CDFS-6664: A Candidate of Lyman-continuum Emission at z ∼ 3.8 Detected by the Hubble Deep UV Legacy Survey

We report the detection of Lyman continuum (LyC) emission from the galaxy, CDFS-6664, at z = 3.797 in a sample of Lyman break galaxies with detected [O iii] emission lines. The LyC emission is detected with a significance ∼5σ in the F336W band of the Hubble Deep UV Legacy Survey, corresponding to the 650–770 Å rest frame. The light centroid of the LyC emission is offset from the galaxy center by about 0.″2 (1.4 pkpc). The Hubble deep images at longer wavelengths show that the emission is unlikely provided by low-redshift interlopers. The photometric and spectroscopic data show that the possible contribution of an active galactic nucleus is quite low. Fitting the spectral energy distribution of this source to stellar population synthesis models, we find that the galaxy is young (∼50 Myr) and actively forming stars with a rate of 52.1 ± 4.9 M ⊙ yr−1. The significant star formation and the spatially offset LyC emission support a scenario where the ionizing photons escape from the low-density cavities in the ISM excavated by massive young stars. From the nebular model, we estimate the escape fraction of LyC photons to be 38% ± 7% and the corresponding intergalactic medium (IGM) transmission to be 60%, which deviates more than 3σ from the average transmission. The unusually high IGM transmission of LyC photons in CDFS-6664 may be related to a foreground type-2 quasar, CDF-202, at z = 3.7, with a projected separation of 1.′2 only. The quasar may have photoevaporated optically thick absorbers and enhance the transmission on the sightline of CDFS-6664.

Spiral morphology in an intensely star-forming disk galaxy more than 12 billion years ago

Spiral galaxies have distinct internal structures including a stellar bulge, disk and spiral arms. It is unknown when in cosmic history these structures formed. We analyze observations of BRI 1335–0417, an intensely star-forming galaxy in the distant Universe, at redshift 4.41. The [C ii] gas kinematics show a steep velocity rise near the galaxy center and have a two-armed spiral morphology, which extends from about 2 to 5 kiloparsecs in radius. We interpret these features as due to a central compact structure, such as a bulge; a rotating gas disk; and either spiral arms or tidal tails. These features had formed within 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, long before the peak of cosmic star formation.

No-z model: results and perspectives for accretion discs

Accretion discs surround different compact astrophysical objects such as black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. Also they are situated in systems of variable stars and near the galaxy center. Magnetic fields play an important role in evolution and hydrodynamics of the accretion discs: for example, they can describe such processes as the transition of the angular momentum. There are different approaches to explain the magnetic fields, but most interesting of them are connected with dynamo generation. As for disc, it is quite useful to take no-$z$ approximation which has been developed for galactic discs to solve the dynamo equations. It takes into account that the disc is quite thin, and we can solve the equations only for two plane components of the field. Here we describe the time dependence of the magnetic field for different distances from the center of the disc. Also we compare the results with another approaches which take into account more complicated field structure.

Central molecular zones in galaxies: 12CO-to-13CO ratios, carbon budget, and X factors

We present ground-based measurements of 126 nearby galaxy centers in 12CO and 92 in 13CO in various low-J transitions. More than 60 galaxies were measured in at least four lines. The average relative intensities of the first four J 12CO transitions are 1.00:0.92:0.70:0.57. In the first three J transitions, the average 12CO-to-13CO intensity ratios are 13.0, 11.6, and 12.8, with individual values in any transition ranging from 5 to 25. The sizes of central CO concentrations are well defined in maps, but poorly determined by multi-aperture photometry. On average, the J = 1−0 12CO fluxes increase linearly with the size of the observing beam. CO emission covers only a quarter of the HI galaxy disks. Using radiative transfer models (RADEX), we derived model gas parameters. The assumed carbon elemental abundances and carbon gas depletion onto dust are the main causes of uncertainty. The new CO data and published [CI] and [CII] data imply that CO, C°, and C+ each represent about one-third of the gas-phase carbon in the molecular interstellar medium. The mean beam-averaged molecular hydrogen column density is N(H2) = (1.5 ± 0.2)×1021 cm−2. Galaxy center CO-to-H2 conversion factors are typically ten times lower than the “standard” Milky Way X° disk value, with a mean X(CO) = (1.9 ± 0.2)×1019 cm−2/K km s−1 and a dispersion 1.7. The corresponding [CI]-H2 factor is five times higher than X(CO), with X[CI] = (9 ± 2)×1019 cm−2/K km s−1. No unique conversion factor can be determined for [CII]. The low molecular gas content of galaxy centers relative to their CO intensities is explained in roughly equal parts by high central gas-phase carbon abundances, elevated gas temperatures, and large gas velocity dispersions relative to the corresponding values in galaxy disks.

Molecular gas content of shell galaxies

Shells are fine stellar structures that are identified by their arc-like shapes around a galaxy. They are currently thought to be vestiges of galaxy interactions and/or mergers. The study of their number, geometry, stellar populations, and gas content can help us to derive the interaction or merger history of a galaxy. Numerical simulations have proposed a mechanism of shell formation through phase wrapping during a radial minor merger. Alternatively, there could be merely a space wrapping, when particles have not yet radially oscillated, but are bound by their radial expansion, or produce an edge-brightened feature. These can be distinguished because they are expected to keep a high radial velocity. While shells are first a stellar phenomenon, HI and CO observations have revealed neutral gas associated with shells. Some of the gas, the most diffuse and dissipative, is expected to be quickly driven to the center if it is traveling on nearly radial orbits. Molecular gas, which is distributed in dense clumps, is less dissipative, and may be associated with shells. It can then determine the shell velocity, which is too difficult to obtain from stars. We present here a search for molecular gas in nine shell galaxies with the IRAM-30 m telescope. Six of them are detected in their galaxy center, and in three galaxies, we clearly detect molecular gas in shells. The derived amount of molecular gas varies from 1.5 × 108 to 3.4 × 109 M⊙ in the shells. For two of them (Arp 10 and NGC 3656), the shells are characteristic of an oblate system. Their velocity is nearly systemic, and we conclude that these shells are phase wrapped. In the third galaxy (NGC 3934), the shells appear to participate in the rotation. Follow-up with higher spatial resolution is required to conclude.

NIHAO-UHD: High-resolution Simulations of MW mass galaxies

High resolution cosmological and hydrodynamical simulations have reached a resolution able to resolve in a self consistent way the disc of our galaxy, the galaxy center and the satellites orbiting around it. We present first results from the NIHAO-UHD project, a set of very high-resolution baryonic zoom-in simulations of Milky Way mass disc galaxies. These simulations model the full cosmological assembly history of the galaxies and their satellite system using the same, well tested physics as the NIHAO project. We show that these simulations can self-consistently reproduce the observed kinematical and morphological features of the X-shaped bulge observed in our own Milky Way.

The LAMOST spectroscopic survey of planetary nebulae in M31 and M33

We present LAMOST observations and radial velocity measurements of about 1500 planetary nebulae (PNe) in M31 and M33. Most of the PNe are previously known, but 36 of them are newly discovered in the outskirts of M31, and the furthest one has a projected distance larger than 50 kpc away from the galaxy center. Eighteen objects in the area of M33 are probably newly discovered PNe, and quite a few of them are associated with previously known clusters. For all the 1500 PNe, homogeneous radial velocities are measured from the LAMOST spectra, with a typical uncertainty of a few km s−1.

GASP: Gas stripping and the outskirts of galaxies as a function of environment

We present GASP, an ongoing ESO Large Program with MUSE aiming to study gas removal processes from galaxies at low redshift. GASP targets 100 galaxies with tails, tentacles and one-sided debris. MUSE data allows a detailed investigation of the ionized stripped gas, as well as of the gas and stars within the galaxy out to large distances from the galaxy center. We show the first results for two of the GASP galaxies that are striking cluster jellyfish galaxies of stellar masses ~ 1011M⊙.

On the Variation of Gas Depletion Time

We present an updated status of the EDGE project, which is a survey of 125 local galaxies in the 12CO(1−0) and 13CO(1−0) lines. We combine the molecular data of the EDGE survey with the stellar and ionized gas maps of the CALIFA survey to give a comprehensive view of the dependence of the star formation efficiency, or equivalently, the molecular gas depletion time, on various local environments, such as the stellar surface density, metallicity, and radius from the galaxy center. This study will provide insight into the parameters that drive the star formation efficiency in galaxies at z ~ 0.