Claude Carignan

At the low-mass end - Light and H I distribution of GR 8

The dwarf irregular galaxy GR 8, which is at the extreme faint end of the luminosity and mass functions, is studied using optical photometry and 21 cm H I line observations. For the light distribution, an exponential decline (as usual for more massive systems) is found with an extrapolated central surface brightness of B(O)c = 22.6 mag/sq arcsec and a scale length of 76 pc. The colors are typical of Im galaxies with (B - V) = 0.38. The H I is found to be clumpy with most of the gas just outside the optical image. Its radial distribution is well approximated by a Gaussian. From the kinematics, it is found that, contrary to what is normally observed, the rotation axis of the gas is parallel to the common major axis of the optical and H I distribution and not perpendicular. It is shown that rotation is only important to the gravitational support of the system in the inner parts (r less than 250 pc). 31 refs.

KAT-7 SCIENCE VERIFICATION: USING H I OBSERVATIONS OF NGC 3109 TO UNDERSTAND ITS KINEMATICS AND MASS DISTRIBUTION

H I observations of the Magellanic-type spiral NGCxa03109, obtained with the seven dish Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7), are used to analyze its mass distribution. Our results are compared to those obtained using Very Large Array (VLA) data. KAT-7 is a pathfinder of the Square Kilometer Array precursor MeerKAT, which is under construction. The short baselines and low system temperature of the telescope make it sensitive to large-scale, low surface brightness emission. The new observations with KAT-7 allow the measurement of the rotation curve (RC) of NGCxa03109 out to 32, doubling the angular extent of existing measurements. A total H I mass of 4.6 × 108 M ☉ is derived, 40% more than what is detected by the VLA observations. The observationally motivated pseudo-isothermal dark matter (DM) halo model can reproduce the observed RC very well, but the cosmologically motivated Navarro-Frenk-White DM model gives a much poorer fit to the data. While having a more accurate gas distribution has reduced the discrepancy between the observed RC and the MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) models, this is done at the expense of having to use unrealistic mass-to-light ratios for the stellar disk and/or very large values for the MOND universal constant a 0. Different distances or H I contents cannot reconcile MOND with the observed kinematics, in view of the small errors on these two quantities. As with many slowly rotating gas-rich galaxies studied recently, the present result for NGCxa03109 continues to pose a serious challenge to the MOND theory.

Galaxy mass models: MOND versus dark matter haloes

Mass models of 15 nearby dwarf and spiral galaxies are presented. The galaxies are selected to be homogeneous in terms of the method used to determine their distances, the sampling of their rotation curves (RCs) and the mass‐to‐light ratio (M/L) of their stellar contributions, which will minimize the uncertainties on the mass model results. Those RCs are modeled using the MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) prescription and the observationally motivated pseudo-isothermal (ISO) dark matter (DM) halo density distribution. For the MOND models with fixed (M/L), better fits are obtained when the constant a0 is allowed to vary, giving a mean value of (1.13 ± 0.50) × 10 −8 cm s −2 , compared to the standard value of 1.21 × 10 −8 cm s −2 . Even with a0 as a free parameter, MOND provides acceptable fits (reduced χ 2 < 2) for only 60 % (9/15) of the sample. The data suggest that galaxies with higher central surface brightnesses tend to favor higher va lues of the constant a0. This poses a serious challenge to MOND since a0 should be a universal constant. For the DM models, our results confirm that the DM halo surface density of ISO mod els is nearly constant at ρ0 RC � 120 M⊙ pc −2 . This means that if the (M/L) is determined by stellar population models, ISO DM models are left with only one free parameter, the DM halo central surface density.

KAT-7 science verification: cold gas, star formation, and substructure in the nearby Antlia Cluster

The Antlia Cluster is a nearby, dynamically young structure, and its proximity provides a valuable opportunity for detailed study of galaxy and group accretion on to clusters. We present a deep H I mosaic completed as part of spectral line commissioning of the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7), and identify infrared counterparts from the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer extended source catalogue to study neutral atomic gas content and star formation within the cluster. We detect 37 cluster members out to a radius of ˜0.9 Mpc with M_{H I}>5× 10^7 M⊙. Of these, 35 are new H I detections, 27 do not have previous spectroscopic redshift measurements, and one is the Compton thick Seyfert II, NGC 3281, which we detect in H I absorption. The H I galaxies lie beyond the X-ray-emitting region 200 kpc from the cluster centre and have experienced ram pressure stripping out to at least 600 kpc. At larger radii, they are distributed asymmetrically suggesting accretion from surrounding filaments. Combining H I with optical redshifts, we perform a detailed dynamical analysis of the internal substructure, identify large infalling groups, and present the first compilation of the large-scale distribution of H I and star-forming galaxies within the cluster. We find that elliptical galaxy NGC 3268 is at the centre of the oldest substructure and argue that NGC 3258 and its companion population are more recent arrivals. Through the presence of H I and ongoing star formation, we rank substructures with respect to their relative time since accretion on to Antlia.

Kinematics and mass modelling of M33: Hα observations

As part of a long-term project to revisit the kinematics and dynamics of the large disc galaxies of the Local Group, we present the first deep, wide-field (42 x 56) 3D-spectroscopic survey of the ionized gas disc of Messier 33. Fabry-Perot interferometry has been used to map its Ha distribution and kinematics at unprecedented angular resolution ( 6.5 kpc. The reason for this discrepancy is not well understood. The velocity dispersion profile is relatively flat around 16 km/s, which is at the low end of velocity dispersions of nearby star-forming galactic discs. A strong relation is also found between the Ha velocity dispersion and the Ha intensity. Mass models were obtained using the Ha rotation curve but, as expected, the dark matter halos parameters are not very well constrained since the optical rotation curve only extends out to 8 kpc.

Estimating non-circular motions in barred galaxies using numerical N-body simulations

The observed velocities of the gas in barred galaxies are a combination of the azimuthally-averaged circular velocity and non-circular motions, primarily caused by gas streaming along the bar. These non-circular flows must be accounted for before the observed velocities can be used in mass modeling. In this work, we examine the performance of the tilted-ring method and the DiskFit algorithm for transforming velocity maps of barred spiral galaxies into rotation curves (RCs) using simulated data. We find that the tilted-ring method, which does not account for streaming motions, under/over-estimates the circular motions when the bar is parallel/perpendicular to the projected major axis. DiskFit, which does include streaming motions, is limited to orientations where the bar is not-aligned with either the major or minor axis of the image. Therefore, we propose a method of correcting RCs based on numerical simulations of galaxies. We correct the RC derived from the tilted-ring method based on a numerical simulation of a galaxy with similar properties and projections as the observed galaxy. Using observations of NGC 3319, which has a bar aligned with the major axis, as a test case, we show that the inferred mass models from the uncorrected and corrected RCs are significantly different. These results show the importance of correcting for the non-circular motions and demonstrate that new methods of accounting for these motions are necessary as current methods fail for specific bar alignments.

Bar pattern speed and position of the circumnuclear ring in NGC 1097

Active galactic nuclei and bursts of star formation are two distinct phenomena that amply change their host environments. They are present in a significant number of galaxies at all redshifts. In this thesis, we aim toward a better understanding of the physical processes that allow for the formation and maintenance of these two phenomena. We focus on the study of the physical conditions of the interstellar gas in the central kiloparsec region of the barred active galaxy NGC 1097 (Paper I). In Paper I we present different CO transitions and the consequent analysis realized in order to derive the molecular gas content together with the molecular mass inflow toward the centre of the galactic gravitational potential well. To completely understand the physical processes that drive such gas rearrangement, a coherent picture for a dynamical system has to be considered. We have developed a code, Paper II, in order to model the dynamics of a predominantly rotating system with an arbitrary mass distribution. The formalism we have used is based on analytical solutions of the first order approximation of the equations of motion of a smooth medium that may be subject to dissipation. The most important free parameter to constrain the boundary conditions of the model is the angular frequency of the perturbing pattern, which may be assumed virtually invariant over significant ranges of galactocentric radii. We constrain the pattern velocity using the Tremaine-Weinberg method (Paper III). Hence, we have prepared all procedures needed to comprehend the physical processes that sustain the nuclear activity and bursts of star formation: the amount of gas in the region and the dynamics of the system. In Paper IV, we model the neutral and ionized gas kinematics in NGC 1097 and apply a combination of the methods described in Paper II and Paper III to comprehend the rearrangement of gas in the galaxy. In order to observationally discern the gas inflow in the nuclear region at a higher resolution, we apply the methods developed and used in this thesis to Cycle-0 ALMA observations of our target galaxy, and we confirm that we are able to follow the streaming of gas from 20 kiloparsec distances down to 40 parsecs from its central central supermassive black hole (Paper V).

Neutral hydrogen and magnetic fields in M83 observed with the SKA Pathfinder KAT-7

We present new KAT-7 observations of the neutral hydrogen (H I) spectral line, and polarized radio continuum emission, in the grand-design spiral M83. These observations provide a sensitive probe of the outer-disc structure and kinematics, revealing a vast and massive neutral gas distribution that appears to be tightly coupled to the interaction of the galaxy with the environment. We present a new rotation curve extending out to a radius of 50 kpc. Based on our new H I data set and comparison with multiwavelength data from the literature, we consider the impact of mergers on the outer disc and discuss the evolution of M83. We also study the periphery of the H I distribution and reveal a sharp edge to the gaseous disc that is consistent with photoionization or ram pressure from the intergalactic medium. The radio continuum emission is not nearly as extended as the H I and is restricted to the main optical disc. Despite the relatively low angular resolution, we are able to draw broad conclusions about the large-scale magnetic field topology. We show that the magnetic field of M83 is similar in form to other nearby star-forming galaxies, and suggest that the disc-halo interface may host a large-scale regular magnetic field.

The Impact of Molecular Gas on Mass Models of Nearby Galaxies

We present CO velocity fields and rotation curves for a sample of nearby galaxies, based on data from the HERACLES survey. We combine our data with literature THINGS, SINGS and KINGFISH results to provide a comprehensive sample of mass models of disk galaxies inclusive of molecular gas. We compare the kinematics of the molecular (CO from HERACLES) and atomic (

A GALACTIC WEIGH-IN: MASS MODELS OF SINGS GALAXIES USING CHEMO-SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC GALACTIC EVOLUTION MODELS

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