arXiv subjects

Omkar Bait

Publications and source records attributed to Omkar Bait.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Source Finding and Characterisation for SKAO Science

The advancements in highly sensitive and powerful radio telescopes, including the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and its precursors, MeerKAT, ASKAP, MWA, and HERA, will enable us to create the deepest radio images of the sky. However, due to the sheer scale of the datasets, manually classifying and analyzing this data is computationally expensive, time-consuming, and laborious. Therefore, the development of automated algorithms to detect and classify complex morphological radio sources from large astronomical surveys is the need of the time. In this chapter, we examine the recent advancements and challenges in source-finding techniques triggered by the analysis of SKAO precursor data and the SKA Data Challenges, both in spectral and continuum modes, along with the growing demand for computational resources and automated source detection methods using machine learning (ML) algorithms for the identification and characterisation of new populations of sources, addressing their complex and diffuse morphologies, as well as transient nature. Additionally, we discuss the critical factors affecting the quality and limitations of automated source-finding techniques, including artefacts from residual continuum emission, sidelobes, radio frequency interference (RFI), technical failures, calibration issues, flagging methods and false positives. With the availability of the full operational phase of the SKAO, continued advancements in source detection algorithms and computational infrastructure will be essential to fully exploit its scientific potential.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

JWST Reveals Compact Nuclear Starbursts Masquerading as AGNs in Metal-Poor Dwarfs: Where Are the Accreting Intermediate-Mass Black Holes?

We present JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of the low-mass, metal-poor galaxy SDSS~J160135.95+311353.7 (J1601), selected for its extreme mid-infrared colors and compact nuclear emission, placing it within widely used WISE color diagnostics for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Despite this selection, we find no evidence for coronal lines, X-ray emission, or variability typically associated with accretion activity. We compare J1601 to SDSS~J120122.30+021108.3 (J1201), a similar but lower-mass, more metal-poor system studied previously (Doan, 2025). Both galaxies host compact nuclear starbursts but differ in their stellar populations and dust properties: J1601 shows CO bandhead absorption indicative of red supergiants, weak nuclear Wolf--Rayet features, and a circumnuclear PAH ring, consistent with a more developed recent starburst, while J1201 is more dust-enshrouded and chemically primitive. Despite these differences, neither system shows evidence for AGN activity, indicating that the absence of accretion is not simply due to evolutionary timing. Photoionization models show that the weakness of high-ionization emission cannot be explained by low metallicity alone, implying a genuine deficit of hard ionizing photons. Crucially, the red mid-infrared colors in both systems originate from compact, unresolved nuclear emission confined to the nuclear star cluster. These results demonstrate that compact nuclear starbursts can mimic AGN-like mid-infrared colors without accretion, and that commonly used AGN diagnostics may not uniquely identify accreting black holes in metal-poor dwarf galaxies. Our findings suggest that such systems may not provide the conditions required for efficient black hole growth and/or may lie near or below the regime where black hole seeds can form.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Probing the Nature of Lyman Continuum Emitting and Low-metallicity Galaxies Using the SKA

The sources responsible for cosmic reionization remain a key open question in observational cosmology. Recent JWST results increasingly suggest that low-mass star-forming galaxies (e.g., compact starbursts and strong emission-line systems) dominated the ionizing photon budget. The physical mechanisms driving Lyman continuum (LyC) photon escape, including supernova, radiative, and cosmic-ray feedback, and the origin of extreme ionization conditions, remain poorly understood. Radio continuum (RC) emission, a well-established star-formation tracer in normal galaxies, is not yet well characterized in such extreme systems, which exhibit high star-formation rate densities, young stellar populations, low metallicity, and hard ionizing spectra. Targeted mid-frequency ($1-15$,GHz) observations with SKA precursors have begun probing low-redshift LyC emitters (LCEs), revealing links between RC spectral index, LyC escape fraction, ionization conditions, metallicity, and SFR surface density, alongwith deviations from the canonical RC$-$SFR relation. The higher sensitivity of the SKA Array Assemblies across Bands $\sim 1-5$ will enable systematic studies of fainter LCEs and low-mass, metal-poor galaxies. We present number density predictions for LCE candidates at $z \sim 1$-$3$, showing that SKA-Mid surveys can assemble samples of $\sim10-100$ candidates per square degree over a star-formation rate range of $1-100$,$M_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, making a dedicated SKA Large Programme scientifically feasible. With the full SKA, in synergy with JWST and next generation telescopes, multi-wavelength analyses will robustly constrain the thermal and non-thermal RC components and cosmic-ray energy spectra, providing critical insights into the feedback processes governing LyC escape and star formation in the early universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Power-law Emission-line Wings and Radiation-Driven Superwinds in Local Lyman Continuum Emitters

We investigate broad emission-line wings, reaching $\leq 800\rm~km~s^{-1}$, observed in 26 galaxies with Lyman continuum (LyC) observations, primarily from the Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS). Using Magellan/MIKE, VLT/X-shooter, and WHT/ISIS high-resolution spectroscopy, we show that this fast gas appears to probe the dominant feedback mechanisms linked to LyC escape. We find that in 14 galaxies, the wings are best fit with power laws of slope $\alpha \sim -3.5 \text{ to } -1.6$, with four others best fit by Gaussians of width $\sigma_{\rm BW} \sim 300~\rm km~s^{-1}$; the remaining eight show ambiguous wing morphologies. Gaussian wings are found only at low $O_{32}$ = $[\rm O~III]\lambda5007/[O~II]\lambda3726,3729$ and high metallicity, while power-law wings span the full range of these parameters. The general evidence suggests a dual-mode paradigm for LyC escape: radiation-driven superwinds traced by power-law wings and supernova-driven feedback traced by Gaussian wings. For the former, the $<3$ Myr-old, pre-supernova stellar population correlates with more luminous, faster winds. The data also show that radiation-driven wind parameters like wind luminosity and power-law slope $\alpha$ depend on the UV luminosity more than the optically thick covering fraction, consistent with ``picket-fence" radiative transfer. Observed $\alpha$ values flatten with both escaping LyC luminosity and higher extinction, while still preserving the anticorrelation between these two quantities. Additionally, the differential between red and blue slopes implies that extinction and dense gas are centrally concentrated relative to the wind emission. Overall, our results show that power-law emission-line wings probe LyC-driven winds and LyC escape in metal-poor starbursts.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

SKA-Low simulations for a cosmic dawn/epoch of reionisation deep field

We present a realistic simulation of an SKA-Low cosmic dawn/epoch of reionisation (CD/EoR) observation, which can be used to further the development of foreground-mitigation approaches. The simulation corresponds to a deep (1000 h) integration pointing over the 106 MHz-196 MHz frequency range. The sky components include the CD/EoR signal, extragalactic foreground emission featuring strong (over 5 Jy at 150 MHz) out-of-field sources and in-field sources down to 1 microJy at 150 MHz, and Galactic emission from the GSM2016 model complemented with small-scales structure beyond its native $\sim 1$ deg resolution from a magneto-hydrodynamic simulation of the interstellar medium. Modeled errors include a partial de-mixing of the out-of-field sources, direction-dependent calibration errors leading to residual ionospheric effects, and direction-independent gain calibration errors, on top of thermal noise. Simulated observations are delivered as visibilities as well as imaging products with natural weighting. The true, uncorrupted, CD/EoR signal is also delivered, to allow an assessment of the efficacy of foreground-mitigation approaches. The codes used to generate these simulations are also delivered, so that new simulated datasets can be produced. This simulation has been the basis for the SKA Science Data Challenge 3a (SDC3a), which addressed foreground removal.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Jet-mode feedback in NGC 5972: insights from resolved MUSE, GMRT and VLA observations

NGC 5972, a Voorwerp galaxy, features a helical-shaped extended emission-line region (EELR) with a radius > 10 kpc and a S-shaped radio structure spanning about 470 kpc. We use VLT MUSE, GMRT, and VLA to study the stellar and ionized gas kinematics and how the radio jet influences the gas in the galaxy. Our sensitive radio observations detect the southern jet for the first time, roughly coinciding with the southern EELR. The VLA images show a continuous inner jet connected to the outer E-W lobe, confirming the jet origin of the radio emission. Our kinematic analysis shows spatial correlations between the radio jet and the outflowing gas, supporting the jet-driven feedback mechanism. More interestingly, we observe enhanced velocity dispersion in the perpendicular direction along with a shell-like structure. Our BPT analysis shows that the [O III] emission overlapping with the radio jet is consistent with the shock+precursor model, whereas in the perpendicular region, a pure shock model fits well with the observations, indicating jet-induced shocks. Radio observations indicate episodic AGN activity characterized by surface brightness and spectral index discontinuities. Overall, based on our findings, we propose a jet-driven feedback mechanism as one of the key factors in the formation of the EELR in NGC 5972. Future high-resolution radio observations will be crucial to further investigate the origin of the EELR and quantify the extent to which the jet influences its formation and evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Radio Spectral Energy Distribution of Low-$z$ Metal Poor Extreme Starburst Galaxies: Novel insights on the escape of ionizing photons

Recent optical surveys have identified a rare population of low-$z$ ($z \sim 0.01 - 0.06$) extreme star-forming galaxies (xSFGs) characterized by very low metallicity, strong emission lines, extremely high specific star-formation rate, low stellar mass, and strong Ly~$\alpha$ emission. Their global properties resemble recently discovered $z > 6$ reionization-era star-forming galaxies. We present new multi-frequency radio continuum (RC) observations of $8$ xSFGs using the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) at $1.25$ GHz, the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) at $1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 10.0$ and $15.0$ GHz, along with archival LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) data at $150$ MHz for several sources. These data allow construction of the radio spectral energy distribution (radio-SED) from $\sim 1$ GHz (down to $150$ MHz for some sources) to $15$ GHz, spanning nearly two orders of magnitude in frequency. We find that xSFGs exhibit a flat spectral index between $6$ and $15$ GHz, while a subset shows spectral turnovers at $0.3 - 3$ GHz. Our Bayesian radio-SED modeling indicates that these features are consistent with a high thermal fraction combined with free-free absorption, requiring high emission measures in some systems. By comparing modeled thermal radio emission with observed H$\beta$ line flux density, we find evidence for dust in several xSFGs. Finally, we confirm a previously reported correlation between Lyman continuum escape fraction, ionization state, and radio spectral index, particularly among strong leakers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

A Tale of NGC 3785: The Formation of an Ultra-Diffuse Galaxy at the end of the Longest Tidal Tail

We present the discovery of an extended and faint tail observed in the isolated environment associated with galaxy NGC 3785. This study additionally provides observational evidence supporting the formation of ultra-diffuse galaxies at the end of the tail. We utilized the Gnuastro software to detect and analyse the low surface brightness structures in the optical $g$, and $r$ bands using data from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. We created a detection map to identify the faint tail, and measured its length using cubic spline fitting. Additionally, we found 84 star-forming clumps along the tail and performed photometric analysis on the tail portion after applying a significance threshold on the signal-to-noise ratio. We have measured the projected length of the tail, which is $\sim$390 kpc. We propose that this tail arises from the interaction of the NGC 3785 with a gas-rich galaxy, which ends up as ultra-diffuse galaxy at the end of the tail.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The Low-Redshift Lyman Continuum Survey: The Roles of Stellar Feedback and ISM Geometry in LyC Escape

One of the fundamental questions of cosmology is the origin and mechanism(s) responsible for the reionization of the Universe beyond $z\sim6$. To address this question, many studies over the past decade have focused on local ($z\sim0.3$) galaxies which leak ionizing radiation (Lyman continuum or LyC). However, line-of-sight effects and data quality have prohibited deeper insight into the nature of LyC escape. To circumvent these limitations, we analyze stacks of a consolidated sample of {\it HST}/COS observations of the LyC in 89 galaxies at $z\sim0.3$. From fitting of the continuum, we obtain information about the underlying stellar populations and neutral ISM geometry. We find that most LyC non-detections are not leaking appreciable LyC ($f_{esc}^{\rm LyC}<1$\%) but also that exceptional cases point to spatial variations in the LyC escape fraction $f_{esc}^{\rm LyC}$. Stellar populations younger than 3 Myr lead to an increase in ionizing feedback, which in turn increases the isotropy of LyC escape. Moreover, mechanical feedback from supernovae in 8-10 Myr stellar populations is important for anisotropic gas distributions needed for LyC escape. While mechanical feedback is necessary for any LyC escape, high $f_{esc}^{\rm LyC}$ ($>5$\%) also requires a confluence of young stars and ionizing feedback. A two-stage burst of star formation could facilitate this optimal LyC escape scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The Effect of Radiation and Supernovae Feedback on LyC Escape in Local Star-forming Galaxies

Feedback is widely recognized as an essential condition for Lyman continuum (LyC) escape in star-forming galaxies. However, the mechanisms by which galactic outflows clear neutral gas and dust remain unclear. In this paper, we model the Mg II 2796Å, 2804Å absorption + emission lines in 29 galaxies taken from the Low-z LyC Survey (LzLCS) to investigate the impact of (radiation + mechanical) feedback on LyC escape. Using constraints on Mg$^+$ and photoionization models, we map the outflows' neutral hydrogen content and predict $f_{esc}^{LyC}$ with a multiphase wind model. We measure mass, momentum, and energy loading factors for the neutral winds, which carry up to 10% of the momentum and 1% of the energy in SFR-based deposition rates. We use SED template fitting to determine the relative ages of stellar populations, allowing us to identify radiation feedback dominant systems. We then examine feedback related properties (stellar age, loading factors, etc.) under conditions that optimize feedback efficiency, specifically high star formation rate surface density and compact UV half-light radii. Our findings indicate that the strongest leakers are radiation feedback dominant, lack Mg II outflows, but have extended broad components in higher ionization lines like [O III] 5007Å, as observed by Amorín et al. (2024). In contrast, galaxies experiencing supernovae feedback typically exhibit weaker $f_{esc}^{LyC}$ and show evidence of outflows in both Mg II and higher ionization lines. We attribute these findings to rapid or "catastrophic" cooling in the radiation-dominant systems, which, given the low metallicities in our sample, are likely experiencing delayed supernovae.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Self-Supervised Learning on MeerKAT Wide-Field Continuum Images

Self-supervised learning (SSL) applied to natural images has demonstrated a remarkable ability to learn meaningful, low-dimension representations without labels, resulting in models that are adaptable to many different tasks. Until now, applications of SSL to astronomical images have been limited to Galaxy Zoo datasets, which require a significant amount of pre-processing to prepare sparse images centered on a single galaxy. With wide-field survey instruments at the forefront of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) era, this approach to gathering training data is impractical. We demonstrate that continuum images from surveys like the MeerKAT Galactic Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) can be successfully used with SSL, without extracting single-galaxy cutouts. Using the SSL framework DINO, we experiment with various preprocessing steps, augmentations, and architectures to determine the optimal approach for this data. We train both ResNet50 and Vision Transformer (ViT) backbones. Our models match state-of-the-art results (trained on Radio Galaxy Zoo) for FRI/FRII morphology classification. Furthermore, they predict the number of compact sources via linear regression with much higher accuracy. However, fine-tuning results in similar performance between our models, the state-of-the-art, and open-source models on multi-class morphology classification. Using source-rich crops from wide-field images to train multi-purpose models is an easily scalable approach that significantly reduces data preparation time. For the tasks evaluated in this work, twenty thousand crops is sufficient training data for models that produce results similar to state-of-the-art. In the future, complex tasks like source detection and characterization, together with domain-specific tasks, ought to demonstrate the true advantages of training models with radio astronomy data over natural-image foundation models.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey: Radio continuum properties of low-$z$ Lyman continuum emitters

Sources that leak Lyman-continuum (LyC) photons and lead to the reionisation of the universe are intensely studied using multiple observing facilities. Recently, the Low-redshift LyC Survey (LzLCS) has found the first large sample of LyC emitting galaxies at low redshift ($z\sim 0.3$) with the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The LzLCS sample contains a robust estimate of the LyC escape fraction ($f_\mathrm{esc}^\mathrm{LyC}$) for 66 galaxies spanning a wide range of $f_\mathrm{esc}^\mathrm{LyC}$. Here we, for the first time, aim to study the radio continuum (RC) properties of LzLCS sources and their dependence on $f_\mathrm{esc}^\mathrm{LyC}$. We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array RC observations at C (4-8 GHz), S (2-4 GHz) and L (1-2 GHz) bands for a sub-sample of the LzLCS sources. The radio spectral index ($α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$) spans a wide range from being flat ( $\geq -0.1$) to very steep ($\leq -1.0$). The strongest leakers in our sample show flat $α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$, weak leakers have $α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$ close to normal star-forming galaxies, and non-leakers are characterized by steep $α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$. We argue that a combination of young ages, free-free absorption, and a flat cosmic-ray energy spectrum can altogether lead to a flat $α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$ for strong leakers. Non-leakers are characterized by steep spectra which can arise due to break/cutoff at high frequencies. Such a cutoff in the spectrum can arise in a single injection model of CRs characteristic of galaxies which have recently stopped star formation. Such a relation between $α^{\mathrm{3GHz}}_\mathrm{6GHz}$ and $f_\mathrm{esc}^\mathrm{LyC}$ hints at the interesting role of supernovae, CRs, and magnetic fields in facilitating the escape ( and/or the lack) of LyC photons. (Abridged)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

HI Imaging of a Blueberry Galaxy Suggests a Merger Origin

Blueberry galaxies (BBs) are fainter, less massive, and lower redshift counterparts of the Green pea galaxies. They are thought to be the nearest analogues of the high redshift Lyman Alpha (Ly$α$) emitters. We report the interferometric imaging of HI 21 cm emission from a Blueberry galaxy, J1509+3731, at redshift, z = 0.03259, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We find that this Blueberry galaxy has an HI mass of $M_{\text{HI}} \approx 3\times 10^8 \, M_{\odot}$ and an HI-to-stellar mass ratio $M_{\text{HI}}/M_* \approx$ 2.4. Using SFR estimates from the H$β$ emission line, we find that it has a short HI depletion time scale of $\approx 0.2$ Gyr, which indicates a significantly higher star-formation efficiency compared to typical star-forming galaxies at the present epoch. Interestingly, we find an offset of $\approx 2$ kpc between the peak of the HI 21 cm emission and the optical centre which suggests a merger event in the past. Our study highlights the important role of mergers in triggering the starburst in BBs and their role in the possible leakage of Lyman-$α$ and Lyman-continuum photons which is consistent with the previous studies on BB galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Radio-astronomical Image Reconstruction with Conditional Denoising Diffusion Model

Reconstructing sky models from dirty radio images for accurate source localization and flux estimation is crucial for studying galaxy evolution at high redshift, especially in deep fields using instruments like the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA). With new projects like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), there's a growing need for better source extraction methods. Current techniques, such as CLEAN and PyBDSF, often fail to detect faint sources, highlighting the need for more accurate methods. This study proposes using stochastic neural networks to rebuild sky models directly from dirty images. This method can pinpoint radio sources and measure their fluxes with related uncertainties, marking a potential improvement in radio source characterization. We tested this approach on 10164 images simulated with the CASA tool simalma, based on ALMA's Cycle 5.3 antenna setup. We applied conditional Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DDPMs) for sky models reconstruction, then used Photutils to determine source coordinates and fluxes, assessing the model's performance across different water vapor levels. Our method showed excellence in source localization, achieving more than 90% completeness at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as low as 2. It also surpassed PyBDSF in flux estimation, accurately identifying fluxes for 96% of sources in the test set, a significant improvement over CLEAN+ PyBDSF's 57%. Conditional DDPMs is a powerful tool for image-to-image translation, yielding accurate and robust characterisation of radio sources, and outperforming existing methodologies. While this study underscores its significant potential for applications in radio astronomy, we also acknowledge certain limitations that accompany its usage, suggesting directions for further refinement and research.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Linking Mg II and [O II] spatial distribution to ionizing photon escape in confirmed LyC leakers and non-leakers

The geometry of the neutral gas in and around galaxies is a key regulator of the escape of ionizing photons. We present the first statistical study aiming at linking the neutral and ionized gas distributions to the Lyman continuum (LyC) escape fraction (fesc(LyC)) in a sample of 22 confirmed LyC leakers and non-leakers at z~0.35 using the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (Keck/KCWI) and the Low Resolution Spectrograph 2 (HET/LRS2). Our integral field unit data enable the detection of neutral and low-ionization gas, as traced by Mg II, and ionized gas, as traced by [O II], extending beyond the stellar continuum for 7 and 10 objects, respectively. All but one object with extended Mg II emission also shows extended [O II] emission; in this case, Mg II emission is always more extended than [O II] by a factor 1.3 on average. Most of the galaxies with extended emission are non or weak LyC leakers (fesc(LyC) < 5%), but we find a large diversity of neutral gas configurations around these weakly LyC-emitting galaxies. Conversely, the strongest leakers (fesc(LyC) > 10%) appear uniformly compact in both Mg II and [O II] with exponential scale lengths <1 kpc. We also find a trend between fesc(LyC) and the spatial offsets of the nebular gas and the stellar continuum emission. Moreover, we find significant anti-correlations between the spatial extent of the neutral gas and the [O III]/[O II] ratio, and H$β$ equivalent width, as well as positive correlations with metallicity and UV size, suggesting that galaxies with more compact neutral gas sizes are more highly ionized. The observations suggest that strong LyC emitters do not have extended neutral gas halos and ionizing photons may be emitted in many directions. Combined with high ionization diagnostics, we propose the Mg II, and potentially [O II], spatial compactness are indirect indicators of LyC emitting galaxies at high-redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Rejuvenating Star Formation Activity in an Early-type Dwarf Galaxy, LEDA 1915372, with Accreted HI Gas

We report a rare astrophysical phenomenon, in which an early-type dwarf galaxy (dE), LEDA 1915372, is accreting gas from a nearby star-forming dwarf galaxy, MRK 0689, and is rejuvenating star-formation activity at the center. Both LEDA 1915372 and MRK 0689 have similar brightness of $M_{r}$ = $-$16.99 and $-$16.78 mag, respectively. They are located in a small group environment, separated by a sky-projected distance of 20.27 kpc (up to 70 kpc in three dimension), and have a relative line-of-sight radial velocity of 6 km/s. The observation of 21 cm emission with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope provides strong evidence of interaction between the pair dwarf galaxies in terms of neutral hydrogen (HI) morphology and kinematics. In particular, the HI map reveals that the two galaxies are clearly connected by a gas bridge, and the gas components of both LEDA 1915372 and MRK 0689 share a common direction of rotation. We also find that the HI emission peak deviates from LEDA 1915372 toward its optical blue plume, suggesting a tidal origin of ongoing central star formation. Our findings provide a new path to the formation of blue-cored dEs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Probing galaxy evolution through HI 21-cm emission and absorption: current status and prospects with the Square Kilometre Array

One of the major science goals of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is to understand the role played by atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in the evolution of galaxies throughout cosmic time. The hyperfine transition line of the hydrogen atom at 21-cm is one of the best tools to detect and study the properties of HI gas associated with galaxies. In this article, we review our current understanding of HI gas and its relationship with galaxies through observations of the 21-cm line both in emission and absorption. In addition, we provide an overview of the HI science that will be possible with SKA and its pre-cursors and pathfinders, i.e. HI 21-cm emission and absorption studies of galaxies from nearby to high redshifts that will trace various processes governing galaxy evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Star-forming S0 Galaxies in SDSS-MaNGA: fading spirals or rejuvenated S0s?

We investigate the origin of rare star-formation in an otherwise red-and-dead population of S0 galaxies using spatially resolved spectroscopy. Our sample consists of $120$ low redshift ($z<0.1$) star-forming S0 (SF-S0) galaxies from the SDSS-IV MaNGA DR15. We have selected this sample after a visual inspection of deep images from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys DR9 and the Subaru/HSC-SSP survey PDR3, to remove contamination from spiral galaxies. We also construct two control samples of star-forming spirals (SF-Sps) and quenched S0s (Q-S0s) to explore their evolutionary link with the star-forming S0s. To study star-formation at resolved scales, we use dust-corrected $H_α$ luminosity and stellar density ($Σ_\star$) maps to construct radial profiles of star-formation rate (SFR) surface density ($Σ_{SFR}$) and specific SFR (sSFR). Examining these radial profiles, we find that star-formation in SF-S0s is centrally dominated as opposed to disc dominated star-formation in spirals. We also compared various global (size-mass relation, bulge-to-total luminosity ratio) and local (central stellar velocity dispersion) properties of SF-S0s to those of the control sample galaxies. We find that SF-S0s are structurally similar to the quenched S0s and are different from star-forming spirals. We infer that SF-S0s are unlikely to be fading spirals. Inspecting stellar and gas velocity maps, we find that more than $50\%$ of the SF-S0 sample shows signs of recent galaxy interactions such as kinematic misalignment, counter-rotation, and unsettled kinematics. Based on these results, we conclude that in our sample of SF-S0s, star-formation has been rejuvenated, with minor mergers likely to be a major driver.

astro-ph.GA↗