Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m31: further evidence for a spiral/ring composite structure
TL;DR: In this article, the two spiral arms appear to start at the ends of a bar in the nuclear region and extend beyond the star-forming ring, and the star forming ring is very circular except for a region near M32 where it splits.
Abstract: New images of M31 at 24, 70, and 160 μm taken with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) reveal the morphology of the dust in this galaxy. This morphology is well represented by a composite of two logarithmic spiral arms and a circular ring (radius ~10 kpc) of star formation offset from the nucleus. The two spiral arms appear to start at the ends of a bar in the nuclear region and extend beyond the star-forming ring. As has been found in previous work, the spiral arms are not continuous, but composed of spiral segments. The star-forming ring is very circular except for a region near M32 where it splits. The lack of well-defined spiral arms and the prominence of the nearly circular ring suggest that M31 has been distorted by interactions with its satellite galaxies. Using new dynamical simulations of M31 interacting with M32 and NGC 205, we find that, qualitatively, such interactions can produce an offset, split ring like that seen in the MIPS images.
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University of St Andrews1, European Southern Observatory2, University of Edinburgh3, Liverpool John Moores University4, University of Nottingham5, Australian Astronomical Observatory6, University of Sussex7, Max Planck Society8, University of Sydney9, Monash University, Clayton campus10, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne11, Cardiff University12, University of Queensland13, Swinburne University of Technology14, University of Portsmouth15, University of Bristol16, University of Central Lancashire17, University of Melbourne18, Durham University19, University of Hertfordshire20, Carnegie Institution for Science21, University of Western Australia22, Queen Mary University of London23, Imperial College London24
TL;DR: The Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey has been operating since 2008 February on the 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope using the AAOmega fibre-fed spectrograph facility to acquire spectra with a resolution of R ≈ 1300 for 120 862 Sloan Digital Sky Survey selected galaxies.
Abstract: The Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey has been operating since 2008 February on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope using the AAOmega fibre-fed spectrograph facility to acquire spectra with a resolution of R ≈ 1300 for 120 862 Sloan Digital Sky Survey selected galaxies. The target catalogue constitutes three contiguous equatorial regions centred at 9h (G09), 12h (G12) and 14.5h (G15) each of 12 × 4 deg2 to limiting fluxes of rpet < 19.4, rpet < 19.8 and rpet <19.4 mag, respectively (and additional limits at other wavelengths). Spectra and reliable redshifts have been acquired for over 98 per cent of the galaxies within these limits. Here we present the survey footprint, progression, data reduction, redshifting, re-redshifting, an assessment of data quality after 3 yr, additional image analysis products (including ugrizYJHK photometry, S´ersic profiles and photometric redshifts), observing mask and construction of our core survey catalogue (GamaCore). From this we create three science-ready catalogues: GamaCoreDR1 for public release, which includes data acquired during year 1 of operations within specified magnitude limits (2008 February to April); GamaCoreMainSurvey containing all data above our survey limits for use by the GAMA Team and collaborators; and GamaCore-AtlasSV containing year 1, 2 and 3 data matched to Herschel-ATLAS science demonstration data. These catalogues along with the associated spectra, stamps and profiles can be accessed via the GAMA website: http://www.gama-survey.org/
988 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors estimate the conversion factor relating CO emission to H2 mass, αCO, in five Local Group galaxies that span approximately an order of magnitude in metallicity.
Abstract: We estimate the conversion factor relating CO emission to H2 mass, αCO, in five Local Group galaxies that span approximately an order of magnitude in metallicity—M 31, M 33, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), NGC 6822, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We model the dust mass along the line of sight from infrared (IR) emission and then solve for the αCO that best allows a single gas-to-dust ratio (δGDR) to describe each system. This approach remains sensitive to CO-dark envelopes H2 surrounding molecular clouds. In M 31, M 33, and the LMC we find αCO 3-9 M ☉ pc–2 (K km s–1)–1, consistent with the Milky Way value within the uncertainties. The two lowest metallicity galaxies in our sample, NGC 6822 and the SMC (12 + log (O/H) 8.2 and 8.0), exhibit a much higher αCO. Our best estimates are αNGC6822 CO 30 M ☉ pc–2 (K km s–1)–1 and αSMC CO 70 M ☉ pc–2 (K km s–1)–1. These results are consistent with the conversion factor becoming a strong function of metallicity around 12 + log (O/H) ~ 8.4-8.2. We favor an interpretation where decreased dust shielding leads to the dominance of CO-free envelopes around molecular clouds below this metallicity.
545 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors modeled the dust mass along the line of sight from infrared (IR) emission and then solved for the alpha-CO that best allows a single gas-to-dust ratio (delta_GDR) to describe each system.
Abstract: We estimate the conversion factor relating CO emission to H2 mass, alpha_CO, in five Local Group galaxies that span approximately an order of magnitude in metallicity - M31, M 33, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), NGC 6822, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We model the dust mass along the line of sight from infrared (IR) emission and then solve for the alpha_CO that best allows a single gas-to-dust ratio (delta_GDR) to describe each system. This approach remains sensitive to CO-dark envelopes of H2 surrounding molecular clouds. In M 31, M 33, and the LMC we find alpha_CO \approx 3-9 M_sun pc^-2 (K km s^-1)^-1, consistent with the Milky Way value within the uncertainties. The two lowest metallicity galaxies in our sample, NGC 6822 and the SMC (12 + log(O/H) \approx 8.2 and 8.0), exhibit a much higher alpha_CO. Our best estimates are \alpha_NGC6822 \approx 30 M_sun/pc^-2 (K km s^-1)^-1 and \alpha_SMC \approx 70 M_sun/pc^-2 (K km s-1)-1. These results are consistent with the conversion factor becoming CO a strong function of metallicity around 12 + log(O/H) \sim 8.4 - 8.2. We favor an interpretation where decreased dust-shielding leads to the dominance of CO-free envelopes around molecular clouds below this metallicity.
377 citations
Cites background from "Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..."
...It has a very low I70/I160, implying very low radiation fields or colder dust temperatures (Gordon et al. 2006)....
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...Gordon et al. (2006) present Spitzer maps at 24, 70, and 160µm....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the stellar calibrator sample and the conversion from instrumental to physical units for the 24 micron channel of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) were presented.
Abstract: We present the stellar calibrator sample and the conversion from instrumental to physical units for the 24 micron channel of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). The primary calibrators are A stars, and the calibration factor based on those stars is 4.54*10^{-2} MJy sr^{-1} (DN/s)^{-1}, with a nominal uncertainty of 2%. We discuss the data-reduction procedures required to attain this accuracy; without these procdures, the calibration factor obtained using the automated pipeline at the Spitzer Science Center is 1.6% +/- 0.6% lower. We extend this work to predict 24 micron flux densities for a sample of 238 stars which covers a larger range of flux densities and spectral types. We present a total of 348 measurements of 141 stars at 24 micron. This sample covers a factor of ~460 in 24 micron flux density, from 8.6 mJy up to 4.0 Jy. We show that the calibration is linear over that range with respect to target flux and background level. The calibration is based on observations made using 3-second exposures; a preliminary analysis shows that the calibration factor may be 1% and 2% lower for 10- and 30-second exposures, respectively. We also demonstrate that the calibration is very stable: over the course of the mission, repeated measurements of our routine calibrator, HD 159330, show a root-mean-square scatter of only 0.4%. Finally, we show that the point spread function (PSF) is well measured and allows us to calibrate extended sources accurately; Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) and MIPS measurements of a sample of nearby galaxies are identical within the uncertainties.
357 citations
Cites background from "Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..."
...…(nearby galaxies) observed by the Spitzer legacy teams SINGS (Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey; Kennicutt et al. 2003) and SAGE (Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy’s Evolution; Meixner et al. 2006) and by guaranteed time observers (Hinz et al. 2004; Gordon et al. 2006a,b) to IRAS measurements....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conduct dissipationless N-body simulations to investigate the cumulative effect of substructure impacts onto thin disk galaxies in the context of the ΛCDM paradigm, and demonstrate that these accretion events produce distinctive morphological signatures in the disk, including long-lived, low surface brightness, ringlike features in the outskirts; significant flares; bars; and faint filamentary structures above the disk plane.
Abstract: We conduct dissipationless N-body simulations to investigate the cumulative effect of substructure impacts onto thin disk galaxies in the context of the ΛCDM paradigm. Our simulation campaign is based on a hybrid approach combining cosmological simulations and controlled numerical experiments. Substructure properties are culled from cosmological simulations of galaxy-sized CDM halos. We demonstrate that accretions of massive subhalos onto the central regions of host halos, where the galactic disk resides, since z ~ 1 should be common occurrences. In contrast, extremely few satellites in present-day CDM halos are likely to have a significant impact on the disk structure. One host halo merger history is subsequently used to seed controlled N-body experiments of repeated satellite encounters with an initially thin Milky-Way (MW) type disk galaxy. These simulations track the effects of six dark matter substructures, with initial masses in the range ~(0.7–2) × 1010 M☉ (~20%-60% of the disk mass), crossing the disk in the past ~8 Gyr. We demonstrate that these accretion events produce several distinctive morphological signatures in the disk, including long-lived, low surface brightness, ringlike features in the outskirts; significant flares; bars; and faint filamentary structures above the disk plane. The final distribution of disk stars exhibits a complex vertical structure that is well described by a standard "thin-thick" disk decomposition. We compare one of the resulting ringlike features in our simulations to the Monoceros Ring stellar structure in the MW. The comparison shows quantitative agreement in spatial distribution and kinematics, suggesting that such observed complex stellar components may arise naturally as disk stars are excited by encounters with CDM substructure. We conclude that satellite-disk interactions of the kind expected in ΛCDM models can induce morphological features in galactic disks that are similar to those being discovered in the Milky Way, M31, and other disk galaxies. These results highlight the significant role of CDM substructure in setting the structure of disk galaxies and driving galaxy evolution. Upcoming galactic structure surveys and astrometric satellites may be able to distinguish between competing cosmological models by testing whether the detailed structure of galactic disks is as excited as predicted by the CDM paradigm.
350 citations
Cites background from "Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..."
...At least one recent, high-metallicity accretion event is evidenced by the “giant stream” structure (Ibata et al. 2001a) and Spitzer MIPS imaging has revealed a nearly circular, ∼ 10 kpc star-forming ring that may have been triggered by a past disk interaction (Gordon et al. 2006)....
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References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the broad patterns in the star formation properties of galaxies along the Hubble sequence and their implications for understanding galaxy evolution and the physical processes that drive the evolution.
Abstract: Observations of star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies provide vital clues to the physical nature of the Hubble sequence and are key probes of the evolutionary histories of galaxies. The focus of this review is on the broad patterns in the star formation properties of galaxies along the Hubble sequence and their implications for understanding galaxy evolution and the physical processes that drive the evolution. Star formation in the disks and nuclear regions of galaxies are reviewed separately, then discussed within a common interpretive framework. The diagnostic methods used to measure SFRs are also reviewed, and a self-consistent set of SFR calibrations is presented as an aid to workers in the field. One of the most recognizable features of galaxies along the Hubble sequence is the wide range in young stellar content and star formation activity. This variation in stellar content is part of the basis of the Hubble classification itself (Hubble 1926), and understanding its physical nature and origins is fundamental to understanding galaxy evolution in its broader context. This review deals with the global star formation properties of galaxies, the systematics of those properties along the Hubble sequence, and their implications for galactic evolution. I interpret “Hubble sequence” in this context very loosely, to encompass not only morphological type but other properties such as gas content, mass, bar structure, and dynamical environment, which can strongly influence the largescale star formation rate (SFR).
6,640 citations
TL;DR: GADGET-2 as mentioned in this paper is a massively parallel tree-SPH code, capable of following a collisionless fluid with the N-body method, and an ideal gas by means of smoothed particle hydrodynamics.
Abstract: We discuss the cosmological simulation code GADGET-2, a new massively parallel TreeSPH code, capable of following a collisionless fluid with the N-body method, and an ideal gas by means of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). Our implementation of SPH manifestly conserves energy and entropy in regions free of dissipation, while allowing for fully adaptive smoothing lengths. Gravitational forces are computed with a hierarchical multipole expansion, which can optionally be applied in the form of a TreePM algorithm, where only short-range forces are computed with the ‘tree’ method while long-range forces are determined with Fourier techniques. Time integration is based on a quasi-symplectic scheme where long-range and short-range forces can be integrated with different time-steps. Individual and adaptive short-range time-steps may also be employed. The domain decomposition used in the parallelization algorithm is based on a space-filling curve, resulting in high flexibility and tree force errors that do not depend on the way the domains are cut. The code is efficient in terms of memory consumption and required communication bandwidth. It has been used to compute the first cosmological N-body simulation with more than 10 10 dark matter particles, reaching a homogeneous spatial dynamic range of 10 5 per dimension in a three-dimensional box. It has also been used to carry out very large cosmological SPH simulations that account for radiative cooling and star formation, reaching total particle numbers of more than 250 million. We present the algorithms used by the code and discuss their accuracy and performance using a number of test problems. GADGET-2 is publicly released to the research community. Ke yw ords: methods: numerical ‐ galaxies: interactions ‐ dark matter.
6,196 citations
"Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..." refers methods in this paper
...The dynamical effects that M32 and NGC 205 have on M31 were investigated by running a number of numerical simulations of the M31-M32 and M31NGC 205 interactions using GADGET2 (Springel et al. 2001; Springel 2005)....
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TL;DR: The Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA's great Observatory for infrared astronomy, was launched 2003 August 25 and is returning excellent scientific data from its Earth-trailing solar orbit as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA's Great Observatory for infrared astronomy, was launched 2003 August 25 and is returning excellent scientific data from its Earth-trailing solar orbit. Spitzer combines the intrinsic sensitivity achievable with a cryogenic telescope in space with the great imaging and spectroscopic power of modern detector arrays to provide the user community with huge gains in capability for exploration of the cosmos in the infrared. The observatory systems are largely performing as expected, and the projected cryogenic lifetime is in excess of 5 years. This paper summarizes the on-orbit scientific, technical, and operational performance of Spitzer. Subsequent papers in this special issue describe the Spitzer instruments in detail and highlight many of the exciting scientific results obtained during the first 6 months of the Spitzer mission.
3,177 citations
TL;DR: The Local Group dwarfs offer a unique window to the detailed properties of the most common type of galaxy in the Universe as mentioned in this paper. But, the local group dwarfs are not suitable for direct observation.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract The Local Group dwarf galaxies offer a unique window to the detailed properties of the most common type of galaxy in the Universe. In this review, I update the census of Local Group dwarfs based on the most recent distance and radial velocity determinations. I then discuss the detailed properties of this sample, including (a) the integrated photometric parameters and optical structures of these galaxies, (b) the content, nature, and distribution of their interstellar medium (ISM), (c) their heavy-element abundances derived from both stars and nebulae, (d) the complex and varied star-formation histories of these dwarfs, (e) their internal kinematics, stressing the relevance of these galaxies to the “dark matter problem” and to alternative interpretations, and (f) evidence for past, ongoing, and future interactions of these dwarfs with other galaxies in the Local Group and beyond. To complement the discussion and to serve as a foundation for future work, I present an extensive set of basic observ...
2,448 citations
"Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..." refers background or methods in this paper
...If we use a mass of 2× 109 M⊙ for M32, as suggested by Mateo (1998), very little effect is seen on the disk of M31, suggesting that M32 may be more massive than previously thought....
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...The mass of NGC 205 is uncertain (Mateo (1998) calculates a mass of approximately 8× 108 M⊙) and therefore its ability to strongly affect the disk of M31 is equally uncertain....
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...M32 and NGC 205 are modeled as point particles, with radial velocities taken from Mateo (1998)....
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...In Figure 3 we show an image of one such simulation of M31 after an interaction with M32, assuming that M32 currently lies 8 kpc behind the nucleus of M31, has a velocity in the plane of the sky of 200 km s−1 SSE, and has a mass of 1 × 1010 M⊙ (3–5 times larger than current estimates (Mateo 1998))....
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TL;DR: The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) as discussed by the authors provides long-wavelength capability for the mission in imaging bands at 24, 70, and 160?m and measurements of spectral energy distributions between 52 and 100?m at a spectral resolution of about 7%.
Abstract: The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) provides long-wavelength capability for the mission in imaging bands at 24, 70, and 160 ?m and measurements of spectral energy distributions between 52 and 100 ?m at a spectral resolution of about 7%. By using true detector arrays in each band, it provides both critical sampling of the Spitzer point-spread function and relatively large imaging fields of view, allowing for substantial advances in sensitivity, angular resolution, and efficiency of areal coverage compared with previous space far-infrared capabilities. The 24 ?m array has excellent photometric properties, and measurements with rms relative errors of about 1% can be obtained. The two longer-wavelength arrays use detectors with poor photometric stability, but a system of onboard stimulators used for relative calibration, combined with a unique data pipeline, produce good photometry with rms relative errors of less than 10%.
2,370 citations
"Spitzer/mips infrared imaging of m3..." refers background or methods in this paper
...The uncertainties are dominated by the systematic uncertainties in the MIPS calibration (Rieke et al. 2004)....
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...We present new infrared images of M31 taken with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS, Rieke et al. 2004) instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer, Werner et al. 2004)....
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