arXiv subjects

T. Oosterloo

Publications and source records attributed to T. Oosterloo.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

A dark jet dominates the power output of the stellar black hole Cygnus X-1

Accreting black holes are thought to emit the bulk of their power in the X-ray band by releasing the gravitational potential energy of the infalling matter. At the same time, they are capable of producing highly collimated jets of energy and particles flowing out of the system with relativistic velocities. Here we show that the 10 solar mass black hole in the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 is surrounded by a large-scale (about 5 pc in diameter) ring-like structure that appears to be inflated by the inner radio jet. We estimate that in order to sustain the observed emission of the ring, the jet of Cygnus X-1 has to carry a kinetic power that can be as high as the bolometric X-ray luminosity of the binary system. This result may imply that low-luminosity stellar mass black holes as a whole dissipate the bulk of the liberated accretion power in the form of `dark', radiatively inefficient relativistic outflows, rather than locally in the X-ray emitting inflow.

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arXiv2005

The HIPASS Catalogue: III - Optical Counterparts & Isolated Dark Galaxies

We present the largest catalogue to date of optical counterparts for HI radio-selected galaxies, Hopcat. Of the 4315 HI radio-detected sources from the HI Parkes All Sky Survey (Hipass) catalogue, we find optical counterparts for 3618 (84%) galaxies. Of these, 1798 (42%) have confirmed optical velocities and 848 (20%) are single matches without confirmed velocities. Some galaxy matches are members of galaxy groups. From these multiple galaxy matches, 714 (16%) have confirmed optical velocities and a further 258 (6%) galaxies are without confirmed velocities. For 481 (11%), multiple galaxies are present but no single optical counterpart can be chosen and 216 (5%) have no obvious optical galaxy present. Most of these 'blank fields' are in crowded fields along the Galactic plane or have high extinctions. Isolated 'Dark galaxy' candidates are investigated using an extinction cut of ABj < 1 mag and the blank fields category. Of the 3692 galaxies with an ABj extinction < 1 mag, only 13 are also blank fields. Of these, 12 are eliminated either with follow-up Parkes observations or are in crowded fields. The remaining one has a low surface brightness optical counterpart. Hence, no isolated optically dark galaxies have been found within the limits of the Hipass survey.

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arXiv2005

Extra-planar gas in the spiral galaxy NGC 4559

We present 21-cm line observations of the spiral galaxy NGC 4559, made with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We have used them to study the HI distribution and kinematics, the relative amount and distribution of luminous and dark matter in this galaxy and, in particular, the presence of extra-planar gas. Our data do reveal the presence of such a component, in the form of a thick disk, with a mass of 5.9 x 10^8 Mo (one tenth of the total HI mass) and a mean rotation velocity 25-50 km/s lower than that of the thin disk. The extra-planar gas may be the result of galactic fountains but accretion from the IGM cannot be ruled out. With this study we confirm that lagging, thick HI layers are likely to be common in spiral galaxies.

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arXiv2004

Radio Recombination Lines from Starbursts: NGC 3256, NGC 4945 and the Circinus Galaxy

A renewed attempt to detect radio recombination lines from external galaxies has resulted in the measurement of lines from several bright starburst galaxies. The lines are produced by hydrogen ionized by young, high-mass stars and are diagnostic of the conditions and gas dynamics in the starburst regions without problems of dust obscuration. We present here detections of the lines H91alpha and H92alpha near 8.6 GHz from the starburst nuclei in NGC 3256, NGC 4945, and the Circinus galaxy using the ATCA and VLA. Modelling the line emitting region as a collection of H II regions, we derive the required number of H II regions, their temperature, density, and distribution.

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arXiv2004

Outflows of neutral (and ionized) gas in radio galaxies

Outflows up to 1500 km/s of atomic neutral hydrogen are detected in a growing number of radio galaxies. Outflows with similar velocities are also detected in ionized gas, suggesting a common origin for the extreme kinematics of these two phases of the gas. The high detection rate ofsuch outflows in young (or restarted) radio sources appears to be related to the existence of a dense ISM around these objects. Such a dense ISM can have important consequences for the evolution of the radio source and the galaxy as a whole. Here we summarize the recent results obtained and the characteristics derived so far for these outflows. We also discuss possible mechanisms (e.g. interaction between the radio plasma and the ISM and adiabatically expanding broad emission lines clouds) that can be at the origin of these phenomena.

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arXiv2003

Gas outflows in radio galaxies

We present a summary of our recent results on gas outflows in radio galaxies. Fast outflows (up to 2000 km/s) have been detected both in ionized and neutral gas. The latter is particularly surprising as it shows that, despite the extremely energetic phenomena occurring near an AGN, some of the outflowing gas remains, or becomes again, neutral. These results are giving new and important insights on the physical conditions of the gaseous medium around an AGN.

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arXiv2003

Tidal Remnants and Intergalactic HII Regions

We report the discovery of two small intergalactic HII regions in the loose group of galaxies around the field elliptical NGC 1490. The HII regions are located at least 100 kpc from any optical galaxy but are associated with a number of large HI clouds that are lying along an arc 500 kpc in length and that have no optical counterpart on the Digital Sky Survey. The sum of the HI masses of the clouds is almost 10^10 M_sun and the largest HI cloud is about 100 kpc in size. Deep optical imaging reveals a very low surface brightness counterpart to this largest HI cloud, making this one of the HI richest optical galaxies known (M_HI/L_V~200). Spectroscopy of the HII regions indicates that the abundance in these HII regions is only slightly sub-solar, excluding a primordial origin of the HI clouds. The HI clouds are perhaps remnants resulting from the tidal disruption of a reasonably sized galaxy, probably quite some time ago, by the loose group to which NGC1490 belongs. Alternatively, they are remnants of the merger that created the field elliptical NGC1490. The isolated HII regions show that star formation on a very small scale can occur in intergalactic space in gas drawn from galaxies by tidal interactions. Many such intergalactic small star formation regions may exist near tidally interacting galaxies.

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arXiv2003

The 1000 Brightest HIPASS Galaxies: HI Mass Function and Omega_HI

We present a new accurate measurement of the HI mass function of galaxies from the HIPASS Bright Galaxy Catalog, a sample of 1000 galaxies with the highest HI peak flux densities in the southern hemisphere (Koribalski et al. 2003). This sample spans nearly four orders of magnitude in HI mass (from log M_HI/M_sun=6.8 to 10.6, H0=75) and is the largest sample of HI selected galaxies to date. We develop a bivariate maximum likelihood technique to measure the space density of galaxies, and show that this is a robust method, insensitive to the effects of large scale structure. The resulting HI mass function can be fitted satisfactorily with a Schechter function with faint-end slope alpha=-1.30. This slope is found to be dependent on morphological type, with later type galaxies giving steeper slopes. We extensively test various effects that potentially bias the determination of the HI mass function, including peculiar motions of galaxies, large scale structure, selection bias, and inclination effects, and quantify these biases. The large sample of galaxies enables an accurate measurement of the cosmological mass density of neutral gas: Omega_HI=(3.8 +/- 0.6) x 10^{-4}. Low surface brightness galaxies contribute only 15% to this value, consistent with previous findings.

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arXiv2003

Large-scale HI structures and the origin of radio galaxies

We present the first results of a study aimed to detect large HI structures in radio galaxies. In two of the three cases presented (Coma A and B2 0648+27), the detection of a large amount of HI distributed over several tens of kpc suggests a major merger as origin of the observed system and allows to infer when this merger must have occurred. The situation is less clear for the third object (3C 433). We propose an evolutionary sequence for one of the radio galaxies studied. The implications of this study of neutral hydrogen in nearby radio galaxies for high-z objects and ``normal'' (i.e. radio-quiet) elliptical galaxies are also discussed.

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arXiv2002

The impact of the early stages of radio source evolution on the ISM of the host galaxies

The study of both neutral and ionized gas in young radio sources is providing key information on the effect the radio plasma has on the ISM of these objects. We present results obtained for the compact radio sources PKS1549-79, 4C12.50 and PKS1814-63 and for the intermediate-size radio galaxy 3C459. At least in the first two, low ionisation optical emission lines and HI absorption appear to be associated with the extended, but relatively quiescent, dusty cocoon surrounding the nucleus. The [OIII] lines are, on the other hand, mostly associated with the region of interaction between the radio plasma and the ISM, indicating a fast outflow from the canter. A case of fast outflow (up to ~1000 km/s) is also observed in HI in the radio source 4C12.50. As the radio source evolves, any obscuring material along the radio axis is swept aside until, eventually, cavities (of the same kind as observed e.g. in Cygnus A) are hollowed out on either side of the nucleus. We may witness this phase in the evolution of a radio source in the radio galaxy 3C459.

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arXiv2001

Emission line outflows in PKS1549-79: the effects of the early stages of radio source evolution?

We present new spectroscopic observations of the southern radio galaxy PKS1549-79 (z =0.152).Despite the flat spectrum character of the radio emission from this source, our optical spectra show no sign of the broad permitted lines and non-stellar continuum characteristic of quasar nuclei and broad line radio galaxies. However, the high ionization forbidden lines, including [OIII]5007,4959, are unusually broad for a narrow line radio galaxy (FWHM 1350 km/s), and are blueshifted by 600 km/s relative to the low ionization lines such as[OII]3726,3729. The [OII] lines are also considerably narrower (FWHM 650 km/s) than the [OIII] lines, and have a redshift consistent with that of the recently-detected HI 21cm absorption line system. Whereas the kinematics of the [OIII] emission lines are consistent with outflow in an inner narrow line region, the properties of the [OII] emission lines suggest that they are emitted by a more extended and quiescent gaseous component. We argue that, given the radio properties of the source, our line of sight is likely to be lying close to the direction of bulk outflow of the radio jets. In this case it is probable that the quasar nucleus is entirely obscured at optical wavelengths by the material responsible for the HI absorption line system.The unusually broad [OIII] emission lines suggest that the radio source is intrinsically compact. Overall, our data are consistent the idea that PKS1549-79 is a radio source in an early stage of evolution.

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arXiv2001

HIPASS Detection of an Intergalactic Gas Cloud in the NGC 2442 Group

We report the discovery, from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), of a gas cloud associated with the asymmetric spiral galaxy NGC 2442. This object, designated HIPASS J0731-69, contains ~10^9 M_sun of HI, or nearly one-third as much atomic gas as NGC 2442 itself. No optical counterpart to any part of HIPASS J0731-69 has yet been identified, consistent with the gas being diffuse, and with its stream-like kinematics. If the gas in HIPASS J0731-69 was once part of NGC 2442, then it was most likely a fairly recent tidal encounter with a moderately massive companion which tore it loose, although the possibility of ram-pressure stripping cannot be ruled out. This discovery highlights the potential of the HIPASS data for yielding new clues to the nature of some of the best-known galaxies in the local universe.

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arXiv2000

HI gas disks in elliptical galaxies

We discuss a class of low-luminosity E/S0 galaxies which have both HI disks and (in contrast to more luminous E/S0s with HI) ongoing star formation. We suggest that such objects are common, but that only a few are known at present because optical magnitude-limited galaxy catalogues are biased against them. The HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) should eventually detect many more. We suggest that `boxy' and `disky' ellipticals are distinct not only in their structure and kinematics, but in their star-formation history.

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arXiv2000

HI in Early-Type Galaxies

We briefly discuss the main differences between the HI properties of luminous and low-luminosity early-type galaxies. In luminous early-type galaxies the HI is often irregularly distributed, but in a few cases regular HI disks, of low surface density, are seen. In low-luminosity galaxies, the HI is more often in a disk with high central surface densities. This suggests a different evolution of the gas in these two groups of galaxies.

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arXiv2000

Neutral and ionized gas distribution in and around the radio galaxy Coma A

HI absorption has been detected with the WSRT against both lobes of the radio galaxy Coma A. This radio galaxy could be expanding in a particularly gas rich environment, perhaps the result from interactions/mergers between the dominant giant galaxy (associated with the radio galaxy) and less massive galaxies in the same group.

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arXiv2000

An Extragalactic HI Cloud with No Optical Counterpart?

We report the discovery, from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), of an isolated cloud of neutral hydrogen which we believe to be extragalactic. The HI mass of the cloud (HIPASS J1712-64) is very low, 1.7 x 10^7 Msun, using an estimated distance of ~3.2 Mpc. Most significantly, we have found no optical companion to this object to very faint limits (mu(B)~ 27 mag arcsec^-2). HIPASS J1712-64 appears to be a binary system similar to, but much less massive than, HI 1225+01 (the Virgo HI Cloud) and has a size of at least 15 kpc. The mean velocity dispersion, measured with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), is only 4 km/s for the main component and because of the weak or non-existent star-formation, possibly reflects the thermal linewidth (T<2000 K) rather than bulk motion or turbulence. The peak column density for HIPASS J1712-64, from the combined Parkes and ATCA data, is only 3.5 x 10^19 cm^-2, which is estimated to be a factor of two below the critical threshold for star formation. Apart from its significantly higher velocity, the properties of HIPASS J1712-64 are similar to the recently recognised class of Compact High Velocity Clouds. We therefore consider the evidence for a Local Group or Galactic origin, although a more plausible alternative is that HIPASS J1712-64 was ejected from the interacting Magellanic Cloud/Galaxy system at perigalacticon ~ 2 x 10^8 yr ago.

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arXiv1999

HI in four star-forming low-luminosity E/S0 and S0 galaxies

We present HI data cubes of four low-luminosity early-type galaxies which are currently forming stars. These galaxies have absolute magnitudes in the range M_B=-17.9 to -19.9 (H_o=50 km/s/Mpc). Their HI masses range between a few times 10^8 and a few times 10^9 M_sun and the corresponding values for M_HI/L_B are between 0.07 and 0.42, so these systems are HI rich for their morphological type. In all four galaxies, the HI is strongly centrally concentrated with high central HI surface densities, in contrast to what is typically observed in more luminous early-type galaxies. In two galaxies (NGC 802 and ESO 118-G34), the kinematics of the HI suggests that the gas is in a strongly warped disk, which we take as evidence for recent accretion of HI. In the other two galaxies (NGC 2328 and ESO 027-G21) the HI must have been part of the systems for a considerable time. The HI properties of low-luminosity early-type galaxies appear to be systematically different from those of many more luminous early-type galaxies, and we suggest that these differences are due to a different evolution of the two classes. The star formation history of these galaxies remains unclear. Their UBV colours and Halpha emission-line strengths are consistent with having formed stars at a slowly-declining rate for most of the past 10^10 years. However, the current data do not rule out a small burst of recent star formation overlaid on an older stellar population.

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arXiv1999

The radio structures of southern 2-Jy radio sources: new ATCA and VLA radio images

We present new radio images obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Very Large Array (VLA) for a group of 14 galaxies belonging to the 2-Jy sample of radio sources. The new images improve the data already available on these objects and, in general, the database that we are building up on the sample. They will also be used for follow-up work where radio-optical comparison will be done. We briefly discuss the core dominance parameter (R) for the objects for which the new data have given new information and, in particular, for broad line radio galaxies (BLRG). One of the BLRG does not show a core, even at 3 cm, and this is at variance with the general tendency of BLRG to have relatively strong cores. The depolarization is also discussed for a group of small double-lobed radio galaxies.

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