Five New Hot Jupiter Transits Investigated with Swift-UVOT

Short-wavelength exoplanet transit measurements have been used to probe mass loss in exoplanet atmospheres. We present the Swift-UVOT transit light curves for five hot Jupiters orbiting UV-bright F-type stars: XO-3, KELT-3, WASP-3, WASP-62, and HAT-P-6. We report one positive transit detection of XO-3b and one marginal detection of KELT-3b. We place upper limits on the remaining three transit depths. The planetary radii derived from the NUV transit depths of both potential detections are 50%–100% larger than their optical radius measurements. We examine the ratio R NUV/R opt for trends as a function of estimated mass-loss rate, which we derive from X-ray luminosity obtained from the Swift-XRT or, in the case of WASP-62, XMM-Newton. We find no correlation between the energy-limited photoevaporative mass-loss rate and the R NUV/R opt ratio. We also search for trends based on the equilibrium temperature of the hot Jupiters. We find a possible indication of a transition in the R NUV/R opt ratio around T eq = 1700 K, analogous to the trends found for NIR water features in transmission spectra. This might be explained by the formation of extended cloud decks with silicate particles ≤1 μm. We demonstrate that the Swift-UVOT filters could be sensitive to absorption from aerosols in exoplanet atmospheres.

Influence of the Nonaxisymmetric Dark Halo Shape on Galaxies Outer Spiral Pattern Morphology

The results of numerical simulations of a gaseous galactic disk rotating in an external nonaxisymmetric potential of a dark halo are presented in the article. Analysis of two models of a nonaxisymmetric dark halo, in which a gaseous galactic disk rotates, has been carried out. In the first case, the halo is nonaxisymmetric within the optical radius of the disk, where the bulk of the visible matter of the galaxy is located, including the stellar disk. The model is ineffective for the external long-lived spiral structure formation in the disk periphery due to the nonaxisymmetry of dark halo. In the second series of calculations, we have employed the model with a symmetric halo inside the optical radius and a non-axisymmetric one outside of it. The results of the simulations confirm that nonaxisymmetry in the halo matter distribution is effectively generating the global spiral pattern at the periphery of the galaxy. One may observe such spiral structures in some galaxies, mainly in the ultraviolet range. Analysis of various model parameters has showed that the value of parameter " is the primary characteristic affecting the morphology of the forming spiral pattern. This value determines the degree of nonaxisymmetry of the halo. The Le parameter introduced in this work and responsible for the formation of small-scale structures in the transition region does not significantly affect the disk periphery. Moreover, the larger the value of Le, the smoother spirals are formed. As it has shown in this work the size of the computational grid does not significantly influence on the simulation results, revealing only small-scale structures which are not the subject of current work.

Rotation curves and scaling relations of extremely massive spiral galaxies

We study the kinematics and scaling relations of a sample of 43 giant spiral galaxies that have stellar masses exceeding 1011 M⊙ and optical discs up to 80 kpc in radius. We use a hybrid 3D-1D approach to fit 3D kinematic models to long-slit observations of the Hα-$\rm{[N\, \small {II}]}$ emission lines and we obtain robust rotation curves of these massive systems. We find that all galaxies in our sample seem to reach a flat part of the rotation curve within the outermost optical radius. We use the derived kinematics to study the high-mass end of the two most important scaling relations for spiral galaxies: the stellar/baryonic mass Tully-Fisher relation and the Fall (mass-angular momentum) relation. All galaxies in our sample, with the possible exception of the two fastest rotators, lie comfortably on both these scaling relations determined at lower masses, without any evident break or bend at the high-mass regime. When we combine our high-mass sample with lower-mass data from the Spitzer Photometry & Accurate Rotation Curves catalog, we find a slope of α = 4.25 ± 0.19 for the stellar Tully-Fisher relation and a slope of γ = 0.64 ± 0.11 for the Fall relation. Our results indicate that most, if not all, of these rare, giant spiral galaxies are scaled up versions of less massive discs and that spiral galaxies are a self-similar population of objects up to the very high-mass end.

Bulge formation through disc instability

We use simulations to study the growth of a pseudobulge in an isolated thin exponential stellar disc embedded in a static spherical halo. We observe a transition from later to earlier morphological types and an increase in bar prominence for higher disc-to-halo mass ratios, for lower disc-to-halo size ratios, and for lower halo concentrations. We compute bulge-to-total stellar mass ratios B/T by fitting a two-component Sérsic-exponential surface-density distribution. The final B/T is strongly related to the disc’s fractional contribution fd to the total gravitational acceleration at the optical radius. The formula B/T = 0.5 fd1.8 fits the simulations to an accuracy of 30%, is consistent with observational measurements of B/T and fd as a function of luminosity, and reproduces the observed relation between B/T and stellar mass when incorporated into the GALICS 2.0 semi-analytic model of galaxy formation.

GHASP: an H α kinematical survey of spiral galaxies – XIII. Distribution of luminous and dark matter in spiral and irregular nearby galaxies using H α and H i rotation curves and WISE photometry

We present the mass models of 31 spiral and irregular nearby galaxies obtained using hybrid rotation curves (RCs) combining high-resolution GHASP Fabry–Perot H α RCs and extended WHISP H i ones together with 3.4 $\mu$m WISE photometry. The aim is to compare the dark matter (DM) halo properties within the optical radius using only H α RCs with the effect of including and excluding the mass contribution of the neutral gas component, and when using H i or hybrid RCs. Pseudo-isothermal (ISO) core and Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) cuspy DM halo profiles are used with various fiducial fitting procedures. Mass models using H α RCs including or excluding the H i gas component provide compatible disc M/L. The correlations between DM halo and baryon parameters do not strongly depend on the RC. Clearly, the differences between the fitting procedures are larger than between the different data sets. Hybrid and H i RCs lead to higher M/L values for both ISO and NFW best-fitting models but lower central densities for ISO haloes and higher concentration for NFW haloes than when using H α RCs only. The agreement with the mass model parameters deduced using hybrid RCs, considered as a reference, is better for H i than for H α RCs. ISO density profiles better fit the RCs than the NFW ones, especially when using H α or hybrid RCs. Halo masses at the optical radius determined using the various data sets are compatible even if they tend to be overestimated with H α RCs. Hybrid RCs are thus ideal to study the mass distribution within the optical radius.

Relations between abundance characteristics and rotation velocity for star-forming MaNGA galaxies

We derive rotation curves, surface brightness profiles, and oxygen abundance distributions for 147 late-type galaxies using the publicly available spectroscopy obtained by the MaNGA survey. Changes of the central oxygen abundance (O/H)0, the abundance at the optical radius (O/H)R25, and the abundance gradient with rotation velocity Vrot were examined for galaxies with rotation velocities from 90 km s−1 to 350 km s−1. We find that each relation shows a break at Vrot∗ ∼ 200 km s−1. The central (O/H)0 abundance increases with rising Vrot and the slope of the (O/H)0–Vrot relation is steeper for galaxies with Vrot ≲ Vrot∗. The mean scatter of the central abundances around this relation is 0.053 dex. The relation between the abundance at the optical radius of a galaxy and its rotation velocity is similar; the mean scatter in abundances around this relation is 0.081 dex. The radial abundance gradient expressed in dex/kpc flattens with the increase of the rotation velocity. The slope of the relation is very low for galaxies with Vrot ≳ Vrot∗. The abundance gradient expressed in dex/R25 is roughly constant for galaxies with Vrot ≲ Vrot∗, flattens towards Vrot∗, and then again is roughly constant for galaxies with Vrot ≳ Vrot∗. The change of the gradient expressed in terms of dex/hd (where hd is the disc scale length), in terms of dex/Re, d (where Re, d is the disc effective radius), and in terms of dex/Re, g (where Re, g is the galaxy effective radius) with rotation velocity is similar to that for gradient in dex/R25. The relations between abundance characteristics and other basic parameters (stellar mass, luminosity, and radius) are also considered.

ALMA CO(2-1) observations in the XUV disk of M83

The extended ultraviolet (XUV) disk galaxies are some of the most interesting objects studied in the last few years. The UV emission, revealed by GALEX, extends well beyond the optical disk after the drop in Hα emission, the usual tracer of star formation. This shows that sporadic star formation can occur in a large fraction of the HI disk at radii up to 3 or 4 times the optical radius. In most galaxies, these regions are poor in stars and are dominated by under-recycled gas; they therefore bear some similarity to the early stages of spiral galaxies and high-redshift galaxies. One remarkable example is M83, a nearby galaxy with an extended UV disk reaching 2 times the optical radius. It offers the opportunity to search for molecular gas and to characterize the star formation in outer disk regions, traced by the UV emission. We obtained CO(2-1) observations with ALMA of a small region in a 1.5′ × 3′ rectangle located at rgal = 7.85′ over a bright UV region of M83. There is no CO detection, in spite of the abundance of HI gas, and the presence of young stars traced by their HII regions. Our spatial resolution (17 pc × 13 pc) was perfectly fitted to detect giant molecular clouds (GMC), but none were detected. The corresponding upper limits occur in a region of the Kennicutt–Schmidt diagram where dense molecular clouds are expected. Stacking our data over HI-rich regions, using the observed HI velocity, we obtain a tentative detection corresponding to a H2-to-HI mass ratio of < 3 × 10−2. A possible explanation is that the expected molecular clouds are CO-dark because of the strong UV radiation field. This field preferentially dissociates CO with respect to H2, due to the small size of the star-forming clumps in the outer regions of galaxies.

Characterizing the radial oxygen abundance distribution in disk galaxies

Context. The relation between the radial oxygen abundance distribution (gradient) and other parameters of a galaxy such as mass, Hubble type, and a bar strength, remains unclear although a large amount of observational data have been obtained in the past years. Aims. We examine the possible dependence of the radial oxygen abundance distribution on non-axisymmetrical structures (bar/spirals) and other macroscopic parameters such as the mass, the optical radius R25, the color g − r, and the surface brightness of the galaxy. A sample of disk galaxies from the third data release of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey (CALIFA DR3) is considered. Methods. We adopted the Fourier amplitude A2 of the surface brightness as a quantitative characteristic of the strength of non-axisymmetric structures in a galactic disk, in addition to the commonly used morphologic division for A, AB, and B types based on the Hubble classification. To distinguish changes in local oxygen abundance caused by the non-axisymmetrical structures, the multiparametric mass–metallicity relation was constructed as a function of parameters such as the bar/spiral pattern strength, the disk size, color index g − r in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) bands, and central surface brightness of the disk. The gas-phase oxygen abundance gradient is determined by using the R calibration. Results. We find that there is no significant impact of the non-axisymmetric structures such as a bar and/or spiral patterns on the local oxygen abundance and radial oxygen abundance gradient of disk galaxies. Galaxies with higher mass, however, exhibit flatter oxygen abundance gradients in units of dex/kpc, but this effect is significantly less prominent for the oxygen abundance gradients in units of dex/R25 and almost disappears when the inner parts are avoided (R > 0.25R25). We show that the oxygen abundance in the central part of the galaxy depends neither on the optical radius R25 nor on the color g − r or the surface brightness of the galaxy. Instead, outside the central part of the galaxy, the oxygen abundance increases with g − r value and central surface brightness of the disk.

Dust emission profiles of DustPedia galaxies

Most radiative transfer models assume that dust in spiral galaxies is distributed exponentially. In this paper our goal is to verify this assumption by analysing the two-dimensional large-scale distribution of dust in galaxies from the DustPedia sample. For this purpose, we have made use of Herschel imaging in five bands, from 100 to 500 μm, in which the cold dust constituent is primarily traced and makes up the bulk of the dust mass in spiral galaxies. For a subsample of 320 disc galaxies, we successfully performed a simultaneous fitting with a single Sérsic model of the Herschel images in all five bands using the multi-band modelling code GALFITM. We report that the Sérsic index n, which characterises the shape of the Sérsic profile, lies systematically below 1 in all Herschel bands and is almost constant with wavelength. The average value at 250 μm is 0.67 ± 0.37 (187 galaxies are fitted with n250 ≤ 0.75, 87 galaxies have 0.75 < n250 ≤ 1.25, and 46 – with n250 > 1.25). Most observed profiles exhibit a depletion in the inner region (at r < 0.3−0.4 of the optical radius r25) and are more or less exponential in the outer part. We also find breaks in the dust emission profiles at longer distances (0.5−0.6) r25 which are associated with the breaks in the optical and near-infrared. We assumed that the observed deficit of dust emission in the inner galaxy region is related to the depression in the radial profile of the HI surface density in the same region because the atomic gas reaches high enough surface densities there to be transformed into molecular gas. If a galaxy has a triggered star formation in the inner region (for example, because of a strong bar instability, which transfers the gas inwards to the centre, or a pseudobulge formation), no depletion or even an excess of dust emission in the centre is observed.

The 55 Cancri system reassessed

Orbiting a bright, nearby star the 55 Cnc system offers a rare opportunity to study a multiplanet system that has a wide range of planetary masses and orbital distances. Using two decades of photometry and spectroscopy data, we have measured the rotation of the host star and its solar-like magnetic cycle. Accounting for this cycle in our velocimetric analysis of the system allows us to revise the properties of the outermost giant planet and its four planetary companions. The innermost planet 55 Cnc e is an unusually close-in super-Earth, whose transits have allowed for detailed follow-up studies. Recent observations favor the presence of a substantial atmosphere yet its composition, and the nature of the planet, remain unknown. We combined our derived planet mass (Mp = 8.0 ± 0.3 MEarth) with refined measurement of its optical radius derived from HST/STIS observations (Rp = 1.88 ± 0.03 REarth over 530–750 nm) to revise the density of 55 Cnc e (ρ = 6.7 ± 0.4 g cm−3). Based on these revised properties we have characterized possible interiors of 55 Cnc e using a generalized Bayesian model. We confirm that the planet is likely surrounded by a heavyweight atmosphere, contributing a few percents of the planet radius. While we cannot exclude the presence of a water layer underneath the atmosphere, this scenario is unlikely given the observations of the planet across the entire spectrum and its strong irradiation. Follow-up observations of the system in photometry and in spectroscopy over different time-scales are needed to further investigate the nature and origin of this iconic super-Earth.