongoing starburst dominating the HII morphology and kinematics. In contrast, most of the HI lies in a rotating disk. An extraplanar HI spur accounts for ~ 8% of the total HI mass, and is possibly associated with the HII outflow. The inferred mass loss rate out of the galaxy's core is significant ~ 0.2 - 2 M_sun/yr, but does not dominate the HI dynamics. Mass model fits to the rotation curve show that the dark matter (DM) halo is dominant at nearly all radii and has a central density ρ_0 \approx 0.1 M_sun/pc^3: ten times higher than typically found in dwarf irregular galaxies, but similar to the only other mass-modelled blue compact dwarf, NGC2915. This large difference strongly indicates that there is little evolution between dwarf irregular and blue compact dwarf types. Instead, dominant DM halos may regulate the morphology of dwarf galaxies by setting the critical surface density for disk star formation. Neither our data nor catalogue searches reveal any likely external trigger to the starburst in NGC1705.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1995

Neutral Hydrogen in the Ringed Barred Galaxies NGC 1433 and NGC 6300

We have made observations of the \ion{H}{1} in the southern ringed barred spiral galaxies NGC~1433 and NGC~6300 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), the main goal being to test the resonance theory for the origin of these rings. NGC~1433 is the prototypical ringed barred spiral, and displays distinct \ion{H}{1}~counterparts to its nuclear ring, inner ring, outer pseudoring, and plume-like features. The $L_{4}$ and $L_{5}$ regions at corotation, as well as the bar itself, are relatively devoid of neutral atomic hydrogen. By associating the inner ring of NGC~1433 with the inner second harmonic resonance, and its outer pseudoring with the outer Lindblad resonance, we are able to infer a bar pattern speed for NGC~1433 of $26\pm5$~km~s$^{-1}$~kpc$^{-1}$. By way of contrast, NGC~6300 possesses a much more extended \ion{H}{1}~disk than NGC~1433. There is a gas ring underlying the inner pseudoring, but it is both broader and slightly larger in diameter than the optical feature. By again linking this inner ring feature to the inner second harmonic resonance, we derive a bar pattern speed for NGC~6300 of $27\pm8$~km~s$^{-1}$~kpc$^{-1}$, but in this case, neither the outer pseudoring nor the nuclear ring predicted by the resonance-ring theory can be identified in NGC~6300. Although it may be the case that the ring in NGC~6300 is not related to a resonance with the bar at all, we postulate instead that NGC~6300 is merely a less well-developed example of a resonance-ring galaxy than is NGC~1433.

astro-ph↗