Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)

Abstract: Classification of galaxies is traditionally associated with their morphologies through visual inspection of images. The amount of data to come renders this task inhuman and Machine Learning (mainly Deep Learning) has been called to the rescue for more than a decade. However, the results look mitigate and there seems to be a shift away from the paradigm of the traditional morphological classification of galaxies. In this paper, I want to show that the algorithms indeed are very sensitive to the features present in images, features that do not necessarily correspond to the Hubble or de Vaucouleurs vision of a galaxy. However, this does not preclude to get the correct insights into the physics of galaxies. I have applied a state-of-the-art ''traditional'' Machine Learning clustering tool, called Fisher-EM, a latent discriminant subspace Gaussian Mixture Model algorithm, to 4458 galaxies carefully classified into 18 types by the EFIGI project. The optimum number of clusters given by the Integrated Complete Likelihood criterion is 47. The correspondence with the EFIGI classification is correct, but it appears that the Fisher-EM algorithm gives a great importance to the distribution of light which translates to characteristics such as the bulge to disk ratio, the inclination or the presence of foreground stars. The discrimination of some physical parameters (bulge-to-total luminosity ratio, $(B -- B)T$ , intrinsic diameter, presence of flocculence or dust, arm strength) is very comparable in the two classifications.

Abstract: ED-2 is a stellar stream identified as a compact group in integrals of motion space in a local sample of halo stars from the third Gaia data release. Here we investigate its nature and possible association with known halo substructures. We explore the current properties of ED-2 members in phase-space, and also analyse the expected distribution via orbit integration. In addition, we study the metallicity of ED-2 using APOGEE DR17 and LAMOST DR8 (and re-calibrated DR3). ED-2 forms a compact group in the $x-z$ (or $R-z$) plane, showing a pancake-like structure as it crosses the Solar neighbourhood. Dynamically it is most similar the globular clusters NGC 3201 and NGC 6101, and the stellar stream Ylgr and Phlegethon. However, its orbit is sufficiently different that none of these objects is likely to be ED-2's progenitor. We also find ED-2 to be quite metal-poor, with all of its stars $\mathrm{[Fe/H]} \leq -2.42$, with a median $\mathrm{[Fe/H]} = -2.60^{+0.20}_{-0.21}$. At this low metallicity, it is unlikely that ED-2 stems from any known globular cluster, instead, ED-2 seems to be in a similar category as the recently discovered Phoenix and C-19 stellar streams. We find that ED-2 members are scattered across the whole sky, which is due to its current orbital phase. We predict that as this object moves to its next apocentre it will acquire an on-sky morphology that is akin to cold stellar streams. Finally, since ED-2 is nearing pericentre, we predict that additional members found below the plane should have large radial velocities, close to $\sim$ 500 km/s in the present-day direction of the globular cluster NGC 6101.

Abstract: One of the commonly used non-parametric morphometric statistics for galaxy profiles and images is the asymmetry statistic. With an eye to current and upcoming large neutral hydrogen (HI) surveys, we develop a 3D version of the asymmetry statistic that can be applied to datacubes. This statistic is more resilient to variations due to the observed geometry than 1D asymmetry measures, and can be successfully applied to lower spatial resolutions (3-4 beams across the galaxy major axis) than the 2D statistic. We have also modified the asymmetry definition from an `absolute difference' version to a `squared difference' version that removes much of the bias due to noise contributions for low signal-to-noise observations. Using a suite of mock asymmetric cubes we show that the background-corrected, squared difference 3D asymmetry statistic can be applied to many marginally resolved galaxies in large wide-area HI surveys such as WALLABY on the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP).

Abstract: Supernova remnants (SNRs) may regulate star formation in galaxies. For example, SNR-driven shocks may form new molecular gas or compress pre-existing clouds and trigger the formation of new stars. To test this scenario, we measure the deuteration of $N_2H^+$, $D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}$, a well-studied tracer of pre-stellar cores, across the Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) G034.77-00.55, known to be experiencing a shock interaction with the SNR W44. We use N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$ J=1-0 single pointing observations obtained with the 30m antenna at the Instituto de Radioastronomia Millimetrica to infer $D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}$ toward five positions across the cloud, namely a massive core, different regions across the shock front, a dense clump and ambient gas. We find $D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}$ in the range 0.03-0.1, several orders of magnitude larger than the cosmic D/H ratio ($\sim$10$^{-5}$). Across the shock front, $D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}$ is enhanced by more than a factor of 2 ($D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}\sim$0.05-0.07) with respect to the ambient gas ($\leq$0.03) and similar to that measured generally in pre-stellar cores. Indeed, in the massive core and dense clump regions of this IRDC we measure $D_{frac}^{N_2H^+}$}$\sim$0.1. We find enhanced deuteration of $N_2H^+$ across the region of the shock, at a level that is enhanced with respect to regions of unperturbed gas. It is possible that this has been induced by shock compression, which would then be indirect evidence that the shock is triggering conditions for future star formation. However, since unperturbed dense regions also show elevated levels of deuteration, further, higher-resolution studies are needed to better understand the structure and kinematics of the deuterated material in the shock region, e.g., if it still in relatively diffuse form or already organised in a population of low-mass pre-stellar cores.

Abstract: The Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus (GS/E) structure is an accretion remnant in the Milky Way's halo that constitutes a large fraction of the nearby stellar halo. We study GS/E using high-purity samples of kinematically selected stars from APOGEE DR16 and Gaia. Employing a novel modelling framework to account for kinematic selection biases using distribution functions, we fit density profiles to these GS/E samples and measure their masses. We find that GS/E is described by a shallow density profile in the inner Galaxy, with a break between 15-25 kpc beyond which the profile becomes very steep in the outer Galaxy. We also find that GS/E is triaxial, with axis ratios 1:0.55:0.45 (nearly prolate), and the major axis is oriented about 80~degrees from the Sun-Galactic center line and 16 degrees above the plane. We measure a stellar mass for GS/E of $1.45 ^{+0.92}_{-0.51}\,\mathrm{(stat.)}\,^{+0.08}_{-0.49} \mathrm{(sys.)}\ \times10^{8}$ M$_{\odot}$, which is lower than previously estimated. We also fit a density profile to the entire Milky Way stellar halo, finding a mass in the range of $6-8 \times 10^{8}$ M$_{\odot}$, and implying that GS/E could make up as little as 10-20 per cent of the mass of the Milky Way stellar halo. Our findings challenge recent works, which have found greater masses for GS/E, and often find that it dominates the mass budget of the stellar halo. Our lower stellar mass combined with standard stellar-mass-to-halo-mass relations implies that GS/E constituted a minor 1:8-mass-ratio merger at the time of its accretion.