This paper is a contribution to the discussion about whether the X/peanut component is part of the bar, or the bar itself. Our goal is to present a clear-cut case of a barred-spiral galaxy in which all structural components (i.e. the thick and thin part of the bar and the spiral arms) can be observed in its image and their dimensions directly measured there. We obtained deep images of the nearby galaxy NGC 352, which has an ideal inclination allowing us to observe all of the parts that compose its morphology, estimate their relative sizes, and determine the topology of the luminous matter of this galaxy. We successfully compare our findings with the existence and the relative dimensions of the corresponding components encountered in the disc of a GADGET N-body model. NGC 352 is a barred spiral galaxy with a bar of about 13 kpc radius. Its bar has a central thick part that extends up to a distance about 5kpc from the centre of the galaxy along its major axis, while its thickness reaches a height of 3.8kpc. Thus, the thick part of the bar occupies the central part of the bar component, and its length is about 40% of that of the thin bar. The branches of the X-feature are characterised by the presence of 'hooks' at their extremities. The profile along the major axis of the bar is characterised by the presence of 'shoulders', the end of which is associated with local surface brightness enhancements on the equatorial plane. A central disc with a spiral-like feature embedded in it dominates in the innermost 1.7kpc. NGC 352 offers a case in which we directly observe that the X/peanut component is unambiguously part of the bar. This boxy structure is neither a separate bulge component nor the bar itself. The relative extent of the peanut with respect to the bar is well inside the range predicted in the majority of the simulated N-body bars. The hooks of the X-feature and the local surface brightness enhancements on the equatorial plane have their counterparts in surface density features of models based on the orbital theory, as well as of models based on response calculations and of fully selfconsistent N-body calculations.
To gain insight into the expected gas dynamics at the interface of the Galactic bar and spiral arms in our own MilkyWay galaxy, we examine as an extragalactic counterpart the evidence for multiple distinct velocity components in the cold, dense molecular gas populating a comparable region at the end of the bar in the nearby galaxy NGC 3627. We assemble a high resolution view of molecular gas kinematics traced by CO(2-1) emission and extract line-of-sight velocity profiles from regions of high and low gas velocity dispersion. The high velocity dispersions arise with often double-peaked or multiple line-profiles. We compare the centroids of the different velocity components to expectations based on orbital dynamics in the presence of bar and spiral potential perturbations. A model of the region as the interface of two gas-populated orbits families supporting the bar and the independently rotating spiral arms provides an overall good match to the data. An extent of the bar to the corotation radius of the galaxy is favored. Using NGC 3627 as an extragalactic example, we expect situations like this to favor strong star formation events such as observed in our own Milky Way since gas can pile up at the crossings between the orbit families. The relative motions of the material following these orbits is likely even more important for the build up of high density in the region. The surface densities in NGC 3627 are also so high that shear at the bar end is unlikely to significantly weaken the star formation activity. We speculate that scenarios in which the bar and spiral rotate at two different pattern speeds may be the most favorable for intense star formation at such interfaces.
The host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been claimed to have experienced a recent inflow of gas from the intergalactic medium. This is because their atomic gas distribution is not centred on their optical emission and because they are deficient in molecular gas given their high star-formation rates. Similar studies have not been conducted for host galaxies of relativistic supernovae (SNe), which may have similar progenitors. The potential similarity of the powering mechanisms of relativistic SNe and GRBs allowed us to make a prediction that relativistic SNe are born in environments similar to those of GRBs, i.e. rich in atomic gas. Here we embark on testing this hypothesis by analysing the properties of the host galaxy NGC 3278 of the relativistic SN 2009bb. This is the first time the atomic gas properties of a relativistic SN host is analysed and the first time resolved 21cm hydrogen line (HI) information is provided for a host of a SN of any type. We obtained radio observations with Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) covering HI line; and optical integral field unit spectroscopy observations with Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Moreover, we analysed archival carbon monoxide (CO) and broad-band data for this galaxy. The atomic gas distribution of NGC3278 is not centred on the optical galaxy centre, but instead around a third of atomic gas resides in the region close to the SN position. This galaxy has a few times lower atomic and molecular gas masses than predicted from its star formation rate (SFR). Its specific star formation rate (sSFR=SFR/M*) is ~2-3 times higher than the main-sequence value, placing it at the higher end of the main sequence towards starburst galaxies. SN 2009bb exploded close to the region with the highest SFR density and the lowest age, as evident from high Halpha EW, corresponding to the age of the stellar population of ~5.5Myr. Assuming this timescale was the lifetime of the progenitor star, its initial mass would have been close to ~36M_{sun}_. As for GRB hosts, the gas properties of NGC3278 are consistent with a recent inflow of gas from the intergalactic medium, which explains the concentration of atomic gas close to the SN position and the enhanced SFR. Super-solar metallicity at the position of the SN (unlike for most of GRBs) may mean that relativistic explosions signal a recent inflow of gas (and subsequent star-formation), and their type (GRBs or SNe) is determined by either i) the metallicity of the inflowing gas (metal-poor gas results in a GRB explosion and metal-rich gas in a relativistic SN explosion without an accompanying GRB), or ii) by the efficiency of gas mixing (efficient mixing for SN hosts leading to quick disappearance of metal-poor regions), or iii) by the type of the galaxy (more metal-rich galaxies would result in only a small fraction of star-formation to be fuelled by metal-poor gas).
Establishing precisely how stars and interstellar medium distribute within the central 100 pc area around an AGN, down to the pc scale, is key to understanding the late stages of transfer of matter onto the accretion disc. Using adaptive optics-assisted (SPHERE-VLT) near-IR images in the H band, Ks band, and several narrow bands of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, we analysed the radial distribution of brightness in the central r<100pc area down to the pc scale. The median-averaged radial profiles are fitted by a cusp (power law) plus a central point source. A simple radiative transfer model is also used to interpret the data. We find that the fit of radial brightness profiles beyond 10pc is done quite precisely at Ks band by a cusp of exponent -2.0 plus a central point source and by a cusp of exponent -1.2 at H. The difference of exponents between H band and Ks band can be explained by differential extinction, provided that the distribution of dust is itself cuspy, with an exponent -1.0. However, the derived stellar density is found to follow a r^-4^ cusp, which is much steeper than any other cusp, either theoretically predicted around a massive black hole, or observed in the centre of early- and late-type galaxies or in mergers. Introducing a segregation in the stellar population with a central excess of giant stars leads to a somewhat less steep exponent; however, the de-reddened luminosity of the stellar cusp, as well as the mass of dust and gas all appear much too high to be realistic. An alternative scenario, where the Ks-band profile is well fitted by a combination of radiation from a stellar cusp identical to the H-band profile and thermal emission ofwarm/hot dust heated by the central engine appears much more satisfactory. NGC 1068 is shown to satisfy a relationship between half-light radius, cusp luminosity, and exponent that we established using a sample of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) and ultraluminous infrared galaxies ULIRGs. This suggests that the cusp is the remnant of a recent starburst. We identify the central point-like source with the very hot dust at the internal wall of the putative torus and derive an intrinsic luminosity that requires a central extinction A_K_~8, a value consistent with predictions by several torus models. The overall picture revealed by this study is closely consistent with the scheme of a central rather steep stellar cusp, embedded in a diluted medium of warm dust, while a compact and dense structure identified with the putative torus is required to interpret a highly reddened point-like central source of very hot dust.
Using high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope data, we re-examine the fundamental properties (ages, masses and extinction values) of the rich star cluster population in the dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 5253. The gain in resolution compared to previous studies is of order a factor of 2 in both spatial dimensions, while our accessible wavelength range transcends previous studies by incorporation of both near-ultraviolet and near-infrared (IR) passbands. We apply spectral synthesis treatments based on two different simple stellar population model suites to our set of medium-, broad-band and H{alpha} images to gain an improved physical understanding of the IR-excess flux found for a subset of young clusters (30 of 149). With the caveat that our models are based on fully sampled stellar mass functions, the NGC 5253 cluster population is dominated by a significant number of relatively low-mass (M_cl_<~ a few x10^4^M_{sun}_) objects with ages ranging from a few x10^6^ to a few x10^7^yr, which is in excellent agreement with the starburst age of the host galaxy. The IR-excess clusters are almost all found in this young age range and have masses of up to a few x10^4^M{sun}. The IR excess in the relatively low-mass NGC 5253 clusters is most likely caused by a combination of stochastic sampling effects and colour variations due to the presence of either luminous red or pre-main-sequence stars. We also find a small number of intermediate-age (~1Gyr old), ~10^5^M{sun} clusters, as well as up to a dozen massive, ~10Gyr old globular clusters. Their presence supports the notion that NGC 5253 is a very active galaxy that has undergone multiple episodes of star cluster formation.
Located in the Perseus cluster, NGC 1271 is an early-type galaxy with a small effective radius of 2.2kpc and a large bulge stellar velocity dispersion of 276km/s for its K-band luminosity of 8.9x10^10^L_{sun}_. We present a mass measurement for the black hole in this compact, high-dispersion galaxy using observations from the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrometer on the Gemini North telescope assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics, large-scale integral field unit observations with PPAK at the Calar Alto Observatory, and Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 imaging observations. We are able to map out the stellar kinematics both on small spatial scales, within the black hole sphere of influence, and on large scales that extend out to four times the galaxy's effective radius. We find that the galaxy is rapidly rotating and exhibits a sharp rise in the velocity dispersion. Through the use of orbit-based stellar dynamical models, we determine that the black hole has a mass of (3.0^+1.0^_-1.1_)x10^9^M_{sun}_ and the H-band stellar mass-to-light ratio is 1.40^+0.13^_-0.11_{gamma}_{sun}_ ({sigma} uncertainties). NGC 1271 occupies the sparsely populated upper end of the black hole mass distribution but is very different from the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and giant elliptical galaxies that are expected to host the most massive black holes. Interestingly, the black hole mass is an order of magnitude larger than expectations based on the galaxy's bulge luminosity but is consistent with the mass predicted using the galaxy's bulge stellar velocity dispersion. More compact, high-dispersion galaxies need to be studied using high spatial resolution observations to securely determine black hole masses, as there could be systematic differences in the black hole scaling relations between these types of galaxies and the BCGs/giant ellipticals, thereby implying different pathways for black hole and galaxy growth.
We present a combination of the Schwarzschild orbit-superposition dynamical modelling technique with the spatially-resolved mean stellar age and metallicity maps to uncover the formation history of galaxies. We apply this new approach to a remarkable 5-pointing mosaic of VLT/MUSE observations obtained by Guerou et al. (2016A&A...591A.143G, Cat. J/A+A/591/A143) extending to a maximum galactocentric distance of ~120'' (5.6kpc) along the major axis, corresponding to ~2.5R_e. Our method first identifies 'families' of orbits from the dynamical model that represent dynamically distinct structures of the galaxy. Individual ages and metallicities of these components are then fit for using the stellar-population information. Our results highlight components of the galaxy that are distinct in the combined stellar dynamics/populations space, which implies distinct formation paths. We find evidence for a dynamically-cold, metal-rich disk, consistent with a gradual in-situ formation. This disk is embedded in a generally-old population of stars, with kinematics ranging from dispersion-dominated in the centre to an old, diffuse, metal-poor stellar halo at the extremities. We find also a direct correlation between the dominant dynamical support of these components, and their associated age, akin to the relation observed in the Milky Way. This approach not only provides a powerful model for inferring the formation history of external galaxies, but also paves the way to a complete population-dynamical model.
NGC 4631 is an interacting galaxy that exhibits one of the largest, gaseous halos observed among edge-on galaxies. We aim to examine the synchrotron and cosmic-ray propagation properties of its disk and halo emission with new radio continuum data. Radio continuum observations of NGC 4631 were performed with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at C-band (5.99GHz) in the C and D array configurations, and at L-band (1.57GHz) in the B, C, and D array configurations. Complementary observations of NGC 4631 with the Effelsberg telescope were performed at 1.42 and 4.85 GHz. The interferometric total intensity data were combined with the single-dish Effelsberg data in order to recover the missing large-scale total power emission. The thermal and nonthermal components of the total radio emission were separated by estimating the thermal contribution through the extinction-corrected H{alpha} emission. The H{alpha} radiation was corrected for extinction using a linear combination of the observed H{alpha} and 24{mu}m data. NGC 4631 has a global thermal fraction at 5.99(1.57)GHz of 14+/-3% (5.4+/-1.1%). The mean scale heights of the total emission in the radio halo (thick disk) at 5.99(1.57)GHz are 1.79+/-0.54kpc (1.75+/-0.27kpc) and have about the same values for the synchrotron emission. The total magnetic field of NGC 4631 has a mean strength of <Beq>~=9{mu}G in the disk, and a mean strength of <Beq>~=7{mu}G in the halo. We also studied a double-lobed background radio galaxy southwest of NGC 4631, which is an FR II radio galaxy according to the distribution of spectral index across the lobes. From the halo scale heights we estimated that the radio halo is escape-dominated with convective cosmic ray propagation, and conclude that there is a galactic wind in the halo of NGC 4631.
Results of a ground-based optical monitoring campaign on NGC 5548 in June 1998 are presented. The broad-band fluxes (U, B, V), and the spectrophotometric optical continuum flux F_{lambda}_ (5100{AA}) monotonically decreased in flux while the broad-band R and I fluxes and the integrated emission-line fluxes of H{alpha} and H{beta} remained constant to within 5%. On June 22, a short continuum flare was detected in the broad band fluxes. It had an amplitude of about ~18% and it lasted only =~90 min. The broad band fluxes and the optical continuum F_{lambda}_ (5100{AA}) appear to vary simultaneously with the EUV variations. No reliable delay was detected for the broad optical emission lines in response to the EUVE variations. Narrow H{beta} emission features predicted as a signature of an accretion disk were not detected during this campaign. However, there is marginal evidence for a faint feature at {lambda}=~4962{AA} with FWHM=~6{AA} redshifted by {Delta}v=~1100km/s with respect to H{beta}_narrow_.
We investigate the connection between dust and gas in the nearby edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891, a target of the Very Nearby Galaxies Survey. High resolution Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 micron images are combined with JCMT SCUBA 850 micron observations to trace the far-infrared/submillimetre spectral energy distribution (SED). Maps of the HI 21cm line and CO(J=3-2) emission trace the atomic and molecular hydrogen gas, respectively. We fit one-component modified blackbody models to the integrated SED, finding a global dust mass of (8.5+/-2.0)x10^7^M_{sun}_ and an average temperature of 23+/-2K, consistent with results from previous far-infrared experiments. We also fit one-component modified blackbody models to pixel-by-pixel SEDs to produce maps of the dust mass and temperature. A comparison of the dust properties with the gaseous components of the ISM reveals strong spatial correlations between the surface mass densities of dust and the molecular hydrogen and total gas surface densities.
