Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera near-infrared features in the outer parts of S4G galaxies.

Authors

Seppo Laine, Spitzer Science Center
Johan H. Knapen, Universidad de La Laguna
Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Taehyun Kim, Seoul National University
Sebastien Comeron, University of Oulu
Marie Martig, Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie
Benne W. Holwerda, University of Louisville
E. Athanassoula, Aix Marseille Universite
Albert Bosma, Aix Marseille Universite
Peter H. Johansson, University of Helsinki
Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Dimitri A. Gadotti, European Southern Observatory
Armando Gil de Paz, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Joannah Hinz, University of Arizona
Jarkko Laine, University of Oulu
Eija Laurikainen, University of Oulu
Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro
Trisha Mizusawa, Florida Institute of Technology
Michael Regan, Space Telescope Science Institute
Heikki Salo, University of Oulu
Kartik Sheth, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mark Seibert, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
Ronald J. Buta, University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa
Mauricio Cisternas, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain
Bruce G. Elmegreen, T. J. Watson Research Center
Debra M. Elmegreen, Vassar College
Luis C. Ho, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Barry F. Madore, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Dennis Zaritsky, University of Arizona

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2014

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Abstract

We present a catalogue and images of visually detected features, such as asymmetries, extensions, warps, shells, tidal tails, polar rings, and obvious signs of mergers or interactions, in the faint outer regions (at and outside of R25) of nearby galaxies. This catalogue can be used in future quantitative studies that examine galaxy evolution due to internal and external factors. We are able to reliably detect outer region features down to a brightness level of 0.03 MJy sr−1 pixel−1 at 3.6 μm in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We also tabulate companion galaxies. We find asymmetries in the outer isophotes in 22 ± 1 per cent of the sample. The asymmetry fraction does not correlate with galaxy classification as an interacting galaxy or merger remnant, or with the presence of companions. We also compare the detected features to similar features in galaxies taken from cosmological zoom re-simulations. The simulated images have a higher fraction (33 per cent) of outer disc asymmetries, which may be due to selection effects and an uncertain star formation threshold in the models. The asymmetries may have either an internal (e.g. lopsidedness due to dark halo asymmetry) or external origin.

Comments

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Copyright: 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu1642

Original Publication Information

Laine, Seppo, et al. "Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera Near-Infrared Features in the Outer Parts of S4G Galaxies." 2014. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 444(4): 3015-3039.

ThinkIR Citation

Laine, Seppo; Knapen, Johan H.; Munoz-Mateos, Juan Carlos; Kim, Taehyun; Comeron, Sebastien; Martig, Marie; Holwerda, Benne W.; Athanassoula, E.; Bosma, Albert; Johansson, Peter H.; Erroz-Ferrer, Santiago; Gadotti, Dimitri A.; Gil de Paz, Armando; Hinz, Joannah; Laine, Jarkko; Laurikainen, Eija; Menendez-Delmestre, Karin; Mizusawa, Trisha; Regan, Michael; Salo, Heikki; Sheth, Kartik; Seibert, Mark; Buta, Ronald J.; Cisternas, Mauricio; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Elmegreen, Debra M.; Ho, Luis C.; Madore, Barry F.; and Zaritsky, Dennis, "Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera near-infrared features in the outer parts of S4G galaxies." (2014). Faculty and Staff Scholarship. 189.
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/faculty/189

DOI

10.1093/mnras/stu1642