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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Embedded Star Formation In S4g Galaxy Dust Lanes., Debra M. Elmegreen, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Johan H. Knapen, Yaron Teich, Mark Popinchalk, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Yuri N. Efremov, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Heikki Salo, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth Jan 2014

Embedded Star Formation In S4g Galaxy Dust Lanes., Debra M. Elmegreen, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Johan H. Knapen, Yaron Teich, Mark Popinchalk, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Yuri N. Efremov, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Heikki Salo, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth

Faculty Scholarship

Star-forming regions that are visible at 3.6 μm and Hα but not in the u, g, r, i, z bands of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are measured in five nearby spiral galaxies to find extinctions averaging ∼3.8 mag and stellar masses averaging ∼5 × 104 M. These regions are apparently young star complexes embedded in dark filamentary shock fronts connected with spiral arms. The associated cloud masses are ∼107 M. The conditions required to make such complexes are explored, including gravitational instabilities in spiral-shocked gas and compression of incident clouds. We find that instabilities are too slow for a …


Constraining The Age Of The Ngc 4565 Hi Disk Warp : Determining The Origin Of Gas Warps., David J. Radburn-Smith, Roelof S. De Jong, David Streich, Eric F. Bell, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Andrew E. Dolphin, Adrienne M. Stilp, Antonela Monachesi, Benne W. Holwerda, Jeremy Bailin Jan 2014

Constraining The Age Of The Ngc 4565 Hi Disk Warp : Determining The Origin Of Gas Warps., David J. Radburn-Smith, Roelof S. De Jong, David Streich, Eric F. Bell, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Andrew E. Dolphin, Adrienne M. Stilp, Antonela Monachesi, Benne W. Holwerda, Jeremy Bailin

Faculty Scholarship

We have mapped the distribution of young and old stars in the gaseous H i warp of NGC 4565. We find a clear correlation of young stars (< 600 Myr) with the warp but no coincident old stars (> 1 Gyr), which places an upper limit on the age of the structure. The formation rate of the young stars, which increased ∼ 300 Myr ago relative to the surrounding regions, is (6.3+2.5 −1.5) × 10−5 M yr−1 kpc−2. This implies a ∼ 60 ± 20 Gyr depletion time of the H i warp, similar to the timescales calculated for the outer H i disks of nearby spiral galaxies. While some stars …


Ghosts I : A New Faint Very Isolated Dwarf Galaxy At D = 12 ± 2 Mpc., Antonela Monachesi, Eric F. Bell, David J. Radburn-Smith, Roelof S. De Jong, Jeremy Bailin, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Benne W. Holwerda, H. Alyson Ford, David Streich, Marija Vlajic, Daniel B. Zucker Jan 2014

Ghosts I : A New Faint Very Isolated Dwarf Galaxy At D = 12 ± 2 Mpc., Antonela Monachesi, Eric F. Bell, David J. Radburn-Smith, Roelof S. De Jong, Jeremy Bailin, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Benne W. Holwerda, H. Alyson Ford, David Streich, Marija Vlajic, Daniel B. Zucker

Faculty Scholarship

We report the discovery of a new faint dwarf galaxy, GHOSTS I, using HST/ACS data from one of our GHOSTS (Galaxy Halos, Outer disks, Substructure, Thick disk, and Star clusters) fields. Its detected individual stars populate an approximately 1 mag range of its luminosity function (LF). Using synthetic color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) to compare with the galaxy’s CMD, we find that the colors and magnitudes of GHOSTS I’s individual stars are most consistent with being young helium-burning and asymptotic giant branch stars at a distance of ∼12±2 Mpc. Morphologically, GHOSTS I appears to be actively forming stars, so we tentatively classify …


X-Ray Nuclear Activity In S4g Barred Galaxies : No Link Between Bar Strength And Co-Occurrent Supermassive Black Hole Fueling., Mauricio Cisternas, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Johan H. Knapen, Taehyun Kim, Simon Diaz-Garcia, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Omaira Gonzalez-Martin, Luis C. Ho, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Dennis Zaritsky, Kartik Sheth, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Benne W. Holwerda, Jarkko Laine, Sharon Meidt, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Mark Seibert Oct 2013

X-Ray Nuclear Activity In S4g Barred Galaxies : No Link Between Bar Strength And Co-Occurrent Supermassive Black Hole Fueling., Mauricio Cisternas, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Johan H. Knapen, Taehyun Kim, Simon Diaz-Garcia, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Omaira Gonzalez-Martin, Luis C. Ho, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Dennis Zaritsky, Kartik Sheth, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Benne W. Holwerda, Jarkko Laine, Sharon Meidt, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Mark Seibert

Faculty Scholarship

Stellar bars can lead to gas inflow toward the center of a galaxy and stimulate nuclear star formation. However, there is no compelling evidence on whether they also feed a central supermassive black hole: by measuring the fractions of barred active and inactive galaxies, previous studies have yielded conflicting results. In this paper, we aim to understand the lack of observational evidence for bar-driven active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity by studying a sample of 41 nearby (d < 35 Mpc) barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey for Stellar Structure in Galaxies. We use Chandra observations to measure nuclear 2–10 keV X-ray luminosities and estimate Eddington ratios, together with Spitzer 3.6 μm imaging to quantify the strength of the stellar bar in two independent ways: (1) from its structure, as traced by its ellipticity and boxiness, and (2) from its gravitational torque Qb, taken as the maximum ratio of the tangential force to the mean background radial force. In this way, rather than discretizing the presence of both stellar bars and nuclear activity, we are able to account for the continuum of bar strengths and degrees of AGN activity. We find nuclear X-ray sources in 31 out of 41 galaxies with median X-ray luminosity and Eddington ratio of LX = 4.3×1038 erg s−1 and Lbol/LEdd = 6.9×10−6, respectively, consistent with low-luminosity AGN activity. Including upper limits for those galaxies without nuclear detections, we find no significant correlation between any of the bar strength indicators and the degree of nuclear activity, irrespective of galaxy luminosity, stellar mass, Hubble type, or bulge size. Strong bars do not favor brighter or more efficient nuclear activity, implying that at least for the low-luminosity regime, supermassive black hole fueling is not closely connected to large-scale features.


Quantified H I Morphology – Vii. Star Formation And Tidal Influence On Local Dwarf H I Morphology., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, S. -L. Blyth Oct 2013

Quantified H I Morphology – Vii. Star Formation And Tidal Influence On Local Dwarf H I Morphology., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, S. -L. Blyth

Faculty Scholarship

Scale-invariant morphology parameters applied to atomic hydrogen maps (H i) of galaxies can be used to quantify the effects of tidal interaction or star formation on the interstellar matter (ISM). Here we apply these parameters, concentration, asymmetry, smoothness, Gini, M20, and the GM parameter, to two public surveys of nearby dwarf galaxies, the Very Large Array-ANGST and Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes-The H i Nearby Galaxy Survey, to explore whether tidal interaction or the ongoing or past star formation is a dominant force shaping the H i disc of these dwarfs. Previously, H i morphological criteria were identified for …


The Occulting Galaxy Pair Ugc 3995 : Dust Properties From Hst And Califa Data., Benne W. Holwerda, W. C. Keel Aug 2013

The Occulting Galaxy Pair Ugc 3995 : Dust Properties From Hst And Califa Data., Benne W. Holwerda, W. C. Keel

Faculty Scholarship

UGC 3995 is an interacting and occulting galaxy pair. UGC 3995B is a foreground face-on spiral and UGC 3995A a bright background spiral with an AGN. We present analysis of the dust in the disc of UGC 3995B based on archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 and PPAK IFU data from the CALIFA survey’s first data release. From the HST F606W image, we construct an extinction map by modeling the isophotes of the background galaxy UGC 3995A and the resulting transmission through UGC 3995B. This extinction map of UGC 3995B shows several distinct spiral extinction features. The radial distribution of …


Herschel Observations Of Edge-On Spirals (Heroes) I. Far-Infrared Morphology And Dust Mass Determination., J. Verstappen, J. Fritz, M. Baes, M. W. L. Smith, F. Allaert, S. Bianchi, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, G. De Geyter, I. De Looze, G. Gentile, K. D. Gordon, Benne W. Holwerda, S. Viaene, E. M. Xilouris Aug 2013

Herschel Observations Of Edge-On Spirals (Heroes) I. Far-Infrared Morphology And Dust Mass Determination., J. Verstappen, J. Fritz, M. Baes, M. W. L. Smith, F. Allaert, S. Bianchi, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, G. De Geyter, I. De Looze, G. Gentile, K. D. Gordon, Benne W. Holwerda, S. Viaene, E. M. Xilouris

Faculty Scholarship

Context. Edge-on spiral galaxies with prominent dust lanes provide us with an excellent opportunity to study the distribution and properties of the dust within them. The HEROES project was set up to observe a sample of seven large edge-on galaxies across various wavelengths for this investigation. Aims. Within this first paper, we present the Herschel observations and perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis on them, and we derive some global properties of the far infrared and submillimetre emission. Methods. We determine horizontal and vertical profiles from the Herschel observations of the galaxies in the sample and describe the morphology. Modified …


On The Origin Of Lopsidedness In Galaxies As Determined From The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Dennis Zaritsky, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, Debra M. Elmegreen, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Johan H. Knapen, Jarkko Laine, Seppo Laine, Barry F. Madore, Sharon Meidt, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth Aug 2013

On The Origin Of Lopsidedness In Galaxies As Determined From The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Dennis Zaritsky, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, Debra M. Elmegreen, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Johan H. Knapen, Jarkko Laine, Seppo Laine, Barry F. Madore, Sharon Meidt, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth

Faculty Scholarship

We study the m = 1 distortions (lopsidedness) in the stellar components of 167 nearby galaxies that span a wide range of morphologies and luminosities. We confirm the previous findings of (1) a high incidence of lopsidedness in the stellar distributions, (2) increasing lopsidedness as a function of radius out to at least 3.5 exponential scale lengths, and (3) greater lopsidedness, over these radii, for galaxies of later type and lower surface brightness. Additionally, the magnitude of the lopsidedness (1) correlates with the character of the spiral arms (stronger arm patterns occur in galaxies with less lopsidedness), (2) is not …


Emission-Line Galaxies From The Hubble Space Telescope Probing Evolution And Reionization Spectroscopically (Pears) Grism Survey. Ii. The Complete Sample., N. Pirzkal, Barry Rothberg, Chun Ly, Sangeeta Malhotra, James E. Rhoads, Norman A. Grogin, Tomas Dahlen, Kai G. Noeske, Gerhardt R. Meurer, Jeremy R. Walsh, Nimish P. Hathi, Seth H. Cohen, Andrea Bellini, Benne W. Holwerda, Amber N. Straughn, Matthew Mechtley, Rogier A. Windhorst Jul 2013

Emission-Line Galaxies From The Hubble Space Telescope Probing Evolution And Reionization Spectroscopically (Pears) Grism Survey. Ii. The Complete Sample., N. Pirzkal, Barry Rothberg, Chun Ly, Sangeeta Malhotra, James E. Rhoads, Norman A. Grogin, Tomas Dahlen, Kai G. Noeske, Gerhardt R. Meurer, Jeremy R. Walsh, Nimish P. Hathi, Seth H. Cohen, Andrea Bellini, Benne W. Holwerda, Amber N. Straughn, Matthew Mechtley, Rogier A. Windhorst

Faculty Scholarship

We present a full analysis of the Probing Evolution And Reionization Spectroscopically (PEARS) slitess grism spectroscopic data obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board Hubble Space Telescope. PEARS covers fields within both the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) North and South fields, making it ideal as a random survey of galaxies, as well as the availability of a wide variety of ancillary observations complemented by the spectroscopic results. Using the PEARS data, we are able to identify star-forming galaxies (SFGs) within the redshift volume 0 < z < 1.5. Star-forming regions in the PEARS survey are pinpointed independently of the host galaxy. This method allows us to detect the presence of multiple emission-line regions (ELRs) within a single galaxy. We identified a total of 1162 Hα, [O iii], and/or [O ii] emission lines in the PEARS sample of 906 galaxies to a limiting flux of ∼10−18 erg s−1 cm−2. The ELRs have also been compared to the properties of the host galaxy, including morphology, luminosity, and mass. From this analysis, we find three key results: (1) the computed line luminosities show evidence of a flattening in the luminosity function with increasing redshift; (2) the star-forming systems show evidence of complex morphologies with star formation occurring predominantly within one effective (half-light) radius. However, the morphologies show no correlation with host stellar mass. (3) Also, the number density of SFGs with M∗ 109 M decreases by an order of magnitude at z 0.5 relative to the number at 0.5 < z < 0.9, supporting the argument of galaxy downsizing.


The Impact Of Bars On Disk Breaks As Probed By S4g Imaging., Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Kartik Sheth, Armando Gil De Paz, Sharon Meidt, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Debra M. Elmegreen, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Thomas H. Jarrett, Taehyun Kim, Johan H. Knapen, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Barry F. Madore, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Michael Regan, Heikki Salo, Eva Schinnerer, Mark Seibert, Ramin Skibba, Dennis Zaritsky Jul 2013

The Impact Of Bars On Disk Breaks As Probed By S4g Imaging., Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Kartik Sheth, Armando Gil De Paz, Sharon Meidt, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Debra M. Elmegreen, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Thomas H. Jarrett, Taehyun Kim, Johan H. Knapen, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Barry F. Madore, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Michael Regan, Heikki Salo, Eva Schinnerer, Mark Seibert, Ramin Skibba, Dennis Zaritsky

Faculty Scholarship

We have analyzed the radial distribution of old stars in a sample of 218 nearby face-on disks, using deep 3.6μm images from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. In particular, we have studied the structural properties of those disks with a broken or down-bending profile. We find that, on average, disks with a genuine single-exponential profile have a scale length and a central surface brightness which are intermediate to those of the inner and outer components of a down-bending disk with the same total stellar mass. In the particular case of barred galaxies, the ratio between the break …


Vlt/Vimos Observations Of An Occulting Galaxy Pair : Redshifts And Effective Extinction Curve., Benne W. Holwerda, T. Boker, J. J. Dalcanton, W. C. Keel, R. S. De Jong Jun 2013

Vlt/Vimos Observations Of An Occulting Galaxy Pair : Redshifts And Effective Extinction Curve., Benne W. Holwerda, T. Boker, J. J. Dalcanton, W. C. Keel, R. S. De Jong

Faculty Scholarship

We present Very Large Telescope/Visible Multiobject Spectrograph Integral Field Unit observations of an occulting galaxy pair previously discovered in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations. The foreground galaxy is a low-inclination spiral disc, which causes clear attenuation features seen against the bright bulge and disc of the background galaxy. We find redshifts of z = 0.064 ± 0.003 and 0.065 for the foreground and background galaxy, respectively. This relatively small difference does not rule out gravitational interaction between the two galaxies. Emission line ratios point to a star-forming, not active galactic nuclei dominated foreground galaxy. We fit the Cardelli, Clayton and …


Testing Galaxy Formation Models With The Ghosts Survey : The Color Profile Of M81'S Stellar Halo., Antonela Monachesi, Eric F. Bell, David J. Radburn-Smith, Marija Vlajic, Roelof S. De Jong, Jeremy Bailin, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Benne W. Holwerda, David Streich Apr 2013

Testing Galaxy Formation Models With The Ghosts Survey : The Color Profile Of M81'S Stellar Halo., Antonela Monachesi, Eric F. Bell, David J. Radburn-Smith, Marija Vlajic, Roelof S. De Jong, Jeremy Bailin, Julianne J. Dalcanton, Benne W. Holwerda, David Streich

Faculty Scholarship

We study the properties of the stellar populations in M81’s outermost part, which hereafter we will call the stellar halo, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys observations of 19 fields from the GHOSTS survey. The observed fields probe the stellar halo out to a projected distance of ∼50 kpc from the galactic center. Each field was observed in both F606W and F814W filters. The 50% completeness levels of the color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are typically at 2 mag below the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB). Fields at distances closer than 15 kpc show evidence of disk-dominated …


The Opacity Of Spiral Galaxy Disks : Ix. Dust And Gas Surface Densities., Benne W. Holwerda, R. J. Allen, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, R. A. Gonzalez-Lopezlira, P. C. Van Der Kruit, A. Leroy Mar 2013

The Opacity Of Spiral Galaxy Disks : Ix. Dust And Gas Surface Densities., Benne W. Holwerda, R. J. Allen, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, R. A. Gonzalez-Lopezlira, P. C. Van Der Kruit, A. Leroy

Faculty Scholarship

Our aim is to explore the relation between gas, atomic and molecular, and dust in spiral galaxies. Gas surface densities are from atomic hydrogen and CO line emission maps. To estimate the dust content, we use the disk opacity as inferred from the number of distant galaxies identified in twelve HST/WFPC2 fields of ten nearby spiral galaxies. The observed number of distant galaxies is calibrated for source confusion and crowding with artificial galaxy counts and here we verify our results with sub-mm surface brightnesses from archival Herschel-SPIRE data. We find that the opacity of the spiral disk does not correlate …


Galaxy Zoo : A Catalog Of Overlapping Galaxy Pairs For Dust Studies., William C. Keel, Anna M. Manning, Benne W. Holwerda, Massimo Mezzoprete, Chris J. Lintott, Kevin Schawinski, Pamela Gay, Karen L. Masters Jan 2013

Galaxy Zoo : A Catalog Of Overlapping Galaxy Pairs For Dust Studies., William C. Keel, Anna M. Manning, Benne W. Holwerda, Massimo Mezzoprete, Chris J. Lintott, Kevin Schawinski, Pamela Gay, Karen L. Masters

Faculty Scholarship

Analysis of galaxies with overlapping images offers a direct way to probe the distribution of dust extinction and its effects on the background light. We present a catalog of 1990 such galaxy pairs selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by volunteers of the Galaxy Zoo project. We highlight subsamples which are particularly useful for retrieving such properties of the dust distribution as UV extinction, the extent perpendicular to the disk plane, and extinction in the inner parts of disks. The sample spans wide ranges of morphology and surface brightness, opening up the possibility of using this technique to …


The Brightest Of Reionizing Galaxies Survey : Constraints On The Bright End Of The Z ~ 8 Luminosity Function., L. D. Bradley, M. Trenti, P. A. Oesch, M. Stiavelli, T. Treu, R. J. Bouwens, J. M. Shull, Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal Dec 2012

The Brightest Of Reionizing Galaxies Survey : Constraints On The Bright End Of The Z ~ 8 Luminosity Function., L. D. Bradley, M. Trenti, P. A. Oesch, M. Stiavelli, T. Treu, R. J. Bouwens, J. M. Shull, Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal

Faculty Scholarship

We report the discovery of 33 Lyman-break galaxy candidates at z ∼ 8 detected in Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging as part of the Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies (BoRG) pure-parallel survey. The ongoing BoRG survey currently has the largest area (274 arcmin2) with Y098 (or Y105), J125, and H160 band coverage needed to search for z ∼ 8 galaxies, about three times the current CANDELS area, and slightly larger than what will be the final CANDELS wide component with Y105 data (required to select z ∼ 8 sources). Our sample of 33 relatively bright Y098-dropout galaxies …


A Unified Picture Of Breaks And Truncations In Spiral Galaxies From Sdss And S4g Imaging., Ignacio Martin-Navarro, Judit Bakos, Ignacio Trujillo, Johan H. Knapen, E. Athanassoula, A. Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Heikki Salo, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth Dec 2012

A Unified Picture Of Breaks And Truncations In Spiral Galaxies From Sdss And S4g Imaging., Ignacio Martin-Navarro, Judit Bakos, Ignacio Trujillo, Johan H. Knapen, E. Athanassoula, A. Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Heikki Salo, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth

Faculty Scholarship

The mechanism causing breaks in the radial surface-brightness distribution of spiral galaxies is not yet well known. Despite theoretical efforts, there is not a unique explanation for these features and the observational results are not conclusive. In an attempt to address this problem, we have selected a sample of 34 highly inclined spiral galaxies present in both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We have measured the surface-brightness profiles in the five Sloan optical bands and in the 3.6-µm Spitzer band. We have also calculated the colour and stellar surface …


Quantified H I Morphology : Vi. The Morphology Of Extended Discs In Uv And H I., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, J. S. Heiner Dec 2012

Quantified H I Morphology : Vi. The Morphology Of Extended Discs In Uv And H I., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, J. S. Heiner

Faculty Scholarship

Extended ultraviolet (XUV) discs have been found in a substantial fraction of late-type – S0, spiral and irregular – galaxies. Similarly, most late-type spirals have an extended gas disc, observable in the 21-cm radio line (H i). The morphology of galaxies can be quantified well using a series of scale-invariant parameters; concentration-asymmetry-smoothness (CAS), Gini, M20, and GM parameters. In this series of papers, we apply these to H i column density maps to identify mergers and interactions, lopsidedness and now XUV discs. In this paper, we compare the quantified morphology and effective radius (R50) of the Westerbork observations of neutral …


Breaks In Thin And Thick Disks Of Edge-On Galaxies Imaged In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Johan H. Knapen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Kartik Sheth, Joannah L. Hinz, Michael W. Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Jarkko Laine, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda Nov 2012

Breaks In Thin And Thick Disks Of Edge-On Galaxies Imaged In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Johan H. Knapen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Kartik Sheth, Joannah L. Hinz, Michael W. Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Jarkko Laine, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda

Faculty Scholarship

Breaks in the radial luminosity profiles of galaxies have until now been mostly studied averaged over disks. Here, we study separately breaks in thin and thick disks in 70 edge-on galaxies using imaging from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. We built luminosity profiles of the thin and thick disks parallel to midplanes and we found that thin disks often truncate (77%). Thick disks truncate less often (31%), but when they do, their break radius is comparable with that in the thin disk. This suggests either two different truncation mechanisms—one of dynamical origin affecting both disks simultaneously and …


Outer-Disk Populations In Ngc 7793 : Evidence For Stellar Radial Migration., David J. Radburn-Smith, Rok Roskar, Victor P. Debattista, Julianne J. Dalcanton, David Streich, Roelof S. De Jong, Marija Vlajic, Benne W. Holwerda, Chris W. Purcell, Andrew E. Dolphin, Daniel B. Zucker Jul 2012

Outer-Disk Populations In Ngc 7793 : Evidence For Stellar Radial Migration., David J. Radburn-Smith, Rok Roskar, Victor P. Debattista, Julianne J. Dalcanton, David Streich, Roelof S. De Jong, Marija Vlajic, Benne W. Holwerda, Chris W. Purcell, Andrew E. Dolphin, Daniel B. Zucker

Faculty Scholarship

We analyzed the radial surface brightness profile of the spiral galaxy NGC 7793 using HST/ACS images from the GHOSTS survey and a new HST/WFC3 image across the disk break. We used the photometry of resolved stars to select distinct populations covering a wide range of stellar ages. We found breaks in the radial profiles of all stellar populations at 280 (∼5.1 kpc). Beyond this disk break, the profiles become steeper for younger populations. This same trend is seen in numerical simulations where the outer disk is formed almost entirely by radial migration. We also found that the older stars of …


Evolution In The Dust Lane Fraction Of Edge-On L*V Spiral Galaxies Since Z = 0.8., Benne W. Holwerda, J. J. Dalcanton, D. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, P. Guhathakurta, A. Koekemoer, R. J. Allen, T. Boker Jul 2012

Evolution In The Dust Lane Fraction Of Edge-On L*V Spiral Galaxies Since Z = 0.8., Benne W. Holwerda, J. J. Dalcanton, D. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, P. Guhathakurta, A. Koekemoer, R. J. Allen, T. Boker

Faculty Scholarship

The presence of a well-defined and narrow dust lane in an edge-on spiral galaxy is the observational signature of a thin and dense molecular disk, in which gravitational collapse has overcome turbulence. Using a sample of galaxies out to z ∼ 1 extracted from the COSMOS survey, we identify the fraction of massive (L∗ V ) disks that display a dust lane. Our goal is to explore the evolution in the stability of the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) disks in spiral galaxies over a cosmic timescale. We check the reliability of our morphological classifications against changes in rest-frame wavelength, resolution, …


Herschel/Spire Observations Of The Dusty Disk Of Ngc 4244., Benne W. Holwerda, S. Bianchi, T. Boker, D. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, M. Baes, P. C. Van Der Kruit, M. Xilouris, K. D. Gordon, J. J. Dalcanton May 2012

Herschel/Spire Observations Of The Dusty Disk Of Ngc 4244., Benne W. Holwerda, S. Bianchi, T. Boker, D. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, M. Baes, P. C. Van Der Kruit, M. Xilouris, K. D. Gordon, J. J. Dalcanton

Faculty Scholarship

We present Herschel/SPIRE images at 250, 350, and 500 μm of NGC 4244, a typical low-mass, disk-only and edge-on spiral galaxy. The dust disk is clumpy and shows signs of truncation at the break radius of the stellar disk. This disk coincides with the densest part of the Hi disk. We compare the spectral energy distribution (SED), including the new SPIRE fluxes, to 3D radiative transfer models; a smooth model disk and a clumpy model with embedded heating. Each model requires a very high value for the dust scale-length (hd = 2−5 h∗), higher dust masses than previous models of …


The S4g Perspective On Circumstellar Dust Extinction Of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars In M100., Sharon Meidt, Eva Schinnerer, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Benne W. Holwerda, Luis C. Ho, Barry F. Madore, Johan H. Knapen, Albert Bosma, E. Athanassoula, Joannah L. Hinz, Kartik Sheth, Michael Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Jarkko Laine, Sebastien Comeron Apr 2012

The S4g Perspective On Circumstellar Dust Extinction Of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars In M100., Sharon Meidt, Eva Schinnerer, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Benne W. Holwerda, Luis C. Ho, Barry F. Madore, Johan H. Knapen, Albert Bosma, E. Athanassoula, Joannah L. Hinz, Kartik Sheth, Michael Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Jarkko Laine, Sebastien Comeron

Faculty Scholarship

We examine the effect of circumstellar dust extinction on the near-IR (NIR) contribution of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in intermediate-age clusters throughout the disk of M100. For our sample of 17 AGB-dominated clusters we extract optical-to-mid-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and find that NIR brightness is coupled to the mid-IR dust emission in such a way that a significant reduction of AGB light, of up to 1 mag in the K band, follows from extinction by the dust shell formed during this stage. Since the dust optical depth varies with AGB chemistry (C-rich or O-rich), our results suggest that …


Thick Disks Of Edge-On Galaxies Seen Through The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g) : Lair Of Missing Baryons?, Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Johan H. Knapen, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, Jarkko Laine, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Kartik Sheth, Michael W. Regan, Joannah L. Hinz, Armando Gil De Paz, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Debra M. Elmegreen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Jani Lappalainen, Eva Schinnerer, Ramin Skibba Nov 2011

Thick Disks Of Edge-On Galaxies Seen Through The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g) : Lair Of Missing Baryons?, Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Johan H. Knapen, Heikki Salo, Eija Laurikainen, Jarkko Laine, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Kartik Sheth, Michael W. Regan, Joannah L. Hinz, Armando Gil De Paz, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Debra M. Elmegreen, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Jani Lappalainen, Eva Schinnerer, Ramin Skibba

Faculty Scholarship

Most, if not all, disk galaxies have a thin (classical) disk and a thick disk. In most models thick disks are thought to be a necessary consequence of the disk formation and/or evolution of the galaxy. We present the results of a study of the thick disk properties in a sample of carefully selected edge-on galaxies with types ranging from T = 3 to T = 8. We fitted one-dimensional luminosity profiles with physically motivated functions—the solutions of two stellar and one gaseous isothermal coupled disks in equilibrium—which are likely to yield more accurate results than other functions used in …


Quantified H I Morphology – Ii. Lopsidedness And Interaction In Whisp Column Density Maps., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden, E. C. Elson Oct 2011

Quantified H I Morphology – Ii. Lopsidedness And Interaction In Whisp Column Density Maps., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden, E. C. Elson

Faculty Scholarship

Lopsidedness of the gaseous disc of spiral galaxies is a common phenomenon in disc morphology, profile and kinematics. Simultaneously, the asymmetry of a galaxy’s stellar disc, in combination with other morphological parameters, has seen extensive use as an indication of recent merger or interaction in galaxy samples. Quantified morphology of stellar spiral discs is one avenue to determine the merger rate over much of the age of the Universe. In this paper, we measure the quantitative morphology parameters for the H I column density maps from the Westerbork observations of neutral Hydrogen in Irregular and SPiral galaxies (WHISP). These are …


Quantified H I Morphology – V. H I Discs In The Virgo Cluster., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, W. Van Driel Oct 2011

Quantified H I Morphology – V. H I Discs In The Virgo Cluster., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, W. Van Driel

Faculty Scholarship

We explore the quantified morphology of atomic hydrogen (H i) discs in the Virgo cluster. These galaxies display a wealth of phenomena in their H i morphology, e.g., tails, truncation and warps. These morphological disturbances are related to the ram pressure stripping and tidal interaction that galaxies undergo in this dense cluster environment. To quantify the morphological transformation of the H i discs, we compute the morphological parameters of Concentration, Asymmetry, Smoothness, Gini and M20 and our own GM for 51 galaxies in 48 H i column density maps from the VLA Imaging of Virgo spirals in Atomic gas (VIVA) …


Quantified H I Morphology – I. Multi-Wavelength Analysis Of The Things Galaxies., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden, E. C. Elson Oct 2011

Quantified H I Morphology – I. Multi-Wavelength Analysis Of The Things Galaxies., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden, E. C. Elson

Faculty Scholarship

Galaxy evolution is driven to a large extent by interactions and mergers with other galaxies and the gas in galaxies is extremely sensitive to the interactions. One method to measure such interactions uses the quantified morphology of galaxy images. Well-established parameters are Concentration, Asymmetry, Smoothness, Gini and M20 of a galaxy image. Thus far, the application of this technique has mostly been restricted to rest-frame ultraviolet and optical images. However, with the new radio observatories being commissioned [South African Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT), Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP), Extended Very Large Array (EVLA), Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope/APERture Tile In Focus instrument …


Quantified H I Morphology – Iii. Merger Visibility Times From H I In Galaxy Simulations., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, T. J. Cox, W. J. G. De Blok, J. Weniger, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden Oct 2011

Quantified H I Morphology – Iii. Merger Visibility Times From H I In Galaxy Simulations., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, T. J. Cox, W. J. G. De Blok, J. Weniger, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden

Faculty Scholarship

Major mergers of disc galaxies are thought to be a substantial driver in galaxy evolution. To trace the fraction and rate of galaxy mergers over cosmic times, several observational techniques have been developed over the last decade, including parametrized morphological selection. We apply this morphological selection of mergers to 21 cm radio emission line (H I) column density images of spiral galaxies in nearby surveys. In this paper, we investigate how long a 1:1 merger is visible in H I from N-body simulations. We evaluate the merger visibility times for selection criteria based on four parameters: Concentration, Asymmetry, M20 and …


Quantified H I Morphology – Iv. The Merger Fraction And Rate In Whisp., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden Oct 2011

Quantified H I Morphology – Iv. The Merger Fraction And Rate In Whisp., Benne W. Holwerda, N. Pirzkal, W. J. G. De Blok, A. Bouchard, S. -L. Blyth, K. J. Van Der Heyden

Faculty Scholarship

The morphology of the atomic hydrogen (H I) disc of a spiral galaxy is the first component to be disturbed by a gravitational interaction such as a merger between two galaxies. We use a simple parametrization of the morphology of H I column density maps of the Westerbork observations of neutral Hydrogen in Irregular and SPiral galaxies (WHISP) project to select those galaxies that are likely undergoing a significant interaction. Merging galaxies occupy a particular part of parameter space defined by Asymmetry (A), the relative contribution of the 20 per cent brightest pixels to the second-order moment of the column …


The Unusual Vertical Mass Distribution Of Ngc 4013 Seen Through The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Johan H. Knapen, Kartik Sheth, Joannah L. Hinz, Michael W. Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Jarkko Laine, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Ronald J. Buta, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Eva Schinnerer, Dennis Zaritsky Sep 2011

The Unusual Vertical Mass Distribution Of Ngc 4013 Seen Through The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g)., Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Johan H. Knapen, Kartik Sheth, Joannah L. Hinz, Michael W. Regan, Armando Gil De Paz, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Mark Seibert, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa, Eija Laurikainen, Heikki Salo, Jarkko Laine, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Ronald J. Buta, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Eva Schinnerer, Dennis Zaritsky

Faculty Scholarship

NGC 4013 is a nearby Sb edge-on galaxy known for its “prodigious” H i warp and its “giant” tidal stream. Previous work on this unusual object shows that it cannot be fitted satisfactorily by a canonical thin+thick disk structure. We have produced a new decomposition of NGC 4013, considering three stellar flattened components (thin+thick disk plus an extra and more extended component) and one gaseous disk. All four components are considered to be gravitationally coupled and isothermal. To do so, we have used the 3.6μm images from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. We find evidence for NGC …


The Ghosts Survey. I. Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera For Surveys Data., D. J. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, A. C. Seth, J. Bailin, E. F. Bell, T. M. Brown, J. S. Bullock, S. Courteau, J. J. Dalcanton, H. C. Ferguson, P. Goudfrooij, S. Holfeltz, Benne W. Holwerda, C. Purcell, J. Sick, D. Streich, M. Vlajic, D. B. Zucker Aug 2011

The Ghosts Survey. I. Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera For Surveys Data., D. J. Radburn-Smith, R. S. De Jong, A. C. Seth, J. Bailin, E. F. Bell, T. M. Brown, J. S. Bullock, S. Courteau, J. J. Dalcanton, H. C. Ferguson, P. Goudfrooij, S. Holfeltz, Benne W. Holwerda, C. Purcell, J. Sick, D. Streich, M. Vlajic, D. B. Zucker

Faculty Scholarship

We present an overview of the GHOSTS survey, the largest study to date of the resolved stellar populations in the outskirts of disk galaxies. The sample consists of 14 disk galaxies within 17 Mpc, whose outer disks and halos are imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). In the first paper of this series, we describe the sample, explore the benefits of using resolved stellar populations, and discuss our ACS F606W and F814W photometry. We use artificial star tests to assess completeness and use overlapping regions to estimate photometric uncertainties. The median depth of the survey …