Invariant manifolds, phase correlations of chaotic orbits and the spiral structure of galaxies

In the presence of a strong   m = 2  component in a rotating galaxy, the phase-space structure near corotation is shaped to a large extent by the invariant manifolds of the short-period family of unstable periodic orbits terminating at L ₁ or L ₂. The main effect of these manifolds is to create robust phase correlations among a number of chaotic orbits large enough to support a spiral density wave outside corotation. The phenomenon is described theoretically by soliton-like solutions of a Sine–Gordon equation. Numerical examples are given in an N -body simulation of a barred spiral galaxy. In these examples, we demonstrate how the projection of unstable manifolds in configuration space reproduces essentially the entire observed bar–spiral pattern.     

Circumnuclear kinematics in NGC 5248: the origin of nuclear spiral arms

We present for the first time a two-dimensional velocity field of the central region of the grand-design spiral galaxy NGC 5248, at 0.9-arcsec spatial resolution. The H α velocity field is dominated by circular rotation. While no systematic streaming motions are seen in the area of the nuclear grand-design spiral or the circumnuclear ring, the amplitude of residual velocities, after subtracting a model circular velocity field, reaches 20 km s⁻¹ in projection. The rotation curve levels out at around 140 km s⁻¹, after a well-resolved and rather shallow rise. We have generated an analytical model for the nuclear spiral and fitted it to our observations to obtain estimates of the pattern speed of the spiral and the speed of sound in the central region of NGC 5248. Our results are consistent with a low pattern speed, suggesting that the nuclear spiral rotates with the same rate as the main spiral structure in NGC 5248, and thus that the spiral structure is coupled from scales of a few hundred parsecs to several kiloparsecs. We have also compared the observed structure and kinematics between the nuclear regions of NGC 5248 and M100. Several similarities and differences are discussed, including the location of the peak emission regions on major and minor axes, and the spiral arm streaming motions. We find no kinematic evidence for the presence of a nuclear bar in NGC 5248.     

The coalescence of invariant manifolds and the spiral structure of barred galaxies

In a previous paper (Voglis et al., Paper I), we demonstrated that, in a rotating galaxy with a strong bar, the unstable asymptotic manifolds of the short-period family of unstable periodic orbits around the Lagrangian points L ₁ or L ₂ create correlations among the apocentric positions of many chaotic orbits, thus supporting a spiral structure beyond the bar. In this paper, we present evidence that the unstable manifolds of all the families of unstable periodic orbits near and beyond corotation contribute to the same phenomenon. Our results refer to a N -body simulation, a number of drawbacks of which, as well as the reasons why these do not significantly affect the main results, are discussed. We explain the dynamical importance of the invariant manifolds as due to the fact that they produce a phenomenon of 'stickiness' slowing down the rate of chaotic escape in an otherwise non-compact region of the phase space. We find a stickiness time of the order of 100 dynamical periods, which is sufficient to support a long-living spiral structure. Manifolds of different families become important at different ranges of values of the Jacobi constant. The projections of the manifolds of all the different families in the configuration space produce a pattern due to the 'coalescence' of the invariant manifolds. This follows closely the maxima of the observed   m = 2  component near and beyond corotation. Thus, the manifolds support both the outer edge of the bar and the spiral arms.     

Constraining the star formation histories of spiral bulges

Stellar populations in spiral bulges are investigated using the Lick system of spectral indices. Long-slit spectroscopic observations of line strengths and kinematics made along the minor axes of four spiral bulges are reported. Comparisons are made between central line strengths in spiral bulges and those in other morphological types [elliptical, spheroidal (Sph) and S0]. The bulges investigated are found to have central line strengths comparable to those of single stellar populations of approximately solar abundance or above. Negative radial gradients are observed in line strengths, similar to those exhibited by elliptical galaxies. The bulge data are also consistent with correlations between Mg₂, Mg₂ gradient and central velocity dispersion observed in elliptical galaxies. In contrast to elliptical galaxies, central line strengths lie within the loci defining the range of 〈Fe〉 and Mg₂ achieved by Worthey's solar abundance ratio, single stellar populations (SSPs). The implication of solar abundance ratios indicates significant differences in the star formation histories of spiral bulges and elliptical galaxies. A 'single zone with infall' model of galactic chemical evolution, using Worthey's SSPs, is used to constrain the possible star formation histories of our sample. We show that the 〈Fe〉, Mg₂ and H β line strengths observed in these bulges cannot be reproduced using primordial collapse models of formation but can be reproduced by models with extended infall of gas and star formation (2–17 Gyr) in the region modelled. One galaxy (NGC 5689) shows a central population with a luminosity-weighted average age of ∼5 Gyr, supporting the idea of extended star formation. Kinematic substructure, possibly associated with a central spike in metallicity, is observed at the centre of the Sa galaxy NGC 3623.     

Stellar and gas dynamics of late-type barred-spiral galaxies: NGC 3359, a test case

We study the dynamics of a model for the late-type barred-spiral galaxy NGC 3359 by using both observational and numerical techniques. The results of our modelling are compared with photometric and kinematical data. The potential used is estimated directly from observations of the galaxy. It describes with a single potential function, a barred-spiral system with an extended spiral structure. Thus, the study of the dynamics in this potential has an interest by itself. We apply orbital theory and response models for the study of the stellar component, and smoothed particle hydrodynamics for modelling the gas. In particular, we examine the pattern speed of the system and the orbital character (chaotic or ordered) of the spiral arms. We conclude that the spiral pattern rotates slowly, in the sense that its corotation is close to or even beyond the end of the arms. Although a single, slow pattern speed could, under certain assumptions, characterize the whole disc, the comparison with the observational data indicates that probably the bar and the spirals have different angular velocities. In our two pattern speeds model, the best fit is obtained with a bar ending close to its 4:1 resonance and a more slowly rotating spiral. Assuming an 11 Mpc distance to the galaxy, a match of our models with the observed data indicates a pattern speed of about  39 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹  for the bar and about  15 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹  for the spiral. We do not find any indication for a chaotic character of the arms in this barred-spiral system. The flow in the region of the spirals can best be described as a regular 'precessing-ellipses flow'.     

The AGN and gas disc in the low surface brightness galaxy PGC 045080

We present radio observations and optical spectroscopy of the giant low surface brightness (LSB) galaxy PGC 045080 (or 1300+0144). PGC 045080 is a moderately distant galaxy having a highly inclined optical disc and massive H  i gas content. Radio continuum observations of the galaxy were carried out at 320, 610 MHz and 1.4 GHz. Continuum emission was detected and mapped in the galaxy. The emission appears extended over the inner disc at all three frequencies. At 1.4 GHz and 610 MHz it appears to have two distinct lobes. We also did optical spectroscopy of the galaxy nucleus; the spectrum did not show any strong emission lines associated with active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity but the presence of a weak AGN cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, comparison of the Hα flux and radio continuum at 1.4 GHz suggests that a significant fraction of the emission is non-thermal in nature. Hence we conclude that a weak or hidden AGN may be present in PGC 045080. The extended radio emission represents lobes/jets from the AGN. These observations show that although LSB galaxies are metal poor and have very little star formation, their centres can host significant AGN activity. We also mapped the H  i gas disc and velocity field in PGC 045080. The H  i disc extends well beyond the optical disc and appears warped. In the H  i intensity maps, the disc appears distinctly lopsided. The velocity field is disturbed on the lopsided side of the disc but is fairly uniform in the other half. We derived the H  i rotation curve for the galaxy from the velocity field. The rotation curve has a flat rotation speed of ∼190 km s⁻¹.     

A minor-merger model for NGC 7479

The overall morphology of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7479 is modelled in numerical simulations of a minor merger. Special attention is paid to the morphology and velocity field of the asymmetric spiral structure and the strong stellar bar. The mass of the satellite galaxy is 1/10 of the mass of the primary disc, or 1/30 of the total mass of the primary. The satellite is placed initially in a circular prograde orbit at six disc scalelengths from the centre of the primary. We follow the evolution of the merger until the secondary galaxy reaches the nuclear region of the primary. A comparison between the modelled and observed morphologies of the stellar and the ionized and neutral gas distributions and velocity fields supports the hypothesis that the transient look of NGC 7479 is a result of a minor merger. We vary several of the initial parameters of the merger and discuss their effects on the resulting morphology. The merging satellite galaxy is likely to lie within the bar of NGC 7479. We identify a possible candidate in the observational data. We discuss briefly the most probable future evolution of NGC 7479 in the light of our minor-merger simulations, and conclude that NGC 7479 is likely to evolve toward an earlier Hubble type.     

Application of the global modal approach to the spiral galaxies

We have tested the applicability of the global modal approach in the density wave theory of spiral structure for a sample of spiral galaxies with measured axisymmetric background properties. We report here the results of the simulations for four galaxies: NGC 488, NGC 628, NGC 1566, and NGC 3938. Using the observed radial distributions for the stellar velocity dispersions and the rotation velocities we have constructed the equilibrium models for the galactic disks in each galaxy and implemented two kinds of stability analyses - the linear global analysis and 2D-nonlinear simulations. In general, the global modal approach is able to reproduce the observed properties of the spiral arms in the galactic disks. The growth of spirals in the galactic disks can be physically understood in terms of amplification by over-reflection at the corotation resonance. Our results support the global modal approach as a theoretical explanation of spiral structure in galaxies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The orientation of galaxy dark matter haloes around cosmic voids

Using the Millennium N -body Simulation we explore how the shape and angular momentum of galaxy dark matter haloes surrounding the largest cosmological voids are oriented. We find that the major and intermediate axes of the haloes tend to lie parallel to the surface of the voids, whereas the minor axis points preferentially in the radial direction. We have quantified the strength of these alignments at different radial distances from the void centres. The effect of these orientations is still detected at distances as large as 2.2 R _void from the void centre. Taking a subsample of haloes expected to contain disc-dominated galaxies at their centres we detect, at the 99.9 per cent confidence level, a signal that the angular momentum of those haloes tends to lie parallel to the surface of the voids. Contrary to the alignments of the inertia axes, this signal is only detected in shells at the void surface  (1 < R < 1.07  R _void)  and disappears at larger distances. This signal, together with the similar alignment observed using real spiral galaxies, strongly supports the prediction of the Tidal Torque theory that both dark matter haloes and baryonic matter have acquired, conjointly, their angular momentum before the moment of turnaround.     

The pattern speed of the spiral galaxy NGC 1253

We present Very Large Array H  i observations of the gas-rich, interacting spiral galaxies, NGC 1253/1253A (Arp 279). The larger of the two galaxies, NGC 1253, has a very pronounced H  i ring and well-defined spiral structure. The velocity structure of the H  i data shows a sudden change at the position of the spiral arms; we identify this change as evidence of a strong spiral shock and hence proceed to estimate the pattern speed, Ω_p, of the spiral arms in NGC 1253. Assuming that the pattern speed is constant across the disc our derived value places the outer Lindblad resonance (OLR) at the position of the observed H  i ring. As an accumulation of gas is expected at the OLR when this falls within the disc of a galaxy this agreement provides independent support for the derived value of Ω_p.     

H i observations of interacting galaxy pair NGC 4038/9

We present the results of new radio interferometer H  i line observations for the merging galaxy pair NGC 4038/9 ('The Antennae'), obtained using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The results improve substantially with respect to those of van der Hulst and show in detail the two merging galactic discs and the two tidal tails produced by their interaction. The small edge-on spiral dwarf galaxy ESO 572–G045 is also seen near the tip of the southern tail, but distinct from it. It shows no signs of tidal interaction. The northern tidal tail of the Antennae shows no H  i connection to the discs and has an extension towards the west. The southern tidal tail is continuous, with a prominent H  i concentration at its tip, roughly at the location of the tidal dwarf galaxy observed optically by Mirabel, Dottori & Lutz. Clear velocity structure is seen along the tidal tails and in the galactic discs. Radio continuum images at 20 and 13 cm are also presented, showing the discs in detail.     

The kinematics of the ionized gas in the Circinus galaxy

The TAURUS-2 Fabry–Perot interferometer, mounted on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope, has been used to observe the Circinus galaxy. We have mapped the intensity and velocity distribution of the ionized hydrogen in the galaxy using the Balmer series Hα spectral line.
The semiresolved core (observed with a seeing disc of 30 pc) appears amorphous in shape, which is commonly observed in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Its peak coincides with the core position measured in the radio continuum, suggesting that ionized gas surrounds a non-thermal source.
A circumnuclear ring or spiral of radius 220 pc and a rotational velocity of 350 km s⁻¹ (assuming circular motions) surrounds the core. The inclination angle of this feature, i =40°±10°, is less than that of the previously observed radio continuum disc. The velocity channel maps obtained for the Hα ring show that the kinematics resemble those of a rotating ring and the intensity displays a complex structure indicative of several, unresolved, H II regions. We believe the ring to represent a circumnuclear starburst.
Our Hα data also show the presence of the previously detected [O III ] ionization cone to the north-west of the core, measuring more than 400 pc in length. We suggest that the ionization cone lies in a different plane from that of the starburst ring and is directed away from us. Several kinematic components of the core are derived and we calculate an outflow velocity in excess of 150–200 km s⁻¹ for gas above the core of Circinus. We also present evidence for inflowing ionized gas at the centre of Circinus.
The correlation of the Hα and radio continuum features is discussed, as well as the possible presence of a starburst-driven superwind in the Circinus galaxy.     

Magnetic and optical spiral arms in the galaxy NGC 6946

The spiral pattern in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946 has been studied using the wavelet transformation technique, applied to galaxy images in polarized and total non-thermal radio emission at λλ 3.5 and 6.2 cm, in broadband red light, in the λ 21.1 cm H  i line and in the optical Hα line. Well-defined, continuous spiral arms are visible in polarized radio emission and red light, where we can isolate a multi-armed pattern in the range of galactocentric distances 1.5–12 kpc, consisting of four long arms and one short spiral segment. The 'magnetic arms' (visible in polarized radio emission) are localized almost precisely between the optical arms. Each magnetic arm is similar in length and pitch angle to the preceding optical arm (in the sense of galactic rotation) and can be regarded as its phase-shifted image. Even details like a bifurcation of an optical arm have their phase-shifted counterparts in the magnetic arms. The average relative amplitude of the optical spiral arms (the stellar density excess over the azimuthal average) grows with galactocentric radius up to 0.3–0.7 at r ≃5 kpc, decreases by a factor of two at r =5–6 kpc and remains low at 0.2–0.3 in the outer parts of the galaxy. By contrast, the magnetic arms have a constant average relative amplitude (the excess in the regular magnetic field strength over the azimuthal average) of 0.3–0.6 in a wide radial range r =1.5–12 kpc. We briefly discuss implications of our findings for theories of galactic magnetic fields.     

Non-circular motion evidence in the circumnuclear region of M100 (NGC 4321)

We analyse new integral-field spectroscopy of the inner region (central 2.5 kpc) of the spiral galaxy NGC 4321 to study the peculiar kinematics of this region. Fourier analysis of the velocity residuals obtained by subtracting an axisymmetric rotation model from the Hα velocity field indicates that the distortions are global features generated by an   m = 2  perturbation of the gravitational potential which can be explained by the nuclear bar. This bar has been previously observed in the near-infrared but not in the optical continuum dominated by star formation. We detect the optical counterpart of this bar in the 2D distribution of the old stellar population (inferred from the equivalent width map of the stellar absorption lines). We apply the Tremaine–Weinberg method to the stellar velocity field to calculate the pattern speed of the inner bar, obtaining a value of  Ω_b= 160 ± 70 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹  . This value is considerably larger than the one obtained when a simple bar model is considered. However, the uncertainties in the pattern speed determination prevent us from giving support to alternative scenarios.     

The pattern speed of the bar in NGC 4596

The pattern speed is a defining parameter of any barred galaxy. A large number of model-dependent techniques have therefore been developed to derive the pattern speed. However, the only model-independent technique for measuring this quantity – the Tremaine–Weinberg method – has hitherto been applied to just one case, the SB0 galaxy NGC 936. In this paper, we apply the technique to a second system, the SBa galaxy NGC 4596. The resulting estimate for the pattern speed is Ω_p=52±13 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹. This result is corroborated by a spectrum obtained along the major axis of the bar in this system. The corotation radius associated with this pattern speed lies just beyond the end of the bar indicating a fast bar. Combining the bar major-axis spectra with data obtained from a Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 image, we also find strong evidence for a nuclear disc.     

The shapes of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We determine the underlying shapes of spiral and elliptical galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6 (SDSS DR6) from the observed distribution of projected galaxy shapes, taking into account the effects of dust extinction and reddening. We assume that the underlying shapes of spirals and ellipticals are well approximated by triaxial ellipsoids. The elliptical galaxy data are consistent with oblate spheroids, with a correlation between luminosity and ellipticity: the mean values of minor to middle axis ratios are 0.41 ± 0.03 for   M _r ≈−18  ellipticals and 0.76 ± 0.04 for   M _r ≈−22.5  ellipticals. Ellipticals show almost no dependence of axial ratio on galaxy colour, implying a negligible dust optical depth.
There is a strong variation of spiral galaxy shapes with colour indicating the presence of dust. The intrinsic shapes of spiral galaxies in the SDSS DR6 are consistent with flat discs with a mean and dispersion of thickness to diameter ratio of (21 ± 2) per cent, and a face-on ellipticity, e , of  ln( e ) =−2.33 ± 0.79  . Not including the effects of dust in the model leads to discs that are systematically rounder by up to 60 per cent. More luminous spiral galaxies tend to have thicker and rounder discs than lower luminosity spirals. Both elliptical and spiral galaxies tend to be rounder for larger galaxies.
The marginalized value of the edge-on r -band dust extinction E ₀ in spiral galaxies is   E ₀≃ 0.45  mag for galaxies of median colours, increasing to   E ₀= 1  mag for   g − r > 0.9  and   E ₀= 1.9  for the luminous and most compact galaxies, with half-light radii  <2  h ⁻¹ kpc  .     

Modelling the bar in the centre of the starburst galaxy M82

We present VLA A-array 21-cm atomic hydrogen (H  i ) absorption observed against the central region of the starburst galaxy M82 with an angular resolution of ∼1.3 arcsec (≃20 pc). These observations, together with MERLIN H  i absorption measurements, are compared with the molecular (CO) and ionized ([Ne  ii ]) gas distributions and are used to constrain the dynamics and structure of the ionized, neutral and molecular gas in this starburst.
A position–velocity diagram of the H  i distribution reveals an unusual 'hole' feature which, when previously observed in CO, has been interpreted as an expanding superbubble contained within a ring of gas in solid body rotation. However, we interpret this feature as a signature of a nearly edge-on barred galaxy. In addition, we note that the CO, H  i and [Ne  ii ] position–velocity diagrams reveal two main velocity gradients, and we interpret these as gas moving on x₁- and x₂-orbits within a bar potential. We find the best fit to the data to be produced using a bar potential with a flat rotation curve velocity v _b=140 km s⁻¹ and a total length of 1 kpc, a non-axisymmetry parameter q =0.9, an angular velocity of the bar Ω_b=217 km s⁻¹ arcsec⁻¹, a core radius R _c=25 pc, an inclination angle i =80° and a projected angle between the bar and the major axis of the galaxy φ '=4°. We also discuss the orientation of the disc and bar in M82.     

Near-infrared bulge–disc correlations of lenticular galaxies

We consider the luminosity and environmental dependence of structural parameters of lenticular galaxies in the near-infrared K band. Using a 2D galaxy image decomposition technique, we extract bulge and disc structural parameters for a sample of 36 lenticular galaxies observed by us in the K band. By combining data from the literature for field and cluster lenticulars with our data, we study correlations between parameters that characterize the bulge and the disc as a function of luminosity and environment. We find that scaling relations such as the Kormendy relation, photometric plane and other correlations involving bulge and disc parameters show a luminosity dependence. This dependence can be explained in terms of galaxy formation models in which faint lenticulars  ( M _T > −24.5)  formed via secular formation processes that likely formed the pseudo-bulges of late-type disc galaxies, while brighter lenticulars  ( M _T < −24.5)  formed through a different formation mechanism most likely involving major mergers. On probing variations in lenticular properties as a function of environment, we find that faint cluster lenticulars show systematic differences with respect to faint field lenticulars. These differences support the idea that the bulge and disc components fade after the galaxy falls into a cluster, while simultaneously undergoing a transformation from spiral to lenticular morphologies.     

Neutral hydrogen absorption observations of the central region of NGC 5929

We present 0.15-arcsec (25-pc) resolution MERLIN observations of neutral hydrogen absorption detected towards the nuclear region of the type 2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 5929. Absorption is detected only towards the north-eastern radio component with a column density of (6.5 ± 0.6) × 10²¹ cm⁻². Based on comparison with an HST WFPC2 continuum image, we propose that the absorption is caused by a 1.5-arcsec structure of neutral gas and dust offset 0.3 arcsec south-east of the nucleus and running NE–SW. A separate cloud of dust is apparent 1.5 arcsec to the south-west of the nucleus in the HST image. A comparison of the centroid velocity (2358 ± 5 km s⁻¹) and full width at half-maximum (43 ± 6 km s⁻¹) of the absorbing gas with previous [O  III ] observations suggests that both the neutral and ionized gas are undergoing galactic rotation towards the observer in the north-east and away from the observer in the south-west. The main structure is consistent with an inclined ring of gas and dust encircling the active galactic nucleus (AGN); alternatively it may be a bar or inner spiral arm. We do not detect neutral hydrogen absorption or dust obscuration against the radio nucleus (column density < 3.1 × 10²¹ cm⁻²) expected by a torus of neutral gas and dust in unified models of AGNs for a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.