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Olga Sil'chenko

Publications and source records attributed to Olga Sil'chenko.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2024

Probing the History of the Galaxy Assembly of the Counter-rotating Disk Galaxy PGC 66551

Stellar counter-rotation in disk galaxies directly relates to the complex phenomenon of the disk mass assembly believed to be driven by external processes, such as accretion and mergers. The detailed study of such systems makes it possible to reveal the source of external accretion and establish the details of this process. In this paper, we investigate the galaxy PGC 66551 (MaNGA ID 1-179561) which hosts two large-scale counter-rotating (CR) stellar disks identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey MaNGA data and then confirmed using deep follow-up spectroscopy with the 10m Southern African Large Telescope. We measured the properties of ionized gas and stellar populations of both CR disks in PGC 66551. We found that the CR disk is compact, contains young stars with subsolar metallicity, and has a stellar mass of $5\times10^{9}$ M$_\odot$ which amounts to $\approx$20% of the galaxy's total. Surprisingly, the main 8 Gyr old disk has a significantly lower metallicity of -0.8 dex than other CR galaxies. We developed a simple analytic model of the history of the metal enrichment, which we applied to PGC 66551 and constrained the parameters of the galactic outflow wind, and estimated the metallicity of the infalling gas that formed the CR disk to be -0.9 ... -0.5 dex. Our interpretation prefers a merger with a gas-rich satellite over cold accretion from a cosmic filament as a source of gas, which then formed the CR disk in PGC 66551.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2021

Star formation in outer rings of S0 galaxies. IV. NGC 254 -- a double-ringed S0 with gas counter-rotation

Although S0 galaxies are usually considered "red and dead", they often demonstrate star formation organized into ring structures. We aim to clarify the nature of this phenomenon and how it differs from star formation in spiral galaxies. We investigated the nearby, moderate-luminosity S0 galaxy NGC 254 using long-slit spectroscopy taken with the South African Large Telescope and publicly available imaging data. Applying a full spectral fitting, we analyzed gaseous and stellar kinematics as well as ionized gas excitation and metallicity and stellar population properties resolved by radius. An advanced approach of simultaneously fitting spectra and photometric data allowed us to quantify the fraction of hidden counter-rotating stars in this galaxy. We find that the ionized gas is counter-rotating with respect to the stars throughout NGC 254 disk, indicating an external origin of the gas. We argue the gas-rich galaxy merger from retrograde orbit as a main source of counter-rotating material. The star formation fed by this counter-rotating gas occurs within two rings: an outer ring at R=55 - 70 arcsec and an inner ring at R=18 arcsec. The star formation rate is weak, 0.02 solar mass per year in total, and the gas metallicity is slightly subsolar. We estimated that the accretion of the gas occurred about 1 Gyr ago, and about 1% of all stars have formed in situ from counter-rotating gas.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2021

Observational insights on the formation scenarios of giant low surface brightness galaxies

Giant low surface brightness galaxies (gLSBGs) with the disk radii of up to 130 kpc represent a challenge for currently accepted theories of galaxy formation and evolution, because it is difficult to build-up such large dynamically cold systems via mergers preserving extended disks. We summarize the in-depth study of the sample of 7 gLSBGs based on the results of the performed spectral long-slit observations at the Russian 6-m BTA telescope of SAO RAS, surface photometry and HI data available in literature. Our study revealed that most gLSBGs do not deviate from the Tully-Fisher relation. We discovered compact elliptical (cE) satellites in 2 out of these 7 galaxies. Provided the low statistical frequencies of gLSBGs and cEs, the chance alignment is improbable, so it can indicate that gLSBGs and cE are evolutionary connected and gives evidence in favor of the major merger formation scenario. Other formation paths of gLSBGs are also discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2021

Observational insights on the origin of giant low surface brightness galaxies

Giant low surface brightness galaxies (gLSBGs) with dynamically cold stellar discs reaching the radius of 130 kpc challenge currently considered galaxy formation mechanisms. We analyse new deep long-slit optical spectroscopic observations, archival optical images and published HI and optical spectroscopic data for a sample of seven gLSBGs, for which we performed mass modelling and estimated the parameters of dark matter haloes assuming the Burkert dark matter density profile. Our sample is not homogeneous by morphology, parameters of stellar populations and total mass, however, six of seven galaxies sit on the high-mass extension of the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation. In UGC 1382 we detected a global counterrotation of the stellar high surface brightness (HSB) disc with respect to the extended LSB disc. In UGC 1922 with signatures of a possible merger, the gas counterrotation is seen in the inner disc. Six galaxies host active galactic nuclei, three of which have the estimated black hole masses substantially below those expected for their (pseudo-)bulge properties suggesting poor merger histories. Overall, the morphology, internal dynamics, and low star formation efficiency in the outer discs indicate that the three formation scenarios shape gLSBGs: (i) a two-stage formation when an HSB galaxy is formed first and then grows an LSB disc by accreting gas from an external supply; (ii) an unusual shallow and extended dark matter halo; (iii) a major merger with fine-tuned orbital parameters and morphologies of the merging galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2020

Star formation in outer rings of S0 galaxies. III. UGC 5936 -- an S0 with currently accreted satellite matter

Though S0 galaxies are usually thought to be `red and dead', they demonstrate often star formation organized in ring structures. We try to clarify the nature of this phenomenon and its difference from star formation in spiral galaxies. The luminous S0 galaxy with a large ring, UGC 5936, is studied here. By applying long-slit spectroscopy along the major axis of UGC 5936, we have measured gas and star kinematics, Lick indices for the main body of the galaxy, and strong emission-line flux ratios in the ring. After inspecting the gas excitation in the ring using line ratios diagnostic diagrams and having ensured that it is ionized mostly by young stars, we have determined the gas oxygen abundance by using popular strong-line methods. Also we have proved the spatial proximity of the south-eastern dwarf satellite to UGC 5936 and have measured its gas metallicity. The ionized gas of the ring is excited by young stars and has solar metallicity. Star formation in the ring is rather prolonged, and its intensity corresponds to the current HI content of UGC 5936 (to the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation). The whole morphology of the HI distribution implies current accretion of the cold gas from the satellite onto the outer disc of UGC 5936; due to the satellite location and rotation in the plane of the stellar disc of the host galaxy, the accretion is smooth and laminar providing the favorable condition for star formation ignition.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2014

Properties of Stellar Populations in Isolated Lenticular Galaxies

In this paper we present the results of long-slit spectral observations for a sample of isolated lenticular galaxies, made with the SCORPIO and SCORPIO-2 spectrographs of the 6-meter BTA telescope of the SAO RAS. By applying full spectral fitting technique using the stellar population evolutionary synthesis models, we have measured the radial profiles of the stellar line-of-sight velocity as well as the velocity dispersion, SSP-equivalent age and SSP-equivalent metallicity of stars along the radius in 12 targets. The resulting averaged ages of the stellar population in bulges and discs cover an entire range of possible values from 1.5 to 15 Gyr which indicates the absence of a certain formation epoch for the structural components in the isolated lenticular galaxies, unlike in the members of clusters and rich groups: they could have been formed at a redshift of $z>2$ as well as only a few billion years ago. Unlike S0 galaxies in more dense environments, the isolated galaxies typically have the same age of stars in the bulges and discs. The disc-embedded lenses and rings of increased stellar brightness, identified from the photometry in 7 of 11 galaxies, do not differ strongly from the stellar discs as concerning the properties of stellar populations and stellar velocity dispersion. We conclude that the final shaping of the morphological type of a lenticular galaxy in complete isolation is critically dependent on the possible regimes of cold-gas accretion from outside.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2013

Decoupled gas kinematics in isolated early-type disc galaxies

We have studied a sample of completely isolated galaxies by means of long-slit spectroscopy at the 6-m telescope. We have found that 7 of 12 (58 +/- 14 %) galaxies have revealed a presence of large-scale ionized-gas component which angular momentum is mostly differ from stellar one: 5 of 7 (71 +/- 17 %) show a visible counterrottation. The diagnostic diagram demonstrates a wide range of gas excitation mechanism. We have estimated the gas oxygen abundance in the cases where excitation mechanism by young stars dominates and have found that ionized gas has a subsolar metallicity. We concluded that cold-gas accretion from primordial cosmological filaments is unlikely for these objects, while external accretion from dwarf gas-rich satellites is more suitable.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2013

Decoupled gas kinematics in isolated S0 galaxies

A sample of completely isolated S0 galaxies has been studied by means of long-slit spectroscopy at the Russian 6-m telescope. 7 of 12 galaxies have revealed a presence of extended ionized-gas discs which rotation is mostly decoupled from the stellar kinematics: 5 of 7 (71+/-17%) galaxies show a visible counterrotation of the ionized-gas component with respect to the stellar component. The emission-line diagnostics demonstrates a wide range of the gas excitation mechanisms, although a pure excitation by young stars is rare. We conclude that in all cases the extended gaseous discs in our sample S0s are of external origin, despite the visible isolation of the galaxies. Possible sources of external accretion, such as systems of dwarf gas-rich satellites or cosmological cold-gas filaments, are discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2011

Large scale nested stellar discs in NGC 7217

NGC7217 is an unbarred early-type spiral galaxy having a multi-segment exponential light profile and a system of starforming rings of the unknown origin; it also possesses a circumnuclear gaseous polar disc. We analysed new long slit spectroscopic data for NGC7217 and derived the radial distributions of its stellar population parameters and stellar and gaseous kinematics up to the radius of r~100 arcsec (~8 kpc). We performed the dynamical analysis of the galaxy by recovering its velocity ellipsoid at different radii, and estimated the scaleheights of its two exponential discs. The inner exponential stellar disc of NGC7217 appears to be thin and harbours intermediate age stars (t(SSP) ~ 5 Gyr). The outer stellar disc seen between the radii of 4 and 7 kpc is very thick (z0 = 1...3 kpc), metal-poor, [Fe/H]<-0.4 dex, and has predominantly young stars, t(SSP) = 2 Gyr. The remnants of minor mergers of gas-rich satellites with an early-type giant disc galaxy available in the GalMer database well resemble different structural components of NGC7217, suggesting two minor merger events in the past responsible for the formation of the inner polar gaseous disc and large outer starforming ring. Another possibility to form the outer ring is the re-accretion of the tidal streams created by the first minor merger.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2007

NBursts: Simultaneous Extraction of Internal Kinematics and Parametrized SFH from Integrated Light Spectra

We present a novel approach for simultaneous extraction of stellar population parameters and internal kinematics from the spectra integrated along a line of sight. We fit a template spectrum into an observed one in a pixel space using a non-linear $χ^2$ minimization in the multidimensional parameter space, including characteristics of the line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) and parametrized star formation history (SFH). Our technique has been applied to IFU and multi-object spectroscopy of low-luminosity early type galaxies.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Kinematics and stellar populations of the dwarf elliptical galaxy IC 3653

We present the first 3D observations of a diffuse elliptical galaxy (dE). The good quality data (S/N up to 40) reveal the kinematical signature of an embedded stellar disc, reminiscent of what is commonly observed in elliptical galaxies, though similarity of their origins is questionable. Colour map built from HST ACS images confirms the presence of this disc. Its characteristic scale (about 3 arcsec = 250 pc) is about a half of galaxy's effective radius, and its metallicity is 0.1-0.2 dex larger than the underlying population. Fitting the spectra with synthetic single stellar populations (SSP) we found an SSP-equivalent age of 5 Gyr and nearly solar metallicity [Fe/H]=-0.06 dex. We checked that these determinations are consistent with those based on Lick indices, but have smaller error bars. The kinematical discovery of a stellar disc in dE gives additional support to an evolutionary link from dwarf irregular galaxies due to stripping of the gas against the intra-cluster medium.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2006

Young Nuclei in Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies

We report discovery of young embedded structures in three diffuse elliptical galaxies (dE) in the Virgo cluster: IC 783, IC 3468, and IC 3509. We performed 3D spectroscopic observations of these galaxies using the MPFS spectrograph at the Russian 6-m telescope, and obtained spatially resolved distributions of kinematical and stellar population parameters by fitting high-resolution PEGASE.HR synthetic single stellar populations (SSP) in the pixel space. In all three galaxies, the luminosity weighted age of the nuclei, about 4 Gyr, is considerably younger than population in the outer regions of the galaxies. We discuss two possibilities to acquire the observed structures -- dissipative merger event and different ram pressure stripping efficiency during two consequent crossings of the Virgo cluster centre.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2005

Internal kinematics and stellar populations of dE galaxies: Clues to their formation/evolution

What is the origin of the numerous population of diffuse elliptical galaxies (dE) in clusters? These galaxies formed their stars several billion years ago and lost their gas. Though the stellar winds resulting from star formation and the interactions with the environment undoubedtly play a role, their respective role and details of the mechanism of this evolution is still debated. In this presentation we will review the first 3D spectroscopic observations of a handful of dE galaxies. These data reveal complex kinematical structures, with embedded discs and counter rotating cores, and they open extremely promising perspectives for studying the history of the stellar population throughout these various features. The presence of disks, which was already known from detailed image analysis, and of complex kinematics and the new constraints on the stellar population enforce the hypothesis of the evolutionary connection between dEs and disk galaxies.

astro-ph↗