Gaseous Halos of Simulated Milky Way-like Galaxies

In order to investigate the role of the host halo in quenching satellite galaxies, we have characterized a single Milky Way-like host galaxy from the FIRE simulations from z = 0–1.76 by quantifying the gas density of the host halo environment with respect to distance from the host and galactocentric latitude. The gas density decreases with increasing distance from the host according to a broken power law. At earlier times (2–10 Gyr ago), the density in the inner regions of the host halo was enhanced relative to z = 0. Thus, earlier infalling satellites experienced more ram-pressure and were more efficiently quenched compared to later infalling satellites. We also find that in the inner halo (<150 kpc) the density is 2–3 times larger close to the plane of the host galaxy disk versus above or below the disk, so satellites that orbit at low galactocentric latitudes may be more efficiently quenched.

Role of Magnetic Fields in Ram Pressure Stripped Galaxies

Ram-pressure stripping is a crucial evolutionary driver for cluster galaxies and jellyfish galaxies characterized by very extended tails of stripped gas, and they are the most striking examples of it in action. Recently, those extended tails are found to show ongoing star formation, raising the question of how the stripped, cold gas can survive long enough to form new stars outside the stellar disk. In this study, we summarize the most recent results achieved within the GASP collaboration to provide a holistic explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on two textbook examples of jellyfish galaxies, JO206 and JW100, for which, via multi-wavelength observations from radio to X-ray and numerical simulations, we have explored the different gas phases (neutral, molecular, diffuse-ionized, and hot). Based on additional multi-phase gas studies, we now propose a scenario of stripped tail evolution including all phases that are driven by a magnetic draping sheath, where the intracluster turbulent magnetized plasma condenses onto the galaxy disk and tail and produces a magnetized interface that protects the stripped galaxy tail gas from evaporation. In such a scenario, the accreted environmental plasma can cool down and eventually join the tail gas, hence providing additional gas to form stars. The implications of our findings can shed light on the more general scenario of draping, condensation, and cooling of hot gas surrounding cold clouds that is fundamental in many astrophysical phenomena.

ALMA Imaging of a Galactic Molecular Outflow in NGC 4945

We present the ALMA detection of molecular outflowing gas in the central regions of NGC 4945, one of the nearest starbursts and also one of the nearest hosts of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We detect four outflow plumes in CO J = 3 − 2 at ∼0.″3 resolution that appear to correspond to molecular gas located near the edges of the known ionized outflow cone and its (unobserved) counterpart behind the disk. The fastest and brightest of these plumes has emission reaching observed line-of-sight projected velocities of over 450 km s−1 beyond systemic, equivalent to an estimated physical outflow velocity v ≳ 600 km s−1 for the fastest emission. Most of these plumes have corresponding emission in HCN or HCO+ J = 4 − 3. We discuss a kinematic model for the outflow emission where the molecular gas has the geometry of the ionized gas cone and shares the rotation velocity of the galaxy when ejected. We use this model to explain the velocities we observe, constrain the physical speed of the ejected material, and account for the fraction of outflowing gas that is not detected due to confusion with the galaxy disk. We estimate a total molecular mass outflow rate M ̇ mol ∼ 20 M ⊙ yr−1 flowing through a surface within 100 pc of the disk midplane, likely driven by a combination of the central starburst and AGN.

FAST Discovery of a Long H i Accretion Stream toward M106

We report the discovery of a possible accretion stream toward a Milky Way–type galaxy M106 based on very deep H i imaging data with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The accretion stream extends for about 130 kpc in projection length and it is similar to the Magellanic stream in many respects. We provide unambiguous evidence based on the stream morphology, kinematics and local star formation activity to show that the H i gas is being accreted onto the disk of M106. Such a long continuous flow of gas provides a unique opportunity to probe the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and reveals how the gas stream traverses the hot halo and CGM, and eventually reaches the galaxy disk. The source of the stream appears to be from M106's satellite galaxy NGC 4288. We argue that the stream of gas could be due to the tidal interaction with NGC 4288, or with a high speed encounter near this system. Close to the position of UGC 7356 the stream bifurcates into two streams. The second stream may be gas tidally stripped from UGC 7356 or due to an interaction with UGC 7356. Our results show that high-sensitivity H i imaging is crucial in revealing low column density accretion features in nearby galaxies.

Evidence for Mixing between ICM and Stripped ISM by the Analysis of the Gas Metallicity in the Tails of Jellyfish Galaxies

Hydrodynamical simulations show that the ram pressure stripping in galaxy clusters fosters a strong interaction between stripped interstellar medium (ISM) and the surrounding medium, with the possibility of intracluster medium (ICM) cooling into cold gas clouds. Exploiting the MUSE observation of three jellyfish galaxies from the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies with MUSE (GASP) survey, we explore the gas metallicity of star-forming clumps in their gas tails. We find that the oxygen abundance of the stripped gas decreases as a function of the distance from the parent galaxy disk; the observed metallicity profiles indicate that more than 40% of the most metal-poor stripped clouds are constituted by cooled ICM, in qualitative agreement with simulations that predict mixing between the metal-rich ISM and the metal-poor ICM.

PKS 1830–211: OH and H I at z = 0.89 and the first MeerKAT UHF spectrum

The Large Survey Project (LSP) “MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey” (MALS) is a blind H I 21 cm and OH 18 cm absorption line survey in the L- and UHF-bands, primarily designed to better determine the occurrence of atomic and molecular gas in the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium, and its redshift evolution. Here we present the first results using the UHF band obtained towards the strongly lensed radio source PKS 1830−211, revealing the detection of absorption produced by the lensing galaxy. With merely 90 min of data acquired on-source for science verification and processed using the Automated Radio Telescope Imaging Pipeline (ARTIP), we detect in absorption the known H I 21 cm and OH 18 cm main lines at z = 0.89 at an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio (4000 in the continuum, in each 6 km s−1 wide channel). For the first time we report the detection of OH satellite lines at z = 0.89, which until now have not been detected at z > 0.25. We decompose the OH lines into a thermal and a stimulated contribution, where the 1612 and 1720 MHz lines are conjugate. The total OH 1720 MHz emission line luminosity is 6100 L⊙. This is the most luminous known 1720 MHz maser line and is also among the most luminous of the OH main line megamasers. The absorption components of the different images of the background source sample different light paths in the lensing galaxy, and their weights in the total absorption spectrum are expected to vary in time on daily and monthly time scales. We compare our normalized spectra with those obtained more than 20 years ago, and find no variation. We interpret the absorption spectra with the help of a lens galaxy model derived from an N-body hydrodynamical simulation, with a morphology similar to its optical HST image. The resulting absorption lines depend mainly on the background continuum and the radial distribution of the gas surface density for each atomic and molecular species. We show that it is possible to reproduce the observations assuming a realistic spiral galaxy disk without invoking any central gas outflows. However, there are distinct and faint high-velocity features in the ALMA millimeter absorption spectra that most likely originate from high-velocity clouds or tidal features. These clouds may contribute to broaden the H I and OH spectra.

Multiphase feedback processes in the Sy2 galaxy NGC 5643

We study the multiphase feedback processes in the central ∼3 kpc of the barred Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5643. We used observations of the cold molecular gas (ALMA CO(2−1) transition) and ionized gas (MUSE IFU optical emission lines). We studied different regions along the outflow zone, which extends out to ∼2.3 kpc in the same direction (east-west) as the radio jet, as well as nuclear and circumnuclear regions in the host galaxy disk. The CO(2−1) line profiles of regions in the outflow and spiral arms show two or more different velocity components: one associated with the host galaxy rotation, and the others with out- or inflowing material. In the outflow region, the [O III]λ5007 Å emission lines have two or more components: the narrow component traces rotation of the gas in the disk, and the others are related to the ionized outflow. The deprojected outflowing velocities of the cold molecular gas (median Vcentral ∼ 189 km s−1) are generally lower than those of the outflowing ionized gas, which reach deprojected velocities of up to 750 km s−1 close to the active galactic nucleus (AGN), and their spatial profiles follow those of the ionized phase. This suggests that the outflowing molecular gas in the galaxy disk is being entrained by the AGN wind. We derive molecular and ionized outflow masses of ∼5.2 × 107 M⊙ (αCOGalactic) and 8.5 × 104 M⊙ and molecular and ionized outflow mass rates of ∼51 M⊙ yr−1 (αCOGalactic) and 0.14 M⊙ yr−1, respectively. This means that the molecular phase dominates the outflow mass and outflow mass rate, while the kinetic power and momentum of the outflow are similar in both phases. However, the wind momentum loads (Ṗout/ṖAGN) for the molecular and ionized outflow phases are ∼27−5 (αCOGalactic and αCOULIRGs) and < 1, which suggests that the molecular phase is not momentum conserving, but the ionized phase most certainly is. The molecular gas content (Meast ∼ 1.5 × 107 M⊙; αCOGalactic) of the eastern spiral arm is approximately 50−70% of the content of the western one. We interpret this as destruction or clearing of the molecular gas produced by the AGN wind impacting in the eastern side of the host galaxy (negative feedback process). The increase in molecular phase momentum implies that part of the kinetic energy from the AGN wind is transmitted to the molecular outflow. This suggests that in Seyfert-like AGN such as NGC 5643, the radiative or quasar and the kinetic or radio AGN feedback modes coexist and may shape the host galaxies even at kiloparsec scales through both positive and (mild) negative feedback.

Excitation and acceleration of molecular outflows in LIRGs: The extended ESO 320-G030 outflow on 200-pc scales

We used high-spatial resolution (70 pc; 0$ {{\overset{\prime\prime}{.}}} $3) CO multi-transition (J = 1–0, 2–1, 4–3, and 6–5) ALMA data to study the physical conditions and kinematics of the cold molecular outflow in the local luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) ESO 320-G030 (d = 48 Mpc, LIR/L⊙ = 1011.3). ESO 320-G030 is a double-barred isolated spiral, but its compact and obscured nuclear starburst (SFR ∼ 15 M⊙ yr−1; AV ∼ 40 mag) resembles those of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (LIR/L⊙ > 1012). In the outflow, the CO(1–0)/CO(2–1) ratio is enhanced with respect to the rest of the galaxy and the CO(4–3) transition is undetected. This indicates that the outflowing molecular gas is less excited than the molecular gas in the nuclear starburst (i.e., outflow launching site) and in the galaxy disk. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer modeling reveals that the properties of the molecular clouds in the outflow differ from those of the nuclear and disk clouds: The kinetic temperature is lower (Tkin ∼ 9 K) in the outflow, and the outflowing clouds have lower column densities. Assuming a 10−4 CO abundance, the large internal velocity gradients, 60−45+250 km s−1 pc−1, imply that the outflowing molecular clouds are not bound by self-gravity. All this suggests that the life-cycle (formation, collapse, dissipation) of the galaxy disk molecular clouds might differ from that of the outflowing molecular clouds which might not be able to form stars. The low kinetic temperature of the molecular outflow remains constant at radial distances between 0.3 and 1.7 kpc. This indicates that the heating by the hotter ionized outflow phase is not efficient and may favor the survival of the molecular gas phase in the outflow. The spatially resolved velocity structure of the outflow shows a 0.8 km s−1 pc−1 velocity gradient between 190 pc and 560 pc and then a constant maximum outflow velocity of about 700–800 km s−1 up to 1.7 kpc. This could be compatible with a pure gravitational evolution of the outflow, which would require coupled variations of the mass outflow rate and the outflow launching velocity distribution. Alternatively, a combination of ram pressure acceleration and cloud evaporation could explain the observed kinematics and the total size of the cold molecular phase of the outflow.

Searching for molecular gas inflows and outflows in the nuclear regions of five Seyfert galaxies

Active galactic nucleus (AGN) driven outflows are believed to play an important role in regulating the growth of galaxies, mostly via negative feedback. However, their effects on their hosts are far from clear, especially for low- and moderate-luminosity Seyferts. To investigate this issue, we obtained cold molecular gas observations, traced by the CO(2-1) transition, using the NOEMA interferometer of five nearby (distances between 19 and 58 Mpc) Seyfert galaxies. The resolution of ∼0.3–0.8 (∼30–100 pc) and field of view of NOEMA allowed us to study the CO(2-1) morphology and kinematics in the nuclear regions (∼100 pc) and up to radial distances of ∼900 pc. We detected CO(2-1) emission in all five galaxies with disky or circumnuclear ring-like morphologies. We derived cold molecular gas masses on nuclear (∼100 pc) and circumnuclear (∼650 pc) scales in the range from 106 to 107 M⊙ and from 107 to 108 M⊙, respectively. In all of our galaxies, the bulk of this gas is rotating in the plane of the galaxy. However, noncircular motions are also present. In NGC 4253, NGC 4388, and NGC 7465, we can ascribe the streaming motions to the presence of a large-scale bar. In Mrk 1066 and NGC 4388, the noncircular motions in the nuclear regions are explained as outflowing material due to the interaction of the AGN wind with molecular gas in the galaxy disk. We conclude that for an unambiguous and precise interpretation of the kinematics of the cold molecular gas, we need detailed knowledge of the host galaxy (i.e., presence of bars, interactions, etc.), and also of the ionized gas kinematics and ionization cone geometry.