GASP XIII. Star formation in gas outside galaxies Poggianti, Bianca M; Gullieuszik, Marco; Tonnesen, Stephanie ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
02/2019, Letnik:
482, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Exploiting the data from the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies with MUSE (GASP) program, we compare the integrated star formation rate-mass relation (SFR-M*) relation of 42 cluster galaxies ...undergoing ram-pressure stripping (RPS; "stripping galaxies") to that of 32 field and cluster undisturbed galaxies. Theoretical predictions have so far led to contradictory conclusions about whether or not ram pressure can enhance the star formation (SF) in the gas disks and tails, and until now a statistically significant observed sample of stripping galaxies was lacking. We find that stripping galaxies occupy the upper envelope of the control sample SFR-M* relation, showing a systematic enhancement of the SFR at any given mass. The star formation enhancement occurs in the disk (0.2 dex), and additional SF takes place in the tails. Our results suggest that strong RPS events can moderately enhance the SF also in the disk prior to gas removal.
Within the GASP survey, aimed at studying the effect of ram pressure stripping on star formation quenching in cluster galaxies, we analyze here ALMA observations of the jellyfish galaxy JW100. We ...find an unexpected large amount of molecular gas (∼2.5 × 1010 ), 30% of which is located in the stripped gas tail out to ∼35 kpc from the galaxy center. The overall kinematics of the molecular gas is similar to the one shown by the ionized gas, but for clear signatures of double components along the stripping direction detected only out to 2 kpc from the disk. The line ratio r21 has a clumpy distribution and in the tail can reach large values (≥1), while its average value is low (0.58 with a 0.15 dispersion). All these evidence strongly suggest that the molecular gas in the tail is newly born from stripped H i gas or newly condensed from stripped diffuse molecular gas. The analysis of interferometric data at different scales reveals that a significant fraction (∼40%) of the molecular gas is extended over large scales (≥8 kpc) in the disk, and this fraction becomes predominant in the tail (∼70%). By comparing the molecular gas surface density with the star formation rate surface density derived from the H emission from MUSE data, we find that the depletion time on 1 kpc scale is particularly large (5-10 Gyr) both within the ram-pressure-disturbed region in the stellar disk and in the complexes along the tail.
With MUSE, Chandra, VLA, ALMA, and UVIT data from the GASP program, we study the multiphase baryonic components in a jellyfish galaxy (JW100) with a stellar mass 3.2 × 1011 M hosting an active ...galactic nucleus (AGN). We present its spectacular extraplanar tails of ionized and molecular gas, UV stellar light, and X-ray and radio continuum emission. This galaxy represents an excellent laboratory to study the interplay between different gas phases and star formation and the influence of gas stripping, gas heating, and AGNs. We analyze the physical origin of the emission at different wavelengths in the tail, in particular in situ star formation (related to H , CO, and UV emission), synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons (producing the radio continuum), and heating of the stripped interstellar medium (ISM; responsible for the X-ray emission). We show the similarities and differences of the spatial distributions of ionized gas, molecular gas, and UV light and argue that the mismatch on small scales (1 kpc) is due to different stages of the star formation process. We present the relation H -X-ray surface brightness, which is steeper for star-forming regions than for diffuse ionized gas regions with a high O i/H ratio. We propose that ISM heating due to interaction with the intracluster medium (either for mixing, thermal conduction, or shocks) is responsible for the X-ray tail, observed O i excess, and lack of star formation in the northern part of the tail. We also report the tentative discovery in the tail of the most distant (and among the brightest) currently known ULX, a pointlike ultraluminous X-ray source commonly originating in a binary stellar system powered by either an intermediate-mass black hole or a magnetized neutron star.
The C ii 157.74 μm line is an important coolant for the neutral interstellar gas. Since C ii is the brightest spectral line for most galaxies, it is a potentially powerful tracer of star formation ...activity. In this paper, we present a calibration of the star formation rate (SFR) as a function of the C ii luminosity for a sample of 24 star-forming galaxies in the nearby Universe. This sample includes objects classified as H ii regions or low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions, but omits all Seyfert galaxies with a significant contribution from the active galactic nucleus to the mid-infrared photometry. In order to calibrate the SFR against the line luminosity, we rely on both Galaxy Evolution Explorer far-ultraviolet data, which is an ideal tracer of the unobscured star formation, and MIPS 24 μm, to probe the dust-enshrouded fraction of star formation. In the case of normal star-forming galaxies, the C ii luminosity correlates well with the SFR. However, the extension of this relation to more quiescent (Hα EW ≤ 10 Å) or ultraluminous galaxies should be handled with caution, since these objects show a non-linearity in the
-to-L
FIR ratio as a function of L
FIR (and thus, their star formation activity).
We provide two possible explanations for the origin of the tight correlation between the C ii emission and the star formation activity on a global galaxy-scale. A first interpretation could be that the C ii emission from photodissociation regions (PDRs) arises from the immediate surroundings of star-forming regions. Since PDRs are neutral regions of warm dense gas at the boundaries between H ii regions and molecular clouds and they provide the bulk of C ii emission in most galaxies, we believe that a more or less constant contribution from these outer layers of photon-dominated molecular clumps to the C ii emission provides a straightforward explanation for this close link between the C ii luminosity and SFR. Alternatively, we consider the possibility that the C ii emission is associated with the cold interstellar medium, which advocates an indirect link with the star formation activity in a galaxy through the Schmidt law.
Abstract
Determining which between projected local density and distance from the cluster center plays a major role in regulating morphological fractions in clusters is a longstanding debate. Reaching ...a definitive answer will shed light on the main physical mechanisms at play in the most extreme environments. Here we make use of the data from the OmegaWINGS survey, currently the largest survey of clusters in the local universe extending beyond 2 virial radii from the cluster cores, to extend the previous analysis outside the virial radius. Local density and clustercentric distance seems to play different roles for galaxies of different morphology: the fraction of elliptical galaxies mainly depends on local density, suggesting that their formation was linked to the primordial densities, which now correspond to the cluster cores. Only the fraction of low-mass ellipticals shows an anticorrelation with clustercentric distance, suggesting a different origin for these objects. Excluding elliptical galaxies, the relative fraction of S0s and spirals instead depends on local density only far from the cluster cores, while within the virial radius their proportion is regulated by distance, suggesting that cluster-specific processes halt the star formation and transform Sp galaxies into S0s. This interpretation is supported by literature results on the kinematical analysis of early- and late-type galaxies, according to which fast and slow rotators have distinct dependencies on halo mass and local density.
Abstract
Galaxies inhabit a wide range of environments and therefore are affected by different physical mechanisms. Spatially resolved maps combined with the knowledge of the hosting environment are ...very powerful for classifying galaxies by physical process. In the context of the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies (GASP), we present a study of 27 non-cluster galaxies: 24 of them were selected for showing asymmetries and disturbances in the optical morphology, suggestive of gas stripping; 3 of them are passive galaxies and were included to characterize the final stages of galaxy evolution. We therefore provide a panorama of the different processes taking place in low-density environments. The analysis of VLT/MUSE data allows us to separate galaxies into the following categories: galaxy–galaxy interactions (2 galaxies), mergers (6), ram pressure stripping (4), cosmic web stripping (2), cosmic web enhancement (5), gas accretion (3), and starvation (3). In one galaxy we identify the combination of merger and ram pressure stripping. Only 6/27 of these galaxies have just a tentative classification. We then investigate where these galaxies are located on scaling relations determined for a sample of undisturbed galaxies. Our analysis shows the successes and limitations of a visual optical selection in identifying the processes that deplete galaxies of their gas content and probes the power of IFU data in pinning down the acting mechanism.
Abstract
X-ray studies of jellyfish galaxies play a crucial role in understanding the interactions between the interstellar medium (ISM) and the intracluster medium (ICM). In this paper, we focused ...on the jellyfish galaxy JO201. By combining archival Chandra observations, Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer H
α
cubes, and maps of the emission fraction of the diffuse ionized gas, we investigated both its high-energy spectral properties and the spatial correlation between its X-ray and optical emissions. The X-ray emission of JO201 is provided by both the Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (
L
= 2.7 · 10
41
erg s
−1
, not corrected for intrinsic absorption) and an extended component (
L
1.9–4.5 · 10
41
erg s
−1
) produced by a warm plasma (
kT
keV), whose luminosity is higher than expected from the observed star formation (
L
3.8 · 10
40
erg s
−1
). The spectral analysis showed that the X-ray emission is consistent with the thermal cooling of hot plasma. These properties are similar to the ones found in other jellyfish galaxies showing extended X-ray emission. A point-to-point analysis revealed that this X-ray emission closely follows the ISM distribution, whereas
CLOUDY
simulations proved that the ionization triggered by this warm plasma would be able to reproduce the O
i
/H
α
excess observed in JO201. We conclude that the galactic X-ray emitting plasma originates on the surface of the ISM as a result of the ICM–ISM interplay. This process would entail the cooling and accretion of the ICM onto the galaxy, which could additionally fuel the star formation, and the emergence of O
i
/H
α
excess in the optical spectrum.
ABSTRACT
We present JVLA-C observations of the H i gas in JO204, one of the most striking jellyfish galaxies from the GASP survey. JO204 is a massive galaxy in the low-mass cluster A957 at z = ...0.04243. The H i map reveals an extended 90 kpc long ram-pressure stripped tail of neutral gas, stretching beyond the 30 kpc long ionized gas tail and pointing away from the cluster centre. The H i mass seen in emission is $(1.32\pm 0.13) \times 10^{9} \, \rm M_{\odot }$, mostly located in the tail. The northern part of the galaxy disc has retained some H i gas, while the southern part has already been completely stripped and displaced into an extended unilateral tail. Comparing the distribution and kinematics of the neutral and ionized gas in the tail indicates a highly turbulent medium. Moreover, we observe associated H i absorption against the 11 mJy central radio continuum source with an estimated H i absorption column density of 3.2 × 1020 cm−2. The absorption profile is significantly asymmetric with a wing towards higher velocities. We modelled the H i absorption by assuming that the H i and ionized gas discs have the same kinematics in front of the central continuum source, and deduced a wider absorption profile than observed. The observed asymmetric absorption profile can therefore be explained by a clumpy, rotating H i gas disc seen partially in front of the central continuum source, or by ram pressure pushing the neutral gas towards the centre of the continuum source, triggering the AGN activity.