We present the largest M31 near-infrared (F110W (close to J band), F160W (H band)) Cepheid sample so far. The sample consists of 371 Cepheids with photometry obtained from the HST PHAT program. The sample of 319 fundamental mode Cepheids, 16 first overtone Cepheids and 36 type II Cepheids, was identified using the median absolute deviation (MAD) outlier rejection method we develop here. This method does not rely on priors and allows us to obtain this clean Cepheid sample without rejecting a large fraction of Cepheids. The obtained Period-Luminosity relations (PLRs) have a very small dispersion, i.e. 0.155mag in F160W, despite using random phased observations. This remarkably small dispersion allows us to determine that the PLRs are significantly better described by a broken slope at ten days than a linear slope. The use of our sample as an anchor to determine the Hubble constant gives a 3.2% larger Hubble constant compared to the Riess et al. (2012ApJ...745..156R, Cat. J/ApJ/745/156) sample.
We present measurements of 68 classical Cepheids, most detected from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope POMME Survey, with periods from 10 to 78 days observed in the near-infrared by the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Program using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The combination of HST's resolution and the use of near-infrared measurements provide a dramatic reduction in the dispersion of the period-luminosity relation over the present optical, ground-based data. Even using random phase magnitudes we measure a dispersion of just 0.17mag, implying a dispersion of just 0.12mag for mean magnitudes. The error in the mean for this relation is 1% in distance. Combined with similar observations of Cepheids in other hosts and independent distance determinations, we measure a distance to M31 of {mu}_0_=24.38+/-0.06(statistical)+/-0.03(systematic), 752+/-27kpc, in good agreement with past measurements though with a better, 3% precision here. The result is also in good agreement with independent distance determinations from two detached eclipsing binaries allowing for an independent calibration of the Cepheid luminosities and a determination of the Hubble constant.
We derive the number of dynamically close companions per galaxy (N_c_) and their total luminosity (L_c_) for galaxies in the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC, 2003, Cat. <VII/240>). N_c_ is similar to the fraction of galaxies in close pairs and is directly related to the galaxy merger rate.
Standard galaxy formation models predict that large-scale double-lobed radio sources, known as DRAGNs, will always be hosted by elliptical galaxies. In spite of this, in recent years a small number of spiral galaxies have also been found to host such sources. These so-called spiral DRAGNs are still extremely rare, with only ~5 cases being widely accepted. Here we report on the serendipitous discovery of a new spiral DRAGN in data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 322MHz. The host galaxy, MCG+07-47-10, is a face-on late-type Sbc galaxy with distinctive spiral arms and prominent bulge suggesting a high black hole mass. Using WISE infra-red and GALEX UV data we show that this galaxy has a star formation rate of 0.16-0.75M_{sun}_/yr, and that the radio luminosity is dominated by star-formation. We demonstrate that this spiral DRAGN has similar environmental properties to others of this class, but has a comparatively low radio luminosity of L_1.4GHz_=1.12x10^22^W/Hz, two orders of magnitude smaller than other known spiral DRAGNs. We suggest that this may indicate the existence of a previously unknown low-luminosity population of spiral DRAGNS.
The Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies, Volume 5 (Vorontsov-Velyaminov et al. 1974) includes 1637 galaxies, probably no fainter than the fourteenth magnitude. The catalog was based on Palomar Sky Atlas prints and comprises areas from -30 to -45 degrees in declination. In contrast to the earlier four volumes of the catalog, the fifth was based on the red prints of the Sky Survey only. Visual magnitude estimates are thus in the red. Note that in all cases when in other sources the photoelectric B or photographic magnitude of galaxies are encountered, preference to those values has been given over those of Vorontsov-Velyaminov's estimates. All notes to galaxies published in the earlier volume are included here as well (Kogoshvili 1983). In addition, the following data were used from the ESO/Uppsala survey (Lauberts 1982): magnitudes, colors, radial velocities, Hubble types, and galaxy diameters as measured on the ESO(B) atlas plates up to the surface brightness slightly fainter than 25 magnitudes per square arcsec. These maximum major and minor galaxy diameters are provided in the fifth volume in place of the values taken from the UGC catalog in the earlier four volumes. Various data from both the reference Catalog of Bright Galaxies (de Vaucouleurs et al. 1964) and B-V and U-B colors from the General Catalogue of Photoelectric Magnitudes and Colours (Longo et al. 1983) were included. Fields included in the catalog are identification number; zone sign, number, and field number; galaxy number in the field; component or symbolic designation; NGC or IC identification; B1950.0 position, magnitude, magnitude accuracy, and magnitude reference; angular diameters, surface brightness, symbolic description galaxy, morphological type, galaxy type, heliocentric radial velocity; radial velocity corrected for solar motion; rotational velocity, dates of first two supernovae, number of supernovae, number of H II regions, U-B and B-V colors and references, radio flux densities at 178, 780, 1400, 2700, and 5000 MHz; number of nearby cluster; and coded information on membership of the galaxy to double or multiple systems, interaction features, and faint components.
This study presents the final source catalog of the Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33). With a total exposure time of 1.4Ms, ChASeM33 covers ~70% of the D_25_ isophote (R~4.0kpc) of M33 and provides the deepest, most complete, and detailed look at a spiral galaxy in X-rays. The source catalog includes 662 sources, reaches a limiting unabsorbed luminosity of ~2.4x10^34^erg/s in the 0.35-8.0keV energy band, and contains source positions, source net counts, fluxes and significances in several energy bands, and information on source variability. To constrain the nature of the detected X-ray source, hardness ratios were constructed and spectra were fit for 254 sources, follow-up MMT spectra of 116 sources were acquired, and cross-correlations with previous X-ray catalogs and other multi-wavelength data were generated. Based on this effort, 183 of the 662 ChASeM33 sources could be identified. Finally, the luminosity function (LF) for the detected point sources as well as the one for the X-ray binaries (XRBs) in M33 is presented. The resulting distribution is consistent with a dominant population of high-mass XRBs as would be expected for M33.
We report on Chandra observations of the central region of M31. By combining eight Chandra ACIS-I observations taken between 1999 and 2001, we have identified 204 X-ray sources within the central ~17'x17' region of M31, with a detection limit of ~2x10^35^erg/s. Of these 204 sources, 22 are identified with globular clusters, two with supernova remnants, nine with planetary nebulae, and nine with supersoft sources. By comparing individual images, about 50% of the sources are variable on timescales of months. We also found 13 transients, with light curves showing a variety of shapes. We also extracted the energy spectra of the 20 brightest sources; they can be well fitted by a single power law with a mean photon index of 1.8. The spectral shapes of 12 sources are shown to be variable, suggesting that they went through state changes.
We have obtained 17 epochs of Chandra High Resolution Camera (HRC) snapshot images, each covering most of the M31 disk. The data cover a total baseline of ~2.5yr and contain a mean effective exposure of 17ks. We have measured the mean fluxes and long-term light curves for 166 objects detected in these data.
We present high-resolution large-scale observations of the molecular and atomic gas in the Local Group galaxy M 33. The observations were carried out using the HEterodyne Receiver Array (HERA) at the 30m IRAM telescope in the CO(2-1) line, achieving a resolution of 12"x2.6km/s, enabling individual giant molecular clouds (GMCs) to be resolved. The observed region is 650 square arcminutes mainly along the major axis and out to a radius of 8.5kpc, and covers entirely the 2'x40' radial strip observed with the HIFI and PACS Spectrometers as part of the HERM33ES Herschel key program. The achieved sensitivity in main-beam temperature is 20-50mK at 2.6km/s velocity resolution. The CO(2-1) luminosity of the observed region is 1.7+/-0.1x10^7^K.km/s.pc^2^ and is estimated to be 2.8+/-0.3x10^7^K.km/s.pc^2^ for the entire galaxy, corresponding to H_2_ masses of 1.9x10^8^ and 3.3x10^8^ respectively (including He), calculated with N(H_2_)/I_CO_(1-0) twice the Galactic value due to the half-solar metallicity of M 33. The HI 21cm VLA archive observations were reduced, and the mosaic was imaged and cleaned using the multi-scale task in the CASA software package, yielding a series of datacube with resolutions ranging from 5" to 25". The HI mass within a radius of 8.5kpc is estimated to be 1.4x10^9^. The azimuthally averaged CO surface brightness decreases exponentially with a scale length of 1.9+/-0.1kpc whereas the atomicgas surface density is constant at {Sigma}_HI_=6+/-2pc^-2^ deprojected to face-on. For an (H_2_)/I_CO_(1-0) conversion factor twice that of the Milky Way, the central kiloparsec H2 surface density is {Sigma}_HI_=8.5+/-0.2pc^-2^. The star formation rate per unit moecular gas (SF efficiency, the rate of transformation of molecular gas into stars), as traced by the ratio of CO to H{alpha} and FIR brightness, is constant with radus. The SFE, with a N(H2)/I_CO_(1-0) factor twice galactic, appears 2-4 times greater than for large spiral galaxies. A morphological comparison of molecular and atomic gas with tracers of star formation is presented showing good agreement between these maps both in terms of peaks and holes. A few exceptions are noted. Several spectra, including those of a molecular cloud situated more than 8kpc from the galaxy center, are presented.
With IRAM-30m/HERA, we have detected CO(2-1) gas complexes within 30arcsec (100pc) from the center of M31 that amount to a minimum total mass of 4.2x10^4^M_{sun}_ (one third of the positions are detected). Averaging the whole HERA field, we show that there is no additional undetected diffuse component. Moreover, the gas detection is associated with gas lying on the far side of the M31 center as no extinction is observed in the optical, but some emission is present on infrared Spitzer maps. The kinematics is complex. (1) The velocity pattern is mainly redshifted: the dynamical center of the gas differs from the black hole position and the maximum of optical emission, and only the redshifted side is seen in our data. (2) Several velocity components are detected in some lines of sight. Our interpretation is supported by the reanalysis of the effect of dust on a complete planetary nebula sample. Two dust components are detected with respective position angles of 37deg and -66deg. This is compatible with a scenario where the superposition of the (PA=37deg) disk is dominated by the 10kpc ring and the inner 0.7kpc ring detected in infrared data, whose position angle (-66deg) we measured for the first time. The large-scale disk, which dominates the HI data, is steeply inclined (i=77deg), warped and superposed on the line of sight on the less inclined inner ring. The detected CO emission might come from both components.
