Monday, July 23, 2012

1207.4953 (John M. Cannon et al.)

The Neutral Gas Dynamics of the Nearby Magellanic Irregular Galaxy UGCA 105    [PDF]

John M. Cannon, Elijah Z. Bernstein-Cooper, Ian M. Cave, Jon B. Harris, Melissa V. Marshall, Jacob M. Moen, Samilee J. Moody, Erin M. O'Leary, Stephen A. Pardy, Clara M. Thomann
We present new low-resolution HI spectral line imaging, obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA), of the star-forming Magellanic irregular galaxy UGCA 105. This nearby (D = 3.39+/-0.25 Mpc), low mass [M_HI=(4.3+/-0.5)x10^8 Solar masses] system harbors a large neutral gas disk (HI radius ~7.2 kpc at the N_HI=10^20 cm^-2 level) that is roughly twice as large as the stellar disk at the B-band R_25 isophote. We explore the neutral gas dynamics of this system, fitting tilted ring models in order to extract a well-sampled rotation curve. The rotation velocity rises in the inner disk, flattens at 72+/-3 km/s, and remains flat to the last measured point of the disk (~7.5 kpc). The dynamical mass of UGCA 105 at this outermost point, (9+/-2)x10^9 Solar masses, is ~10 times as large as the luminous baryonic components (neutral atomic gas and stars). The proximity and favorable inclination (55 degrees) of UGCA 105 make it a promising target for high-resolution studies of both star formation and rotational dynamics in a nearby low-mass galaxy.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.4953

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