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Examining the Seyfert-Starburst Connection with Arcsecond-Resolution Radio Continuum Observations
We compare the arcsecond-scale circumnuclear radio continuum propertiesof five Seyfert and five starburst galaxies, concentrating on the searchfor any structures that could imply a spatial or causal connectionbetween the nuclear activity and a circumnuclear starburst ring. Noevidence is found in the radio emission for a link between thetriggering or feeding of nuclear activity and the properties ofcircumnuclear star formation. Conversely, there is no clear evidence ofnuclear outflows or jets triggering activity in the circumnuclear ringsof star formation. Interestingly, the difference in the angle betweenthe apparent orientation of the most elongated radio emission and theorientation of the major axis of the galaxy is on average larger inSeyfert galaxies than in starburst galaxies, and Seyfert galaxies appearto have a larger physical size scale of the circumnuclear radiocontinuum emission. The concentration, asymmetry, and clumpinessparameters of radio continuum emission in Seyfert galaxies andstarbursts are comparable, as are the radial profiles of radio continuumand near-infrared line emission. The circumnuclear star formation andsupernova rates do not depend on the level of nuclear activity. Theradio emission usually traces the near-infrared Brγ andH2 1-0 S(1) line emission on large spatial scales, butlocally their distributions are different, most likely because of theeffects of varying local magnetic fields and dust absorption andscattering.
| Massive star formation in the central regions of spiral galaxies
Context: . The morphology of massive star formation in the centralregions of galaxies is an important tracer of the dynamical processesthat govern the evolution of disk, bulge, and nuclear activity. Aims. Wepresent optical imaging of the central regions of a sample of 73 spiralgalaxies in the Hα line and in optical broad bands, and deriveinformation on the morphology of massive star formation. Methods. Weobtained images with the William Herschel Telescope, mostly at a spatialresolution of below one second of arc. For most galaxies, no Hαimaging is available in the literature. We outline the observing anddata reduction procedures, list basic properties, and present the I-bandand continuum-subtracted Hα images. We classify the morphology ofthe nuclear and circumnuclear Hα emission and explore trends withhost galaxy parameters. Results. We confirm that late-type galaxies havea patchy circumnuclear appearance in Hα, and that nuclear ringsoccur primarily in spiral types Sa-Sbc. We identify a number ofpreviously unknown nuclear rings, and confirm that nuclear rings arepredominantly hosted by barred galaxies. Conclusions. Other than instimulating nuclear rings, bars do not influence the relative strengthof the nuclear Hα peak, nor the circumnuclear Hα morphology.Even considering that our selection criteria led to an over-abundance ofgalaxies with close massive companions, we do not find any significantinfluence of the presence or absence of a close companion on therelative strength of the nuclear Hα peak, nor on the Hαmorphology around the nucleus.
| A wide-field HI study of the NGC 1566 group
We report on neutral hydrogen observations of a ~ 5.5 × 5.5deg2 field around the NGC 1566 galaxy group with themultibeam narrow-band system on the 64-m Parkes Telescope. We detected13 HI sources in the field, including two galaxies not previously knownto be members of the group, bringing the total number of confirmedgalaxies in this group to 26. Each of the HI galaxies can be associatedwith an optically catalogued galaxy. No `intergalactic HI clouds' werefound to an HI mass limit of ~3.5 ×108Msolar. We have estimated the expected HIcontent of the late-type galaxies in this group and find that the totaldetected HI is consistent with our expectations. However, while noglobal HI deficiency is inferred for this group, two galaxies exhibitindividual HI deficiencies. Further observations are needed to determinethe gas removal mechanisms in these galaxies.
| The GEMS project: X-ray analysis and statistical properties of the group sample
The Group Evolution Multiwavelength Study (GEMS) involves amultiwavelength study of a sample of 60 galaxy groups, chosen to span awide range of group properties. Substantial ROSAT Position SensitiveProportional Counter (PSPC) observations, available for all of thesegroups, are used to characterize the state of the intergalactic mediumin each. We present the results of a uniform analysis of these ROSATdata and a statistical investigation of the relationship between X-rayand optical properties across the sample. Our analysis improves inseveral respects on previous work: (i) we distinguish between systems inwhich the hot gas is a group-scale medium and those in which it appearsto be just a hot halo associated with a central galaxy; (ii) weextrapolate X-ray luminosities to a fixed overdensity radius(r500) using fitted surface brightness models, in order toavoid biases arising from the fact that cooler systems are detectable tosmaller radii, and (iii) optical properties have been rederived in auniform manner from the NASA Extragalactic Database, rather than relyingon the data in the disparate collection of group catalogues from whichour systems are drawn.The steepening of the LX-TX relation in the groupregime reported previously is not seen in our sample, which fits well onto the cluster trend, albeit with large non-statistical scatter. Anumber of biases affect the fitting of regression lines under thesecircumstances, and until the impact of these has been thoroughlyinvestigated it seems best to regard the slope of the groupLX-TX relation as being poorly determined. Asignificant problem in comparing the properties of groups and clustersis the derivation of system radii, to allow different systems to becompared within regions having the same overdensity. We find evidencethat group velocity dispersion (σv) provides a veryunreliable measure of system mass (and hence radius), with a number ofgroups having remarkably low values of σv, given thatthey appear from their X-ray properties to be collapsed systems. Weconfirm that the surface brightness profiles of groups are significantlyflatter than those of clusters - the maximum value of theβfit parameter for our sample is 0.58, lower than thetypical value of 0.67 seen in clusters - however, we find no significanttendency within our sample for cooler groups to show flatter profiles.This result is inconsistent with simple universal pre-heating models.The morphology of the galaxies in the GEMS groups is correlated to theirX-ray properties in a number of ways: we confirm the very strongrelationship between X-ray emission and a dominant early-type centralgalaxy, which has been noted since the early X-ray studies of groups,and also find that spiral fraction is correlated with the temperature ofthe hot gas and hence the depth of the gravitational potential. A classof spiral-rich groups with little or no X-ray emission probablycorresponds to groups that have not yet fully collapsed.
| The ISOPHOT 170 μm Serendipity Survey II. The catalog of optically identified galaxies%
The ISOPHOT Serendipity Sky Survey strip-scanning measurements covering≈15% of the far-infrared (FIR) sky at 170 μm were searched forcompact sources associated with optically identified galaxies. CompactSerendipity Survey sources with a high signal-to-noise ratio in at leasttwo ISOPHOT C200 detector pixels were selected that have a positionalassociation with a galaxy identification in the NED and/or Simbaddatabases and a galaxy counterpart visible on the Digitized Sky Surveyplates. A catalog with 170 μm fluxes for more than 1900 galaxies hasbeen established, 200 of which were measured several times. The faintest170 μm fluxes reach values just below 0.5 Jy, while the brightest,already somewhat extended galaxies have fluxes up to ≈600 Jy. For thevast majority of listed galaxies, the 170 μm fluxes were measured forthe first time. While most of the galaxies are spirals, about 70 of thesources are classified as ellipticals or lenticulars. This is the onlycurrently available large-scale galaxy catalog containing a sufficientnumber of sources with 170 μm fluxes to allow further statisticalstudies of various FIR properties.Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments fundedby ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, TheNetherlands and the UK) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.Members of the Consortium on the ISOPHOT Serendipity Survey (CISS) areMPIA Heidelberg, ESA ISO SOC Villafranca, AIP Potsdam, IPAC Pasadena,Imperial College London.Full Table 4 and Table 6 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/422/39
| Minor-axis velocity gradients in disk galaxies
We present the ionized-gas kinematics and photometry of a sample of 4spiral galaxies which are characterized by a zero-velocity plateau alongthe major axis and a velocity gradient along the minor axis,respectively. By combining these new kinematical data with thoseavailable in the literature for the ionized-gas component of the S0s andspirals listed in the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies werealized that about 50% of unbarred galaxies show a remarkable gasvelocity gradient along the optical minor axis. This fraction rises toabout 60% if we include unbarred galaxies with an irregular velocityprofile along the minor axis. This phenomenon is observed all along theHubble sequence of disk galaxies, and it is particularly frequent inearly-type spirals. Since minor-axis velocity gradients are unexpectedif the gas is moving onto circular orbits in a disk coplanar to thestellar one, we conclude that non-circular and off-plane gas motions arenot rare in the inner regions of disk galaxies.Based on observations carried out at the European Southern Observatoryin La Silla (Chile) (ESO 69.B-0706 and 70.B-0338), with the MultipleMirror Telescope which is a joint facility of the SmithsonianInstitution and the University of Arizona, and with the ItalianTelescopio Nazionale Galileo (AOT-5, 3-18) at the Observatorio del Roquede los Muchachos in La Palma (Spain).Table 1 is only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org. Table 5 is only available in electronic format the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/416/507
| The PDS versus Markarian starburst galaxies: comparing strong and weak IRAS emitter at 12 and 25 μm in the nearby Universe
The characteristics of the starburst galaxies from the Pico dos Diassurvey (PDS) are compared with those of the nearby ultraviolet (UV)bright Markarian starburst galaxies, having the same limit in redshift(vh < 7500 km s-1) and absolute B magnitude(MB < -18). An important difference is found: theMarkarian galaxies are generally undetected at 12 and 25 μm in IRAS.This is consistent with the UV excess shown by these galaxies andsuggests that the youngest star-forming regions dominating thesegalaxies are relatively free of dust.The far-infrared selection criteria for the PDS are shown to introduce astrong bias towards massive (luminous) and large size late-type spiralgalaxies. This is contrary to the Markarian galaxies, which are found tobe remarkably rich in smaller size early-type galaxies. These resultssuggest that only late-type spirals with a large and massive disc arestrong emitters at 12 and 25 μm in IRAS in the nearby Universe.The Markarian and PDS starburst galaxies are shown to share the sameenvironment. This rules out an explanation of the differences observedin terms of external parameters. These differences may be explained byassuming two different levels of evolution, the Markarian being lessevolved than the PDS galaxies. This interpretation is fully consistentwith the disc formation hypothesis proposed by Coziol et al. to explainthe special properties of the Markarian SBNG.
| The IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample
IRAS flux densities, redshifts, and infrared luminosities are reportedfor all sources identified in the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample(RBGS), a complete flux-limited survey of all extragalactic objects withtotal 60 μm flux density greater than 5.24 Jy, covering the entiresky surveyed by IRAS at Galactic latitudes |b|>5°. The RBGS includes629 objects, with median and mean sample redshifts of 0.0082 and 0.0126,respectively, and a maximum redshift of 0.0876. The RBGS supersedes theprevious two-part IRAS Bright Galaxy Samples(BGS1+BGS2), which were compiled before the final(Pass 3) calibration of the IRAS Level 1 Archive in 1990 May. The RBGSalso makes use of more accurate and consistent automated methods tomeasure the flux of objects with extended emission. The RBGS contains 39objects that were not present in the BGS1+BGS2,and 28 objects from the BGS1+BGS2 have beendropped from RBGS because their revised 60 μm flux densities are notgreater than 5.24 Jy. Comparison of revised flux measurements forsources in both surveys shows that most flux differences are in therange ~5%-25%, although some faint sources at 12 and 25 μm differ byas much as a factor of 2. Basic properties of the RBGS sources aresummarized, including estimated total infrared luminosities, as well asupdates to cross identifications with sources from optical galaxycatalogs established using the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Inaddition, an atlas of images from the Digitized Sky Survey with overlaysof the IRAS position uncertainty ellipse and annotated scale bars isprovided for ease in visualizing the optical morphology in context withthe angular and metric size of each object. The revised bolometricinfrared luminosity function, φ(Lir), forinfrared-bright galaxies in the local universe remains best fit by adouble power law, φ(L)~Lα, withα=-0.6(+/-0.1) and α=-2.2(+/-0.1) below and above the``characteristic'' infrared luminosityL*ir~1010.5Lsolar,respectively. A companion paper provides IRAS High Resolution (HIRES)processing of over 100 RBGS sources where improved spatial resolutionoften provides better IRAS source positions or allows for deconvolutionof close galaxy pairs.
| The far-infrared/radio correlation in the ISO era. The warm and cold far-infrared/radio correlations
We present the correlation between the far-infrared (FIR) and radioemissions from a composite sample of 72 nearby normal galaxies observedwith the ISOPHOT instrument on board the Infrared Space Observatory. Thegalaxies in the sample have measurements at three FIR wavelengths (60,100 and 170 mu m), which allowed a direct determination of the warm andcold FIR emission components. This is the first time that thecorrelation has been established for the total FIR luminosity, of whichmost is carried by the cold dust component predominantly emittinglongwards of the spectral coverage of IRAS. The slope of thiscorrelation is slightly non-linear (1.10+/- 0.03). Separate correlationsbetween the warm and cold FIR emission components and the radio emissionhave also been derived. The slope of the warm FIR/radio correlation wasfound to be linear (1.03 +/- 0.03). For the cold FIR/radio correlationwe found a slightly non-linear (1.13 +/- 0.04) slope. We qualitativelyinterpret the correlations in terms of star formation rate and find thatboth the FIR and radio emissions may be consistent with a non-lineardependence on star formation rate for galaxies not undergoing starburstactivity.Based on observations with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), an ESAproject with instruments funded by ESA member States (especially the PIcountries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the UK) and with theparticipation of ISAS and NASA.Table \ref{Tab2} and Appendices A and B are only available in electronicform at http://www.edpsciences.org
| A new catalogue of ISM content of normal galaxies
We have compiled a catalogue of the gas content for a sample of 1916galaxies, considered to be a fair representation of ``normality''. Thedefinition of a ``normal'' galaxy adopted in this work implies that wehave purposely excluded from the catalogue galaxies having distortedmorphology (such as interaction bridges, tails or lopsidedness) and/orany signature of peculiar kinematics (such as polar rings,counterrotating disks or other decoupled components). In contrast, wehave included systems hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) in thecatalogue. This catalogue revises previous compendia on the ISM contentof galaxies published by \citet{bregman} and \citet{casoli}, andcompiles data available in the literature from several small samples ofgalaxies. Masses for warm dust, atomic and molecular gas, as well asX-ray luminosities have been converted to a uniform distance scale takenfrom the Catalogue of Principal Galaxies (PGC). We have used twodifferent normalization factors to explore the variation of the gascontent along the Hubble sequence: the blue luminosity (LB)and the square of linear diameter (D225). Ourcatalogue significantly improves the statistics of previous referencecatalogues and can be used in future studies to define a template ISMcontent for ``normal'' galaxies along the Hubble sequence. The cataloguecan be accessed on-line and is also available at the Centre desDonnées Stellaires (CDS).The catalogue is available in electronic form athttp://dipastro.pd.astro.it/galletta/ismcat and at the CDS via anonymousftp to\ cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via\http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/405/5
| A test of arm-induced star formation in spiral galaxies from near-infrared and Hα imaging
We have imaged a sample of 20 spiral galaxies in Hα and in thenear-infrared K band (2.2 μm), in order to determine the location andstrength of star formation in these objects with respect toperturbations in the old stellar population. We have found that starformation rates are significantly enhanced in the vicinity of K-bandarms. We have also found that this enhancement in star formation rate inarm regions correlates well with a quantity that measures the relativestrengths of shocks in arms. Assuming that the K-band light is dominatedby emission from the old stellar population, this shows that densitywaves trigger star formation in the vicinity of spiral arms.
| Investigating the central engine of ultraluminous infrared galaxies: near-infrared imaging
We present 0.5-arcsec-resolution near-infrared images of sixultraluminous infrared galaxies with known redshifts. Six of the eightbright nuclei are resolved on kiloparsec scales, suggesting that thereis significant circumnuclear star formation or close progenitor nuclei.At this spatial resolution, the nuclei have very red colours that cannotin general be reproduced by reddening stellar light, but require anadditional component of hot dust emission. In five of the six primarynuclei more than 20 per cent of the K-band continuum originates in hotdust, but the temperature cannot be determined by JHK broad-band coloursalone. Comparison with the spectral shapes, however, does allow thetemperature to be constrained, and we find in every case that it is atthe upper end of the permissible range, >~1000K. This does notnecessarily imply that there is an active galactic nucleus present,since there is evidence that stellar processes can also generate dustthis hot via stochastic heating of small grains. The quantities of hotdust we have found here can make up to 0.5-mag difference to the K-bandmagnitude even at z~1, with implications for observations and populationsynthesis models of higher-redshift objects. Observations in the L or Mbands, where hot dust is most important at z~1, could help todiscriminate between models of dusty starbursts and ellipticals.
| Bar Galaxies and Their Environments
The prints of the Palomar Sky Survey, luminosity classifications, andradial velocities were used to assign all northern Shapley-Ames galaxiesto either (1) field, (2) group, or (3) cluster environments. Thisinformation for 930 galaxies shows no evidence for a dependence of barfrequency on galaxy environment. This suggests that the formation of abar in a disk galaxy is mainly determined by the properties of theparent galaxy, rather than by the characteristics of its environment.
| Seyfert Galaxies with Circumnuclear/Nuclear Starbursts
In this paper, we present our preliminary results on Seyfert galaxieswith circumnuclear/nuclear starburst (SB) activity. We have searched therecent available literature and found 76 active galaxies with clearevidence of nuclear SB activity, among which 16 are Seyfert 1s, 51Seyfert 2s, and 9 LINERs. After studying the 51 Seyfert 2s, we find thatthose Seyfert 2s with hidden Seyfert 1 nuclei, have similarInfrared-Radio properties as Seyfert 1 galaxies, and are different from``real'' Seyfert 2s without a hidden Seyfert 1 nucleus. The later aresimilar to starburst galaxies.
| A targeted survey for H i clouds in galaxy groups
Five galaxy groups with properties similar to those of the Local Grouphave been surveyed for Hi clouds with the Arecibo Telescope. In total300 pointings have been observed on grids of approximately2.5×1.5Mpc2 centred on the groups. The 4.5σdetection limit on the minimal detectable Hi masses is approximately7×106Msolar(H0=65kms-1Mpc-1). All detections couldbe attributed to optical galaxies; no significant detections of Hiclouds have been made. This null result leads to the conclusion that thetotal Hi mass of intragroup clouds must be less than 10 per cent of thetotal Hi mass of galaxy groups and less than 0.05 per cent of thedynamical mass. The recent hypothesis that Galactic high-velocity cloudsare Local Group satellite galaxies is highly inconsistent with theseobservations.
| Homogenization of the Stellar Population along Late-Type Spiral Galaxies
We present a study of the broadband UBV color profiles for 257 Sbcbarred and nonbarred galaxies, using photoelectric aperture photometrydata from the literature. Using robust statistical methods, we haveestimated the color gradients of the galaxies, as well as the total andbulge mean colors. A comparative photometric study using CCD images wasdone. In our sample, the color gradients are negative (reddish inward)in approximately 59% of the objects, are almost null in 27%, and arepositive in 14%, considering only the face-on galaxies, which representapproximately 51% of the sample. The results do not change, essentially,when we include the edge-on galaxies. As a consequence of this study wehave also found that barred galaxies are overrepresented among theobjects having null or positive gradients, indicating that bars act as amechanism of homogenization of the stellar population. This effect ismore evident in the U-B color index, although it can also be detected inthe B-V color. A correlation between the total and bulge colors wasfound that is a consequence of an underlying correlation between thecolors of bulges and disks found by other authors. Moreover, the meantotal color is the same irrespective of the gradient regime, whilebulges are bluer in galaxies with null or positive gradients, whichindicates an increase of the star formation rate in the central regionsof these objects. We have also made a quantitative evaluation of theamount of extinction in the center of these galaxies. This was doneusing the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and the Near InfraredCamera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Hubble Space Telescope(HST) archival data, as well as CCD B, V, and I images. We show thatalthough the extinction in the V-band can reach values up to 2 mag inthe central region, it is unlikely that dust plays a fundamental role inglobal color gradients. We found no correlation between color and O/Habundance gradients. This result could suggest that the color gradientsare more sensitive to the age rather than to the metallicity of thestellar population. However, the absence of this correlation may becaused by dust extinction. We discuss this result by considering apicture in which bars are a relatively fast, recurrent phenomenon. Theseresults are not compatible with a pure classical monolithic scenario forbulge and disk formation. On the contrary, they favor a scenario inwhich both these components are evolving in a correlated process inwhich stellar bars play a crucial role. Based partly on observationsmade at the Pico dos Dias Observatory (PDO/LNA-CNPq), Brazil.
| Near-infrared line imaging of the starburst galaxies NGC 520, NGC 1614 and NGC 7714
We present high spatial resolution ( ~ 0\farcs6) near-infraredbroad-band JHK images and Brgamma 2.1661 mu m and H_2 1-0 S(1) 2.122 mum emission line images of the nuclear regions in the interactingstarburst galaxies NGC 520, NGC 1614 and NGC 7714. The near-infraredemission line and radio morphologies are in general agreement, althoughthere are differences in details. In NGC 1614, we detect a nucleardouble structure in \BG, in agreement with the radio double structure.We derive average extinctions of A_K = 0.41 and A_K = 0.18 toward thenuclear regions of NGC 1614 and NGC 7714, respectively. For NGC 520, theextinction is much higher, A_K = 1.2-1.6. The observed H_2/Brgammaratios indicate that the main excitation mechanism of the molecular gasis fluorescence by intense UV radiation from clusters of hot youngstars, while shock excitation can be ruled out. The starburst regions inall galaxies exhibit small Brgamma equivalent widths. Assuming aconstant star formation model, even with a lowered upper mass cutoff ofM_u = 30 M_sun, results in rather old ages (10-40 Myr), in disagreementwith the clumpy near-infrared morphologies. We prefer a model of aninstantaneous burst of star formation with M_u = 100 M_sun, occurring ~6-7 Myr ago, in agreement with previous determinations and with thedetection of W-R features in NGC 1614 and NGC 7714. Finally, we note apossible systematic difference in the amount of hot molecular gasbetween starburst and Seyfert galaxies.
| A Visual Search for Galaxies in a Milky Way Region around the North Supergalactic Pole
We performed a visual systematic search for galaxies on POSS II(B)plates in a Milky Way region between l~=32deg-68° andb~=-4deg to 19°. This region partly contains the LocalVoid, and the north supergalactic pole exists at the central part. Thesurveyed area was about 560 deg2, and a total of 11,310galaxies and galaxy candidates with sizes of 0.1′ or greater wereidentified. Among the detected objects, 152 have been given in galaxycatalogs and 159, including 49 known galaxies, are associated with IRASpoint sources. We made a catalog of the detected objects, in which theposition in (α, δ) and (l, b), the size, and the features ofthe image and multiplicity are given for each object. The surface numberdensities of the detected objects almost depend on the Galacticlatitude. In the surveyed region, there is no nearby cluster and thereis an outstanding concentration of galaxies at l=7deg-12°and 4000-5000 km s-1.
| Lopsided Galaxies, Weak Interactions, and Boosting the Star Formation Rate
To investigate the link between weak tidal interactions in disk galaxiesand the boosting of their recent star formation, we obtain images andspatially integrated spectra (3615 Å<=λ<=5315Å) for 40 late-type spiral galaxies (Sab-Sbc) with varying degreesof lopsidedness (a dynamical indicator of weak interactions). Wequantify lopsidedness as the amplitude of the m=1Fourier component of the azimuthal surface brightness distributionaveraged over a range of radii. The median spectrum of the most lopsidedgalaxies shows strong evidence for a more prominent young stellarpopulation (i.e., strong Balmer absorption, strong nebular emission, aweak 4000 Å break, and a blue continuum) when compared to themedian spectrum of the most symmetric galaxies. We compare the youngstellar content, quantified by EW(Hδabs) and thestrength of the 4000 Å break (D4000), with lopsidednessand find a 3-4 σ correlation between the two. We also find a 3.2σ correlation between EW(Hβemission) andlopsidedness. Using the evolutionary population synthesis code ofBruzual & Charlot we model the spectra as an ``underlyingpopulation'' and a superimposed ``boost population'' with the aim ofconstraining the fractional boost in the SFR averaged over the past 0.5Gyr (the characteristic lifetime of lopsidedness). From the differencein both EW(Hδabs) and the strength of the 4000 Åbreak (D4000) between the most and least symmetric thirds ofour sample, we infer that ~1×109 Msolar ofstars are formed over the duration of a lopsided event in addition tothe ``underlying'' star formation history (assuming a final galacticstellar mass of 1010 Msolar). This corresponds toa factor of 8 increase in the star formation rate over the past5×108 years. For the nuclear spectra, all of the abovecorrelations except D4000 versus areweaker than for the disk, indicating that in lopsided galaxies, the starformation boost is not dominated by the nucleus.
| Near-Infrared Line Imaging of the Circumnuclear Starburst Ring in NGC 7771
We present high spatial resolution near-infrared broadband JHK imagesand, for the first time, Brγ 2.1661 μm and H2 1-0S(1) 2.122 μm emission-line images of the circumnuclear star-formingring (major axis diameter 7''=2 kpc) in the starburst galaxyNGC 7771. These data are used to investigate the morphology andextinction of the starburst ring and to study its star-formingproperties and history by comparing the observed quantities with anevolutionary population synthesis model. The clumpy morphology of NGC7771 varies strongly with wavelength, as a result of the combination ofextinction (for which we derive an average value of AV=2.8),emission from hot dust and red supergiants, and several stellargenerations in the ring. Also, the ellipticity and the position angle ofthe ring depend on the wavelength. The starburst ring in NGC 7771exhibits small Brγ equivalent widths. Assuming a constant starformation model with Mu=100 Msolar results in verylong lifetimes of the star-forming regions (up to 1 Gyr), indisagreement with the clumpy near-infrared morphology and the observedradio spectral index of NGC 7771. This situation is only slightlyremedied by assuming a reduced upper mass cutoff (Mu=30Msolar), resulting in ages between 8 and 180 Myr. We preferan instantaneous star formation model with Mu=100Msolar, which can explain the derived Brγ equivalentwidths if a single starburst occurred 6-7 Myr ago. The main excitationmechanism of the molecular gas, based on the observed S(1)/Brγratio, appears to be excitation by UV radiation from hot young stars. Wederive M~=1900 Msolar for the mass of the excitedH2.
| The ISOPHOT 170 μ m serendipity survey. I. Compact sources with galaxy associations
The first set of compact sources observed in the ISOPHOT 170 μmSerendipity Survey is presented. From the slew data with low(I100 μm <= 15 MJy/sr) cirrus background, 115well-observed sources with a high signal-to-noise ratio in all detectorpixels having a galaxy association were extracted. Of the galaxies withknown optical morphologies, the vast majority are classified as spirals,barred spirals, or irregulars. The 170 μm fluxes measured from theSerendipity slews have been put on an absolute flux level by usingcalibration sources observed additionally with the photometric mappingmode of ISOPHOT. For all but a few galaxies, the 170 μm fluxes aredetermined for the first time, which represents a significant increasein the number of galaxies with measured Far-Infrared (FIR) fluxes beyondthe IRAS 100 μm limit. The 170 μm fluxes cover the range 2 <~F170 μm la 100 Jy. Formulae for the integrated FIR fluxesF40-220μm and the total infrared fluxesF1-1000μm incorporating the new 170 μm fluxes areprovided. The large fraction of sources with a high F170μm / F100 μm flux ratio indicates that a cold(TDust la 20 K) dust component is present in many galaxies.The detection of such a cold dust component is crucial for thedetermination of the total dust mass in galaxies, and, in cases with alarge F170 μm / F100 μm flux ratio,increases the dust mass by a significant factor. The typical mass of thecoldest dust component is MDust = 107.5 +/- 0.5Msun , a factor 2-10 larger than that derived from IRASfluxes alone. As a consequence, the majority of the derived gas-to-dustratios are much closer to the canonical value of ~ 160 for the MilkyWay. By relaxing the selection criteria, it is expected that theSerendipity Survey will eventually lead to a catalog of 170 μm fluxesfor ~ 1000 galaxies. Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project withinstruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries:France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with theparticipation of ISAS and NASA. Members of the Consortium on the ISOPHOTSerendipity Survey (CISS) are MPIA Heidelberg, ESA ISO SOC Villafranca,AIP Potsdam, IPAC Pasadena, Imperial College London.
| Near-infrared line imaging of the circumnuclear starburst rings in the active galaxies NGC 1097 and NGC 6574
We present high spatial resolution near-infrared broad-band JHK andBrgaussmma 2.166 mum and H_2 1-0 S(1) 2.121 mum emission line images ofthe circumnuclear star formation rings in the LINER/Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC1097 and in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 6574. We investigate themorphology, extinction, and the star formation properties and history ofthe rings, by comparing the observed properties with an evolutionarypopulation synthesis model. The clumpy morphology in both galaxiesvaries strongly with wavelength, due to a combination of extinction,emission from hot dust and red supergiants, and the age of the stellarpopulations in the rings. The near-infrared and radio morphologies arein general agreement, although there are differences in the detailedmorphology. From the comparison of Brgaussmma and Hα fluxes, wederive average extinctions toward the hot spots A_V = 1.3 for NGC 1097and A_V = 2.1 for NGC 6574. The observed H_2/Brgaussmma ratios indicatethat in both rings the main excitation mechanism of the molecular gas isUV radiation from hot young stars, while shocks can contribute only in afew regions. The starburst rings in both galaxies exhibit smallBrgaussmma equivalent widths. Assuming a constant star formation ratewith M_u = 100 M_sun results in extremely long ages (up to 1 Gyr), indisagreement with the morphology and the radio spectral index of thegalaxies. This situation is only slightly remedied by a reduced uppermass cutoff (M_u = 30 M_sun). We prefer a model of an instantaneousburst of star formation with M_u = 100 M_sun occurring sim6-7 Myr ago.Gaseous nuclear bars parallel to the stellar nuclear bar were detectedin both galaxies, and we derive M sim100 M_sun for the mass of theexcited nuclear H_2 emission. Finally, we briefly discuss the connectionbetween the rings, bars and the fuelling of nuclear activity.
| Arcsecond Positions of UGC Galaxies
We present accurate B1950 and J2000 positions for all confirmed galaxiesin the Uppsala General Catalog (UGC). The positions were measuredvisually from Digitized Sky Survey images with rms uncertaintiesσ<=[(1.2")2+(θ/100)2]1/2,where θ is the major-axis diameter. We compared each galaxymeasured with the original UGC description to ensure high reliability.The full position list is available in the electronic version only.
| CO Images of the Central Regions of 20 Nearby Spiral Galaxies
We report a CO(J=1-0) aperture-synthesis survey of the central regionsof 20 nearby spiral galaxies. The sample is selected on the basis ofinclination, single-dish CO flux, and lack of significant dynamicalperturbation. No selection is made on the basis of their nuclearactivity, starburst, or infrared luminosity. The observations have beenmade using the Nobeyama and Owens Valley millimeter arrays, with typicalresolutions of 4" (300 pc) and 20 km s-1, and sensitivitiesof ~30 mJy beam-1 for a 20 km s-1 channel. In thispaper, we present integrated intensity and mean velocity maps,azimuthally averaged radial distributions, and position-velocity plots.Most galaxies in the sample have scale lengths for the radial COdistribution that are much smaller in the nuclear regions than in theouter disks. Typically, the CO emission falls to 1/e of the central peakvalue at radii of ~500 pc. This is significantly smaller than the scalelengths for the global CO distributions in the galactic disks. COposition-velocity diagrams exhibit a steep rise in rotation velocity,dV/dr~1 km s-1 pc-1, in the central regions ofmost galaxies. The CO line width typically reaches ~95% of the overall HI line width within a radius of 1 kpc. This steep rise in the rotationvelocity mainly reflects the highly concentrated mass distributions inthe galactic centers, though it may well be partly due to noncircularmotions in barred galaxies. In a number of galaxies, theposition-velocity diagrams show a small central hole (d<~100 pc) inCO emission. In many galaxies, we detect CO clumps of subkiloparsec sizewhich may be giant molecular associations (GMAs). In the Appendix, wedemonstrate that small holes at the galactic center can be readilydetected in position-velocity diagrams even when they are smaller thanthe spatial resolution of the data.
| Bar-driven Transport of Molecular Gas to Galactic Centers and Its Consequences
We study the characteristics of molecular gas in the central regions ofspiral galaxies on the basis of our CO(J=1-0) imaging survey of 20nearby spiral galaxies using the NRO and OVRO millimeter arrays.Condensations of molecular gas at galactic centers with size scales<~1 kpc and CO-derived masses Mgas(R<500pc)~108-109 Msolar are found to beprevalent in the gas-rich~L* galaxies. Moreover, the degreeof gas concentration to the central kiloparsec is found to be higher inbarred systems than in unbarred galaxies. This is the first statisticalevidence for the higher central concentration of molecular gas in barredgalaxies, and it strongly supports the theory of bar-driven gastransport. It is most likely that more than half of molecular gas withinthe central kiloparsec of a barred galaxy was transported there fromoutside by the bar. The supply of gas has exceeded the consumption ofgas by star formation in the central kiloparsec, resulting in the excessgas in the centers of barred systems. The mean rate of gas inflow isstatistically estimated to be larger than 0.1-1 Msolaryr-1. There is no clear correlation between gas mass in thecentral kiloparsec and the type of nuclear spectrum (H II, LINER, orSeyfert), suggesting that the amount of gas at this scale does notdetermine the nature of the nuclear activity. There is, however, a clearcorrelation for galaxies with larger gas-to-dynamical mass ratios tohave H II nuclear spectra, while galaxies with smaller ratios showspectra indicating active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This trend may well berelated to the gravitational stability of the nuclear gas disk, which isgenerally lower for larger gas mass fractions. It is therefore possiblethat all galaxies have active nuclei, but that dwarf AGNs areoverwhelmed by the surrounding star formation when the nuclear moleculargas disk is massive and unstable. The theoretical prediction of bardissolution by condensation of gas to galactic centers isobservationally tested by comparing gas concentration in barred andunbarred galaxies. If a bar is to be destroyed so abruptly that the gascondensation at the nucleus does not have enough time to be consumed,then there would be currently unbarred but previously barred galaxieswith high gas concentrations. The lack of such galaxies in our sample,together with the current rates of gas consumption at the galacticcenters, suggests that the timescale for bar dissolution is larger than108-1010 yr or a bar in a L* galaxy isnot destroyed by a condensation of 108-109Msolar gas in the central kiloparsec.
| An Infrared Search for Extinguished Supernovae in Starburst Galaxies
IR and radio-band observations of heavily extinguished regions instarburst galaxies suggest a high supernova (SN) rate associated withsuch regions. Optically measured SN rates may therefore underestimatethe total SN rate by factors of up to 10, as a result of the very highextinction (A_B~10-20 mag) to core-collapse SNe in starburst regions.The IR/radio SN rates come from a variety of indirect means, however,which suffer from model dependence and other problems. We describe adirect measurement of the SN rate from a regular patrol of starburstgalaxies done with K'-band imaging to minimize the effects ofextinction. A collection of K'-band measurements of core-collapse SNenear maximum light is presented. Such measurements (excluding 1987A) arenot well reported in the literature. Results of a preliminary K'-bandsearch, using the MIRC camera at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory and animproved search strategy using the new ORCA optics, are described. Amonthly patrol of a sample of IRAS bright (mostly starburst) galaxieswithin 25 Mpc should yield 1-6 SNe yr^-1, corresponding to the range ofestimated SN rates. Our initial MIRC search with low resolution (2.2"pixels) failed to find extinguished SNe in the IRAS galaxies, limitingthe SN rate outside the nucleus (at greater than 15" radius) to lessthan 3.8 far-IR SN rate units (SNe per century per 10^10 L_solarmeasured at 60 and 100 mum, or FIRSRU) at 90% confidence. The MIRCcamera had insufficient resolution to search nuclear starburst regions,where starburst and SN activity is concentrated; therefore, we wereunable to rigorously test the hypothesis of high SN rates in heavilyobscured star-forming regions. We conclude that high-resolution nuclearSN searches in starburst galaxies with small fields are more productivethan low-resolution, large-field searches, even for our sample of large(often several arcminutes) galaxies. With our ORCA high-resolutionoptics, we could limit the total SN rate to less than 1.3 FIRSRU at 90%confidence in 3 years of observations, lower than most estimates.
| The structure of spiral galaxies - II. Near-infrared properties of spiral arms
We have imaged a sample of 45 face-on spiral galaxies in the K band, todetermine the morphology of the old stellar population, which dominatesthe mass in the disc. The K-band images of the spiral galaxies have beenused to calculate different characteristics of the underlying densityperturbation such as arm strengths, profiles and cross-sections, andspiral pitch angles. Contrary to expectations, no correlation was foundbetween arm pitch angle and Hubble type, and combined with previousresults this leads us to conclude that the morphology of the old stellarpopulation bears little resemblance to the optical morphology used toclassify galaxies. The arm properties of our galaxies seem inconsistentwith predictions from the simplest density wave theories, and someobservations, such as variations in pitch angle within galaxies, seemhard to reconcile even with more complex modal theories. Bars have nodetectable effect on arm strengths for the present sample. We have alsoobtained B-band images of three of the galaxies. For these galaxies wehave measured arm cross-sections and strengths, to investigate theeffects of disc density perturbations on star formation in spiral discs.We find that B-band arms lead K-band arms and are narrower than K-bandarms, apparently supporting predictions made by the large-scale shockscenario, although the effects of dust on B-band images may contributetowards these results.
| The structure of spiral galaxies - I. Near-infrared properties of bulges, discs and bars
We present data for a sample of 45 spiral galaxies over a range ofHubble types, imaged in the near-IR JK bands. Parameters are calculateddescribing the bulge, disc and bar K-band light distributions, and welook for correlations showing the interrelation between thesecomponents. We find that bulge profiles are not well-fitted by theclassic de Vaucouleurs profile, and that exponential or R^1/2 fits arepreferred. The bulge-to-disc ratio correlates only weakly with Hubbletype. Many of the galaxies show central reddening of their J-K colours,which we interpret as due to nuclear starbursts or dusty AGN. We definea new method for measuring the strength of bars, which we call`equivalent angle'. We stress that this is better than the traditionalbar-interbar contrast, as it is not subject to seeing and resolutioneffects. Bars are found in 40 of the 45 galaxies, nine of which had beenpreviously classified as unbarred. Bar strengths are found not tocorrelate with disc surface brightness or the presence of nearneighbours, but a tendency is found for the most strongly barredgalaxies to lie within a restricted, intermediate range of bulge-to-discratio. Bar light profiles are found to be either flat or exponentiallydecreasing along their long axes, with profile type not correlatingstrongly with Hubble type. Bar short axis profiles are significantlyasymmetric, with the steeper profile being generally on the leadingedge, assuming trailing arms. In the K band we find bars with higheraxial ratios than have been found previously in optical studies.
| The Pico DOS Dias Survey Starburst Galaxies
We discuss the nature of the galaxies found in the Pico dos Dias Survey(PDS) for young stellar objects. The PDS galaxies were selected from theIRAS Point Source catalog. They have flux density of moderate or highquality at 12, 25, and 60 μm and spectral indices in the ranges -3.00<= alpha(25, 12) <= + 0.35 and -2.50 <= alpha(60, 25) <=+0.85. These criteria allowed the detection of 382 galaxies, which are amixture of starburst and Seyfert galaxies. Most of the PDS Seyfertgalaxies are included in the catalog of warm IRAS sources by de Grijp etal. The remaining galaxies constitute a homogeneous sample of luminous[log F (L_B/L_ȯ) = 9.9 +/- 0.4] starburst galaxies, 67% of whichwere not recognized as such before. The starburst nature of the PDSgalaxies is established by comparing their L_IR/L_B ratios and IRAScolors with a sample of emission-line galaxies from the literaturealready classified as starburst galaxies. The starburst galaxies show anexcess of FIR luminosity, and their IRAS colors are significantlydifferent from those of Seyfert galaxies-99% of the starburst galaxiesin our sample have a spectral index alpha(60, 25) < -1.9. As opposedto Seyfert galaxies, very few PDS starbursts are detected in X-rays. Inthe infrared, the starburst galaxies form a continuous sequence withnormal galaxies. But they generally can be distinguished from normalgalaxies by their spectral index alpha(60, 25) > -2.5. This colorcutoff also marks a change in the dominant morphologies of the galaxies:the normal IRAS galaxies are preferentially late-type spirals (Sb andlater), while the starbursts are more numerous among early-type spirals(earlier than Sbc). This preference of starbursts for early-type spiralsis not new, but a trait of the massive starburst nucleus galaxies(Coziol et al.). As in other starburst nucleus galaxy samples, the PDSstarbursts show no preference for barred galaxies. No difference isfound between the starbursts detected in the FIR and those detected onthe basis of UV excess. The PDS starburst galaxies represent the FIRluminous branch of the UV-bright starburst nucleus galaxies, with meanFIR luminosity log (L_IR/L_ȯ) = 10.3 +/- 0.5 and redshifts smallerthan 0.1. They form a complete sample limited in flux in the FIR at 2 x10^-10 ergs cm^-2 s^-1.
| Photometric Observations of Star Formation Activity in Early-Type Spiral Galaxies
We observationally study the current star formation activities ofearly-type spiral galaxies. We construct a complete sample of 15early-type spiral galaxies having ratios of far-infrared (FIR) tooptical B-band luminosity, log (L_FIR/L_B), larger than average for thistype and present CCD imaging of the R and Hα bands. The equivalentwidths of Hα emission increase with increasing L_FIR/L_B,indicating that log (L_FIR/L_B) can be an indicator of star formationfor such early-type spiral galaxies with star formation activitieshigher than average. For all of the observed early-type spiral galaxies,the extended H II regions exist at the central regions with someasymmetric features. Hα emission is more concentrated to thegalactic center than the R-band light, and the degree of theconcentration increases with the star formation activity. We alsoanalyze the relation between the star formation activities and theexistence of companion galaxies in the sample galaxies and other brightearly-type spiral galaxies. No correlation is found; this suggests thatthe interaction is not responsible for all of the star formationactivities of early-type spiral galaxies.
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