In order to understand the cosmic ray propagation mechanism in galaxies, and its correlation with the sites of star formation, we compare the spatially resolved radio spectral index of three spiral galaxies with their IR distribution. We present new low-frequency radio continuum observations of the galaxies NGC 0628, NGC 3627, and NGC 7331, taken at 327 MHz with the Very Large Array. We complemented our data set with sensitive archival observations at 1.4 GHz and we studied the variations of the radio spectral index within the disks of these spiral galaxies. We also compared the spectral index distribution and the IR distribution, using 70 $μ$m Spitzer observations. We found that in these galaxies the non-thermal spectral index is anticorrelated with the radio brightness. Bright regions, like the bar in NGC 3627 or the circumnuclear region in NGC 7331, are characterized by a flatter spectrum with respect to the underlying disk. Therefore, a systematic steepening of the spectral index with the increasing distance from the center of these galaxies is observed. Furthermore, by comparing the radio images with the 70 $μ$m images of the Spitzer satellite we found that a similar anticorrelation exists between the radio spectral index and the infrared brightness, as expected on the basis of the local correlation between the radio continuum and the infrared emission. Our results support the idea that in regions of intense star formation the electron diffusion must be efficient. The observed anticorrelation between radio brightness and spectral index, may imply that the cosmic ray density and the magnetic field strength are significantly higher in these regions than in their surroundings.
Molecular Gas of the Most Massive Spiral Galaxies I: a Case Study of NGC 5908
本文介绍了从CGM-MASS样品中选取的大质量旋涡星系NGC 5908的CO及其同位素的IRAM 30 m分子谱线观测结果。$^{12}$ CO $J=1-0$、$^{12}$ CO $J=2-1$和$^{13}$ CO $J=1-0$谱线在银河系盘的大多数位置都被探测到。NGC 5908的总分子气体质量是$\sim7\times10^9\rm~M_\odot$，加上原子氢的总冷气质量是$\sim1.3\times10^{10}\rm~M_\odot$，相当于晕中X射线发射热气的质量上限。用所有三条CO线构建的旋转曲线模型表明，NGC 5908的暗物质晕质量为$M_{\rm vir}\sim10^{13}\rm~M_{\rm \odot}$，使其成为最大质量的孤立螺旋星系之一。$^{12}$ CO/ $^{13}$ CO $J=1-0$、$^{12}$ CO $J=2-1$ / $J=1-0$的线比和估计的分子气体温度都表明在这个相当富含气体的大质量孤立螺旋星系中有正常但不可忽略的恒星形成，与测量的恒星形成强度和表面密度一致。该星系可能处于早期演化阶段，经过合并和/或星爆的快速增长阶段，有大量剩余的冷气体，相对较高的SFR，低的热CGM冷却速率和低的X射线发射率。
Hydrodynamical Simulations of the Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1097
NGC 1097是附近的一个棒旋星系，据信正在与位于其西北部的椭圆星系NGC 1097 A相互作用。它拥有一个塞弗特1核，周围环绕着一个星暴环。两条笔直的尘埃带连接到环上，几乎连续不断地延伸到酒吧。尘埃带的另一端连接到两个主旋臂上。为了对其结构和运动学特性提供物理理解，进行了二维流体动力学模拟。数值计算表明，气体的形态和运动学的许多功能可以重现提供的气体流量是由一个缓慢旋转的强酒吧相关的重力势。在计算中考虑了气体盘的自引力，我们发现星暴环是引力不稳定的，这与\citet{hsieh11}的观测结果是一致的。我们的模拟表明，气体流入率为0.17 M $_\sun$年$^{-1}$到该地区内的星暴环，即使在其形成后，导致核环和环核盘的共存。
