• Title/Summary/Keyword: galaxies: kinematics and dynamics

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Gas dynamics and star formation in NGC 6822

  • Park, Hye-Jin;Oh, Se-Heon;Wang, Jing;Zheng, Yun;Zhang, Hong-Xin;de Blok, W.J.G.
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.70.2-71
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    • 2021
  • We examine gas kinematics and star formation activities of NGC 6822, a gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group at a distance of ~490 kpc. We perform profile decomposition of all the line-of-sight (LOS) HI velocity profiles of the high-resolution (42.4" × 12" spatial; 1.6 km/s spectral) HI data cube of the galaxy, taken with the Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). To this end, we use a novel tool based on Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques, the so-called BAYGAUD, which allows us to decompose a velocity profile into an optimal number of Gaussian components in a quantitative manner. We group all the decomposed components into bulk-narrow, bulk-broad, and non-bulk gas components classified with respect to their velocity dispersions and the amounts of velocity offset from the global kinematics, respectively. Using the surface densities and velocity dispersions of the kinematically decomposed HI gas maps together with the rotation curve of NGC 6822, we derive Toomre-Q parameters for individual regions of the galaxy which quantify the level of local gravitational instability of the gaseous disk. We also measure the local star formation rate (SFR) of the corresponding regions in the galaxy by combining GALEX Far-ultraviolet (FUV) and WISE 22㎛ images. We then relate the gas and SFR surface densities in order to investigate the local Kennicutt-Schmidt (K-S) law of gravitationally unstable regions which are selected from the Toomre Q analysis. Of the three groups, the bulk-narrow, bulk-broad and non-bulk gas components, we find that the lower Toomre-Q values the bulk-narrow gas components have, the more consistent with the linear extension of the K-S law derived from molecular hydrogen (H2) observations.

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FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF SELF-INTERACTING DARK MATTER HALOS

  • AHN KYUNGJIN;SHAPIRO PAUL R.
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.89-95
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    • 2003
  • Observations of dark matter dominated dwarf and low surface brightness disk galaxies favor density profiles with a flat-density core, while cold dark matter (CDM) N-body simulations form halos with central cusps, instead. This apparent discrepancy has motivated a re-examination of the microscopic nature of the dark matter in order to explain the observed halo profiles, including the suggestion that CDM has a non-gravitational self-interaction. We study the formation and evolution of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halos. We find analytical, fully cosmological similarity solutions for their dynamics, which take proper account of the collisional interaction of SIDM particles, based on a fluid approximation derived from the Boltzmann equation. The SIDM particles scatter each other elastically, which results in an effective thermal conductivity that heats the halo core and flattens its density profile. These similarity solutions are relevant to galactic and cluster halo formation in the CDM model. We assume that the local density maximum which serves as the progenitor of the halo has an initial mass profile ${\delta}M / M {\propto} M^{-{\epsilon}$, as in the familiar secondary infall model. If $\epsilon$ = 1/6, SIDM halos will evolve self-similarly, with a cold, supersonic infall which is terminated by a strong accretion shock. Different solutions arise for different values of the dimensionless collisionality parameter, $Q {\equiv}{\sigma}p_br_s$, where $\sigma$ is the SIDM particle scattering cross section per unit mass, $p_b$ is the cosmic mean density, and $r_s$ is the shock radius. For all these solutions, a flat-density, isothermal core is present which grows in size as a fixed fraction of $r_s$. We find two different regimes for these solutions: 1) for $Q < Q_{th}({\simeq} 7.35{\times} 10^{-4}$), the core density decreases and core size increases as Q increases; 2) for $Q > Q_{th}$, the core density increases and core size decreases as Q increases. Our similarity solutions are in good agreement with previous results of N-body simulation of SIDM halos, which correspond to the low-Q regime, for which SIDM halo profiles match the observed galactic rotation curves if $Q {\~} [8.4 {\times}10^{-4} - 4.9 {\times} 10^{-2}]Q_{th}$, or ${\sigma}{\~} [0.56 - 5.6] cm^2g{-1}$. These similarity solutions also show that, as $Q {\to}{\infty}$, the central density acquires a singular profile, in agreement with some earlier simulation results which approximated the effects of SIDM collisionality by considering an ordinary fluid without conductivity, i.e. the limit of mean free path ${\lambda}_{mfp}{\to} 0$. The intermediate regime where $Q {\~} [18.6 - 231]Q_{th}$ or ${\sigma}{\~} [1.2{\times}10^4 - 2.7{\times}10^4] cm^2g{-1}$, for which we find flat-density cores comparable to those of the low-Q solutions preferred to make SIDM halos match halo observations, has not previously been identified. Further study of this regime is warranted.

ON THE GALACTIC SPIRAL PATTERNS: STELLAR AND GASEOUS

  • MARTOS MARCO;YANEZ MIGUEL;HERNANDEZ XAVIER;MORENO EDMUNDO;PICHARDO BARBARA
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.199-203
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    • 2004
  • The gas response to a proposed spiral stellar pattern for our Galaxy is presented here as calculated via 2D hydrodynamic calculations utilizing the ZEUS code in the disk plane. The locus is that found by Drimmel (2000) from emission profiles in the K band and at 240 ${\mu}m$. The self-consistency of the stellar spiral pattern was studied in previous work (see Martos et al. 2004). It is a sensitive function of the pattern rotation speed, $\Omega$p, among other parameters which include the mass in the spiral and its pitch angle. Here we further discuss the complex gaseous response found there for plausible values of $\Omega$p in our Galaxy, and argue that its value must be close to $20 km s^{-l}\;kpc^{-1}$ from the strong self-consistency criterion and other recent, independent studies which depend on such parameter. However, other values of $\Omega$p that have been used in the literature are explored to study the gas response to the stellar (K band) 2-armed pattern. For our best fit values, the gaseous response to the 2-armed pattern displayed in the K band is a four-armed pattern with complex features in the interarm regions. This response resembles the optical arms observed in the Milky Way and other galaxies with the smooth underlying two-armed pattern of the old stellar disk populations in our interpretation. The complex gaseous response appears to be related to resonances in stellar orbits. Among them, the 4:1 resonance is paramount for the axisymmetric Galactic model employed, and the set of parameters explored. In the regime seemingly proper to our Galaxy, the spiral forcing appears to be marginally strong in the sense that the 4:1 resonance terminates the stellar pattern, despite its relatively low amplitude. In current work underway, the response for low values of $\Omega$p tends to remove most of the rich structure found for the optimal self-consistent model and the gaseous pattern is ring-like. For higher values than the optimal, more features and a multi-arm structure appears.