Volker Heesen

High-resolution Mass Models of Dwarf Galaxies from LITTLE THINGS

We present high-resolution rotation curves and mass models of 26 dwarf galaxies from LITTLE THINGS. LITTLE THINGS is a high-resolution Very Large Array HI survey for nearby dwarf galaxies in the local volume within 11 Mpc. The rotation curves of the sample galaxies derived in a homogeneous and consistent manner are combined with Spitzer archival 3.6 micron and ancillary optical U, B, and V images to construct mass models of the galaxies. We decompose the rotation curves in terms of the dynamical contributions by baryons and dark matter halos, and compare the latter with those of dwarf galaxies from THINGS as well as Lambda CDM SPH simulations in which the effect of baryonic feedback processes is included. Being generally consistent with THINGS and simulated dwarf galaxies, most of the LITTLE THINGS sample galaxies show a linear increase of the rotation curve in their inner regions, which gives shallower logarithmic inner slopes alpha of their dark matter density profiles. The mean value of the slopes of the 26 LITTLE THINGS dwarf galaxies is alpha =-0.32 +/- 0.24 which is in accordance with the previous results found for low surface brightness galaxies (alpha = -0.2 +/- 0.2) as well as the seven THINGS dwarf galaxies (alpha =-0.29 +/- 0.07). However, this significantly deviates from the cusp-like dark matter distribution predicted by dark-matter-only Lambda CDM simulations. Instead our results are more in line with the shallower slopes found in the Lambda CDM SPH simulations of dwarf galaxies in which the effect of baryonic feedback processes is included. In addition, we discuss the central dark matter distribution of DDO 210 whose stellar mass is relatively low in our sample to examine the scenario of inefficient supernova feedback in low mass dwarf galaxies predicted from recent Lambda SPH simulations of dwarf galaxies where central cusps still remain.

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey - I. Survey description and preliminary data release

The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is a deep 120-168 MHz imaging survey that will eventually cover the entire northern sky. Each of the 3170 pointings will be observed for 8 h, which, at most declinations, is sufficient to produce ~5? resolution images with a sensitivity of ~100 ?Jy/beam and accomplish the main scientific aims of the survey, which are to explore the formation and evolution of massive black holes, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and large-scale structure. Owing to the compact core and long baselines of LOFAR, the images provide excellent sensitivity to both highly extended and compact emission. For legacy value, the data are archived at high spectral and time resolution to facilitate subarcsecond imaging and spectral line studies. In this paper we provide an overview of the LoTSS. We outline the survey strategy, the observational status, the current calibration techniques, a preliminary data release, and the anticipated scientific impact. The preliminary images that we have released were created using a fully automated but direction-independent calibration strategy and are significantly more sensitive than those produced by any existing large-Area low-frequency survey. In excess of 44 000 sources are detected in the images that have a resolution of 25?, typical noise levels of less than 0.5 mJy/beam, and cover an area of over 350 square degrees in the region of the HETDEX Spring Field (right ascension 10h45m00s to 15h30m00s and declination 45°00?00? to 57°00?00?).

Cosmic rays and the magnetic field in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 III. Helical magnetic fields in the nuclear outflow

Context. Magnetic fields are good tracers of gas compression by shock w aves in the interstellar medium. These can be caused by the interaction of star-formation driven outflows from individ ual star formation sites as described in the chimney model. Integration along the line-of-sight and cosmic-ray diffusion may hamper detection of compressed magnetic fields in m any cases. Aims. We study the magnetic field structure in the central part of th e nuclear starburst galaxy NGC 253 with spatial resolutions between 40 and 150 pc to detect any filamentary emission assoc iated with the nuclear outflow. As the nuclear region is much b righter than the rest of the disc we can distinguish this emission fro m that of the disc. Methods. We used radio polarimetric observations with the VLA. New observations at �3 cm with 7. ′′ 5 resolution were combined with archive data at �� 20 and 6 cm. We created a map of the rotation measure distribution between �� 6 and 3 cm and compared it with a synthetic polarization map. Results. We find filamentary radio continuum emission in a geometrical distribution, which we interpret as the boundary of the NW nuclear outflow cone seen in projection. The scaleheight o f the continuum emission is 150± 20 pc, regardless of the observing frequency. The equipartition magnetic field strength is 46 ± 10µG for the total field and 21± 5µG for the regular field in the filaments. We find that the ordered magnetic field is aligned along the fila ments, in agreement with amplification due to compression. T he perpendicular diffusion coeffi cient across the filaments is �⊥ = 1.5× 10 28 cm 2 s −1 · E(GeV) 0.5±0.7 . In the SE part of the nuclear outflow cone the magnetic field is pointing away from the disc in form o f a helix, with an azimuthal component increasing up to at least 1200 pc height, where it is about equal to the total component. The ordered magnetic field in the disc is anisotropic within a radius of 2.2 kpc. At larger radii, the large-scale field is regular and of even parity. Conclusions. The magnetic filaments indicate an interaction of the nuclea r outflow with the interstellar medium. The magnetic field is able to collimate the outflow, which can explain the observ ed small opening angle of≈ 26 ◦ . Owing to the conservation of angular momentum by the plasma in the nuclear outflow, the field lines a re frozen into the plasma, and they wind up into a helix. Strong adiabatic losses of the cosmic-ray electrons in the acceler ated outflow can partly explain why the radio luminosity of th e nucleus lies below the radio-FIR correlation.

The Radio Continuum-Star Formation Rate Relation in WSRT SINGS Galaxies

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for published in The Astronomical Journal. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/147/5/103.

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey – VIII. CO data and the LCO(3-2)–LFIR correlation in the SINGS sample

The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey (NGLS) comprises an H i-selected sample of 155 galaxies spanning all morphological types with distances less than 25 Mpc. We describe the scientific goals of the survey, the sample selection and the observing strategy. We also present an atlas and analysis of the CO J=3 - 2 maps for the 47 galaxies in the NGLS which are also part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. We find a wide range of molecular gas mass fractions in the galaxies in this sample and explore the correlation of the far-infrared luminosity, which traces star formation, with the CO luminosity, which traces the molecular gas mass. By comparing the NGLS data with merging galaxies at low and high redshift, which have also been observed in the CO J=3 - 2 line, we show that the correlation of far-infrared and CO luminosity shows a significant trend with luminosity. This trend is consistent with a molecular gas depletion time which is more than an order of magnitude faster in the merger galaxies than in nearby normal galaxies. We also find a strong correlation of the LFIR/LCO(3-2) ratio with the atomic-to-molecular gas mass ratio. This correlation suggests that some of the far-infrared emission originates from dust associated with atomic gas and that its contribution is particularly important in galaxies where most of the gas is in the atomic phase.

DEEP RADIO CONTINUUM IMAGING OF THE DWARF IRREGULAR GALAXY IC 10: TRACING STAR FORMATION AND MAGNETIC FIELDS

We exploit the vastly increased sensitivity of the Expanded Very Large Array to study the radio continuum and polarization properties of the post-starburst, dwarf irregular galaxy IC 10 at 6 cm, at a linear resolution of {approx}50 pc. We find close agreement between radio continuum and H{alpha} emission, from the brightest H II regions to the weaker emission in the disk. A quantitative analysis shows a strictly linear correlation, where the thermal component contributes 50% to the total radio emission, the remainder being due to a non-thermal component with a surprisingly steep radio spectral index of between -0.7 and -1.0 suggesting substantial radiation losses of the cosmic-ray electrons. We confirm and clearly resolve polarized emission at the 10%-20% level associated with a non-thermal superbubble, where the ordered magnetic field is possibly enhanced due to the compression of the expanding bubble. A fraction of the cosmic-ray electrons has likely escaped because the measured radio emission is a factor of three lower than what is suggested by the H{alpha}-inferred star formation rate.

Magnetic fields in galactic haloes

Magnetic fields on a range of scales play a large role in the ecosystems of galaxies, both in the galactic disk and in the extended layers of gas away from the plane. Observing magnetic field strength, structure and orientation is complex, and necessarily indirect. Observational data of magnetic fields in the halo of the Milky Way are scarce, and non-conclusive about the large-scale structure of the field. In external galaxies, various large-scale configurations of magnetic fields are measured, but many uncertainties about exact configurations and their origin remain. There is a strong interaction between magnetic fields and other components in the interstellar medium such as ionized and neutral gas and cosmic rays. The energy densities of these components are comparable on large scales, indicating that magnetic fields are not passive tracers but that magnetic field feedback on the other interstellar medium components needs to be taken into account.

THEORETICAL EXPLANATION OF THE COSMIC RAY PERPENDICULAR DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT IN THE NEARBY STARBURST GALAXY NGC 253

Diffusion coefficients are usually used to describe the propagation of cosmic rays through the universe. Whereas such transport parameters can be obtained from experiments in the solar system, it is difficult to determine diffusion coefficients in the Milky Way or in external galaxies. Recently, a value for the perpendicular diffusion coefficient in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 has been proposed. In the present paper, we reproduce this value theoretically by using an advanced analytical theory for perpendicular diffusion.

THE MAGNETIZED GALACTIC WIND AND SYNCHROTRON HALO OF THE STARBURST DWARF GALAXY IC 10

We aim to explore whether strong magnetic fields can be effectively generated in low-mass dwarf galaxies and, if so, whether such fields can be affected by galactic outflows and spread out into the intergalactic medium (IGM). We performed a radio continuum polarimetry study of IC10, the nearest starbursting dwarf galaxy, using a combination of multifrequency interferometric (VLA) and single-dish (Effelsberg) observations. VLA observations at 1.43 GHz reveal an extensive and almost spherical radio halo of IC10 in total intensity, extending twice more than the infrared-emitting galactic disk. The halo is magnetized with a magnetic field strength of 7 microG in the outermost parts. Locally, the magnetic field reaches about 29 microG in HII complexes, becomes more ordered, and weakens to 22 microG in the synchrotron superbubble and to 7-10 microG within HI holes. At the higher frequency of 4.86 GHz, we found a large-scale magnetic field structure of X-shaped morphology, similar to that observed in several edge-on spiral galaxies. The X-shaped magnetic structure can be caused by the galactic wind, advecting magnetic fields injected into the interstellar medium by stellar winds and supernova explosions. The radio continuum scale heights at 1.43 GHz indicate the bulk speed of cosmic-ray electrons outflowing from HII complexes of about 60 km/s, exceeding the escape velocity of 40 km/s. Hence, the magnetized galactic wind in IC10 inflates the extensive radio halo visible at 1.43 GHz and can seed the IGM with both random and ordered magnetic fields. These are signatures of intense material feedback onto the IGM, expected to be prevalent in the protogalaxies of the early Universe.

The non-thermal superbubble in IC 10: the generation of cosmic ray electrons caught in the act

Superbubbles are crucial for stellar feedback, with supposedly high (of the order of 10 per cent) thermalization rates. We combined multiband radio continuum observations from the Very Large Array (VLA) with Effelsberg data to study the non-thermal superbubble (NSB) in IC 10, a starburst dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group. Thermal emission was subtracted using a combination of Balmer Hα and VLA 32 GHz continuum maps. The bubble’s nonthermal spectrum between 1.5 and 8.8 GHz displays curvature and can be well fitted with a standard model of an ageing cosmic ray electron population. With a derived equipartition magnetic field strength of 44± 8µG, and measuring the radiation energy density from Spitzer MIPS maps as 5±1×10 −11 erg cm −3 , we determine, based on the spectral curvature, a spectral age of the bubble of 1.0± 0.3 Myr. Analysis of the LITTLE THINGS HI data cube shows an expanding H I hole with 100 pc diameter and a dynamical age of 3.8± 0.3 Myr, centred to within 16 pc on IC 10 X-1, a massive stellar mass black hole (M> 23 M⊙). The results are consistent with the expected evolution for a superbubble with a few massive stars, where a very energetic event like a Type Ic supernova/hypernova has taken place about 1 Myr ago. We discuss alternatives to this interpretation.