The gas content in galactic disks: Correlation with kinematics

We consider the relationship between the total HI mass in late-type galaxies and the kinematic properties of their disks. The mass M_HI for galaxies with a wide variety of properties, from dwarf dIrr galaxies with active star formation to giant low-brightness galaxies, is shown to correlate with the product V_cR₀ (V_c is the rotational velocity, and R₀ is the radial photometric disks cale length), which characterizes the specific angular momentum of the disk. This correlation, along with the decrease in the relative mass of the gas in a galaxy with increasing V_c, can be explained in terms of the previous assumption that the gas density in the disks of most galaxies is maintained at a level close to the threshold (marginal) stability of a gaseous layer to local gravitational perturbations. In this case, the regulation mechanism of the star formation rate associated with the growth of local gravitational instability in the gaseous layer must play a crucial role in the evolution of the gas content in the galactic disk.     

HI content in galactic disks: The role of gravitational instability

We examine the dependence of the total hydrogen mass M _HI in late-type star-forming galaxies on rotation velocity V _rot and optical size D ₂₅ or radial scale length R ₀ of the disk for two samples of galaxies: (i) isolated galaxies (AMIGA) and (ii) galaxies with edge-on disks (flat galaxies according to Karachentsev et al.). M _HI given in the HYPERLEDA database for flat galaxies have turned out to be, on average, overestimated by ~0.2 dex compared to isolated galaxies with similar V _rot or D ₂₅, which is apparently due to an overestimation of the self-absorption in the HI line. The hydrogen mass in the galaxies of both samples closely correlates with the total specific angular momentum of the galactic disk J, which is proportional to V _rot D ₂₅ or V _rot R ₀, with the low-surface-brightness galaxies lying along the common V _rot R ₀ sequence. We discuss the possibility of explaining the relationship between M _HI and V _rot D ₂₅ by assuming that the gas mass in the disk is regulated by the marginal gravitational stability condition for the gas layer. Comparison of the observed and theoretically expected dependences leads us to conclude that either the gravitational stability corresponds to higher values of the Toomre parameter than is usually assumed, or the threshold stability condition formost galaxies was fulfilled only in the past, when the gasmass in the disks was a factor of 2–4 higher than that at present (except for the galaxies with an anomalously high observed HI content). The latter condition requires that for most galaxies the conversion of gas into stars be not compensated by the external accretion of gas onto the disk.     

Relationship between the thickness of stellar disks and the relative mass of a dark galactic halo

We analyze the R-and K _s-band photometric profiles for two independent samples of edge-on galaxies. The thickness of old stellar disks is shown to be related to the relative masses of the spherical and disk components of galaxies. The radial-to-vertical scale length ratio for galactic disks increases (the disks become thinner) with increasing total mass-to-light ratio of the galaxies, which reflects the relative contribution of the dark halo to the total mass, and with decreasing central deprojected disk brightness (density). Our results are in good agreement with numerical models of collisionless disks that evolved to a marginally stable equilibrium state. This suggests that, in most galaxies, the vertical stellar-velocity dispersion, on which the equilibrium-disk thickness depends, is close to a minimum value that ensures disk stability. The thinnest edge-on disks appear to be low-brightness galaxies in which the dark-halo mass far exceeds the stellar-disk mass.     

Infrared luminosities of local-volume galaxies

Based on data from the Two-Micrometer All-Sky Survey (2MASS), we analyzed the infrared properties of 451 Local-Volume galaxies at distances D ≤ 10 Mpc. We determined the K-band luminosity function of the galaxies in the range of absolute magnitudes from ?25^m to ?11^m. The local luminosity density within 8 Mpc is 6.8 × 10⁸L_⊙ Mpc^?3, a factor of 1.5 ± 0.1 higher than the global mean K-band luminosity density. We determined the ratios of the virial mass to the K-band luminosity for nearby groups and clusters of galaxies. In the luminosity range from 5 × 10¹⁰ to 2 × 10¹³L_⊙, the dependence log(M/L_K) ∝ (0.27 ± 0.03) log L_K with a dispersion of ～0.1 comparable to the measurement errors of the masses and luminosities of the systems of galaxies holds for the groups and clusters of galaxies. The ensemble-averaged ratio, 〈M/L_K〉 ? (20–25) M_⊙/L_⊙, was found to be much smaller than the expected global ratio, (80–90)M_⊙/L_⊙, in the standard model with Ω_m = 0.27. This discrepancy can be eliminated if the bulk of the dark matter in the Universe is not associated with galaxies and their systems.     

Stellar Mass—Halo Mass Relation and Star Formation Efficiency in High-Mass Halos

We study relation between stellar mass and halo mass for high-mass halos using a sample of galaxy clusters with accurate measurements of stellar masses from optical and ifrared data and total masses from X-ray observations. We find that stellar mass of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) scales as M_*,BCG ∝ M ₅₀₀ ^αBCG with the best fit slope of α_BCG ≈ 0.4 ± 0.1. We measure scatter of M_*,BCG at a fixed M₅₀₀ of ≈0.2 dex. We show that stellar mass-halo mass relations from abundance matching or halo modelling reported in recent studies underestimate masses of BCGs by a factor of ～2?4. We argue that this is because these studies used stellar mass functions (SMF) based on photometry that severely underestimates the outer surface brightness profiles of massive galaxies. We show that M_*?M relation derived using abundance matching with the recent SMF calibration by Bernardi et al. (2013) based on improved photometry is in a much better agreement with the relation we derive via direct calibration for observed clusters. The total stellar mass of galaxies correlates with total mass M₅₀₀ with the slope of ≈0.6 ± 0.1 and scatter of 0.1 dex. This indicates that efficiency with which baryons are converted into stars decreases with increasing cluster mass. The low scatter is due to large contribution of satellite galaxies: the stellar mass in satellite galaxies correlates with M₅₀₀ with scatter of ≈0.1 dex and best fit slope of α_sat ≈ 0.8 ± 0.1. We show that for a fixed choice of the initial mass function (IMF) total stellar fraction in clusters is only a factor of 3?5 lower than the peak stellar fraction reached in M ≈ 10¹²M_⊙ halos. The difference is only a factor of ～1.5?3 if the IMF becomes progressively more bottom heavy with increasing mass in early type galaxies, as indicated by recent observational analyses. This means that the overall efficiency of star formation in massive halos is only moderately suppressed compared to L_* galaxies and is considerably less suppressed than previously thought. The larger normalization and slope of the M_*?M relation derived in this study shows that feedback and associated suppression of star formation in massive halos should be weaker than assumed in most of the current semi-analytic models and simulations.     

Observational study of the candidate polar-ring galaxies NGC 304 and NGC 7625

We present the results of our photometric (BV R) and spectroscopic CCD observations of NGC 304 and NGC 7625, candidate polar-ring galaxies, performed with the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope. For NGC 304, such a study has been carried out for the first time. We have obtained basic integrated characteristics of the galaxies and determined their morphological types (S0 for NGC 304 and Sa for NGC 7625). The absolute magnitudes of the galaxies, M _B = ?20^m.81 for NGC 304 and M _B = ?19^m.34 for NGC7625, are indicative of their fairly high luminosities. The disk and bulge parameters have been determined forNGC 304 (µ₀ = 20^m.60, h = 3.86 kpc, µ _e = 21^m.59, r _e = 1.26 kpc in the B band); these correspond to the parameters of S0-type objects. The rotation velocity for NGC 304 (200 km s^?1) reaches its maximum at a galactocentric distance of 3.1 kpc, which yields a mass estimate for the galaxy of 2.8 × 10¹⁰ \(\mathcal{M}_ \odot \). The observed photometric features at the center of NGC 304 indicate that it may have an inner ring structure, although we have failed to confirm the existence of two kinematic systems based on our spectroscopic observations. In NGC 7625, the disk makes a dominant contribution to the total brightness. The derived integrated color indices (B-V = 0^m.81 and V-R = 0^m.61) agree with previous determinations of other authors. We have estimated the учештсешщт in the inner galactic regions. In the outer regions, we have detected structures with bluer colors (B-V = 0^m.60), which may be indicative of a polar ring with a minor stellar component.     

Photometry of the low-luminosity spiral galaxy NGC 4136

Multicolor BVRI surface photometry of the low-luminosity (M _V ≈?18^m) spiral galaxy NGC 4136 is presented. The photometric parameters of its components and the color distribution over the galactic disk are estimated. The color indices and the corresponding effective ages are determined for the brightest star-forming regions. The disk-to-dark halo mass ratio is derived from the measured rotation curve of the galaxy. The disk mass dominates within the optical boundaries of the galaxy, so its disk can be considered as a self-gravitating system.     

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.     

Optical variability of the active galactic nucleus 1E 0754.6+3928 and reverberation-based mass estimate for the central black hole

We analyze the spectroscopic and photometric observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) 1E 0754.6+3928 performed at Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in 1998–2004. Based on formal spectroscopic criteria for the optical wavelength range, we can classify this object as a narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy. Over the period of its observations, the AGN 1E 0754.6+3928 showed a very low rms flux variability amplitude in both continuum and Hβ (～3%). The Hβ time lag relative to the continuum has been found from the cross-correlation function centroid to be τ _cent = 112 _?67 ⁺²¹⁵ days. This result and the Hβ line dispersion estimate have allowed us to determine the central black hole mass by the reverberation method: 1.05 × 10⁸ M _⊙. The position of 1E 0754.6+3928 in the black hole mass-luminosity diagram agrees with the positions of other NLS1 galaxies and can be explained by an enhanced mass accretion rate in the central source.     

Mechanisms of the vertical secular heating of a stellar disk

We investigate the nonlinear growth stages of the bending instability in stellar disks with exponential radial density profiles. We found that the unstable modes are global (the wavelengths are larger than the disk scale lengths) and that the instability saturation level is much higher than that following from a linear criterion. The instability saturation time scales are of the order of one billion years or more. For this reason, the bending instability can play an important role in the secular heating of a stellar disk in the z direction. In an extensive series of numerical N-body simulations with a high spatial resolution, we were able to scan in detail the space of key parameters (the initial disk thickness z₀, the Toomre parameter Q, and the ratio of dark halo mass to disk mass M_h/M_d). We revealed three distinct mechanisms of disk heating in the z direction: bending instability of the entire disk, bending instability of the bar, and heating on vertical inhomogeneities in the distribution of stellar matter.     

New active galactic nuclei among the INTEGRAL and SWIFT X-ray sources

We present the results of our optical identifications of a set of X-ray sources from the INTEGRAL and SWIFT all-sky surveys. The optical data have been obtained with the 1.5-m Russian-Turkish Telescope (RTT-150). Nine X-ray sources have been identified with active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Two of them are located in the nearby spiral galaxies MCG-01-05-047 and NGC 973 seen almost edge-on. One source, IGR J16562-3301, is probably a BL Lac object (blazar). The remaining AGNs are observed as the starlike nuclei of spiral galaxies whose spectra exhibit broad emission lines. The relation between the hard X-ray (17–60 keV) luminosity and the [O III] 5007 line luminosity, log L _x/L _{[O III]} ≈ 2.1, holds good for most of the AGNs detected in hard X rays. However, the luminosities of some AGNs deviate from this relation. The fraction of such objects can reach ～20%. In particular, the [O III] line flux is lower for two nearby edge-on spiral galaxies. This can be explained by the effect of absorption in the galactic disks.     

The pressure of an equilibrium interstellar medium in galactic disks

Based on an axisymmetric galactic disk model, we estimate the equilibrium gas pressure P/k in the disk plane as a function of the galactocentric distance R for several galaxies (MW, M33, M51, M81, M100, M101, M106, and the SMC). For this purpose, we solve a self-consistent system of equations by taking into account the gas self-gravity and the presence of a dark pseudo-isothermal halo. We assume that the turbulent velocity dispersions of the atomic and molecular gases are fixed and that the velocity dispersion of the old stellar disk corresponds to its marginal stability (except for the Galaxy and the SMC). We also consider a model with a constant disk thickness. Of the listed galaxies, the SMC and M51 have the highest pressure at a given relative radius R/R ₂₅, while M81 and the Galaxy has the lowest pressure. The pressure dependence of the relative molecular gas fraction confirms the existence of a positive correlation between these quantities, but it is not so distinct as that obtained previously when the pressure was estimated very roughly. This dependence breaks down for the inner regions of M81 and M106, probably because the gas pressure has been underestimated in the bulge region. We discuss the possible effects of factors other than the pressure affecting the relative content of the molecular gas in the galaxies under consideration.     

2D spectroscopy of candidate polar-ring galaxies: I. The pair of galaxies UGC 5600/09

Observations of the pair of galaxies VV 330 with the SCORPIO multimode instrument on the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope are presented. Large-scale velocity fields of the ionized gas in Hα and brightness distributions in continuum and Hα have been constructed for both galaxies with the help of a scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer. Long-slit spectroscopy is used to study the stellar kinematics. Analysis of the data obtained has revealed a complex structure in each of the pair components. Three kinematic subsystems have been identified in UGC 5600: a stellar disk, an “inner gas ring” turned with respect to the disk through ～80°, and an outer gas disk. The stellar and outer gas disks are noncoplanar. Possible scenarios for the formation of the observed multicomponent kinematic galactic structure are considered, including the case where the large-scale velocity field of the gas is represented by the kinematic model of a disk with a warp. The velocity field in the second galaxy of the pair, UGC 5609, is more regular. A joint analysis of the data on the photometric structure and the velocity field has shown that this is probably a late-type spiral galaxy whose shape is distorted by the gravitational interaction, possibly, with UGC 5600.     

Nearby groups of galaxies in the Hercules–Bootes constellations

We consider a sample of 412 galaxies with radial velocities V _LG < 2500 kms^?1 situated in the sky region of RA = 13_. ^m 0–19_. ^m 0, Dec = +10?...+40? between the Local Void and the Supergalactic plane. One hundred and eighty-one of them have individual distance estimates. Peculiar velocities of the galaxies as a function of Supergalactic latitude SGB show signs of Virgocentric infall at SGB < 10? and motion from the Local Void at SGB > 60?. A half of the Hercules–Bootes galaxies belong to 17 groups and 29 pairs, with the richest group around NGC5353. A typical group is characterized by the velocity dispersion of 67 km s^?1, the harmonic radius of 182 kpc, the stellar mass of 4.3 × 10¹⁰ M _⊙ and the virialto- stellar mass ratio of 32. The binary galaxies have the mean radial velocity difference of 37 kms^?1, the projected separation of 96 kpc, the mean integral stellar mass of 2.6×109M _⊙ and the mean virial-to-stellar mass ratio of about 8. The total dark-matter-to-stellar mass ratio in the considered sky region amounts to 37 being almost the same as that in the Local Volume.     

Voids in the SDSS galaxy survey

Using the method of searching for arbitrary shaped voids in the distribution of volume-limited samples of galaxies from the DR5 SDSS survey, we have identified voids and investigated their characteristics and the change in these characteristics with decreasing M _lim (from ?19.7 to ?21.2, H ₀ = 100 km s^?1 Mpc^?1)—the upper limit on the absolute magnitude of the galaxies involved in the construction of voids. The total volume of the 50 largest voids increases with decreasing M _lim with a break near M* = ?20.44—the characteristic value of the luminosity function for SDSS galaxies. The mean overdensity in voids increases with decreasing M _lim also with a weak break near M*. The exponent of the dependence of the volume of a void on its rank increases significantly with decreasing M _lim starting from M _lim ～ ?20.4 in the characteristic range of volumes, which reflects the tendency for greater clustering of brighter galaxies. The averaged profile of the galaxy overdensity in voids has a similar pattern almost at all M _lim. The galaxies mostly tend to gravitate toward the void boundaries and to avoid the central void regions; the overdensity profile is flat in the intermediate range of distances from the void boundaries. The axial ratios of the ellipsoids equivalent to the voids are, on average, retained with changing M _lim and correspond to elongated and nonoblate void shapes, but some of the voids can change their shape significantly. The directions of the greatest void elongations change chaotically and are distributed randomly at a given M _lim. The void centers show correlations reflecting the correlations of the galaxy distribution on scales (35–70)h ^?1 Mpc. The galaxy distribution in the identified voids is nonrandom—groups and filaments can be identified. We have compared the properties of the galaxies in voids (in our case, the voids are determined by the galaxies with absolute magnitudes M _abs < M _lim = ?20.44, except for the isolated galaxies) and galaxies in structures identified using the minimum spanning tree. A bimodal color distribution of the galaxies in voids has been obtained. A noticeable difference is observed in the mean color indices and star formation rates per unit stellar mass of the galaxies in dense regions (structures)—as expected, the galaxies in voids are, on average, bluer and have higher log (SFR/M _star). These tendencies become stronger toward the central void regions.     

Metallicity of Young and Old Stars in Irregular Galaxies

Based on archived images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, stellar photometry for 105 irregular galaxies has been conducted. We have shown the red supergiant and giant branches in the obtained Hertzsprung-Russel diagrams. Using the TRGB method, distances to galaxies and metallicity of red giants have been determined. The color index (V ? I) of the supergiant branch at the luminosity level M_I = ?7 was chosen as the metallicity index of red supergiants. For the galaxies under study, the diagrams have been built, in which the correlation can be seen between the luminosity of galaxies (M_B) and metallicity of red giants and supergiants. The main source of variance of the results in the obtained diagrams is, in our opinion, uncertainty inmeasurements of galaxy luminosities and star-forming outburst. The relation between metallicity of young and old stars shows that main enrichment of galaxies with metals has taken place in the remote past. Deviations of some galaxies in the obtained relation can possibly be explained with the fall of the intergalactic gas on them, although, this inconsiderably affects metallicities of the stellar content.     

Radial pulsations of helium stars with masses from 1 to 10 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>⊙</Subscript>

We present the results of our hydrodynamic calculations of radial pulsations in helium stars with masses 1 M_⊙ ≤ M ≤ 10 M_⊙, luminosity-to-mass ratios 1 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ ≤ L/M ≤ 2 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙, and effective temperatures 2 × 10⁴ K ≤ T_eff ≤ 10⁵ K for mass fractions of helium Y=0.98 and heavy elements Z=0.02. We show that the lower boundary of the pulsation-instability region corresponds to L/M ～ 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ and that the instability region for L/M ? 5 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙ is bounded by effective temperatures T_eff ? 3 × 10⁴ K. As the luminosity rises, the instability boundary moves into the left part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and radial pulsations can arise in stars with effective temperatures T_eff ? 10⁵ K at L/M ? 7 × 10³L_⊙/M_⊙. The velocity amplitude for the outer boundary of the hydrodynamic model increases with L/M and lies within the range 200 ? ΔU ? 700 km s^?1 for the models under consideration. The periodic shock waves that accompany radial pulsations cause a significant change of the gas-density distribution in the stellar atmosphere, which is described by a dynamic scale height comparable to the stellar radius. The dynamic instability boundary that corresponds to the separation of the outer stellar atmospheric layers at a superparabolic velocity is roughly determined by a luminosity-to-mass ratio L/M ～ 3 × 10⁴L_⊙/M_⊙.     

Galaxy triplets in the local supercluster

We report a catalog of 168 galaxy triplets with line-of-sight velocities V _LG < 3500 km/s identified using a percolation criterion, which takes individual properties of galaxies into account. The catalog contains the line-of-sight velocities, K-band magnitudes, and morphological types of galaxies. Our sample of galaxy triplets is characterized by the median values of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion, projected harmonic radius, and crossing time of 40 km/s, 155 kpc, and 3 Gyr, respectively. The median projectedmass and K-band luminosity of our triplets are equal to 5 × 10¹¹ M _⊙ and 15M _⊙/L _⊙, respectively, with the uncertainty of these parameters due mostly to the errors of radial-velocity measurements. The basic properties of triple systems in the Local Supercluster are compared to those of more distant isolated triplets from the KTG and KTS samples. The fraction of triplet members among all galaxies is found be more than 5%.     

Ultra-flat galaxies selected from RFGC catalog. II. Orbital estimates of halo masses

We used the Revised Flat Galaxy Catalog (RFGC) to select 817 ultra-flat (UF) edge-on disk galaxies with blue and red apparent axial ratios of (a/b)_B > 10.0 and (a/b)_R > 8.5. The sample covering the whole sky, except the Milky Way zone, contains 490 UF galaxies with measured radial velocities. Our inspection of the neighboring galaxies around them revealed only 30 companions with radial velocity difference of | ΔV |< 500 kms^?1 inside the projected separation of R_p < 250 kpc. Wherein, the wider area around the UF galaxy within R_p < 750 kpc contains no other neighbors brighter than the UF galaxy itself in the same velocity span. The resulting sample galaxies mostly belong to the morphological types Sc, Scd, Sd. They have a moderate rotation velocity curve amplitude of about 120 km s^?1 and a moderate K-band luminosity of about 10¹⁰L_⊙. The median difference of radial velocities of their companions is 87 km s^?1, yielding the median orbital mass estimate of about 5 × 10¹¹M_⊙. Excluding six probable non-isolated pairs, we obtained a typical halo-mass-to-stellar-mass of UF galaxies of about 30, what is almost the same one as in the principal spiral galaxies, like M31 and M81 in the nearest groups. We also note that ultra-flat galaxies look two times less “dusty” than other spirals of the same luminosity.     

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).