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At least 775 records · Page 43
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DOE OSTI2021

Measuring an Off-center Detonation through Infrared Line Profiles: The Peculiar Type Ia Supernova SN 2020qxp/ASASSN-20jq

In this study, we present and analyze a near-infrared (NIR) spectrum of the underluminous Type Ia supernova SN 2020qxp/ASASSN-20jq obtained with NIRES at the Keck Observatory, 191 days after B-band maximum. The spectrum is dominated by a number of broad emission features, including the [Fe ιι] at 1.644 μm, which is highly asymmetric with a tilted top and a peak redshifted by ≈2000 km s -1 . In comparison with 2D non-LTE synthetic spectra computed from 3D simulations of off-center delayed-detonation Chandrasekhar-mass (M ch ) white dwarf (WD) models, we find good agreement between the observed lines and the synthetic profiles, and are able to unravel the structure of the progenitor’s envelope. We find that the size and tilt of the [Fe ιι] 1.644 μm profile (in velocity space) is an effective way to determine the location of an off-center delayed-detonation transition (DDT) and the viewing angle, and it requires a WD with a high central density of ~4 × 10 9 g cm -3 . We also tentatively identify a stable Ni feature around 1.9 μm characterized by a “pot-belly” profile that is slightly offset with respect to the kinematic center. In the case of SN 2020qxp/ASASSN-20jq, we estimate that the location of the DDT is ~0.3M WD off center, which gives rise to an asymmetric distribution of the underlying ejecta. We also demonstrate that low-luminosity and high-density WD SN Ia progenitors exhibit a very strong overlap of Ca and 56 Ni in physical space. This results in the formation of a prevalent [Ca ιι] 0.73 μm emission feature that is sensitive to asymmetry effects. Our findings are discussed within the context of alternative scenarios, including off-center C/O detonations in He-triggered sub-M Ch WDs and the direct collision of two WDs. Snapshot programs with Gemini/Keck/Very Large Telescope (VLT)/ELT-class instruments and our spectropolarimetry program are complementary to mid-IR spectra by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

What is Important? Morphological Asymmetries are Useful Predictors of Star Formation Rates of Star-forming Galaxies in SDSS Stripe 82

The morphology and structure of galaxies reflect their star formation and assembly histories. We use the framework of mutual information (MI) to quantify the interdependence among several structural variables and to rank them according to their relevance for predicting the specific star formation rate (SSFR) by comparing the MI of the predictor variables with the SSFR and penalizing variables that are redundant. We apply this framework to study ~3700 face-on star-forming galaxies (SFGs) with varying degrees of bulge dominance and central concentration and with stellar mass $M$ * ≈ 10 9 $M$ ⊙ at redshift $z$ = 0.02–0.12. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 deep $i$-band imaging data, which improve measurements of asymmetry and bulge dominance indicators. We find that star-forming galaxies are a multiparameter family. In addition to $M$ * , asymmetry emerges as the most powerful predictor of SSFR residuals of SFGs, followed by bulge prominence/concentration. Star-forming galaxies with higher asymmetry and stronger bulges have higher SSFR at a given $M$ * . In conclusion, the asymmetry reflects both irregular spiral arms and lopsidedness in seemingly isolated SFGs and structural perturbations by galaxy interactions or mergers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tracing the Origin of Moving Groups. III. Detecting Moving Groups in LAMOST DR7

We revisit the moving groups (MGs) in the solar neighborhood with a sample of 91,969 nearby stars constructed from LAMOST DR7. Using the wavelet technique and Monte Carlo simulations, five MGs together with a new candidate located at $V$ ≃ -130 KM s -1 are detected simultaneously in $V$ - $\sqrt{U^2 + 2V^2}$ space. Taking into account the other known MGs, we conclude that MGs in the Galactic disk are spaced by approximately 15–25 km s -1 along $V$ velocity. Furthermore, the origin of detected MGs is analyzed through the distributions of [Fe/H]-[Mg/Fe] and ages. Our results support attributing the origin to the continuous resonant mechanisms probably induced by the bar or spiral arms of the Milky Way.

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DOE OSTI2021

Equation-of-state Dependence of Gravitational Waves in Core-collapse Supernovae

Gravitational waves (GWs) provide unobscured insight into the birthplace of neutron stars and black holes in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). The nuclear equation of state (EOS) describing these dense environments is yet uncertain, and variations in its prescription affect the proto-neutron star (PNS) and the post-bounce dynamics in CCSN simulations, subsequently impacting the GW emission. In this study, we perform axisymmetric simulations of CCSNe with Skyrme-type EOSs to study how the GW signal and PNS convection zone are impacted by two experimentally accessible EOS parameters, (1) the effective mass of nucleons, m*, which is crucial in setting the thermal dependence of the EOS, and (2) the isoscalar incompressibility modulus, K sat . While K sat shows little impact, the peak frequency of the GWs has a strong effective mass dependence due to faster contraction of the PNS for higher values of m* owing to a decreased thermal pressure. These more compact PNSs also exhibit more neutrino heating, which drives earlier explosions and correlates with the GW amplitude via accretion plumes striking the PNS, exciting the oscillations. We investigate the spatial origin of the GWs and show the agreement between a frequency-radial distribution of the GW emission and a perturbation analysis. We do not rule out overshoot from below via PNS convection as another moderately strong excitation mechanism in our simulations. We also study the combined effect of effective mass and rotation. In all our simulations we find evidence for a power gap near ~1250 Hz; we investigate its origin and report its EOS dependence.

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DOE OSTI2021

Observation of the Gamma-Ray Binary HESS J0632+057 with the H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS Telescopes

The results of gamma-ray observations of the binary system HESS J0632 + 057 collected during 450 hr over 15 yr, between 2004 and 2019, are presented. Data taken with the atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS at energies above 350 GeV were used together with observations at X-ray energies obtained with Swift-XRT, Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Suzaku. Some of these observations were accompanied by measurements of the Hα emission line. A significant detection of the modulation of the very high-energy gamma-ray fluxes with a period of 316.7 ± 4.4 days is reported, consistent with the period of 317.3 ± 0.7 days obtained with a refined analysis of X-ray data. The analysis of data from four orbital cycles with dense observational coverage reveals short-timescale variability, with flux-decay timescales of less than 20 days at very high energies. Flux variations observed over a timescale of several years indicate orbit-to-orbit variability. The analysis confirms the previously reported correlation of X-ray and gamma-ray emission from the system at very high significance but cannot find any correlation of optical H$α$ parameters with fluxes at X-ray or gamma-ray energies in simultaneous observations. The key finding is that the emission of HESS J0632 + 057 in the X-ray and gamma-ray energy bands is highly variable on different timescales. The ratio of gamma-ray to X-ray flux shows the equality or even dominance of the gamma-ray energy range. This wealth of new data is interpreted taking into account the insufficient knowledge of the ephemeris of the system and discussed in the context of results reported on other gamma-ray binary systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Role of H I in Regulating the Size Growth of Local Galaxies

We study the role of atomic hydrogen (H I ) in regulating the size growth of local galaxies. The size of a galaxy, $D$ $r$,25 , is characterized by the diameter at which the r-band surface brightness reaches ${\mu }_{{\rm{r}}}=25.0\,\mathrm{mag}\,{\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}$. We find that the positions of galaxies in the size ($D$ $r$,25 )-stellar-mass ($M$*) plane strongly depend on their H I -to-stellar-mass ratio ($M$ H I /$M$*). In the H I -rich regime, galaxies that are richer in H I tend to have larger sizes. Such a trend is not seen in the H I –poor regime, suggesting that size growth is barely affected by the H I content when it has decreased to a sufficiently low level. An investigation of the relations between size, $M$ H I /$M$*, and star formation rate (SFR) suggests that size is more intrinsically linked with $M$ H I /$M$*, rather than SFR. We further examine the H i-to-stellar-disk size ratio ($D$ H I /$D$ $r$,25 ) of galaxies and find that at log($M$ H I /$M$*) > -0.7, $D$ H I /$D$ $r$,25 is weakly correlated with $M$*. These findings support a picture in which the H I -rich galaxies live in an inside-out disk-growing phase regulated by gas accretion and star formation. In conclusion, the angular momentum of the accreted materials is probably the key parameter in shaping the size of a H I -rich galaxy.

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DOE OSTI2021

Wolf-Rayet Galaxies in SDSS-IV MaNGA. II. Metallicity Dependence of the High-mass Slope of the Stellar Initial Mass Function

As hosts of living high-mass stars, Wolf-Rayet (WR) regions or WR galaxies are ideal objects for constraining the high-mass end of the stellar initial mass function (IMF). We construct a large sample of 910 WR galaxies/regions that cover a wide range of stellar metallicity (from Z ~ 0.001 to 0.03) by combining three catalogs of WR galaxies/regions previously selected from the SDSS and SDSS-IV/MaNGA surveys. We measure the equivalent widths of the WR blue bump at ~4650 Å for each spectrum. They are compared with predictions from stellar evolutionary models Starburst99 and BPASS, with different IMF assumptions (high-mass slope α of the IMF ranging from 1.0 to 3.3). Both singular evolution and binary evolution are considered. We also use a Bayesian inference code to perform full spectral fitting to WR spectra with stellar population spectra from BPASS as fitting templates. We then make a model selection among different α assumptions based on Bayesian evidence. These analyses have consistently led to a positive correlation of the IMF high-mass slope α with stellar metallicity Z, i.e., with a steeper IMF (more bottom-heavy) at higher metallicities. Specifically, an IMF with α = 1.00 is preferred at the lowest metallicity (Z ~ 0.001), and an Salpeter or even steeper IMF is preferred at the highest metallicity (Z ~ 0.03). These conclusions hold even when binary population models are adopted.

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DOE OSTI2021

DIISC-II: Unveiling the Connections between Star Formation and Interstellar Medium in the Extended Ultraviolet Disk of NGC 3344

We present our investigation of the extended ultraviolet (XUV) disk galaxy, NGC 3344, conducted as part of Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium survey. We use surface and aperture photometry of individual young stellar complexes to study star formation and its effect on the physical properties of the interstellar medium. We measure the specific star formation rate (sSFR) and find it to increase from 10 –10 yr –1 in the inner disk to >10 –8 yr –1 in the extended disk. This provides evidence for inside-out disk growth. If these sSFRs are maintained, the XUV disk stellar mass can double in ~0.5 Gyr, suggesting a burst of star formation. The XUV disk will continue forming stars for a long time due to the high gas depletion times (τ dep ). The stellar complexes in the XUV disk have high-Σ H I and low-Σ SFR with τ dep ~ 10 Gyr, marking the onset of a deviation from the traditional Kennicutt–Schmidt law. We find that both far-ultraviolet (FUV) and a combination of FUV and 24 μm effectively trace star formation in the XUV disk. Hα is weaker in general and prone to stochasticities in the formation of massive stars. Investigation of the circumgalactic medium at 29.5 kpc resulted in the detection of two absorbing systems with metal-line species: the stronger absorption component is consistent with gas flows around the disk, most likely tracing inflow, while the weaker component is likely tracing corotating circumgalactic gas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spectroscopic Confirmation of the Sixth Globular Cluster in the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy*

The Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy has an anomalous number of globular clusters, five, for its stellar mass. There is a longstanding debate about a potential sixth globular cluster (Fornax 6) that has recently been "rediscovered" in DECam imaging. We present new Magellan/M2FS spectroscopy of the Fornax 6 cluster and Fornax dSph. Combined with literature data we identify ~15–17 members of the Fornax 6 cluster, showing that this overdensity is indeed a star cluster and associated with the Fornax dSph. The cluster is significantly more metal-rich (mean metallicity of $\overline{[\mathrm{Fe}/{\rm{H}}]}$ = –0.71 ± 0.05) than the other five Fornax globular clusters (–2.5 < [Fe/H] < –1.4) and more metal-rich than the bulk of Fornax. We measure a velocity dispersion of ${5.6}_{-1.6}^{+2.0}\mathrm{km}\,{{\rm{s}}}^{-1}$ corresponding to an anomalously high mass-to-light of 15 < M/L < 258 at 90% confidence when calculated assuming equilibrium. Two stars inflate this dispersion and may be either Fornax field stars or as yet unresolved binary stars. Alternatively, the Fornax 6 cluster may be undergoing tidal disruption. Based on its metal-rich nature, the Fornax 6 cluster is likely younger than the other Fornax clusters, with an estimated age of ~2 Gyr when compared to stellar isochrones. The chemodynamics and star formation history of Fornax shows imprints of major events such as infall into the Milky Way, multiple pericenter passages, star formation bursts, and/or potential mergers or interactions. Any of these events may have triggered the formation of the Fornax 6 cluster.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Toward Accurate Modeling of Galaxy Clustering on Small Scales: Constraining the Galaxy-halo Connection with Optimal Statistics

Applying halo models to analyze the small-scale clustering of galaxies is a proven method for characterizing the connection between galaxies and their host halos. Such works are often plagued by systematic errors or limited to clustering statistics that can be predicted analytically. In this work, we employ a numerical mock-based modeling procedure to examine the clustering of Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 galaxies. We apply a standard halo occupation distribution (HOD) model to dark matter only simulations with a ΛCDM cosmology. To constrain the theoreStical models, we utilize a combination of galaxy number density and selected scales of the projected correlation function, redshift-space correlation function, group multiplicity function, average group velocity dispersion, mark correlation function, and counts-in-cells statistics. We design an algorithm to choose an optimal combination of measurements that yields tight and accurate constraints on our model parameters. Compared to previous work using fewer clustering statistics, we find a significant improvement in the constraints on all parameters of our halo model for two different luminosity-threshold galaxy samples. Most interestingly, we obtain unprecedented high-precision constraints on the scatter in the relationship between galaxy luminosity and halo mass. However, our best-fit model results in significant tension (>4σ) for both samples, indicating the need to add second-order features to the standard HOD model. To guarantee the robustness of these results, we perform an extensive analysis of the systematic and statistical errors in our modeling procedure, including a first of its kind study of the sensitivity of our constraints to changes in the halo mass function due to baryonic physics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Subgalactic Scaling Relations with T e -based Metallicities of Low-metallicity Regions in Galaxies: Metal-poor Gas Inflow May Have Important Effects?

The scaling relationship is a fundamental probe of the evolution of galaxies. Using the integral field spectroscopic data from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey, we select 1698 spaxels with a significant detection of the auroral emission line [O ιιι]λ4363 from 52 galaxies to investigate the scaling relationships at the low-metallicity end. We find that our sample’s star formation rate is higher and its metallicity is lower in the scaling relationship than the star-forming sequence after removing the contribution of the Fundamental Metallicity Relation. We also find that the stellar ages of our sample are younger (<1 Gyr) and the stellar metallicities are also lower. Morphological parameters from the Deep Learning catalog indicate that our galaxies are more likely to be mergers. These results suggest that their low-metallicity regions may be related to interaction; the inflow of metal-poor gas may dilute the interstellar medium and form new metal-poor stars in these galaxies during interactions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

$\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$: Studying Quenching in Intermediate- z Galaxies—Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{{Angu\overrightarrow{L}ar}}$ Momentum, and Evolution

We describe the Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies: Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{\rm{angu}}\overrightarrow{L}{\rm{ar}}$ momentum, and Evolution ($\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$) survey of intermediate-redshift post-starburst galaxies. We leverage the large sky coverage of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select ~1300 recently quenched galaxies at 0.5 < z ≤ 0.9 based on their unique spectral shapes. These bright, intermediate-redshift galaxies are ideal laboratories to study the physics responsible for the rapid quenching of star formation: they are distant enough to be useful analogs for high-redshift quenching galaxies, but low enough redshift that multiwavelength follow-up observations are feasible with modest telescope investments. We use the Prospector code to infer the stellar population properties and nonparametric star formation histories (SFHs) of all galaxies in the sample. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are both very massive (M * ~ 10 11.25 M ⊙ ) and quenched, with inferred star formation rates ≲1 M ⊙ yr -1 , more than an order of magnitude below the star-forming main sequence. The best-fit SFHs confirm that these galaxies recently quenched a major burst of star formation: >75% of $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies formed at least a quarter of their total stellar mass in the recent burst, which ended just ~200 Myr before observation. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are on average younger and more burst-dominated than most other z ≲ 1 post-starburst galaxy samples. This large sample of bright post-starburst galaxies at intermediate redshift opens a wide range of studies into the quenching process. In particular, the full $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ survey will investigate the molecular gas reservoirs, morphologies, kinematics, resolved stellar populations, active galactic nucleus incidence, and infrared properties of this unique sample of galaxies in order to place definitive constraints on the quenching process.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evidence for Impact of Galaxy Mergers on Stellar Kinematics of Early-type Galaxies

We provide observational evidence that galaxy mergers significantly affect stellar kinematics of early-type galaxies (ETGs) such as specific stellar angular momentum within the half-light radius (${\lambda }_{{R}_{e}}$) and kinematic misalignment (ψ mis ), using MaNGA integral field unit spectroscopic data that are in the Stripe 82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In this study, tidal features around ETGs, which are detected in deep coadded images, are used as direct evidence for mergers that occurred recently. In the case of ETGs that do not have dust lanes, ${\lambda }_{{R}_{e}}$ is lower in ETGs with tidal features than in those without tidal features (median ${\lambda }_{{R}_{e}}$: 0.21 versus 0.39) in all stellar mass and Sérsic index ranges except the most massive bin, so that the fraction of ETGs with tidal features in slow rotators is more than twice as large as that in fast rotators (42% versus 18%). Moreover, ETGs with tidal features have larger ψ mis than those without tidal features (mean ψ mis : 28° versus 15°). By contrast, ETGs with dust lanes are fast rotators, and ETGs with both dust lanes and tidal features have the highest ${\lambda }_{{R}_{e}}$ (median ${\lambda }_{{R}_{e}}$: 0.59) among all ETG categories. In addition, ETGs with dust lanes have small ψ mis regardless of the existence of tidal features (Ψ mis <7$^{°}_{.}$5). Our results can be explained if mergers with different gas fractions generate merger remnants that have different kinematic properties.

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DOE OSTI2022

[C ιι] Map of the Molecular Ring and Arms of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 7331*

We present the [C ιι] 157.7 μm map of galaxy NGC 7331 obtained with the Field-Imaging Far-Infrared Line Spectrometer on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). This map extends an existent Herschel/Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer observation of the central strip of the galaxy to encompass the entire molecular ring and much of the disk, including multiple spiral arms with intense far-IR emission. We also present Herschel archival data of the [N ιι] 205 μm line, which covers a substantial part of the [C ιι] SOFIA observations and allows us to estimate the neutral fraction of the [C ιι] emission along the ring and disk of the galaxy. We find that the neutral fraction rises with the distance from the center. In addition, by tracing the azimuthal variation of the neutral fraction, we are able to see how our observing perspective affects this measurement. The high inclination of NGC 7331 allows us to glimpse the internal walls of the molecular ring. There, young bright stars emit UV radiation causing more [C ιι] emission to be produced in the ionized gas. On the outer walls, opaque dust shrouds the rest of the ring, making the neutral medium the dominant source of [C ιι] emission. Through spatial analysis comparing the [C ιι] emission to tracers of gas heating, we are able to investigate how the photoelectric heating efficiency varies throughout NGC 7331 and extend global measurements of the [C ιι] deficit to local environments. Since the origin of [C ιι] emission has typically been studied in face-on galaxies, our results shed a new light on the interpretation of [C ιι] emission, especially when studying distant galaxies with unknown inclination.

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DOE OSTI2022

The CGM 2 Survey: Circumgalactic O vι from Dwarf to Massive Star-forming Galaxies

We combine 126 new galaxy-O vι absorber pairs from the CGM 2 survey with 123 pairs drawn from the literature to examine the simultaneous dependence of the column density of O vι absorbers (N O VI ) on galaxy stellar mass, star-formation rate, and impact parameter. The combined sample consists of 249 galaxy-O vι absorber pairs covering z = 0–0.6, with host galaxy stellar masses M * = 10 7.8 –10 11.2 M ⊙ and galaxy-absorber impact parameters R ⊥ = 0–400 proper kiloparsecs. In this work, we focus on the variation of N O VI with galaxy mass and impact parameter among the star-forming galaxies in the sample. We find that the average N O VI within one virial radius of a star-forming galaxy is greatest for star-forming galaxies with M * = 10 9.2 –10 10 M ⊙ . Star-forming galaxies with M * between 10 8 and 10 11.2 M ⊙ can explain most O vι systems with column densities greater than 10 13.5 cm –2 . Sixty percent of the O vι mass associated with a star-forming galaxy is found within one virial radius, and 35% is found between one and two virial radii. In general, we find that some departure from hydrostatic equilibrium in the CGM is necessary to reproduce the observed O vι amount, galaxy mass dependence, and extent. Our measurements serve as a test set for CGM models over a broad range of host galaxy masses.

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DOE OSTI2022

The Pantheon+ Analysis: Evaluating Peculiar Velocity Corrections in Cosmological Analyses with Nearby Type Ia Supernovae

Separating the components of redshift due to expansion and peculiar motion in the nearby universe (z < 0.1) is critical for using Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) to measure the Hubble constant (H 0 ) and the equation-of-state parameter of dark energy (w). Here, we study the two dominant "motions" contributing to nearby peculiar velocities: large-scale, coherent-flow (CF) motions and small-scale motions due to gravitationally associated galaxies deemed to be in a galaxy group. We use a set of 584 low-z SNe from the Pantheon+ sample, and evaluate the efficacy of corrections to these motions by measuring the improvement of SN distance residuals. We study multiple methods for modeling the large and small-scale motions and show that, while group assignments and CF corrections individually contribute to small improvements in Hubble residual scatter, the greatest improvement comes from the combination of the two (relative standard deviation of the Hubble residuals, Rel. SD, improves from 0.167 to 0.157 mag). We find the optimal flow corrections derived from various local density maps significantly reduce Hubble residuals while raising H 0 by ~0.4 km s -1 Mpc -1 as compared to using CMB redshifts, disfavoring the hypothesis that unrecognized local structure could resolve the Hubble tension. We estimate that the systematic uncertainties in cosmological parameters after optimally correcting redshifts are 0.06–0.11 km s -1 Mpc -1 in H 0 and 0.02–0.03 in w which are smaller than the statistical uncertainties for these measurements: 1.5 km s -1 Mpc -1 for H 0 and 0.04 for w.

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DOE OSTI2022

The Environments of Green Pea Galaxies. I. The KISS Sample

We present environmental analyses for 13 KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey Green Pea (GP) galaxies. These galaxies were discovered via their strong [O ιιι] emission in the redshift range 0.29 < z < 0.42, and they are undergoing a major burst of star formation. A primary goal of this study is to understand what role the environment plays in driving the current star formation activity. By studying the environments around these extreme star-forming galaxies, we can learn more about what triggers their star formation processes and how they fit into the narrative of galaxy evolution. Using the Hydra multifiber spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope, we mapped out the galaxy distribution around each of the GPs (out to ~15 Mpc at the redshifts of the targets). Using three density analysis methodologies chosen for their compatibility with the geometry of our redshift survey, we categorized the galaxian densities of the GPs into different density regimes. We find that the GPs in our sample tend to be located in low-density environments. We find no correlation between the density and the SFRs seen in the GPs. We conclude that the environments the GPs are found in are likely not the driving factor behind their extreme star formation activity.

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DOE OSTI2022

The High Fraction of Thin Disk Galaxies Continues to Challenge ΛCDM Cosmology

Any viable cosmological framework has to match the observed proportion of early- and late-type galaxies. In this contribution, we focus on the distribution of galaxy morphological types in the standard model of cosmology (Lambda cold dark matter, ΛCDM). Using the latest state-of-the-art cosmological ΛCDM simulations known as Illustris, IllustrisTNG, and EAGLE, we calculate the intrinsic and sky-projected aspect ratio distribution of the stars in subhalos with stellar mass M * > 10 10 M ⊙ at redshift z = 0. There is a significant deficit of intrinsically thin disk galaxies, which however comprise most of the locally observed galaxy population. Consequently, the sky-projected aspect ratio distribution produced by these ΛCDM simulations disagrees with the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey at ≥12.52σ (TNG50-1) and ≥14.82σ (EAGLE50) confidence. The deficit of intrinsically thin galaxies could be due to a much less hierarchical merger-driven build-up of observed galaxies than is given by the ΛCDM framework. It might also arise from the implemented sub-grid models, or from the limited resolution of the above-mentioned hydrodynamical simulations. We estimate that an 8 5 times better mass resolution realization than TNG50-1 would reduce the tension with GAMA to the 5.58σ level. Finally, we show that galaxies with fewer major mergers have a somewhat thinner aspect ratio distribution. Given also the high expected frequency of minor mergers in ΛCDM, the problem may be due to minor mergers. In this case, the angular momentum problem could be alleviated in Milgromian dynamics because of a reduced merger frequency arising from the absence of dynamical friction between extended dark matter halos.

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