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V. Casasola

Publications and source records attributed to V. Casasola.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

DustPedia: Multiwavelength Photometry and Imagery of 875 Nearby Galaxies in 42 Ultraviolet--Microwave Bands

The DustPedia project is capitalising on the legacy of the Herschel Space Observatory, using cutting-edge modelling techniques to study dust in the 875 DustPedia galaxies - representing the vast majority of extended galaxies within 3000 km s$^{-1}$ that were observed by Herschel. This work requires a database of multiwavelength imagery and photometry that greatly exceeds the scope (in terms of wavelength coverage and number of galaxies) of any previous local-Universe survey. We constructed a database containing our own custom Herschel reductions, along with standardised archival observations from GALEX, SDSS, DSS, 2MASS, WISE, Spitzer, and Planck. Using these data, we performed consistent aperture-matched photometry, which we combined with external supplementary photometry from IRAS and Planck. We present our multiwavelength imagery and photometry across 42 UV-microwave bands for the 875 DustPedia galaxies. Our aperture-matched photometry, combined with the external supplementary photometry, represents a total of 21,857 photometric measurements. A typical DustPedia galaxy has multiwavelength photometry spanning 25 bands. We also present the Comprehensive & Adaptable Aperture Photometry Routine (CAAPR), the pipeline we developed to carry out our aperture-matched photometry. CAAPR is designed to produce consistent photometry for the enormous range of galaxy and observation types in our data. In particular, CAAPR is able to determine robust cross-compatible uncertainties, thanks to a novel method for reliably extrapolating the aperture noise for observations that cover a very limited amount of background. Our rich database of imagery and photometry is being made available to the community

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Neutral Hydrogen in the Shapley Supercluster Core I: Environmental Effects on Gas Content and Galaxy Evolution

We study the atomic Hydrogen (HI) content of galaxies in the core of the Shapley Supercluster (SSC) at ~ 0.048, using observations from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey and optical data from the Shapley Supercluster Survey (ShaSS) project. Our sample comprises 169 galaxies with HI detections in the dynamically active region of Abell 3558 and SC1329-313. Following the literature, we classify galaxies into star-forming main sequence (SFMS), transition (TZ), and red sequence (RS) populations, and examine how the HI content varies across these populations. Galaxies on the SFMS exhibit an average HI gas fraction offset of 0.038 dex from the gas fraction main sequence, while TZ and RS populations show depleted HI fractions of -0.034 and -0.211 dex. HI depletion timescales span from 6 to 170 Gyr (SFMS-TZ-RS) confirming increasingly inefficient star formation with quenching. Scaling relations between HI mass and stellar mass in the SSC are generally consistent with field samples. The most direct signature of the dense environment of the SSC is the marked predominance of TZ galaxies, in contrast to what is observed in the field-dominated sample of xGASS, where the population is mostly composed of SFMS galaxies. Moreover, the SFMS and RS populations have similar size, again in contrast with field populations. These results suggest that galaxies in the SSC are undergoing environmental quenching through starvation or strangulation, rather than rapid gas stripping. Despite detectable HI reservoirs, many galaxies exhibit long depletion times, indicating reduced gas accretion and inefficient star formation.

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Spatially-resolved interstellar dust properties in the face-on spiral galaxy M 99 as observed by NIKA2

Large dust grains in thermal equilibrium dominate the far-infrared and contribute to the millimetre continuum of star-forming galaxies, but constraining their properties is difficult due to free-free and synchrotron contamination. We study spatial variations in the dust spectral index, mass, and grain properties in the nearby face-on spiral galaxy M 99. We use new 1.15 and 2 mm continuum observations from NIKA2 on the IRAM 30 m telescope (IMEGIN Guaranteed Time Large Programme) combined with multiwavelength data from UV to radio. The infrared-to-radio SED is decomposed into dust, free-free, and synchrotron components using the hierarchical Bayesian code HerBIE. Dust is modelled via a modified blackbody (MBB) with variable millimetre spectral index beta and the THEMIS dust model with fixed beta. We perform spatially-resolved analysis at scales ~1.75 kpc (~25''), covering the centre, spiral arms, and inter-arm regions. MBB fits reveal beta variations from ~1.6-1.7 in diffuse regions to ~2.3-2.5 in dense star-forming areas, likely due to grain coagulation and changes in silicate-to-carbonaceous ratios. Dust masses from variable beta are up to ~4x higher than fixed-beta models, which systematically bias dust-to-stellar and dust-to-gas ratios. The small grain fraction rises from ~10% in the centre to ~15% in the diffuse disc, anti-correlated with the interstellar radiation field; gas-phase metallicity plays a minor role within 8 kpc. Synchrotron spectral index ranges from ~0.6-0.7 in star-forming regions to ~1.2 in the diffuse medium, consistent with cosmic-ray electron ageing.

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High resolution mapping of molecular tori with ALMA

Recent high resolution mapping of the circum-nuclear regions of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) has revealed the existence of geometrically thin nuclear disks, in general randomly oriented with respect to their galaxy hosts. These molecular tori have typical radii of 10~pc, and contain a few 10$^7$ M$_\odot$ of H$_2$, with H$_2$ column densities between 10$^{23}$ and 10$^{25}$ cm$^{-2}$. We mapped two of the most massive of these molecular tori with higher resolution, in order to unveil their morphology and kinematics, their possible warp and clumpiness, and derive their stability and life-time. We used the highest resolution possible with ALMA (16~km baseline) in Band 7, taking into account for mapping CO(3-2) and HCO$^+$(4-3) the compromise between sensitivity and resolution. New features are discovered at the high resolution, obtained with a beam of 0.015\arcsec, equivalent to $\sim$ 1~pc scale, at their $\sim$ 15~Mpc distance. The molecular torus in NGC~613 appears like a ring, depleted in molecular gas near the center. The depletion region is displaced by 3~pc toward the NW from the AGN position, meaning some $m=1$ asymmetry in the torus. The molecular torus in NGC~1672 has a different position angle from previous lower-resolution observations, and is edge-on, revealing a geometrically very thin torus (axis ratio 6.5 to 10), with a clear warp. This confirms that the classical model of a simple geometrically thick dusty torus is challenged by high resolution observations. The nuclear disks appear clumpy, and slightly lopsided. The molecular outflow in NGC~613 is now resolved out. Well inside the sphere of influence of the black holes (BH), we are now able to determine more accurately their mass, for those Seyfert spiral galaxies, in a region of the M-sigma relation where the scatter is maximum.

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Recovering the Dust Mass Budget with PRIMA

Achieving a complete picture of galaxy evolution is a primary goal of extragalactic astrophysics. To accomplish this ambitious task, a wealth of multi-wavelength surveys have been devoted to assess the cosmic evolution of the cold gas and of the stellar mass across cosmic time. In this cosmic census, one elusive component is represented by interstellar dust. In this work, we exploit the IR mission PRIMA (covering wavelengths from 24 $μ$m to 235 $μ$m) to perform a deep survey (1000h on 1 deg$^2$) aimed at estimating the still poorly known dust mass function (DMF) at $z \sim 0.5 - 5$. We consider the spectro-photometric realization of the SPRITZ simulation and we compute the dust masses using single temperature Modified Grey Body functions. We show how PRIMA alone, thanks to its unprecedented sensitivities, will constrain the DMF at $z < 1.5$, in terms of mass and faint-end slope. At $z > 1.5$, we stress the key synergy with current or future sub-millimeter facilities, such as the JCMT/SCUBA-2, AtLAST, LMT and ALMA telescopes, that will allow us to probe the R$-$J regime of PRIMA selected galaxies. Finally, PRIMA, thanks to its large photometric coverage, will be able for the first time to constrain strictly the warm dust properties of a two component dust model.

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Decoding the molecular torus of NGC 1068: Insights into its structure and kinematics from high-resolution ALMA observations

We dissect the kinematics and morphology of the molecular gas within the near-nuclear region of NGC 1068 to understand the mechanisms in the central AGN that might be fueling it, and the impact of its energy output on the surrounding molecular gas. We present high angular and spectral resolution ALMA observations of the HCO$^+$4->3 and CO 3->2 molecular lines in the near-nuclear region of the prototype Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The spatial resolution (1.1~pc) is almost two times better than that of previous works studying the same molecular lines at the same transitions and is the highest resolution achievable with ALMA at these frequencies. Our analysis focuses on moment maps, position-velocity (PV) diagrams, and spectra obtained at the position of the nuclear continuum source, along with a simple kinematic model developed using the 3DBarolo software. Our observations reveal significant asymmetry between the eastern and western sides of the nuclear disc in terms of morphology, velocity, and line intensity. The broad lines seen in the inner 2 pc could be accounted for by either beam smearing or highly turbulent gas in this region. Outside this radius the mean velocities drop to $\pm$30 km/s, which cannot be explained by asymmetric drift. We find low velocity connections extending to 13 pc suggesting interactions with larger scale structures. The CO/HCO$^+$ line ratio at the nucleus reported here are extremely low compared to values in the literature of the same galaxy at lower spatial resolutions.

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CH$_3$OH as a User-Friendly Density Probe: Calibration and Beyond

Almost all the physics of star formation critically depends on the number density of the molecular gas. However, the methods to estimate this key property often rely on uncertain assumptions about geometry, depend on overly simplistic uniform models, or require time-expensive observations to constrain the gas temperature as well. An easy-to-use method to derive n(H2) that is valid under realistic conditions is absent, causing an asymmetry in how accurately this parameter is estimated, and how often dedicated tracers are used, compared to the gas temperature. We propose and calibrate a versatile tool based on CH3OH lines that greatly simplifies the inference of the number density. CH3OH is abundant in both cold and hot gas, and thus it can be applied to a wide variety of scales. Moreover, this tool does not need to be tailored to the specific source properties (e.g. distance, temperature, and mass). We perform RT calculations to investigate the robustness of the line ratios as density probes, also in the presence of density and temperature gradients. We find that the ratios of the (2_K-1_K) band transitions constrain the average n(H2) along the LOS within a factor of 2-3 in the range 5 x 10^4 - 3 x 10^7 cm^-3. The range can be extended down to a few times 10^3 cm^-3, when also using line ratios from the (5_K-4_K) and/or (7_K-6_K) bands. We provide practical analytic formulas and a numerical method for deriving n(H2) and its uncertainty from the line ratios. Thanks to our calibration and analytical recipes, we make the estimate of n(H2) much simpler, with an effort comparable or inferior to deriving Tex, contributing to offsetting the disparity between these two fundamental parameters of the molecular gas. Applying our method to a sub-sample of sources from the ATLASGAL TOP100 we show that the material in the clumps is being compressed, accelerating in the latest stages.

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Ram-pressure stripped radio tails detected in the dynamically active environment of the Shapley Supercluster

We study the radio continuum emission of four galaxies experiencing ram-pressure stripping in four clusters of the Shapley supercluster at redshift z~0.05. Multi-band (235-1367 MHz) radio data, complemented by integral-field spectroscopy, allow us to detect and analyse in detail the non-thermal component both in the galaxy discs and the radio continuum tails. Three galaxies present radio continuum tails which are tens of kiloparsecs long. By deriving the radio spectral index in the inner and outer tails and comparing our findings with the distribution of the extraplanar ionised gas and the results of N-body/hydrodynamical simulations, we demonstrate that these tails are caused by the ram pressure which, together with the ionised gas, sweeps the magnetic field from the galaxy discs. We suggest that the radio continuum emission in these tails can be differently powered by (i) in situ star formation; (ii) relativistic electrons stripped from the disc; (iii) shock excitation or a combination of them. All the ram-pressure stripped galaxies are found in environments where cluster-cluster interactions occurred and/or are ongoing thus strongly supporting the thesis that cluster and group collisions and mergers may locally increase the ram pressure and trigger hydrodynamical interactions between the intracluster medium and the interstellar medium of galaxies.

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The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Dust emission effective radius up to 3 kpc in the Early Universe

Measurements of the size of dust continuum emission are an important tool for constraining the spatial extent of star formation and hence the build-up of stellar mass. Compact dust emission has generally been observed at Cosmic Noon (z~2-3). However, at earlier epochs, toward the end of the Reionization (z~4-6), only the sizes of a handful of IR-bright galaxies have been measured. In this work, we derive the dust emission sizes of main-sequence galaxies at z~5 from the ALPINE survey. We measure the dust effective radius r_e,FIR in the uv-plane in Band 7 of ALMA for seven ALPINE galaxies with resolved emission and we compare it with rest-frame UV and [CII]158$μ$m measurements. We study the r_e,FIR-L_IR scaling relation by considering our dust size measurements and all the data in literature at z~4-6. Finally, we compare our size measurements with predictions from simulations. The dust emission in the selected ALPINE galaxies is rather extended (r_e,FIR~1.5-3 kpc), similar to [CII]158 um but a factor of ~2 larger than the rest-frame UV emission. Putting together all the measurements at z~5, spanning 2 decades in luminosity from L_IR ~ 10^11 L_sun to L_IR ~ 10^13 L_sun, the data highlight a steeply increasing trend of the r_e,FIR-L_IR relation at L_IR< 10^12 L_sun, followed by a downturn and a decreasing trend at brighter luminosities. Finally, simulations that extend up to the stellar masses of the ALPINE galaxies considered in the present work predict a sub-set of galaxies (~25% at 10^10 M_sun < M_star < 10^11 M_sun) with sizes as large as those measured.

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Gas, dust, and the CO-to-molecular gas conversion factor in low-metallicity starbursts

The factor relating CO emission to molecular hydrogen column density, XCO, is still subject to uncertainty, in particular at low metallicity. Here, to quantify XCO at two different spatial resolutions, we exploit a dust-based method together with ALMA 12-m and ACA data and HI maps of three nearby metal-poor starbursts, NGC625, NGC1705, and NGC5253. Dust opacity at 250pc resolution is derived based on dust temperatures estimated by fitting two-temperature modified blackbodies to Herschel PACS data. By using the HI maps, we are then able to estimate dust-to-gas ratios in the atomic-gas dominated regions, and infer total gas column densities and H2 column densities as the difference with HI. Finally, from the ACA CO(1-0) maps, we derive XCO. We use a similar technique with 40 pc ALMA 12-m data for the three galaxies, but instead derive dust attenuation at 40 pc resolution from reddening maps based on VLT/MUSE data. At 250 pc resolution, XCO $\sim$ 10^22 - 10^23 cm^-2 / K.km/s, 5-1000 times the Milky Way value, with much larger values than would be expected from a simple metallicity dependence. Instead at 40 pc resolution, XCO again shows large variation, but is roughly consistent with a power-law metallicity dependence, given the Z $\sim$ 1/3 Zsun metal abundances of our targets. The large scatter in both estimations could imply additional parameter dependence, that we have investigated by comparing XCO with the observed velocity-integrated brightness temperatures, ICO, as predicted by recent simulations. Indeed, larger XCO is significantly correlated with smaller ICO, but with slightly different slopes and normalizations than predicted by theory. Such behavior can be attributed to the increasing fraction of CO-faint H2 gas with lower spatial resolution. This confirms the idea the XCO is multi-variate, depending not only on metallicity but also on CO brightness temperature and beam size.

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Dust emissivity in resolved spiral galaxies

Context: The far-infrared (FIR) and sub-millimeter (submm) emissivity of the Milky Way (MW) cirrus is an important benchmark for dust grain models. Dust masses in other galaxies are generally derived from the FIR/submm using the emission properties of these MW-calibrated models. Aims: We seek to derive the FIR/submm emissivity in nine nearby spiral galaxies to check its compatibility with MW cirrus measurements. Methods: We obtained values of the emissivity at 70 to 500 um, using maps of dust emission from the Herschel satellite and of gas surface density from the THINGS and HERACLES surveys on a scale generally corresponding to 440 pc. We studied the variation of the emissivity with the surface brightness ratio I(250um)/I(500um), a proxy for the intensity of the interstellar radiation field heating the dust. Results: We find that the average value of the emissivity agrees with MW estimates for pixels sharing the same color as the cirrus, namely, for I(250um)/I(500um) = 4.5. For I(250um)/I(500um) > 5, the measured emissivity is instead up to a factor ~2 lower than predicted from MW dust models heated by stronger radiation fields. Regions with higher I(250um)/I(500um) are preferentially closer to the galactic center and have a higher overall (stellar+gas) surface density and molecular fraction. The results do not depend strongly on the adopted CO-to-molecular conversion factor and do not appear to be affected by the mixing of heating conditions. Conclusions: Our results confirm the validity of MW dust models at low density, but are at odds with predictions for grain evolution in higher density environments. If the lower-than-expected emissivity at high I(250um)/I(500um) is the result of intrinsic variations in the dust properties, it would imply an underestimation of the dust mass surface density of up to a factor ~2 when using current dust models.

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The molecular gas properties in local Seyfert 2 galaxies

We present a multi-wavelength study of the molecular gas properties of a sample of local Seyfert 2 galaxies to assess if, and to what extent, the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) can affect the Interstellar Medium (ISM) properties in a sample of 33 local Seyfert 2 galaxies. We compare the molecular gas content (MH2), derived from new and archival low-J CO line measurements of a sample of AGN and a control sample of star-forming galaxies (SFGs). Both the AGN and the control sample are characterised in terms of host-galaxy properties (e.g., stellar and dust masses, Mstar and Mdust, respectively; and star formation rate, SFR). We also investigate the effect of AGN activity onto the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules in the mid-infrared (MIR), a waveband where the dust-reprocessed emission from the obscured AGN contributes the most. The AGN hosted in less massive galaxies (i.e., log(Mstar/Msun)<10.5; log(Mdust/Msun)<7.5) show larger molecular gas content with respect to SFGs matched in stellar and dust mass. When comparing their depletion time(tdep~MH2/SFR), AGN show tdep~0.3-1.0 Gyr, similar to those observed in the control sample of SFGs. Seyfert 2 galaxies show fainter PAH luminosity at increasingly larger dominance of the nuclear activity in the MIR. We find no clear evidence for a systematic reduction of the molecular gas reservoir at galactic scale in Seyfert galaxies with respect to SFGs. This is in agreement with recent studies showing that molecular gas content only is reduced in regions of sub-kpc size, where the emission from the accreting supermassive black hole dominates. Nonetheless, we show that the impact of AGN activity on the ISM is clearly visible as suppression of the PAH luminosity.

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Searching for Anomalous Microwave Emission in nearby galaxies. K-band observations with the Sardinia Radio Telescope

We observed four nearby spiral galaxies (NGC 3627, NGC 4254, NGC 4736 and NGC 5055) in the K band with the 64-m Sardinia Radio Telescope, with the aim of detecting the Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME), a radiation component presumably due to spinning dust grains, observed so far in the Milky Way and in a handful of other galaxies only (most notably, M 31). We mapped the galaxies at 18.6 and 24.6 GHz and studied their global photometry together with other radio-continuum data from the literature, in order to find AME as emission in excess of the synchrotron and thermal components. We only find upper limits for AME. These non-detections, and other upper limits in the literature, are nevertheless consistent with the average AME emissivity from the few detections: it is $ε^\mathrm{AME}_{\mathrm{30~GHz}} = 2.4\pm0.4 \times 10^{-2}$ MJy sr$^{-1}$ (M$_\odot$ pc$^{-2}$)$^{-1}$ in units of dust surface density (equivalently, $1.4\pm0.2 \times 10^{-18}$ Jy sr$^{-1}$ (H cm$^{-2}$)$^{-1}$ in units of H column density). We finally suggest to search for AME in quiescent spirals with relatively low radio luminosity, such as M~31.

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The AGN fuelling/feedback cycle in nearby radio galaxies -- IV. Molecular gas conditions and jet-ISM interaction in NGC3100

This is the fourth paper of a series investigating the AGN fuelling/feedback processes in a sample of eleven nearby low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs). In this paper we present follow-up Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of one source, NGC3100, targeting the $^{12}$CO(1-0), $^{12}$CO(3-2), HCO$^{+}$(4-3), SiO(3-2) and HNCO(6-5) molecular transitions. $^{12}$CO(1-0) and $^{12}$CO(3-2) lines are nicely detected and complement our previous $^{12}$CO(2-1) data. By comparing the relative strength of these three CO transitions, we find extreme gas excitation conditions (i.e. $T_{\rm ex}\gtrsim50$ K) in regions that are spatially correlated with the radio lobes, supporting the case for a jet-ISM interaction. An accurate study of the CO kinematics demonstrates that, although the bulk of the gas is regularly rotating, two distinct non-rotational kinematic components can be identified in the inner gas regions: one can be associated to inflow/outflow streaming motions induced by a two-armed spiral perturbation; the second one is consistent with a jet-induced outflow with $v_{\rm max}\approx 200$ km s$^{-1}$ and $\dot{M}\lesssim 0.12$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. These values indicate that the jet-CO coupling ongoing in NGC3100 is only mildly affecting the gas kinematics, as opposed to what expected from existing simulations and other observational studies of (sub-)kpc scale jet-cold gas interactions. HCO$^{+}$(4-3) emission is tentatively detected in a small area adjacent to the base of the northern radio lobe, possibly tracing a region of jet-induced gas compression. The SiO(3-2) and HNCO(6-5) shock tracers are undetected: this - along with the tentative HCO$^{+}$(4-3) detection - may be consistent with a deficiency of very dense (i.e. $n_{\rm crit} > 10^{6}$ cm$^{-3}$) cold gas in the central regions of NGC3100.

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The mm-to-cm SED of spiral galaxies. Synergies between NIKA2 and SRT instruments

The mm-to-cm range of the Spectral Energy Distribution of spiral galaxies remains largely unexplored. Its coverage is required to disentangle the contribution of dust emission, free-free and synchrotron radiation and can provide constraints on dust models, star-formation rates and ISM properties. We present the case for a synergy between NIKA2 observations of nearby spirals and those from planned and current instrumentation at the Sardinia Radio Telescope, and report on a pilot K-band program to search for Anomalous Microwave Emission, an elusive emission component which is presumably related to dust.

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Black hole feeding and star formation in NGC 1808

We report on Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO(3-2) emission in the Seyfert2/starburst galaxy NGC1808, at a spatial resolution of 4pc. Our aim is to investigate the morphology and dynamics of the gas inside the central 0.5kpc and to probe the nuclear feeding and feedback phenomena. We discovered a nuclear spiral of radius 1"=45pc. Within it, we found a decoupled circumnuclear disk or molecular torus of a radius of 0.13"=6pc. The HCN(4-3) and HCO$\rm^+$(4-3) and CS(7-6) dense gas line tracers were simultaneously mapped and detected in the nuclear spiral and they present the same misalignment in the molecular torus. At the nucleus, the HCN/HCO$^+$ and HCN/CS ratios indicate the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The molecular gas shows regular rotation, within a radius of 400pc, except for the misaligned disk inside the nuclear spiral arms. The computations of the torques exerted on the gas by the barred stellar potential reveal that the gas within a radius of 100pc is feeding the nucleus on a timescale of five rotations or on an average timescale of ~60Myr. Some non-circular motions are observed towards the center, corresponding to the nuclear spiral arms. We cannot rule out that small extra kinematic perturbations could be interpreted as a weak outflow attributed to AGN feedback. The molecular outflow detected at $\geqslant$250pc in the NE direction is likely due to supernovae feedback and it is connected to the kpc-scale superwind.

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A Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission. VESTIGE VIII. Bridging the cluster-ICM-galaxy evolution at small scales

We measure FIR emission from tails of stripped dust following the ionised and atomic gas components in galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping. We study the dust-to-gas relative distribution and mass ratio in the stripped interstellar medium and relate them to those of the intra-cluster medium, thus linking the cluster-ICM-galaxy evolution at small-scales. The galaxy sample consists of three Scd Virgo galaxies with stellar masses in the range $10^9\lesssim \mathrm{M_{*}} \lesssim 10^{10}\, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$, and within 1 Mpc from the cluster centre, namely NGC 4330, NGC 4522, and NGC 4654. Through the analysis of VESTIGE H$α$, $Herschel$ SPIRE far-infrared, and VIVA HI data, we trace the spatial distribution of the tails and infer the dust and gas masses from the measured far-infrared 250 $μ$m and HI flux densities. Dust-to-gas mass ratios (DGRs) in the tails are analysed as a function of the galaxy mass, metallicity, and dust temperature. Along the stripped component, the dust distribution closely follows the HI and H$α$ emitting gas, all extending beyond the optical disc. In these regions, the DGRs are $2.0\pm0.6\times10^{-3}$, $0.7\pm0.1\times10^{-3}$, and $0.4\pm0.03\times10^{-3}$, for NGC 4330, NGC 4522, and NGC 4654, respectively, i.e. up to a factor of 15 less than the values measured in the main body of nearby galaxies. We also find a negative trend in the DGR as a function of the metallicity that can be explained in terms of a dust component more centrally concentrated in more metal-rich systems. Together with the finding that the stripped dust is cold, $T_{d} \lesssim 25\, K$, our results support an outside-in stripping scenario of the galaxy interstellar medium. This study shows that ram pressure stripping is a key mechanism in the building up of the Virgo intra-cluster component injecting dust grains into the ICM, thus contributing to its metal enrichment.

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The Science Case for ALMA Band 2 and Band 2+3

We discuss the science drivers for ALMA Band 2 which spans the frequency range from 67 to 90 GHz. The key science in this frequency range are the study of the deuterated molecules in cold, dense, quiescent gas and the study of redshifted emission from galaxies in CO and other species. However, Band 2 has a range of other applications which are also presented. The science enabled by a single receiver system which would combine ALMA Bands 2 and 3 covering the frequency range 67 to 116 GHz, as well as the possible doubling of the IF bandwidth of ALMA to 16 GHz, are also considered.

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