arXiv subjects

Qinghua Tan

Publications and source records attributed to Qinghua Tan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravitationally Lensed View of DSFG-1 in PLCK G165.7+67.0: Strong Dust Emission and Spatially Resolved Stellar Population Analysis with JWST and SMA

We present a detailed stellar population analysis of the strongly lensed dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG) PLCK G165.7+67.0 DSFG-1 at $z = 2.236$, combining JWST NIRCam imaging with new Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations. This source is multiply imaged into two lensed components: image 1a, with a moderate magnification factor of $\mu \sim 5$, and image 1bc, with an extreme magnification factor of $\mu \sim 40$. The new SMA observations detect significant dust continuum emission at 225GHz and 273GHz, with combined flux densities of $S_{\rm cont}=(1.19\pm0.38)$ mJy in image 1a and $S_{\rm cont}=(10.02\pm0.85)$ mJy in image 1bc, indicating active star formation at sub-kpc scale. Based on the integrated SED modeling, DSFG-1 exhibits a lensing amplification-corrected stellar mass of $M_{\star} = (1.2 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{10} M_{\odot}$, and a star-formation rate (SFR) of $(103 \pm 14) M_{\odot}\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}$, similar to previous $H\alpha$-based results, placing it four times above the star-forming main sequence at this redshift. Its location on the size-mass plane and its morphological properties suggest that the system occupies a transitional phase between star-forming late-type galaxies and compact early-type systems. Together with its elevated star-formation activity, this is consistent with a rapidly evolving galaxy observed during Cosmic Noon. We further investigate the spatially resolved stellar population properties, and found significant spatial variations in stellar age and dust attenuation. These results point to a non-uniform star-formation history and highlight the complex interplay between dust geometry, stellar growth, and gravitational lensing, consistent with a merger scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Revisiting the Origin of the Star-Forming Main Sequence Based on a Volume-Limited Sample of ~25,000 Galaxies

We revisit the extensively debated star-forming main sequence (SFMS)-a tight correlation between the star formation rate and stellar mass in both kiloparsec-resolved and integrated galaxies. We statistically explore the fundamental drivers of star formation at global scales, using a large volume-limited sample of 24,954 local star-forming galaxies to overcome the limitations of previous works. Based on the mid-infrared 12 micron luminosity, stellar mass, and g-r color, we estimate the molecular gas mass for the considered sample. At galaxy-wide scales, we establish global relations between the surface densities of the star formation rate, stellar mass, and molecular gas mass . These global density relations are connected with and follow similar trends as the resolved SFMS, the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation, and the molecular gas main sequence (MGMS). Taking advantage of this large catalog, we show that the scatters in the global KS and MGMS relations are smaller than that of the global relation between the star formation rate surface density and stellar mass surface density, and their Pearson correlation coefficients are higher. More importantly, multivariate regression and partial correlation analyses demonstrate that the apparent correlation between the star formation rate surface density and stellar mass surface density is entirely mediated by the molecular gas surface density, with its best-fit parameters directly derivable from those of the KS and MGMS relations. Overall, our findings suggest that the correlation between stellar mass and molecular gas, as well as that between molecular gas and star formation, are more direct and fundamental. The star-forming main sequence thus appears to be a natural by-product of these two tighter relations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Disclosing Submillimeter Galaxy Formation: Mergers or Secular Evolution?

We analyze the morphology of 125 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) in the PRIMER-COSMOS field using double Sersic modeling on JWST NIRCam images across six bands (F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, F410M and F444W), with SMGs being classified by bulge Sersic index (n_bulge) and bulge-to-total luminosity ratio (B/T). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test between the bright (SFR > 175 M_sun yr^{-1}) and the faint group (SFR < 175 M_sun yr^{-1}) reveals no significant statistical differences in morphology across bands. However, we notice that SMGs skew towards higher B/T ratios and lower n_bulge from shorter to longer wavelengths. In F444W, bright SMGs exhibit higher B/T and lower n_bulge, indicating flatter, disturbed bulges, while faint SMGs show lower B/T and higher n_bulge. Notably, SMGs with higher B/T tend to have low Sersic index, challenging the local universe dichotomy of classical bulges (B/T > 0.5, n > 4) versus pseudo-bulges (B/T < 0.35, n < 2). In the F277W band, non-parametric measurements indicate predominantly disk-dominated patterns, with only 24 percent of SMGs demonstrating merger signatures. After the removal of SMGs with disturbed morphology, the bulge classification scheme in F277W shows pseudo-bulges (21 percent) and clump migration bulges (16 percent) from secular evolution, compared to 4 percent merger-built bulges. Surprisingly, 48 percent of SMGs defy the classification scheme, showing high B/T (approximately 0.7) but low Sersic index (n_bulge <= 1). Bars are confirmed in 7 percent of SMGs. This work suggests that secular evolution takes precedence over major mergers, supporting the idea that isolated evolution fueled by filamentary gas inflow plays a non-negligible role in the SMG bulge formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Noema formIng Cluster survEy (NICE): A Census of Star Formation and Cold Gas Properties in Massive protoclusters at 1.5<z<4

Massive protoclusters at z~1.5-4, the peak of the cosmic star formation history, are key to understanding the formation mechanisms of massive galaxies in today's clusters. However, studies of protoclusters at these high redshifts remain limited, primarily due to small sample sizes and heterogeneous selection criteria. In this work, we conduct a systematic investigation of the star formation and cold gas properties of member galaxies of eight massive protoclusters in the COSMOS field, using the statistical and homogeneously selected sample from the Noema formIng Cluster survEy (NICE). Our analysis reveals a steep increase in the star formation rates per halo mass ($\Sigma_{\rm SFR} /M_{\rm halo}$) with redshifts in these intensively star-forming protoclusters, reaching values one to two orders of magnitude higher than those observed in the field at z>2. We further show that, instead of an enhancement of starbursts, this increase is largely driven by the concentration of massive and gas-rich star-forming galaxies in the protocluster cores. The member galaxies still generally follow the same star formation main sequence as in the field, with a moderate enhancement at the low mass end. Notably, the most massive protocluster galaxies ($M_\star$>8$\times$10$^{10}$M$_\odot$) exhibit higher $f_{\rm gas}$ and $\tau_{\rm gas}$ than their field counterparts, while remaining on the star forming main sequence. These gas-rich, massive, and star-forming galaxies are predominantly concentrated in the protocluster cores and are likely progenitors of massive ellipticals in the center of today's clusters. These results suggest that the formation of massive galaxies in such environments is sustained by substantial gas reservoirs, which support persistent star formation and drive early mass assembly in forming cluster cores.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Overmassive Black holes live in compact galaxies in the early Universe

A significant population of quasars have been found to exist within the first Gyr of cosmic time. Most of them have high black hole (BH) masses ($M_{\rm BH} \sim 10^{8-10} M_{\odot}$) with an elevated BH-to-stellar mass ratio compared to typical local galaxies, posing challenges to our understanding of the formation of supermassive BHs and their coevolution with host galaxies. Here, based on size measurements of [CII] 158$μ$m emission for a statistical sample of $z \sim 6$ quasars, we find that their host galaxies are systematically more compact (with half-light radius $R_{\rm e} \sim 1.6$ kpc) than typical star-forming galaxies at the same redshifts. Specifically, the sizes of the most compact quasar hosts, which also tend to contain less cold gas than their more extended counterparts, are comparable to that of massive quiescent galaxies at $z \sim 4-5$. These findings reveal an intimate connection between the formation of massive BHs and compactness of their host galaxies in the early universe. These compact quasar hosts are promising progenitors of the first population of quiescent galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

FAST Reveals the Extended HI Halo and Accretion Signatures of NGC2683

We present the results of our recent HI observations conducted on the edge-on galaxy NGC2683 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). In comparison to previous observations made by the VLA, FAST has detected a more extensive distribution of HI. Particularly noteworthy is that the detections made by FAST extend approximately four times farther than those of the VLA in the vertical direction from the galactic plane. The total HI flux measured for NGC2683 amounts to $F_{\rm HI} = 112.1\,\rm{Jy\,km\,s^{-1}}$ (equivalent to a total HI mass of $M_{\rm HI} = 2.32 \times 10^9\,{\rm M_\odot}$), which is slightly higher than that detected by VLA. FAST has also identified three dwarf galaxies in close proximity to NGC2683, namely KK69, NGC2683dw1 (hereafter dw1), and NGC2683dw3$?$ (hereafter dw3$?$). dw3$?$ is situated within the extended HI distribution of NGC2683 in projection and lies near the tail of KK69 extending towards NGC2683. These observations suggest that dw3$?$ is likely a result of the accretion process from NGC2683 to KK69. Furthermore, FAST has detected three high-velocity clouds (HVCs), with complex B potentially undergoing accretion with NGC2683. Based on the model from Vollmer et al. 2016 and incorporating the HI halo component, we found that the model with the added HI halo aligns more closely with our FAST observations in NGC2683. The estimated mass of this HI halo is $3 \times 10^8\,{\rm M_\odot}$, constituting approximately 13% of the total HI mass of the galaxy. We suggest that the origination of this HI halo is more likely attributed to external gas accretion.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Clumps as multiscale structures in cosmic noon galaxies

Star-forming clumps have been found to significantly influence the star formation of gas-rich $z>1$ galaxies. Using public data from JWST/NIRCam (COSMOS-Web) and ALMA (FMOS-COSMOS), we study a sample of 32 massive ($>10^{10.5}\,\rm M_{\odot}$) main-sequence galaxies at $z_{\rm spec}\sim1.5$ with $\sim0.3\,\rm kpc$ resolution. We create composite morphological models consisting of bulge, disk, and clumps to fully 'deconstruct' the galaxy images. With the resulting measurements of the flux and size of these components, we find the following: (I)The combined contribution of clumps is $1-30\%$ towards the net star formation rate (SFR) of the host while contributing $1-20\%$ to its stellar mass. The clumps show a correlation between their stellar mass and SFR, but have an increased specific-SFR (sSFR) relative to the star-forming main sequence, with offsets ranging from $0\lesssimΔ\log\rm sSFR\lesssim 0.4$. They feature star formation surface densities of $10^{-2}-10^{2}\,\rm M_{\odot}/yr/kpc^{2}$, consistent with values observed in local star-forming and starburst galaxies. (II)The clumps span a large range of characteristic sizes ($r_{e}\sim0.1-1\,\rm kpc$) and stellar masses ($\sim 10^{8.0-9.5}\,\rm M_{\odot}$). We estimate a mass-size relation ($r_{e}\propto\rm M_{\star}^{\,0.52\pm0.07}$) along with a stellar mass function (slope, $α=-1.85\pm 0.19$), both suggesting a hierarchical nature similar to that expected in star-forming regions in local galaxies. (III)Our measurements agree with the properties of stellar clumps in $z\gtrsim1$ lensed systems, bridging the gap between lensed and unlensed studies by detecting structures at sub-kpc scales.(IV)Clumps are found to be preferentially located along spiral features visible primarily in the residual rest-frame near-IR images. In conclusion, we present an observation-based, coherent picture of star-forming clumps at $z>1$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

NOEMA formIng Cluster survEy (NICE): Characterizing eight massive galaxy groups at $1.5 < z < 4$ in the COSMOS field

The NOEMA formIng Cluster survEy (NICE) is a large program targeting 69 massive galaxy group candidates at $z>2$ in six deep fields. We report spectroscopic confirmation of eight groups at $1.65\leq z\leq3.61$ in COSMOS. Homogeneously selected as significant overdensities of red IRAC sources with red Herschel colors, four groups are confirmed by CO and [CI] with NOEMA 3mm observations, three are confirmed with ALMA, and one is confirmed by H$α$ from Subaru/FMOS. We constructed the integrated FIR SEDs for the eight groups, obtaining total IR SFR $=260-1300~{\rm M_\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$. We adopted six methods to estimate the dark matter masses, including stellar mass to halo mass relations, overdensity with galaxy bias, and NFW profile fitting to radial stellar mass density. We found the radial stellar mass density are consistent with a NFW profile, supporting that they are collapsed structures hosted by a single dark matter halo. The best halo mass estimates are $\log(M_{\rm h}/{\rm M_\odot})=12.8-13.7$ with uncertainty of 0.3 dex. From halo mass estimates, we derive baryonic accretion rate ${\rm BAR}=(1-8)\times10^{3}\,{\rm M_{\odot}/yr}$ for this sample. We find a quasi-linear correlation between the integrated SFR/BAR and the theoretical halo mass limit for cold streams, $M_{\rm stream}/M_{\rm h}$, with ${\rm SFR/BAR}=10^{-0.46\pm0.22}\left({M_{\rm stream}/M_{\rm h}}\right)^{0.71\pm0.16}$ with a scatter of $0.40\,{\rm dex}$. Further, we compare halo masses and stellar masses with simulations, and find all structures are consistent with being progenitors of $M_{\rm h}(z=0)>10^{14}\,{\rm M_{\odot}}$ galaxy clusters, and the most massive central galaxies have stellar masses consistent with brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) progenitors in the TNG300 simulation. The results strongly suggest these structures are forming massive galaxy clusters via baryonic and dark matter accretion.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Noema formIng Cluster survEy (NICE): Discovery of a starbursting galaxy group with a radio-luminous core at z=3.95

The study of distant galaxy groups and clusters at the peak epoch of star formation is limited by the lack of a statistically and homogeneously selected and spectroscopically confirmed sample. Recent discoveries of concentrated starburst activities in cluster cores have opened a new window to hunt for these structures based on their integrated IR luminosities. Hereby we carry out the large NOEMA (NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array) program targeting a statistical sample of infrared-luminous sources associated with overdensities of massive galaxies at z>2, the Noema formIng Cluster survEy (NICE). We present the first result from the ongoing NICE survey, a compact group at z=3.95 in the Lockman Hole field (LH-SBC3), confirmed via four massive (M_star>10^10.5M_sun) galaxies detected in CO(4-3) and [CI](1-0) lines. The four CO-detected members of LH-SBC3 are distributed over a 180 kpc physical scale, and the entire structure has an estimated halo mass of ~10^13Msun and total star formation rate (SFR) of ~4000Msun/yr. In addition, the most massive galaxy hosts a radio-loud AGN with L_1.4GHz, rest = 3.0*10^25W/Hz. The discovery of LH-SBC3 demonstrates the feasibility of our method to efficiently identify high-z compact groups or forming cluster cores. The existence of these starbursting cluster cores up to z~4 provides critical insights into the mass assembly history of the central massive galaxies in clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

CO-CHANGES I: IRAM 30m CO Observations of Molecular Gas in the Sombrero Galaxy

Molecular gas plays a critical role in explaining the quiescence of star formation (SF) in massive isolated spiral galaxies, which could be a result of either the low molecular gas content and/or the low SF efficiency. We present IRAM 30m observations of the CO lines in the Sombrero galaxy (NGC~4594), the most massive spiral at $d\lesssim30\rm~Mpc$. We detect at least one of the three CO lines covered by our observations in all 13 observed positions located at the galactic nucleus and along a $\sim25\rm~kpc$-diameter dusty ring. The total extrapolated molecular gas mass of the galaxy is $M_{\rm H_2}\approx4\times10^{8}\rm~M_\odot$. The measured maximum CO gas rotation velocity of $\approx379\rm~km~s^{-1}$ suggests that NGC~4594 locates in a dark matter halo with a mass $M_{\rm200}\gtrsim10^{13}\rm~M_\odot$. Comparing to other galaxy samples, NGC~4594 is extremely gas poor and SF inactive, but the SF efficiency is apparently not inconsistent with that predicted by the Kennicutt-Schmidt law, so there is no evidence of enhanced SF quenching in this extremely massive spiral with a huge bulge. We also calculate the predicted gas supply rate from various sources to replenish the cold gas consumed in SF, and find that the galaxy must experienced a starburst stage at high redshift, then the leftover or recycled gas provides SF fuels to maintain the gradual growth of the galactic disk at a gentle rate.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Diagnosing deceivingly cold dusty galaxies at 3.5<z<6: a substantial population of compact starbursts with high infrared optical depths

Using NOEMA and ALMA 3mm line scans, we measure spectroscopic redshifts of six new dusty galaxies at 3.5 6, based on template IR spectrum energy distribution (SED) from known submillimeter galaxies at z=4--6. Dust SED analyses explain the photo-z overestimate from seemingly cold dust temperatures (Td) and steep Rayleigh-Jeans (RJ) slopes, providing additional examples of cold dusty galaxies impacted by the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). We therefore study the general properties of the enlarged sample of 10 ``cold" dusty galaxies over 3.5 ~4, together with the severe impact of the CMB on their RJ observables, paving the way for the diagnostics of optically thick dust in the early universe. Conventional gas mass estimates based on RJ dust continuum luminosities implicitly assume an optically thin case, overestimating gas masses by a factor of 2--3 on average in compact dusty star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Dense Gas and Star Formation in Nearby Infrared Bright Galaxies: APEX survey of HCN and HCO+ J=2-1

Both Galactic and extragalactic studies on star formation suggest that stars form directly from dense molecular gas. To trace such high volume density gas, HCN and HCO+ J=1-0 have been widely used for their high dipole moments, relatively high abundances, and often being the strongest lines after CO. However, HCN and HCO+ J=1-0 emission could be arguably dominated by the gas components at low volume densities. HCN J=2-1 and HCO+ J=2-1, with more suitable critical densities and excitation requirements, would trace typical dense gas closely related to star formation. Here we report new observations of HCN J=2-1 and HCO+ J=2-1 towards 17 nearby infrared-bright galaxies with the APEX 12-m telescope. The correlation slopes between luminosities of HCN J=2-1, and HCO+ J=2-1 and total infrared emission are 1.03 +- 0.05 and 1.00 +- 0.05, respectively. The correlations of their surface densities, normalised with the area of radio/sub-millimeter continuum, show even tighter relations (Slopes: 0.99 +- 0.03 and 1.02 +- 0.03). The eight AGN-dominated galaxies show no significant difference from the eleven star-formation dominated galaxies in above relations. The average HCN/HCO+ ratios are 1.15 +- 0.26 and 0.98 +- 0.42 for AGN-dominated and star-formation dominated galaxies, respectively, without obvious dependencies on infrared luminosity, dust temperature, or infrared pumping. The Magellanic Clouds roughly follow the same correlations, expanding to eight orders of magnitude. On the other hand, ultra-luminous infrared galaxies with active galactic nucleus (AGN) systematically lay above the correlations, indicating potential biases introduced by AGNs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Bulge formation inside quiescent lopsided stellar disks: connecting accretion, star formation and morphological transformation in a z ~ 3 galaxy group

We present well-resolved near-IR and sub-mm analysis of the three highly star-forming massive ($>10^{11}\,\rm M_{\odot}$) galaxies within the core of the RO-1001 galaxy group at $\rm z=2.91$. Each of them displays kpc-scale compact star-bursting cores with properties consistent with forming galaxy bulges, embedded at the center of extended, massive stellar disks. Surprisingly, the stellar disks are unambiguously both quiescent, and severely lopsided. Therefore, `outside-in' quenching is ongoing in the three group galaxies. We propose an overall scenario in which the strong mass lopsidedness in the disks (ranging from factors of 1.6 to $>$3), likely generated under the effects of accreted gas and clumps, is responsible for their star-formation suppression, while funnelling gas into the nuclei and thus creating the central starbursts. The lopsided side of the disks marks the location of accretion streams impact, with additional matter components (dust and stars) detected in their close proximity directly tracing the inflow direction. The interaction with the accreted clumps, which can be regarded as minor-mergers, leads the major axes of the three galaxies to be closely aligned with the outer Lyman-$α$-emitting feeding filaments. These results provide the first observational evidence of the impact of cold accretion streams on the formation and evolution of the galaxies they feed. In the current phase, this is taking the form of the rapid buildup of bulges under the effects of accretion, while still preserving massive quiescent and lopsided stellar disks at least until encountering a violent major-merger.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Submillimetre galaxies in two massive protoclusters at z = 2.24: witnessing the enrichment of extreme starbursts in the outskirts of HAE density peaks

Submillimetre galaxies represent a rapid growth phase of both star formation and massive galaxies. Mapping SMGs in galaxy protoclusters provides key insights into where and how these extreme starbursts take place in connections with the assembly of the large-scale structure in the early Universe. We search for SMGs at 850$\,μm$ using JCMT/SCUBA-2 in two massive protoclusters at $z=2.24$, BOSS1244 and BOSS1542, and detect 43 and 54 sources with $S_{850}>4\,$mJy at the $4σ$ level within an effective area of 264$\,$arcmin$^2$, respectively. We construct the intrinsic number counts and find that the abundance of SMGs is $2.0\pm0.3$ and $2.1\pm0.2$ times that of the general fields, confirming that BOSS1244 and BOSS1542 contain a higher fraction of dusty galaxies with strongly enhanced star formation. The volume densities of the SMGs are estimated to be $\sim15-$30 times the average, significantly higher than the overdensity factor ($\sim 6$) traced by H$α$ emission-line galaxies (HAEs). More importantly, we discover a prominent offset between the spatial distributions of the two populations in these two protoclusters -- SMGs are mostly located around the high-density regions of HAEs, and few are seen inside these regions. This finding may have revealed for the first time the occurrence of violent star formation enhancement in the outskirts of the HAE density peaks, likely driven by the boosting of gas supplies and/or starburst triggering events. Meanwhile, the lack of SMGs inside the most overdense regions at $z\sim2$ implies a transition to the environment disfavouring extreme starbursts.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Systematic biases in determining dust attenuation curves through galaxy SED fitting

While the slope of the dust attenuation curve ($δ$) is found to correlate with effective dust attenuation ($A_V$) as obtained through spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, it remains unknown how the fitting degeneracies shape this relation. We examine the degeneracy effects by fitting SEDs of a sample of local star-forming galaxies (SFGs) selected from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey, in conjunction with mock galaxy SEDs of known attenuation parameters. A well-designed declining starburst star formation history is adopted to generate model SED templates with intrinsic UV slope ($β_0$) spanning over a reasonably wide range. The best-fitting $β_0$ for our sample SFGs shows a wide coverage, dramatically differing from the limited range of $β_0<-2.2$ for a starburst of constant star formation. Our results show that strong degeneracies between $β_0$, $δ$, and $A_V$ in the SED fitting induce systematic biases leading to a false $A_V$--$δ$ correlation. Our simulation tests reveal that this relationship can be well reproduced even when a flat $A_V$--$δ$ relation is taken to build the input model galaxy SEDs. The variations in best-fitting $δ$ are dominated by the fitting errors. We show that assuming a starburst with constant star formation in SED fitting will result in a steeper attenuation curve, smaller degeneracy errors, and a stronger $A_V$--$δ$ relation. Our findings confirm that the $A_V$--$δ$ relation obtained through SED fitting is likely driven by the systematic biases induced by the fitting degeneracies between $β_0$, $δ$, and $A_V$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The Merger Dynamics of the Galaxy Cluster Abell 1775: New Insights from Chandra and XMM-Newton for a Cluster Simultaneously Hosting a WAT and a NAT Radio Sources

We present a new study of the merger dynamics of Abell~1775 by analyzing the high-quality Chandra and XMM-Newton archival data. We confirm/identify an arc-shaped edge (i.e., the head) at $\sim48$~kpc west of the X-ray peak, a split cold gas tail that extends eastward to $\sim163$~kpc, and a plume of spiral-like X-ray excess (within about $81-324$~kpc northeast of the cluster core) that connects to the end of the tail. The head, across which the projected gas temperature rises outward from $3.39_{-0.18}^{+0.28}$~keV to $5.30_{-0.43}^{+0.54}$~keV, is found to be a cold front with a Mach number of $\mathcal{M}\sim0.79$. Along the surfaces of the cold front and tail, typical KHI features (noses and wings, etc.) are found and are used to constrain the upper limit of the magnetic field ($\sim11.2~μ$G) and the viscosity suppression factor ($\sim0.01$). Combining optical and radio evidence we propose a two-body merger (instead of systematic motion in a large-scale gas environment) scenario and have carried out idealized hydrodynamic simulations to verify it. We find that the observed X-ray emission and temperature distributions can be best reproduced with a merger mass ratio of 5 after the first pericentric passage. The NAT radio galaxy is thus more likely to be a single galaxy falling into the cluster center at a relative velocity of 2800~$\rm km~s^{-1}$, a speed constrained by its radio morphology. The infalling subcluster is expected to have a relatively low gas content, because only a gas-poor subcluster can cause central-only disturbances as observed in such an off-axis merger.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

The MALATANG Survey: Dense Gas and Star Formation from High Transition HCN and HCO+ maps of NGC253

To study the high-transition dense-gas tracers and their relationships to the star formation of the inner $\sim$ 2 kpc circumnuclear region of NGC253, we present HCN $J=4-3$ and HCO$^+ J=4-3$ maps obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). With the spatially resolved data, we compute the concentration indices $r_{90}/r_{50}$ for the different tracers. HCN and HCO$^+$ 4-3 emission features tend to be centrally concentrated, which is in contrast to the shallower distribution of CO 1-0 and the stellar component. The dense-gas fraction ($f_\text{dense}$, traced by the velocity-integrated-intensity ratios of HCN/CO and HCO$^+$/CO) and the ratio $R_\text{31}$ (CO 3-2/1-0) decline towards larger galactocentric distances, but increase with higher SFR surface density. The radial variation and the large scatter of $f_\text{dense}$ and $R_\text{31}$ imply distinct physical conditions in different regions of the galactic disc. The relationships of $f_\text{dense}$ versus $Σ_\text{stellar}$, and SFE$_\text{dense}$ versus $Σ_\text{stellar}$ are explored. SFE$_\text{dense}$ increases with higher $Σ_\text{stellar}$ in this galaxy, which is inconsistent with previous work that used HCN 1-0 data. This implies that existing stellar components might have different effects on the high-$J$ HCN and HCO$^+$ than their low-$J$ emission. We also find that SFE$_\text{dense}$ seems to be decreasing with higher $f_\text{dense}$, which is consistent with previous works, and it suggests that the ability of the dense gas to form stars diminishes when the average density of the gas increases. This is expected in a scenario where only the regions with high-density contrast collapse and form stars.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Resolved neutral carbon emission in nearby galaxies: [CI] Lines as Total Molecular Gas Tracers

We present maps of atomic carbon [CI](1-0) and [CI](2-1) at a linear resolution ~1kpc scale for a sample of one HII, six LINER, three Seyfert and five starburst galaxies observed with Herschel. We compare spatial distributions of two [CI] lines with that of CO(1-0) emission, and find that both [CI] lines distribute similarly to CO(1-0) emission in most galaxies. We present luminosity ratio maps of L'_[CI](1-0)/L'_CO(1-0), L'_[CI](2-1)/L'_CO(1-0), L'_[CI](2-1)/L'_[CI](1-0) (hereafter R_[CI]) and f_70/f_160. L'_[CI](2-1)/L'_CO(1-0), R_[CI] and f_70/f_160 are centrally peaked in starbursts; whereas remain relatively constant in LINERs, indicating that star-forming activity can enhance carbon emission, especially for [CI](2-1). We explore the correlations between the luminosities of CO(1-0) and [CI] lines, and find that L'_CO(1-0) correlates tightly and almost linearly with both L'_[CI](1-0) and L'_[CI](2-1), suggesting that [CI] lines, similar as CO(1-0), can trace total molecular gas in our resolved galaxies on kpc scales. We investigate the dependence of L'_[CI](1-0)/L'_CO(1-0), L'_[CI](2-1)/L'_CO(1-0) and [CI] excitation temperature T_ex on dust temperature T_dust, and find non-correlation, a weak and modest correlation, respectively. The ratio of L'_[CI](1-0)/L'_CO(1-0) stays smooth distribution in most galaxies, indicating that the conversion factor of [CI](1-0) luminosity to H_2 mass (X_[CI](1-0)) changes with CO(1-0) conversion factor (α_CO) proportionally. Under optically thin and LTE assumptions, we derive a galaxy-wide average carbon excitation temperature T_ex ~ 19.7 \pm 0.5K and an average neutral carbon abundance X[CI]/X[H_2] ~2.5 \pm 1.0 * 10^{-5} in our resolved sample, which is comparable to the usually adopted value of 3*10^{-5}, but ~3 times lower than the carbon abundance in local (U)LIRGs. We conclude that the carbon abundance varies in different galaxy types.

astro-ph.GA↗