Dynamical friction and the escape of a compact supermassive object shot from the center of a galaxy

A numerical study has been made of the motion of a compact object consisting of a supermassive black hole with a dense cluster of stars around through a galaxy which has recoiled from the center of the latter as a result of anisotropic emission of gravitational radiation or asymmetrical plasma emission. We find that the effect of dynamical friction on its motion through the galaxy (mass10¹¹ M ) estimated using the impulsive approximation technique, is minimal for an object mass 10⁹ M and for recoil taking place at a velocity larger than that of escape. A velocity 1.1 times the escape velocity is needed for the object to escape from the galaxy, whereas for velocities of recoil less than this critical velocity, damped oscillatory motion ensures. The energy exchange of the object with the galaxy is not large enough to cause appreciable change in the internal energy of the latter.     

NGC 1705: The missing link between blue compact dwarf and dwarf elliptical galaxies?

We report results of a detailed study of the nearby blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 1705. There are two stellar populations in NGC 1705: an underlying population around a Gyr old or older, and a young population of fairly continuous star formation for the last 250 Myr. An off-centre nucleus, which is probably a young (10 Myr old), massive (10⁶ M ) globular cluster, is part of this young population. The H morphology and emission line kinematics are consistent with an expulsive flow triggered by the formation of the nucleus. We show that NGC 1705 is losing ionized material in this galactic wind with neutral material probably entrained in the flow. This flow may lead to total removal of the ISM. The evolutionary fate of NGC 1705 is uncertain but the most likely outcome is rapid evolution into a nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxy.     

Effect of dynamical friction on the escape of a supermassive black hole from a Galaxy

We have used the impulsive approximation technique to numerically estimate the effect of dynamical friction on the motion of a supermassive black hole (mass 10⁹ M ) through a galaxy (mass=10¹¹ M ) which has recoiled from the center of the latter as a result of anisotropic emission of gravitational radiation or asymmetric plasma emission. We find the effect to be minimal for recoil taking place at a velocity larger than that of escape at the center of the galaxy. There is a certain critical velocity of ejection (slightly larger than the central escape velocity) at which the black hole must be ejected for the recoil to be successful. Otherwise, dynamical friction becomes relatively pronounced and damped oscillatory motion of the black hole in the potential well of the galaxy ensues. The phenomenon of high-velocity recoil although rare, can be astrophysically spectacular in view of the fact that the black hole would carry a substantial amount of gaseous material as well as a very large number of galactic stars. Some recent observations are cited where the recoil phenomenon might be applicable.     

The formation of a ring galaxy during a head-on collision between a disk and a spherical galaxy

The tidal force effects of a spherical galaxy passing head-on through a disk galaxy have been studied at various regions of the disk galaxy and for various orientations of the disk galaxy with respect to the direction of relative motion of the two galaxies. The density distribution of the disk galaxy is taken to be, (r)=_ce^–4r/R , where _c is the central density andR is the radius of the disk. The density distribution of the spherical galaxy is taken to be that of a oolytrope of indexn=4. It is found that as a result of the collision, through the central parts and the outer parts of the disk galaxy remain intact, the region in between these two regions disrupts. Thus a ring galaxy with a nucleus embedded in the ring-i.e., a ring galaxy of the RN-type, is formed.     

M 101 group galaxies

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have performed stellar photometry for the galaxy M 101 and other neighboring galaxies located at a small angular distance from M 101 and having radial velocities similar to that of M 101: M 51, M 63, NGC 5474, NGC 5477, UGC 9405, Ho IV, KUG1413+573, and others. Based on the TRGB method, we have determined the distances to these galaxies. We have found that the M 101 group lies at a distance of 6.8 Mpc and is a small compact galaxy group consisting of four galaxies: NGC 5474, NGC 5477, UGC 9405, and Ho IV. The bright massive galaxies M 51 and M 63 are considerably farther (D = 9.0 and 9.3 Mpc, respectively) than the M 101 group and do not belong to it. Applying the virial theorem to 27 objects (H II regions and galaxies),M 101 satellites located at different distances from the galaxy, has revealed an increase in the dynamical mass of M 101 with increasing sizes of the system of satellites used in calculating the mass. The maximum calculated mass of M 101 is 7.5 × 10¹¹ M _⊙. The dynamical mass of M 101 calculated on the basis of the four galaxies constituting the group is 6.2 × 10¹¹ M _⊙. The mass-to-light ratio for this mass is M/L = 18 (at the adopted luminosity of M 101, M _B = ?20.8).     

Two high-velocity encounters of elliptical galaxies

We present the results of our study of two collisions of binary elliptical galaxies, NGC 4782/4783 and NGC 2672/2673. Each pair has a high relative velocity (>500 km s^–1 along the line-of-sight) but the two pairs differ in mass ratio (1 for the first pair, and 10 for the second). CCD images and velocities obtained from digital spectra are used to constrain simulations of the galaxy collisions. Once a solution has been found and its uniqueness verified, we derive the binary orbital elements, the orientation of the orbit in the sky, the time since pericenter, and the dynamical mass of the pair. This method provides a quantitative determination of galaxy masses on the scale of the binary separations free from uncertainties due to projection effects. We also derive accurate timing of the collision and information about the fate of the pairs (merger/escape). Among our conclusions, we find that the dumb-bell galaxy NGC 4782/4783 isnot a supermassive galaxy as claimed from the high relative velocity and the high central dispersions, but has a moderateM/L _B10. Its trajectory has been changed from hyperbolic to elliptical as a result of energy lost during the collision. NGC 2672/2673 provides an interesting example of how the collision probes the internal structure and dynamics of a galaxy. It also has a moderateM/L _B7.Space Telescope Science Institute, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, MA, U.S.A.Kitt Peak National Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation, AR, U.S.A.     

On estimates of lower and upper limits for the masses of compact components in close binaries

A method of determination of limits for a compact component mass on the base of disk emission lines parameters is described. Lower limit of the mass depends upon the distance between maxima in double peaked lines, the upper the full width of the line. The method is tested for some cataclysmic variables with well known masses of compact components. We obtain a lower limit for the mass of the compact object in the close binary SS433 is 4.9M . This component is apparently a black hole.     

High resolution fabry-perot and multi-pupil spectral observations of the genuine blue compact dwarf galaxy IZW18

We present the observations of the BCDG IZW18 performed with a Fabry-Perot interferometer at the CFH 3.6 m telescope and with a multi-pupil spectrograph at the SAO (Russia) 6 m telescope. The morphological structure of the galaxy in emission lines and in continuum, the velocity field of the ionized gas, and [OIII]/H ratio distribution along the NW component have been investigated. Besides the NW and SE HII components, we find a population of small HII regions. Continuum maps show that the peaks of the stellar light distribution are displaced with respect to the emission lines maxima. the velocity field shows peculiar motions superposed on an approximately regular background implying solid body rotation. Emission line profiles exhibit an asymmetric structure, except for the NW compact component. The [OIII]/H ratio decreases from the center of the NW component to its edge with the gradient of 1.86 kpc^–1.Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 602–615, October–December, 1995.     

Exchange of gravitational energy during a collision of galaxies

The problem of the change in internal energy of a colliding galaxy due to tidal effects is considered, assuming that the galaxies may be regarded as spherical stellar systems whose over-all structure remains unchanged during the collision and that the stars move in circular orbits. The numerical estimates thus made for the energy gained by the stars during the collision are compared with those derived on the basis of the assumption that the motions of the stars may be neglected during the encounter (the impulsive approximation) to test the adequacy of the latter approximation. If the two galaxies are of 10¹¹ M , of radii 10 kpc and of mass distribution that of a polytrope of indexn=4; and if the relative distance and velocity at their closest approach are taken as 2 kpc and 1000 km/sec respectively, the mass of escaping stars from a galaxy is estimated to be roughly 4% of the total mass of the galaxy and the total increase in the internal energy of a galaxy during the collision due to the tidal acceleration of all its stars is equal in magnitude to approximately 25% of its initial internal energy, about one-fifth of which is associated with the escaping stars.     

A spectrophotometric study of galaxies with UV excess

We present the results of a spectral study of 17 galaxies with UV excess from the lists of [1–3]. We determine the equivalent widths of lines, the relative intensities of emission lines for 3 galaxies, the electron densities of the gas components of 9 galaxies, and the gas masses of 2 galaxies. It is shown that the gas component of Galaxy No. 235 has extremely low excitability. In the spectrum of this galaxy the lines [Fell] 4951, 4947 are seen to be distinct, not merging with the line [OIII] 4959. The line H in the spectrum of Galaxy No. 128 has two emission peaks, which seem to have been formed by an absorption component midway between the lines. The line H in the spectrum of Galaxy No. 350 is detected both in emission and absorption, the absorption component lying in the longwave part of the line.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 3, 1994.     

Evolutionary models of nucleosynthesis in the galaxy

A model of the galaxy is constructed and evolved in which the integrated influence of stellar and supernova nucleosynthesis on the composition of the interstellar gas is traced numerically. Our detailed assumptions concerning the character of the matter released from evolving stars and supernovae are guided by the results of recent stellar evolutionary calculations and hydrodynamic studies of supernova events. Stars of main sequence mass in the range 4M8M are assumed to give rise to supernova events, leaving remnants we identify with neutron stars and pulsars and forming both the carbon-to-iron nuclei and ther-process heavy elements in the explosive ejection of the core material. For more massive stars, we assume the core implosion will result in the formation of a Schwarzschild singularity, that is, a black hole or collapsar. The straightforward assumptions (1) that the gas content of the galaxy decreases exponentially with time to its present level of 5% and (2) that the luminosity function characteristic of young clusters and the solar neighborhood is appropriate throughout galactic history, lead to the prediction that 20% of the unevolved stars of approximately one solar mass (M ) in the galaxy today should have metal compositionsZ0.1Z . As Schmidt has argued from similar reasoning, this is quite inconsistent with current observations; an early generation dominated by more massive stars—which would by now have evolved—is suggested by this difficulty. Many of these massive stars, according to our assumptions, will end their lives as collapsed black hole remnants. It is difficult to visualize an epoch of massive star formation in the collapsing gas cloud which formed our galaxy which would enrich the gas rapidly enough to account for the level of heavy element abundances in halo population stars; we have therefore proposed a stage of star formation which is entirely pregalactic in character. We suggest that the Jeans' length-sized initial condensations in the expanding universe discussed by Peebles and Dicke may provide the appropriate setting for this first generation of stars. Guided by these considerations, and by the need for a substantial quantity of unseen mass to bind our local group of galaxies, we have constructed a model of the galaxy in which this violent early phase of massive star formation produces both (1) approximately 25% of the level of heavy elements observed in the solar system and (2) an enormous unseen mass in the form of black holes. The implications of our model for other features of the galaxy, including supernova nucleosynthesis, the cosmic ray production of the light elements, and cosmochronology, are discussed in detail.     

The gradient of the brightest star age and density across the spiral arm S4 in the Andromeda galaxy

On a plate obtained with the 2-m RC telescope at the Bulgarian National Observatory about 1400 stars in the spiral arm S4 of the Andromeda galaxy were measured. The limit of completeness is 20 _. ^m 2 (B magnitudes). In the central part of S4 (Figure 3) a pronounced gradient of star luminosity and density is found (Figures 6 and 7a). Here the stars become fainter at about 2 ^m and their surface density decreases tenfold at the distance 1 kpc from the inner edge of the arm. We have interpreted the decline of star maximum brightness from this edge as age gradient and have evaluated from it the velocity of star formation propagation across the arm, which is about 60 km s^–1. If the Andromeda galaxy has trailing spiral arms and the pitch angle of S4 is about 25° in its central part, the pattern velocity p7–14 km s^–1 kpc^–1. This value is close to that obtained earlier with the help of the Cepheids in the same part of S4 (Efremov, 1980). The absence of a pronounced asymmetry in the star distribution across the arm in the OB82 region may be connected with the position of the strongest dust lanes in front of the stellar spiral arm here. We have stressed that in one part of the same spiral arm there may be a pronounced age gradient, and there may be no such gradient in the near-by one. In spite of the known difficulties in understanding the structure of the Andromeda galaxy it is possible to draw some conclusions which are important for the theory of spiral arms. The detailed investigations of the nearest galaxies are, therefore, most useful for understanding the spiral structure nature.     

The chemical composition of matter in the early universe

The results of the computations of the chemical evolution for a galaxy cluster are presented. The matter exchange between galaxies and intergalactic medium is taken into account. Two dependences of star formation rate on time are considered: (i) monotonously decreasing dependence characteristic of elliptical galaxies, (ii) dependence having two peaks associated with creation of spiral galaxy subsystems, with suppression of star formation at the period between maxima. It is assumed that galactic ejection is due to explosions of II-type supernova with massesm5M , and that the accretion on to a galaxy depends but weakly on the time. By comparing the obtained results with total combination of available observations, it is established that the rate of gaseous exchange between a galaxy and intergalactic medium should be rather large: 0.03M _gal Gyr^–1. Besides, the activity of each type of galaxy leads to an approximately equal enrichment of intergalactic gas by new elements synthesized in the stars. The existence of a large accretion on to the Galaxy leads to the decrease of primordial deuterium abundance by a factor of no more than 2 during the galaxy evolution time. It enables us to assume that the standard Big Bang model with baryon density parameter _b 0.1 may be considered as true.     

KDG218, a nearby ultra-diffuse galaxy

We present properties of the low-surface-brightness galaxy KDG218 observed with the HST/ACS. The galaxy has a half-light (effective) diameter of a _e = 47″ and a central surface brightness of SB _V (0) = 24.^m4/□″. The galaxy remains unresolved with the HST/ACS, which implies its distance of D > 13.1 Mpc and linear effective diameter of A _e > 3.0 kpc. We notice that KDG218 is most likely associated with a galaxy group around the massive lenticular NGC4958 galaxy at approximately 22 Mpc, or with the Virgo Southern Extension filament at approximately 16.5 Mpc. At these distances, the galaxy is classified as an ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) similar to those found in the Virgo, Fornax, and Coma clusters. We also present a sample of 15 UDG candidates in the Local Volume. These sample galaxies have the following mean parameters: 〈D〉 = 5.1 Mpc, 〈A _e 〉 = 4.8 kpc, and 〈SB _B (e)〉 = 27.^m4/□″. All the local UDG candidates reside near massive galaxies located in the regions with the mean stellar mass density (within 1 Mpc) about 50 times greater than the average cosmic density. The local fraction of UDGs does not exceed 1.5% of the Local Volume population. We notice that the presented sample of local UDGs is a heterogeneous one containing irregular, transition, and tidal types, as well as objects consisting of an old stellar population.     

Probing the Obscuring Medium Around Active Nuclei Using Masers: The Case of 3C 403

We report the first detection of a water megamaser in a radio-loud galaxy, 3C 403, and present a follow-up study using the VLA. 3C 403 has been observed as a part of a small sample of FR II galaxies with evidence of nuclear obscuration. The isotropic luminosity of the maser is 1200 L. With a recessional velocity of cz 17680 km s^–1 it is the most distant water maser so far reported. The line arises from the densest (> 10⁸ cm^–3) interstellar gas component ever observed in a radio-loud galaxy. Two spectral features are identified, likely bracketing the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Our interferometric data clearly indicate that these arise from a location within 0.1 (110 pc) from the active galactic nucleus. We conclude that the maser spots are most likely associated with the tangentially seen parts of a nuclear accretion disk, while an association with dense warm gas interacting with the radio jets cannot yet be ruled out entirely.     

The Velocity Field and Kinematics of the Galaxy NGC 784 in the Hα Line

In this paper we present the H map, the 2D velocity field and the rotation curve of the galaxy NGC 784 obtained with the ByuFOSC2 scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer, attached at the prime focus of the 2.6-m telescope of Byurakan Observatory. The H image shows several HII condensations along the major axis of the galaxy. The galaxy has an asymmetric distribution of the H emission. The rotation curve is quite symmetric with a low gradient in the central part of the galaxy.     

Dynamical friction on a satellite of a disk galaxy: The circular orbit

In a previous paper, we have studied dynamical friction during a parabolic passage of a companion galaxy past a disk galaxy. This paper continues with the study of satellites in circular orbits around the disk galaxy. Simulations of orbit decay in a self gravitating disk are compared with estimates based on two-body scattering theories; the theories are found to give a satisfactory explanation of the orbital changes. The disk friction is strongly dependent on the sense of rotation of the companion relative to the rotation of the disk galaxy as well as on the amount of mass in a spherical halo. The greatest amount of dynamical friction occurs in direct motion if no spherical halo is present. Then the infall time from the edge of the disk is about one half of the orbital period of the disk edge. A halo twice as massive as the disk increases the infall time four fold. The results of Quinn and Goodman, obtained with a non-self-gravitating method, agree well with our experiments with massive halos (Q ₀ 1.5), but are not usable in a more general case. We give analytic expressions for calculating the disk friction in galaxies of different disk/halo mass ratios.     

Possible mass limits for quantum double galaxies

When cosmic quantum mechanics is applied to a double galaxy, the result is mass limits in order for the two galaxies to form a quantum binary system. For a non-relativistic theory (based on the Schrödinger wave equation), the mass limits are: (m _g)_max 10¹² M and (m _g)_min 10¹⁰ M . One possible consequence appears to be a Newtonian gravitational constant that varies with cosmic time, with its value larger in the cosmic past.     

Mass-to-light ratios for galaxy pairs and triplets in various environments

We have estimated the dark matter content in galaxy pairs and triplets selected from SDSS DR5 by a higher-order Voronoi tesseleration method. Specifically, the median mass-to-light ratios M _vir/L are 12 M _⊙/L _⊙ for isolated pairs, 44 M _⊙/L _⊙ for isolated triplets, and 7 (8) M _⊙/L _⊙ for compact pairs (triplets) with a characteristic distance between the galaxies of R < 50 (100) kpc. We show that the less isolated a system, the larger its mass-to-light ratio. This suggests that galaxy groups in a denser environment have a higher velocity dispersion.