H i imaging of galaxies in X-ray bright groups

Environment plays an important role in the evolution of the gas contents of galaxies. Gas deficiency of cluster spirals and the role of the hot intracluster medium in stripping gas from these galaxies is a well-studied subject. Loose groups with diffuse X-ray emission from the intragroup medium (IGM) offer an intermediate environment between clusters and groups without a hot IGM. These X-ray bright groups have smaller velocity dispersion and lower temperature than clusters, but higher IGM density than loose groups without diffuse X-ray emission. A single-dish comparative study of loose groups with and without diffuse X-ray emission from the IGM, showed that the galaxies in X-ray bright groups have lost more gas on average than the galaxies in non X-ray bright groups. In this paper we present GMRT H  i observations of 13 galaxies from four X-ray bright groups: NGC 5044, 720, 1550 and IC1459. The aim of this work is to study the morphology of H  i in these galaxies and to see if the hot IGM has in any way affected their H  i content or distribution. In addition to disturbed H  i morphology, we find that most galaxies have shrunken H  i discs compared to the field spirals. This indicates that IGM-assisted stripping processes like ram pressure may have stripped gas from the outer edges of the galaxies.     

H i content in galaxies in loose groups

Gas deficiency in cluster spirals is well known and ram-pressure stripping is considered the main gas removal mechanism. In some compact groups too gas deficiency is reported. However, gas deficiency in loose groups is not yet well established. Lower dispersion of the member velocities and the lower density of the intragroup medium in small loose groups favour tidal stripping as the main gas removal process in them. Recent releases of data from the H  i Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) and catalogues of nearby loose groups with associated diffuse X-ray emission have allowed us to test this notion. In this paper, we address the following questions: (i) do galaxies in groups with diffuse X-ray emission statistically have lower gas content compared to the ones in groups without diffuse X-ray emission? (ii) does H  i deficiency vary with the X-ray luminosity, L _X, of the loose group in a systematic way? We find that (i) galaxies in groups with diffuse X-ray emission, on average, are H  i deficient, and have lost more gas compared to those in groups without X-ray emission; the latter are found not to have significant H  i deficiency; (ii) no systematic dependence of the H  i deficiency with L _X is found. Ram-pressure-assisted tidal stripping and evaporation by thermal conduction are the two possible mechanisms to account for this excess gas loss.     

Hot and cold gas accretion and feedback in radio-loud active galaxies

We have recently shown that X-ray observations of the population of 'low-excitation' radio galaxies, which includes most low-power, Fanaroff–Riley class I sources as well as some more powerful Fanaroff–Riley class II objects, are consistent with a model in which the active nuclei of these objects are not radiatively efficient at any waveband. In another recent paper, Allen et al. have shown that Bondi accretion of the hot, X-ray emitting phase of the intergalactic medium (IGM) is sufficient to power the jets of several nearby, low-power radio galaxies at the centres of clusters. In this paper, we combine these ideas and suggest that accretion of the hot phase of the IGM is sufficient to power all low-excitation radio sources, while high-excitation sources are powered by accretion of cold gas that is in general unrelated to the hot IGM. This model explains a number of properties of the radio-loud active galaxy population, and has important implications for the energy input of radio-loud active galactic nuclei into the hot phase of the IGM: the energy supply of powerful high-excitation sources does not have a direct connection to the hot phase.     

A study of neutral hydrogen in five small galaxy groups

High-resolution H  i imaging observations of a heterogeneous sample of small galaxy groups are presented. The five galaxy groups studied show a broad range of individual H  i properties: e.g. loose groups surrounding LGG 138 and the genuinely compact LGG 455 are identified; a massive ring of neutral gas is discovered encircling two luminous galaxies in the LGG 138 group; a galaxy-sized mass of H  i is found in LGG 455 confined to an extragalactic cloud which exceeds the threshold density for star formation, yet is optically invisible; and the CCG 1 group is argued to be a chance alignment of Centaurus cluster galaxies. Global results of the study are that the deficit of H  i flux in synthesis imaging data compared with single-dish data is put forward as a quantitative measure of the diffuseness of neutral gas in galaxy groups; several groups contain gas-poor galaxies that ordinarily would contain detectable quantities of H  i – this is interpreted as being caused by an increased chance of gas-sweeping collisions in the group environment; and some evidence is found to support previous findings that compact groups preferentially occur in loose systems.     

The distribution of atomic gas and dust in nearby galaxies – I. Presentation of matched-resolution VLA H i and SCUBA 850-μm maps

We present matched-resolution VLA H  i and SCUBA 850-μm maps of 20 IRAS -bright galaxies. Of the galaxies observed, two were not detected in H  i and two were detected in absorption. The H  i distributions of the galaxies have a range of morphologies. Some of the systems appear H  i deficient in the central regions which could be due to a high conversion rate of H  i into molecules or H  i absorption. In contrast to the H  i , the 850-μm emission has a smooth distribution which is concentrated towards the optical centre of each galaxy. We also find evidence for 850-μm emission extending to the periphery of the optical disc in some of the galaxies. Finally, we note that the relative lack of 850-μm emission when compared with H  i does not necessarily mean that the atomic gas and dust do not have similar mass distributions.     

The effects of photoionization on galaxy formation – I. Model and results at z=0

We develop a coupled model for the evolution of the global properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the formation of galaxies, in the presence of a photoionizing background due to stars and quasars. We use this model to predict the thermodynamic history of the IGM when photoionized by galaxies forming in a cold dark matter (CDM) universe. The evolution of the galaxies is calculated using a semi-analytical model, including a detailed treatment of the effects of tidal stripping and dynamical friction on satellite galaxies orbiting inside larger dark matter haloes. We include in the model the negative feedback on galaxy formation from the photoionizing background. Photoionization inhibits galaxy formation in low-mass dark matter haloes in two ways: (i) heating of the IGM and inhibition of the collapse of gas into dark haloes by the IGM pressure, and (ii) reduction in the rate of radiative cooling of gas within haloes. The result of our method is a self-consistent model of galaxy formation and the IGM. The IGM is reheated twice (during reionization of H  i and He  ii ), and we find that the star formation rate per unit volume is slightly suppressed after each episode of reheating. We find that galaxies brighter than L _★ are mostly unaffected by reionization, while the abundance of faint galaxies is significantly reduced, leading to present-day galaxy luminosity functions with shallow faint-end slopes, in good agreement with recent observational data. Reionization also affects other properties of these faint galaxies, in a readily understandable way.     

A search for H i in some peculiar faint dwarf galaxies

We present a deep Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) search for H  i 21-cm emission from three dwarf galaxies, viz. POX 186, SC 24 and KKR 25. Based, in part, on previous single-dish H  i observations, these galaxies have been classified as a blue compact dwarf (BCD), a dwarf irregular and a transition galaxy, respectively. However, in conflict with previous single-dish detections, we do not detect H  i in SC 24 or KKR 25. We suggest that the previous single-dish measurements were probably confused with the local Galactic emission. In the case of POX 186, we confirm the previous non-detection of H  i but with substantially improved limits on its H  i mass. Our derived upper limits on the H  i mass of SC 24 and KKR 25 are similar to the typical H  i mass limit for dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies, whereas in the case of POX 186, we find that its gas content is somewhat smaller than is typical of BCD galaxies.     

The detection and X-ray evolution of galaxy groups at high redshift

We describe some of the first X-ray detections of groups of galaxies at high redshifts  ( z ∼0.4)  , based on the UK deep X-ray survey of M^cHardy et al. Combined with other deep ROSAT X-ray surveys with nearly complete optical identifications, we investigate the X-ray evolution of these systems. We find no evidence for evolution of the X-ray luminosity function up to   z =0.5  at the low luminosities of groups of galaxies and poor clusters  ( L _X≳10^42.5 erg s^-1)  , although the small sample size precludes very accurate measurements. This result confirms and extends to lower luminosities current results based on surveys at brighter X-ray fluxes. The evolution of the X-ray luminosity function of these low-luminosity systems is more sensitive to the thermal history of the intragroup medium (IGM) than to cosmological parameters. Energy injection into the IGM (from, for example, supernovae or active galactic nuclei winds) is required to explain the X-ray properties of nearby groups. The observed lack of evolution suggests that the energy injection occurred at redshifts   z >0.5  .     

Forming a large disc galaxy from a z < 1 major merger

Using high-resolution SPH simulations in a fully cosmological Λ cold dark matter context, we study the formation of a bright disc-dominated galaxy that originates from a 'wet' major merger at   z = 0.8  . The progenitors of the disc galaxy are themselves disc galaxies that formed from early major mergers between galaxies with blue colours. A substantial thin stellar disc grows rapidly following the last major merger and the present-day properties of the final remnant are typical of early-type spiral galaxies, with an i -band bulge-to-disc ratio ∼0.65, a disc scalelength of 7.2 kpc,   g − r = 0.5 mag  , an H  i linewidth ( W ₂₀/2) of 238 km s⁻¹ and total magnitude   i =−22.4  . The key ingredients for the formation of a dominant stellar disc component after a major merger are (i) substantial and rapid accretion of gas through cold flows followed at late times by cooling of gas from the hot phase, (ii) supernova feedback that is able to partially suppress star formation during mergers and (iii) relative fading of the spheroidal component. The gas fraction of the progenitors' discs does not exceed 25 per cent at   z < 3  , emphasizing that the continuous supply of gas from the local environment plays a major role in the regrowth of discs and in keeping the galaxies blue. The results of this simulation alleviate the problem posed for the existence of disc galaxies by the high likelihood of interactions and mergers for galaxy-sized haloes at relatively low z .     

H i and dark matter in the windy starburst dwarf galaxy NGC 1705

We present 21-cm H  i line observations of the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 1705. Previous optical observations show a strong outflow powered by an ongoing starburst dominating the H  ii morphology and kinematics. In contrast, most of the H  i lies in a rotating disc. An extraplanar H  i spur accounts for ∼8 per cent of the total H  i mass, and is possibly associated with the H  ii outflow. The inferred mass loss rate out of the core of the galaxy is significant, ∼0.2 − 2 M_⊙ yr⁻¹, but does not dominate the H  i dynamics. Mass model fits to the rotation curve show that the dark matter (DM) halo is dominant at nearly all radii and has a central density ρ₀ ≈ 0.1 M_⊙ pc⁻³: ten times higher than typically found in dwarf irregular galaxies, but similar to the only other mass-modelled blue compact dwarf, NGC 2915. This large difference strongly indicates that there is little evolution between dwarf irregular and blue compact dwarf types. Instead, dominant DM haloes may regulate the morphology of dwarf galaxies by setting the critical surface density for disc star formation. Neither our data nor catalogue searches reveal any likely external trigger to the starburst in NGC 1705.     

Zw 1718.10108: a highly disturbed galaxy cluster at low Galactic latitude

We report the discovery of highly distorted X-ray emission associated with the nearby cluster Zw 1718.10108, one of the dominant members of which is the powerful radio galaxy 3C353. This cluster has been missed by previous X-ray cluster surveys because of its low Galactic latitude ( b =19.5°), despite its brightness in the hard X-ray band (210 keV flux of 1.210¹¹ erg cm² s¹). Our optical charge-coupled device image of the central part of the cluster reveals many member galaxies which are dimmed substantially by heavy Galactic extinction. We have measured redshifts of three bright galaxies near the X-ray emission peak and they are all found to be around z =0.028. The ASCA gas imaging spectrometer and ROSAT high-resolution imager images show three aligned X-ray clumps embedded in low surface-brightness X-ray emission extended by 30 arcmin. The averaged temperature measured with ASCA is kT =4.3±0.2 keV, which appears to be hot for the bolometric luminosity when compared with the temperatureluminosity correlation of galaxy clusters. The irregular X-ray morphology and evidence for a non-uniform temperature distribution suggest that the system is undergoing a merger of substructures. Since the sizes and luminosities of the individual clumps are consistent with those of galaxy groups, Zw 1718.10108 is interpreted as an on-going merger of galaxy groups in a dark matter halo forming a cluster of galaxies and thus is in a transition phase of cluster formation.     

H i in extremely metal deficient galaxies – III. Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations of blue compact galaxy HS 0822+3542

We present the results of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope H  i 21-cm line observations of the extremely metal deficient (XMD) blue compact galaxy (BCG) HS 0822+3542. HS 0822+3542 is the smallest known XMD galaxy; from Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) imaging, it has been suggested that it actually consists of two still smaller (∼100 pc sized) ultra-compact dwarfs that are in the process of merging. The brighter of these two putative ultra-compact dwarfs has an ocular appearance, similar to that seen in galaxies that have suffered a penetrating encounter with a smaller companion. From our H  i imaging, we find that the gas distribution and kinematics in this object are similar to that of other low-mass galaxies, albeit with some evidence for tidal disturbance. On the other hand, the H  i emission has an angular size ∼25 times larger than that of the putative ultra-compact dwarfs. The optical emission is also offset from the centre of the H  i emission. HS 0822+3542 is located in the nearby Lynx–Cancer void, but has a nearby companion low surface brightness dwarf galaxy SAO 0822+3545. In light of all this, we also consider a scenario where the optical emission from HS 0822+3542 comes not from two merging ultra-compact dwarfs but from multiple star-forming regions in a tidally disturbed galaxy. In this model, the ocular appearance of the brighter star-forming region could be the result of triggered star formation.     

Large-scale galactic turbulence: can self-gravity drive the observed H i velocity dispersions?

Observations of turbulent velocity dispersions in the H  i component of galactic discs show a characteristic floor in galaxies with low star formation rates and within individual galaxies the dispersion profiles decline with radius. We carry out several high-resolution adaptive mesh simulations of gaseous discs embedded within dark matter haloes to explore the roles of cooling, star formation, feedback, shearing motions and baryon fraction in driving turbulent motions. In all simulations the disc slowly cools until gravitational and thermal instabilities give rise to a multiphase medium in which a large population of dense self-gravitating cold clouds are embedded within a warm gaseous phase that forms through shock heating. The diffuse gas is highly turbulent and is an outcome of large-scale driving of global non-axisymmetric modes as well as cloud–cloud tidal interactions and merging. At low star formation rates these processes alone can explain the observed H  i velocity dispersion profiles and the characteristic value of  ∼10 km s⁻¹  observed within a wide range of disc galaxies. Supernovae feedback creates a significant hot gaseous phase and is an important driver of turbulence in galaxies with a star formation rate per unit area  ≳10⁻³ M_⊙ yr⁻¹ kpc⁻²  .     

Numerical simulations of hot halo gas in galaxy mergers

Galaxy merger simulations have explored the behaviour of gas within the galactic disc, yet the dynamics of hot gas within the galaxy halo have been neglected. We report on the results of high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations of colliding galaxies with metal-free hot halo gas. To isolate the effect of the halo gas, we simulate only the dark matter halo and the hot halo gas over a range of mass ratios, gas fractions and orbital configurations to constrain the shocks and gas dynamics within the progenitor haloes. We find that (i) a strong shock is produced in the galaxy haloes before the first passage, increasing the temperature of the gas by almost an order of magnitude to   T ∼ 10^6.3 K  . (ii) The X-ray luminosity of the shock is strongly dependent on the gas fraction; it is  ≳10³⁹ erg s⁻¹  for halo gas fractions larger than 10 per cent. (iii) The hot diffuse gas in the simulation produces X-ray luminosities as large as  10⁴² erg s⁻¹  . This contributes to the total X-ray background in the Universe. (iv) We find an analytic fit to the maximum X-ray luminosity of the shock as a function of merger parameters. This fit can be used in semi-analytic recipes of galaxy formation to estimate the total X-ray emission from shocks in merging galaxies. (v) ∼10–20 per cent of the initial gas mass is unbound from the galaxies for equal-mass mergers, while 3–5 per cent of the gas mass is released for the 3:1 and 10:1 mergers. This unbound gas ends up far from the galaxy and can be a feasible mechanism to enrich the intergalactic medium with metals.     

Temperature and abundance profiles of hot gas in galaxy groups – II. Implications for feedback and ICM enrichment

We investigate the history of galactic feedback and chemical enrichment within a sample of 15 X-ray bright groups of galaxies, on the basis of the inferred Fe and Si distributions in the hot gas and the associated metal masses produced by core-collapse and Type Ia supernovae (SNe). Most of these cool-core groups show a central Fe and Si excess, which can be explained by prolonged enrichment by SN Ia and stellar winds in the central early-type galaxy alone, but with tentative evidence for additional processes contributing to core enrichment in hotter groups. Inferred metal mass-to-light ratios inside r ₅₀₀ show a positive correlation with total group mass but are generally significantly lower than in clusters, due to a combination of lower global intracluster medium (ICM) abundances and gas-to-light ratios in groups. This metal deficiency is present for products from both SN Ia and SN II, and suggests that metals were either synthesized, released from galaxies or retained within the ICM less efficiently in lower mass systems. We explore possible causes, including variations in galaxy formation and metal release efficiency, cooling out of metals, and gas and metal loss via active galactic nuclei (AGN) – or starburst-driven galactic winds from groups or their precursor filaments. Loss of enriched material from filaments coupled with post-collapse AGN feedback emerges as viable explanations, but we also find evidence for metals to have been released less efficiently from galaxies in cooler groups and for the ICM in these to appear chemically less evolved, possibly reflecting more extended star formation histories in less massive systems. Some implications for the hierarchical growth of clusters from groups are briefly discussed.     

Spatial fluctuations in the spectral shape of the ultraviolet background at 2 < z < 3 and the reionization of helium

The low-density hydrogen and helium in the intergalactic medium (IGM) probed by quasi-stellar object (QSO) absorption lines is sensitive to the amplitude and spectral shape of the metagalactic ultraviolet (UV) background. We use realistic H  i and He  ii Lyα forest spectra, constructed from state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of a Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) universe to confirm the reliability of using line profile fitting techniques to infer the ratio of the metagalactic H  i and He  ii ionization rates. We further show that the large spatial variations and the anticorrelation with H  i absorber density observed in the ratio of the measured He  ii to H  i column densities can be explained in a model where the H  i ionization rate is dominated by the combined UV emission from young star-forming galaxies and QSOs and the He  ii ionization rate is dominated by emission from QSOs only. In such a model the large fluctuations in the column density ratio are due to the small number of QSOs expected to contribute at any given point to the He  ii ionization rate. A significant contribution to UV emission at the He  ii photoelectric edge from hot gas in galaxies and galaxy groups would decrease the expected fluctuations in the column density ratio. Consequently, this model appears difficult to reconcile with the large increase in He  ii opacity fluctuations towards higher redshift. Our results further strengthen previous suggestions that observed He  ii Lyα forest spectra at z ∼ 2–3.5 probe the tail end of the reionization of He  ii by QSOs.     

Lopsided galaxies: the case of NGC 891

It has been known for a long time that a large fraction of disc galaxies are lopsided. We simulate three different mechanisms that can induce lopsidedness: flyby interactions, gas accretion from cosmological filaments and ram pressure from the intergalactic medium. Comparing the morphologies, H  i spectrum, kinematics and   m = 1  Fourier components, we find that all of these mechanisms can induce lopsidedness in galaxies, although in different degrees and with observable consequences. The time-scale over which lopsidedness persists suggests that flybys can contribute to ∼20 per cent of lopsided galaxies. We focus our detailed comparison on the case of NGC 891, a lopsided, edge-on galaxy with a nearby companion (UGC 1807). We find that the main properties of NGC 891 (morphology, H  i spectrum, rotation curve, existence of a gaseous filament pointing towards UGC 1807) favour a flyby event for the origin of lopsidedness in this galaxy.     

The X-ray evolution of merging galaxies

We present here the first study of the X-ray properties of an evolutionary sample of merging galaxies. Both ROSAT PSPC and HRI data are presented for a sample of eight interacting galaxy systems, each believed to involve a similar encounter between two spiral discs of approximately equal size. The mergers span a large range in age, from completely detached to fully merged systems.
A great deal of interesting X-ray structure is seen, and the X-ray properties of each individual system are discussed in detail. Along the merging sequence, several trends are evident: in the case of several of the infrared bright systems, the diffuse emission is very extended, and appears to arise from material ejected from the galaxies. The onset of this process seems to occur very soon after the galaxies first encounter one another, and these ejections soon evolve into distorted flows. More massive extensions (perhaps involving up to 10¹⁰ M⊙ of hot gas) are seen at the 'ultraluminous' peak of the interaction, as the galactic nuclei coalesce.
The amplitude of the evolution of the X-ray emission through a merger is markedly different from that of the infrared and radio emission, however. Although the X-ray luminosity rises and falls along the sequence, the factor by which the X-ray luminosity increases, relative to the optical, appears to be only about a tenth of that seen in the far-infrared. This, we believe, may well be linked with the large extensions of hot gas observed.
The late, relaxed remnants appear relatively devoid of gas, and possess an X-ray halo very different from that of typical ellipticals, a problem for the 'merger hypothesis', whereby the merger of two disc galaxies results in an elliptical galaxy. However, these systems are still relatively young in terms of total merger lifetime, and they may still have a few Gyr of evolution to go through before they resemble typical elliptical galaxies.     

H i content and star formation in the interacting galaxy Arp86

We present the results of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations of the interacting system Arp86 in both neutral atomic hydrogen, H  i , and in radio continuum at 240 606 and 1394 MHz. In addition to H  i emission from the two dominant galaxies, NGC 7752 and NGC 7753, these observations show a complex distribution of H  i tails and bridges due to tidal interactions. The regions of highest column density appear related to the recent sites of intense star formation. H  i column densities  ∼1–1.5 × 10²¹ cm⁻²  have been detected in the tidal bridge which is bright in Spitzer image as well. We also detect H  i emission from the galaxy 2MASX J23470758+2926531, which is shown to be a part of this system. We discuss the possibility that this could be a tidal dwarf galaxy. The radio continuum observations show evidence of a non-thermal bridge between NGC 7752 and NGC 7753, and a radio source in the nuclear region of NGC 7753 consistent with it having a low-ionization nuclear emission region nucleus.     

Morphology and star formation in nearby low surface brightness galaxies

We present observations ( B, R, K , Hα and H  i ) of six nearby low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs). They show an astonishing amount of variety; while some systems appear smooth and featureless, others resolve into loose assemblies of gas clouds. We have derived rotation curves, gas surface density profiles and star formation thresholds for three of the galaxies.
The results have been used to test two ideas describing their star formation: one in which star formation depends solely on the H  i gas surface density, and one that depends on differential rotation. We find that a critical H  i surface density criterion in the range  2.6–12.6 × 10²⁰ cm⁻² (2.1–10.1 M_⊙ pc⁻²)  best describes the star-forming ability of these galaxies on local and global scales. A critical gas surface density based on the rotation of the gas is also able to describe the results on a global scale for two of the three galaxies for which we were able to derive rotation curves.