We present the density structure of dark matter in the outer parts (to about 7 effective radii) of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4636, from the radial velocities of 174 globular clusters, using the non-parametric, Bayesian algorithm CHASSIS. We find the galaxy to be rich in dark matter, with $R$-band mass-to-light ($M/L$) ratios rising to about 30, at nearly 4$R_e$; the $K$-band $M/L$ at about 3$R_e$ is found to be nearly 10. The result does not depend on applying the method to the red and blue globular clusters separately. This estimate of $M/L$ is higher than the previous analysis from the same kinematic data. We also find that the dark matter distribution is highly concentrated towards the inner halo.
We present analysis of Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of three early-type galaxies, NGC 57, NGC 7796 and IC 1531. All three are found in very low density environments, and appear to have no neighbours of comparable size. NGC 57 has a halo of kT~0.9 keV, solar metallicity gas, while NGC 7796 and IC 1531 both have ~0.55 keV, 0.5-0.6 Zsol haloes. IC 1531 has a relatively compact halo, and we consider it likely that gas has been removed from the system by the effects of AGN heating. For NGC 57 and NGC 7796 we estimate mass, entropy and cooling time profiles and find that NGC 57 has a fairly m…
The results of the stellar photometry of the images ACS/WFC and WFPC2 of the HST are used to study stellar population and spatial distribution of stars in three edge-on galaxies: NGC 891, NGC 4144 and NGC 4244. The measuring of the number density of the old stars revealed two stellar substructures in these galaxies: thick disk and halo. The borders of these substructures consisting mainly of red giants, are determined by the change of number density gradient of the old stars. The revealed halos have flattened shapes and extend up to 25 kpc from the galaxy planes. The obtained results of number…
We present VI photometry of the metal-poor inner halo globular clusters NGC6293 and NGC6541 using the planetary camera of the WFPC2 on board HST. Our color-magnitude diagrams of the clusters show well-defined BHB populations, consistent with their low metallicities and old ages. NGC6293 appears to have blue straggler stars in the cluster's central region. We discuss the interstellar reddening and the distance modulus of NGC6293 and NGC6541 and obtain E(B-V) = 0.40 and (m-M)_0 = 14.61 for NGC6293 and E(B-V) = 0.14 and (m-M)_0 = 14.19 for NGC6541. Our results confirm that NGC6293 and NGC6541 are…
Recently, the CANGAROO-II telescope detected diffuse TeV gamma-ray emission from a nearby edge-on starburst galaxy, NGC 253. The emission mechanism is discussed in this report. We review the emissions of radio-to-TeV gamma-rays from NGC 253, and present a model of the non-thermal emissions due to synchrotron radiations and inverse Compton scatterings. A halo model successfully explains the multiband spectrum of NGC 253.
Deep VLA HI observations of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403 reveal the presence of an extended HI halo that shows slower rotation and a general inflow (about 15-25 km\s) towards the center of the galaxy.
We report on further observations of the luminous halo of NGC 5907. New V, I and B deep photometry confirms the existence of an extended stellar halo redder than the disk. Our data are consistent with a faint halo, or very thick disk, composed of a metal-rich old stellar population. We propose that it could be the remnant of a merged small elliptical, and we support our hypothesis with N-body simulations.
We present sensitive ISO $λ6.7 μ$m observations of the edge-on galaxy, NGC 5529, finding an extensive MIR halo around NGC 5529. The emission is dominated by PAHs in this band. The PAH halo has an exponential scale height of 3.7 kpc but can still be detected as far as $\approx 10$ kpc from the plane to the limits of the high dynamic range (1770/1) data. This is the most extensive PAH halo yet detected in a normal galaxy. This halo shows substructure and the PAHs likely originate from some type of disk outflow. PAHs are long-lived in a halo environment and therefore continuous replenishment from…
We present WIYN SparsePak observations of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) halo of NGC 891. Preliminary results of an analysis of the halo velocity field reveal a clear gradient of the azimuthal velocity with z which agrees with results for the neutral gas. The magnitude of the gradient has been determined, using two independent methods, to be approximately 15 km/s/kpc.
We present a CFH12K wide field survey of the carbon star population in and around NGC 3109. Carbon stars, the brightest members of the intermediate-age population, were found nearly exclusively in and near the disk of NGC 3109, ruling out the existence of an extensive intermediate-age halo like the one found in NGC 6822. Over 400 carbon stars identified have < M_I > = -4.71, confirming the nearly universality of mean magnitude of C star populations in Local Group galaxies. Star counts over the field reveal that NGC 3109 is a truncated disk shaped galaxy without an extensive stellar halo. The m…
We present a chemical abundance study of three inner old halo clusters NGC 6287, NGC 6293, and NGC 6541, finding [Fe/H] = -2.01 +/- 0.05, -1.99 +/- 0.02, and -1.76 +/- 0.02, respectively, and our metallicity measurements are in good agreement with previous estimates. The mean alpha-element abundances of our program clusters are in good agreement with other globular clusters, confirming previous results. However, the individual alpha-elements appear to follow different trends. The silicon abundances of the inner halo clusters appear to be enhanced and the titanium abundances appear to be deplet…
We present H-band images obtained with NICMOS of a field 75'' (5kpc) above the plane of the disk of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5907. Ground-based observations have shown that NGC 5907 has a luminous halo with a shallow radial profile between 4 and 8 kpc that roughly traces the dark matter distribution of the galaxy deduced from its rotation curve. Our NICMOS observations were designed to resolve bright giants in the halo of NGC 5907 to constrain its stellar composition with the goal of understanding its nature and origin. More than 100 stars are expected in the NICMOS images if the dwarf-to…
Existing long-slit spectral data for edge-on spiral galaxies suggesting that their Diffuse Ionized Gas (DIG) halos rotate slower than their underlying disks are summarized. An attempt to characterize lagging halos using a model of purely ballistic disk-halo flow is discussed, with the result that the model fails badly for the lagging halo of NGC 891, but is somewhat more successful for NGC 5775. New two-dimensional kinematic data on the DIG halo of NGC 4302 are presented, along with a preliminary analysis of its rotation. Two-dimensional data on NGC 5775 and a preliminary analysis of its halo …
Numerical simulations of the disruption of a dwarf companion moving in the polar plane of a massive galaxy are presented. The constructed model is compared with observational data on the recently discovered low-surface-brightness stellar ring around galaxy NGC 5907. Constraints on the ring lifetime (<=1.5 gyr after the first approach of the galaxies), on the structure of companion -- the ring presecursor, and on mass of dark halo of the main galaxy in whose gravitational field the companion moves are provided. The dark halo mass within 50 kpc of NGC 5907 center cannot exceed 3 or 4 "visible" m…
A gamma-ray halo in a nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 was found by the CANGAROO-II Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). By fitting the energy spectrum with expected curves from Cold Dark Matter (CDM) annihilations, we constrain the CDM-annihilation rate in the halo of NGC 253. Upper limits for the CDM density were obtained in the wide mass range between 0.5 and 50 TeV. Although these limits are higher than the expected values, it is complementary important to the other experimental techniques, especially considering the energy coverage. We also investigate the next astronomical targ…
Neutral hydrogen observations of the nearby, edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 reveal the presence of an HI halo extending up to at least 5 kpc from the plane. This halo gas appears to rotate 25 to 100 km/s more slowly than the gas in the plane. If this velocity difference is due to the gradient in the gravitational potential, then it may serve to discriminate between disk and spheroidal mass models. The classic picture of a large outer flare in the HI layer of NGC 891 may no longer be valid. A correlation is seen between the distributions of HI, Halpha and radio continuum emission, which supports…
The metallicity distribution function (MDF) for the old red-giant stars in the halo of NGC 5128, the nearest giant elliptical galaxy, is virtually identical with the MDF for the old-disk stars in the LMC and also strongly resembles the halo MDF in M31. These galaxies all have high mean halo metallicities (<m/H> ~ -0.4$) with very small proportions of low-metallicity stars. These observations reinforce the view that metal-rich halos are quite normal for large galaxies of all types. Such systems are unlikely to have built up by accretion of pre-existing, gas-free small satellite galaxies, unless…
We have carried out a detailed abundance analysis for 21 elements in a sample of four RGB stars in the outer halo globular cluster NGC 7492 (R{GC} 25 kpc); we find [Fe/H] = -1.82 dex inferred from FeI lines (-1.79 from FeII) using high dispersion (R=35,000) spectra obtained with HIRES at the Keck Observatory. Most elements show no sign of star-to-star variation within our limited sample. We have, however, detected an anti-correlation between O and Na abundances similar to that seen in our previous analyses of inner halo GCs as well as in studies of relatively nearby GCs by others. We compare t…
HST (V,I) photometry has been obtained for the inner halo globular cluster NGC 6652. The photometry reaches approximately 4 mag below the turn-off and includes a well populated horizontal branch. This cluster is located close to the Galactic center at a galactocentric distance of approximately 2.0 kpc with a reddening of E(V-I) = 0.15 +/- 0.02 and has a metallicity of [Fe/H] approximately -0.85. Based upon Delta(V) between the point on the sub-giant branch which is 0.05 mag redder than the turn-off and the horizontal branch, NGC 6652 is 11.7 +/- 1.6 Gyr old. Using this same Delta(V), precise d…
We present the analysis of a deep (167 ks) ROSAT HRI observation of the cD galaxy NGC 1399 in the Fornax cluster. Using both HRI and, at larger radii, archival PSPC data, we find that the radial behavior of the X-ray surface brightness profile is not consistent with a simple Beta model and suggests instead three distinct components. We use a multi-component bidimensional model to study in detail these three components that we identify respectively with the cooling flow region, the galactic and the cluster halo. From these data we derive a binding mass distribution in agreement with that sugges…
We present a search for near-infrared (3.5-5 micron) emission from baryonic dark matter in the form of low-mass stars and/or brown dwarfs in the halo of the nearby edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5907. The observations were made using a 256 by 256 InSb array with a pixel scale of 17" at the focus of a liquid-helium-cooled telescope carried above the Earth's atmosphere by a sounding rocket. In contrast to previous experiments which have detected a halo around NGC 5907 in the V, R, I, J and K bands at galactic radii 6kpc < r < 10kpc, our search finds no evidence for emission from a halo at 10kpc < r <…
We have obtained ~100 pc resolution CO and ~60 pc resolution Halpha observations of the dwarf spiral galaxy NGC 4605. We use them to derive a high resolution rotation curve and study the central density profile of NGC 4605's dark matter halo. We find that these observations do not agree with the predictions of most high resolution Cold Dark Matter calculations. We investigate two extreme cases: 1) NGC 4605 has a maximal exponential disk, that we model using K-band observations and remove to study the structure of its dark matter halo, and 2) NGC 4605 is dark matter dominated and its disk is dy…
We have used the ACS camera on HST to obtain (V,I) photometry for 57,000 red-giant stars in the halo of the Leo elliptical NGC 3377. We use this sample of stars to derive the metallicity distribution function (MDF) for its halo field stars, and comment on its chemical evolution history compared with both larger and smaller E galaxies. Our ACS/WFC field spans a radial range extending from 4 to 18 kpc projected distance from the center of NGC 3377 and thus covers a significant portion of this galaxy's halo. We find that the MDF is broad, reaching a peak at [m/H] ~ -0.6$, but containing virtually…
Suzaku observation of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 4631 confirmed its X-ray halo extending out to about 10 kpc from the galactic disk. The XIS spectra yielded the temperature and metal abundance for the disk and the halo regions. The observed abundance pattern for O, Ne, Mg, Si and Fe is consistent with the metal yield from type II supernovae, with an O mass of about 1E6 Msun contained in the halo. These features imply that metal-rich gas produced by type II supernova is brought into the halo region very effectively, most likely through a galactic wind. Temperature and metal abundance may be …
We investigate the electron temperature of the inner halo and nebular core regions of NGC 6543, using archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) images taken through narrow band [O III] filters. Balick et al. (2001) showed that the inner halo consists of a number of spherical shells. We find the temperature of this inner halo to be much higher (~15000 K) than that of the bright core nebula (~8500 K). Photo-ionization models indicate that hardening of the UV radiation from the central star cannot be the main source of the higher temperature in the halo region. U…
Using long exposures taken in the V and I bands with a 4096$\times$4096 pixel CCD array at the prime focus of the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, we have confirmed the discovery by Sackett et al. (1994) of a flat, faint luminous halo around the edge-on Sc galaxy NGC$\thinspace$5907. This halo is redder than the disk. Its nature is still an observational challenge. We suggest however that its color can only be accounted for by stars less massive than 0.8 $M_{\odot}$. Their total mass in NGC$\thinspace$5907 is very uncertain, but it might possibly account for the excess dynamical mass in this ga…
By using images from the HST/WFPC2/ACS archive, we have analyzed the spatial distribution of the AGB and RGB stars along the galactocentric radius of nearby spiral galaxies M~81, NGC 300 and NGC 55. Using color-magnitude diagrams and stellar luminosity functions, we gauge the stellar contents of the surroundings of three galaxies. The red giant population (RGB) identified at large galactocentric radii yields a distance of $3.85\pm0.08$ Mpc for M~81, $2.12\pm0.10$ Mpc for NGC 55, and $2.00\pm0.13$ Mpc for NGC 300, and a mean stellar metallicity of $-$0.65, $-$1.25, and $-$0.87. We find that the…
We investigate the outer halo globular cluster population of NGC 1399. This study uses wide-field imaging of this cluster system, which covers the largest area studied with CCD photometry until now. The cluster system of NGC 1399 is found to extend further than 100 kpc from the galaxy. A population of metal-rich, as well as metal-poor clusters has been identified at these large radii. At radii smaller than 55 kpc the specific frequency of the red cluster system remains constant, while that of the blue clusters increases proportional to $r^{0.8\pm0.2}$. For larger radii, the uncertainty of the …
Deep BV photometry for a large field covering the outer-halo globular cluster NGC 6229 is presented. For the first time, a colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) reaching below the main sequence turnoff has been obtained for this cluster. Previous results regarding the overall morphology of the horizontal and giant branches are confirmed. In addition, nine possible extreme horizontal-branch stars have been identified in our deep images, as well as thirty-three candidate blue stragglers. We also find the latter to be more centrally concentrated than subgiant branch stars covering the same range in V ma…
NGC 5128, a giant elliptical galaxy only $\sim 4$ Mpc away, is the dominant member of a galaxy group of over 80 probable members. The Centaurus group provides an excellent sample for a kinematic comparison between the halo of NGC 5128 and its surrounding satellite galaxies. A new study, presented here, shows no kinematic difference in rotation amplitude, rotation axis, and velocity dispersion between the halo of NGC 5128, determined from over $\sim340$ of its globular clusters, and those of the Centaurus group as a whole. These results suggest NGC 5128 could be behaving in part as the inner co…
Recent {\it Hubble Space Telescope} photometry in the nearby elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 shows that its halo field star population is dominated by moderately metal-rich stars, with a peak at [m/H] $\simeq$ -0.4 and with a very small fraction of metal-poor ([m/H] $<$ -1.0) stars. In order to investigate the physical processes which may have produced this metallicity distribution function (MDF), we consider a model in which NGC 5128 is formed by merging of two major spiral galaxies. We find that the halo of an elliptical formed this way is predominantly populated by moderately metal-rich stars wi…
Spatial and spectral analysis of deep ROSAT HRI and PSPC observations of the near edge-on starburst galaxy NGC 253 reveal diffuse soft X-ray emission, which contributes 80% to its total X-ray luminosity (L$_{\rm X} = 5 10^{39}$ \ergsec, corrected for foreground absorption). The nuclear area, disk, and halo contribution to the luminosity is about equal. The starburst nucleus itself is highly absorbed and not visible in the ROSAT band. We describe in detail spectra and morphology of the emission from the nuclear area, disk and halo and compare our results to observations at other wavelengths and…
We present new HST/WFPC2 (V,I) photometry for the red-giant stars in NGC 5128 at a projected distance of 8 kpc from the galaxy center, which probe a mixture of its inner halo and outer bulge. The color-magnitude diagram shows an old red-giant branch which is even broader in color than our two previously studied outer-halo fields (at 21 and 31 kpc), with significant numbers of stars extending to Solar metallicity and higher. The peak frequency of the metallicity distribution function (MDF) is at [m/H] ~ -0.4, with even fewer metal-poor stars than in the outer-halo fields. We find that the main …
We present HI observations of the edge-on galaxy NGC 891. These are among the deepest ever performed on an external galaxy. They reveal a huge gaseous halo, much more extended than seen previously and containing almost 30 % of the HI. This HI halo shows structures on various scales. On one side, there is a filament extending (in projection) up to 22 kpc vertically from the disk. Small (M_HI ~ 10^6 Msol) halo clouds, some with forbidden (apparently counter-rotating) velocities, are also detected. The overall kinematics of the halo gas is characterized by differential rotation lagging with respe…
In a previous paper (Olling 1995, astro-ph/9505002) a method was developed to determine the shapes of dark matter halos of spiral galaxies from an accurate determination of the rotation curve, the flaring of the gas layer and the velocity dispersion in the HI. Here I report the results for the almost edge-on Scd galaxy NGC 4244 (Olling 1996a,astro-ph/9605110; 1996b, astro-ph/9605111). The observed flaring of the HI beyond the optical disk puts significant constraints on the shape of the dark matter halo, which are almost independent of the stellar mass-to-light ratio. NGC 4244's dark matter ha…
We present a 60 ks Chandra ACIS-S observation of the isolated edge-on spiral NGC 3556, together with a multiwavelength analysis of various discrete X-ray sources and diffuse X-ray features. Among 33 discrete X-ray sources detected within the I_B = 25 mag per square arcsec isophote ellipse of the galaxy, we identify a candidate for the galactic nucleus, an ultraluminous X-ray source that might be an accreting intermediate-mass black hole, a possible X-ray binary with a radio counterpart, and two radio-bright giant HII regions. We detect large amounts of extraplanar diffuse X-ray emission, which…
Kinematics and photometry of the polar ring galaxy NGC 4650A, including new observations of the rotation and velocity dispersion of its central stellar disk, are used to infer the presence of a dark matter halo and to measure its shape. Fits to the observed disk and polar ring rotation curves from detailed mass and photometric modeling rule out a spherical dark halo. The best fit models have halos with isodensity surfaces that are flattened to a shape between E6 and E7 (axis ratios between 0.4 and 0.3); the asymptotic equatorial speeds of these models are in excellent agreement with the I-band…
We report the detection of upper main sequence stars and red giant branch stars in the halo of an amorphous galaxy, NGC3077. The observations were made using Wide Field Planetary Camera~2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The red giant branch luminosity function in I-band shows a sudden discontinuity at I = 24.0 +- 0.1 mag. Identifying this with the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB), and adopting the calibration provided by Lee, Freedman, & Madore (1993) and the foreground extinction of A_B = 0.21 mag, we obtain a distance modulus of (m-M)_0 = 27.93 +- 0.14(random) +- 0.16(sys). This value…
VLA HI observations of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 2188 show that the gas and stars have spatial distributions which are substantially different. One end of the optical disk is strongly gas deficient, while neutral gas extends into the halo over distances of more than 2 kpc from the midplane. This and the peculiar velocity field suggest that NGC 2188 is a perturbed system, although it is not obviously an interacting galaxy. In addition, NGC 2188 is remarkable for its interstellar disk-halo connection. An Halpha image of NGC 2188 shows the presence of spectacular features of ionized gas exte…
We present high and moderate spectral resolution spectroscopy of diffuse ionized gas (DIG) emission in the halo of NGC 891. The data were obtained with the SparsePak integral field unit at the WIYN Observatory. The wavelength coverage includes the [NII]6548,6583, Halpha, and [SII]6716,6731 emission lines. Position-velocity (PV) diagrams, constructed using spectra extracted from four SparsePak pointings in the halo, are used to examine the kinematics of the DIG. Using two independent methods, a vertical gradient in azimuthal velocity is found to be present in the northeast quadrant of the halo,…
We present line-of-sight stellar velocity distributions of elliptical galaxy NGC 821 obtained to approximately 100 arcsec (over 2 effective radii) with long-slit spectroscopy from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Our measured stellar line-of-sight velocity distributions are larger than the planetary nebulae measurements at similar radii. We fit axisymmetric orbit-superposition models with a range of dark halo density profiles, including two-dimensional kinematics at smaller radii from SAURON data. Within our assumptions, the best-fitted model gives a total enclosed mass of 2.0x10^11 M_sun within 10…
We have used the ACS camera on HST to obtain (V,I) photometry for 5300 red-giant stars in the halo of the dominant Leo-group member NGC 3379, a galaxy usually regarded as a classic normal giant elliptical. We use this sample of stars to derive the metallicity distribution function (MDF) for its outer-halo field stars 33 kpc from the galaxy center. The MDF is distinctly unlike all the other E galaxies for which we have similar data (including the Local Group dwarf ellipticals, the intermediate-luminosity NGC 3377, and the giant NGC 5128). First, the MDF for the NGC 3379 outer halo is broad and …
We report the discovery of three new star clusters in the halo of the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. These clusters were found in the deep images taken with the MegaPrime at the CFHT, covering a total field of 2 deg x 2 deg. The most remote cluster is found to be located as far as 79 arcmin away from the center of NGC 6822. This distance is several times larger than the size of the region in NGC 6822 where star clusters were previously found. Morphological structures of the clusters and color-magnitude diagrams of the resolved stars in the clusters show that at least two of these…
We report a dynamical determination of the separate contributions of disk and dark halo masses to the rotation curve of a spiral galaxy. We use fluid-dynamical models of gas flow in the barred galaxy NGC 4123 to constrain the dynamical properties of the galaxy: disk M/L, bar pattern speed, and the central density and scale radius of the dark halo. We derive a realistic barred potential directly from the light distribution. For each model we assume a value of the stellar M/L and a bar pattern speed Omega_p and add a dark halo to fit the rotation curve. We then compute the gas flow velocities wi…
We report the results of the spatial and spectral analysis of the ROSAT HRI and PSPC observations of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 3079. We detected several sources in the field of NGC 3079 with both PSPC and HRI, and complex emission from the inner 5' around NGC 3079. We have identified possible counterparts for several of the sources outside NGC 3079 by comparison with optical plates and catalogues. The X-ray emission from NGC 3079 has a Lx = 3E40 erg/sec and can be resolved into the following three components: (i) Extended emission in the innermost region, with Lx = 1E40 erg/sec, coincident…
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we resolve the red giant branch in the halo of the S0 galaxy NGC 3115. We measure magnitudes and $(V-I)$ colours for stars down to 1.5 magnitudes below the tip of the red giant branch. From the brightest stars we estimate a distance modulus $(m-M)_0=30.21 \pm 0.30$, corresponding to a distance of $11.0 \pm 1.5$ Mpc. This is in excellent agreement with the value $(m-M)_0=30.17 \pm 0.13$ determined from the planetary nebula luminosity function. Our results rule out the shorter distance modulus $(m-M)_0=29.65$ determined from surface brightness fluctuations. A hi…
In a previous paper (Paper I) a method was developed to determine the shapes of dark matter halos of spiral galaxies from the flaring and velocity dispersion of the gas layer. Here I present the results for the almost edge-on Scd galaxy NGC 4244 (Paper II Paper III) and preliminary results for the Milky Way. NGC 4244's dark matter halo is found to be highly flattened with a shortest-to-longest axis ratio of 0.2 +0.3-0.1. If the dark matter is disk-like, the vertical velocity dispersion of the dark matter must be ~20% larger than the measured tangential dispersion in the HI. The flaring of the …
We present the preliminary detection of a stellar halo in the nearby, edge-on galaxy, NGC 4244. Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS), we have examined number counts of red giant branch (RGB) stars along the minor axis of the galaxy out to 10 kpc, with a limiting surface brightness of mu_R ~ 31 mag/arcsec^2. At distances more than 2.5 kpc above the disk, a second stellar component is clearly visible. This component is well fit by either an exponential or a power law. The best-fit exponential scale height is similar to the scale length of the galaxy …
This study presents first results from an X-ray mini-survey carried out with XMM-Newton to investigate the diffuse Hot Ionized Medium in the halos of nine nearby star-forming edge-on spiral galaxies. Diffuse gaseous X-ray halos are detected in eight of our targets, covering a wide range of star formation rates from quiescent to starburst cases. For four edge-on spiral galaxies, namely NGC3044, NGC3221, NGC4634, and NGC5775, we present the first published high resolution/sensitivity detections of extended soft X-ray halos. EPIC X-ray contour maps overlaid onto Halpha imaging data reveals that i…
We report the results of a deep spatial, spectral, and timing analysis of ROSAT HRI and PSPC observations of the edge-on starburst galaxy NGC 253. In this first paper, point-like X-ray sources detected within the galaxy and in the field are discussed. In total, 73 X-ray sources have been collected in the NGC 253 field, 32 of which are associated with the disk of the galaxy. Though 27 of these disk sources are detected with the HRI (some being resolvable with the PSPC), the remaining 5 PSPC-only detected sources are likely not to be real point sources, being instead due to fluctuations within t…
We present spectroscopic data of ionized gas in the disk--halo regions of three edge-on galaxies, NGC 891, NGC 4631 and NGC 3079, covering a wavelength range from [\ion{O}{2}] $λ$3727Åto [\ion{S}{2}] $λ$6716.4Å. The inclusion of the [\ion{O}{2}] emission provides new constraints on the properties of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG), in particular, the origin of the observed spatial variations in the line intensity ratios. We used three different methods to derive electron temperatures, abundances and ionization fractions along the slit. The increase in the [\ion{O}{2}]/H$α$ line ratio towards the…
The presence of unseen halos of ``dark matter'' has long been inferred from the high rotation speeds of gas and stars in the outer parts of spiral galaxies$^{1}$. The volume density of this dark matter decreases less quickly from the galactic center than does that of the luminous mass (such as that in stars), meaning that the dark matter dominates the mass far from the center$^{1,2}$. While searching for faint starlight away from the plane of the edge-on disk galaxy \gal$^{3}$, we have found that the galaxy is surrounded by a faint luminous halo. The intensity of light from this halo falls les…
XMM-Newton observations of the starburst galaxy NGC 1511 reveal the presence of a previously unknown extended hot gaseous phase of its ISM, which partly extends out of the disk plane. The emission distribution is asymmetric, being brightest in the eastern half of the galaxy, where also radio continuum observations suggest the highest level of star formation. Spectral analysis of the integral 0.2-12 keV X-ray emission from NGC 1511 indicates a complex emission composition. A model comprising a power law plus thermal plasma component, both absorbed by foreground gas, cannot explain all details o…
Studies of the kinematics of gaseous halos in some spiral galaxies have shown that the rotational velocity of the gas decreases with height above the midplane (z). This vertical velocity gradient has been observed in both the neutral and ionized components of halos. We present imaging Fabry-Perot Halpha observations of the edge-on galaxy NGC 5775. These observations allow us to study the variation in the rotation curve (and, to some extent, the radial profile) of the ionized gas component as a function of z. We have used an iterative technique to infer the major axis rotation curve from the io…
We analyse long-slit spectra of four early-type galaxies which extend from ~1 to ~3 effective radii: IC1459, IC3370, NGC3379 and NGC4105. We have extracted the full line-of-sight velocity distribution (in the case of NGC3379 we also used data from the literature) which we model using the two-integral approach. Using two-integral modelling we find no strong evidence for dark haloes, but the fits suggest that three-integral modelling is necessary. We also find that the inferred constant mass-to-light ratio in all four cases is typical for early-type galaxies. Finally, we also discuss the constra…
Two well studied dwarf galaxies -- NGC 3109 and NGC 6822 -- present some of the strongest observational support for a flat core at the center of galactic dark matter (DM) halos. We use detailed cosmologically motivated numerical models to investigate the systematics and the accuracy of recovering parameters of the galaxies. Some of our models match the observed structure of the two galaxies remarkably well. Our analysis shows that the rotation curves of these two galaxies are instead quite compatible with their DM halos having steep cuspy density profiles. The rotation curves in our models are…
We present key results from deep spectra of the Diffuse Ionized Gas (DIG) halo of the edge-on galaxy NGC 5775. [NII]6583 has been detected up to about z=13 kpc above the plane in one of two vertically oriented long slits -- making this the spiral galaxy with the greatest spectroscopically detected halo extent in emission. Key diagnostic line ratios have been measured up to about z=8 kpc, allowing the source of ionization and physical state to be probed. Ionization by a dilute radiation field from massive stars in the disk can explain some of the line ratio behavior, but departures from this pi…
We have obtained V and I-band photometry for about 17500 stars in the field of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC3109, located in the outskirts of the Local Group. The photometry allows us to study the stellar populations present inside and outside the disk of this galaxy. From the VI color-magnitude diagram we infer metallicities and ages for the stellar populations in the main body and in the halo of NGC3109. The stars in the disk of this galaxy have a wide variety of ages, including very young stars with approximately 10^7 yr. Our main result is to establish the presence of a halo consisting of…
In a previous paper (Olling 1995, \aj, 110, 591; astro-ph/9505002) a method was developed to determine the shapes of dark matter halos of spiral galaxies from an accurate determination of the rotation curve, the flaring of the gas layer and the velocity dispersion in the HI. Here this method is applied to the almost edge-on Scd galaxy NGC 4244 for which the necessary parameters are determined in the accompanying paper (AJ, Aug. 1996; astro-ph/9605110). The observed flaring of the HI beyond the optical disk puts significant constraints on the shape of the dark matter halo, which are almost inde…
We present HI observations of the elliptical galaxy NGC 2974, obtained with the Very Large Array. These observations reveal that the previously detected HI disc in this galaxy (Kim et al. 1988) is in fact a ring. By studying the harmonic expansion of the velocity field along the ring, we constrain the elongation of the halo and find that the underlying gravitational potential is consistent with an axisymmetric shape. We construct mass models of NGC 2974 by combining the HI rotation curve with the central kinematics of the ionised gas, obtained with the integral-field spectrograph SAURON. We in…
To better understand diffuse ionized gas kinematics and halo rotation in spiral galaxies, we have developed a model in which clouds are ejected from the disk and follow ballistic trajectories through the halo. The behavior of clouds in this model has been investigated thoroughly through a parameter space search and a study of individual cloud orbits. Synthetic velocity profiles have been generated in z (height above the plane) from the models for the purpose of comparing with velocity centroid data from previously obtained long-slit spectra of the edge-on spirals NGC 891 (one slit) and NGC 577…
