Examining the star formation properties of Virgo galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping

  • 발행 : 2019.04.10

초록

Understanding how ram pressure stripping (RPS) affects the star formation activity of cluster galaxies is one of the important issues in astrophysics. To examine whether we can identify any discernible trend in the star formation activity of galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping, we study the star formation properties of galaxies in the Virgo cluster for which high-resolution HI images are available. We first classify galaxies in the Extended Virgo Cluster Catalog into different stages of RPS based on their HI morphology, HI deficiency, and location in phase space. We then examine various star formation activity indicators of these galaxies, which include starburstiness, g - r color, and WISE [3.4]-[12] color. No noticeable enhancement in star formation was identified for galaxies undergoing early or active stripping. Our results suggest that star formation activity at best seems to be enhanced locally in such galaxies, making it challenging to detect with integrated photometry. With the combination of HI deficiencies and locations in phase space, we were instead able to capture the overall quenching of star formation activity with increasing degree of ram pressure stripping, which agree with previous studies.

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