Two selected regions in the molecular gas spiral arms in M51 were mapped with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) mm-interferometer in the 12CO(2-1), 13CO(1-0), C18O(1-0), HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) emission lines. The CO data have been combined with the 12CO(1-0) data from Aalto et al. (1999) covering the central 3.5kpc to study the physical properties of the molecular gas. All CO data cubes were short spacing corrected using IRAM 30m (12CO(1-0): NRO 45m) single dish data. A large velocity gradient (LVG) analysis finds that the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are similar to Galactic GMCs when studied at 180pc (120pc) resolution with an average kinetic temperature of T_kin = 20(16)K and H_2 density of n(H_2) = 120(240)cm^(-3) when assuming virialized clouds (a constant velocity gradient dv/dr. The associated conversion factor between H_2 mass and CO luminosity is close to the Galactic value for most regions analyzed. Our findings suggest that the GMC population in the spiral arms of M51 is similar to those of the Milky Way and therefore the strong star formation occurring in the spiral arms has no strong impact on the molecular gas in the spiral arms. Extinction inferred from the derived H_2 column density is very high (A_V about 15 - 30 mag), about a factor of 5-10 higher than the average value derived toward HII regions. Thus a significant fraction of the ongoing star formation could be hidden inside the dust lanes of the spiral arms. A comparison of MIPS 24um and H_alpha data, however, suggests that this is not the case and most of the GMCs studied here are not (yet) forming stars. We also present low (4.5") resolution OVRO maps of the HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) emission at the location of the brightest 12CO(1-0) peak.
With the use of a background Milky-Way-like potential model, we performed stellar orbital and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. As a first experiment, we studied the gaseous response to a bisymmetric spiral arm potential: the widely employed cosine potential model and a self-gravitating tridimensional density distribution based model called PERLAS. Important differences are noticeable in these simulations, while the simplified cosine potential produces two spiral arms for all cases, the more realistic density based model produces a response of four spiral arms on the gaseous disk, except …
We report the existence of spiral arms in the recently formed gaseous and dusty disk of the closest giant elliptical, NGC 5128 (Centaurus A), using high resolution 12CO(2-1) observations of the central 3 arcmin (3 kpc) obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). This provides evidence that spiral-like features can develop within ellipticals if enough cold gas exists. We elucidate the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in this region with a resolution of 4.4 x 1.9 (80 pc x 40 pc). The spiral arms extend from the circumnuclear gas at a radius of 200 pc to at least 1 kiloparsec. Th…
Making use of a set of detailed potential models for normal spiral galaxies, we analyze the disk stellar orbital dynamics as the structural and dynamical parameters of the spiral arms (mass, pattern speed and pitch angle) are gradually modified. With this comprehensive study of ordered and chaotic behavior, we constructed an assemblage of orbitally supported galactic models and plausible parameters for orbitally self-consistent spiral arms models. We find that, to maintain orbital support for the spiral arms, the spiral arm mass, M$_{sp}$, must decrease with the increase of the pitch angle, $i…
Context. Observations of polarized radio emission show that large-scale (regular) magnetic fields in spiral galaxies are not axisymmetric, but generally stronger in interarm regions. In some nearby galaxies such as NGC 6946 they are organized in narrow magnetic arms situated between the material spiral arms. Aims. The phenomenon of magnetic arms and their relation to the optical spiral arms (the material arms) call for an explanation in the framework of galactic dynamo theory. Several possibilities have been suggested but are not completely satisfactory; here we attempt a consistent investigat…
One of the scenarios for the formation of grand-design spiral arms in disky galaxies involves their interactions with a satellite or another galaxy. Here we consider another possibility, where the perturbation is instead due to the potential of a galaxy cluster. Using $N$-body simulations we investigate the formation and evolution of spiral arms in a Milky Way-like galaxy orbiting a Virgo-like cluster. The galaxy is placed on a few orbits of different size but similar eccentricity and its evolution is followed for 10 Gyr. The tidally induced, two-armed, approximately logarithmic spiral structu…
We review Foyle et al. (2011) previous results, by applying a Fourier intensity phases method to a nine object sample of galaxies. It was found that two of the objects (NGC 628 and NGC 5194), with strong two-arm patterns, present positive evidence for long-lived spirals. Only one of the objects (NGC 3627) shows the contrary evidence. As determined by an analysis of resolved mass maps, the rest of the objects can not be included in the analysis because they belong to flocculent and multi-arm type of spiral arms, which are not described by density wave theory.
The causes of spiral structure in galaxies remain uncertain. Leaving aside the grand bisymmetric spirals with their own well-known complications, here we consider the possibility that multi-armed spiral features originate from density inhomogeneities orbiting within disks. Using high-resolution N-body simulations, we follow the motions of stars under the influence of gravity, and show that mass concentrations with properties similar to those of giant molecular clouds can induce the development of spiral arms through a process termed swing amplification. However, unlike in earlier work, we demo…
Interfering two- and three-arm spiral patterns have previously been inferred to exist in many galaxies and also in numerical simulations, and invoked to explain important dynamical properties, such as lack of symmetry, kinks in spiral arms, and star formation in armlets. The non-axisymmetric galactic mean-field dynamo model of Chamandy et al. is generalized to allow for such multiple co-existing spiral patterns in the kinetic alpha_k effect, leading to the existence of magnetic spiral arms in the large-scale magnetic field with several new properties. The large-scale magnetic field produced by…
According to one version of the recently proposed "manifold" theory that explains the origin of spirals and rings in relation to chaotic orbits, galaxies with stronger bars should have a higher spiral arms pitch angle when compared to galaxies with weaker bars. A sub-sample of barred-spiral galaxies in the Ohio State University Bright Galaxy Survey, was used to analyze the spiral arms pitch angle. These were compared with bar strengths taken from the literature. It was found that the galaxies in which the spiral arms maintain a logarithmic shape for more than 70$\degr$ seem to corroborate the …
We consider the possible pattern of the overall spiral structure of the Galaxy, using data on the distribution of neutral (atomic), molecular, and ionized hydrogen, on the base of the hypothesis of the spiral structure being symmetric, i.e. the assumption that spiral arms are translated into each other for a rotation around the galactic center by 180° (a two-arm pattern) or by 90° (a four-arm pattern). We demonstrate that, for the inner region, the observations are best represented with a four-arm scheme of the spiral pattern, associated with all-Galaxy spiral density waves. The basic position…
Based on integral field spectroscopy data from the CALIFA survey, we investigate the possible dependence of spiral arm pitch angle with optical wavelength. For three of the five studied objects, the pitch angle gradually increases at longer wavelengths. This is not the case for two objects where the pitch angle remains constant. This result is confirmed by the analysis of SDSS data. We discuss the possible physical mechanisms to explain this phenomenon, as well as the implications of the results.
In order to understand the physical mechanisms underlying non-steady stellar spiral arms in disk galaxies, we analyzed the growing and damping phases of their spiral arms using three-dimensional $N$-body simulations. We confirmed that the spiral arms are formed due to a swing amplification mechanism that reinforces density enhancement as a seeded wake. In the damping phase, the Coriolis force exerted on a portion of the arm surpasses the gravitational force that acts to shrink the portion. Consequently, the stars in the portion escape from the arm, and subsequently they form a new arm at a dif…
We discuss the properties of spiral arms in a N-body simulation of a barred galaxy and present evidence that these are manifold-driven. The strongest evidence comes from following the trajectories of individual particles. Indeed, these move along the arms while spreading out a little. In the neighbourhood of the Lagrangian points they follow a variety of paths, as expected by manifold-driven trajectories. Further evidence comes from the properties of the arms themselves, such as their shape and growth pattern. The shape of the manifold arms changes considerably with time, as expected from the …
The diverse nature of spiral arms in the Auriga Superstars cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
Liverpool John Moores University（利物浦约翰摩尔斯大学）；Durham University（杜伦大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）；Universidad de La Serena（拉塞雷纳大学）；Cardiff University（卡迪夫大学）；Universität Zürich（苏黎世大学）
We run N-body smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of a Milky Way sized galaxy. The code takes into account hydrodynamics, self-gravity, star formation, supernova and stellar wind feedback, radiative cooling and metal enrichment. The simulated galaxy is a barred-spiral galaxy consisting of a stellar and gas disc, enveloped in a static dark matter halo. Similar to what is found in our pure N-body simulation of a non-barred galaxy in Grand et. al. (2012), we find that the spiral arms are transient features whose pattern speeds decrease with radius, in such a way that the pattern spe…
By means of simple dynamical experiments we study the combined effect of gravitational and gas dynamics in the evolution of an initially out-of-equilibrium, uniform and rotating massive over-density thought of as in isolation. The rapid variation of the system mean-field potential makes the point like particles (PPs), which interact only via Newtonian gravity, form a quasistationary thick disk dominated by rotational motions surrounded by far out-of-equilibrium spiral arms. On the other side, the gas component is subjected to compression shocks and radiative cooling so as to develop a much fla…
We report measurements of geometric offsets between gas spiral arms and associated star forming regions in the grand-design spiral galaxy M51. These offsets are a suggested measure of the star formation timescale after the compression of gas at spiral arm entry. A surprising discrepancy, by an order of magnitude, has been reported in recent offset measurements in nearby spiral galaxies. Measurements using CO and H-alpha emission find large and ordered offsets in M51. On the contrary, small or non-ordered offsets have been found using the HI 21cm and 24 micron emissions, possible evidence again…
For a long time the consensus has been that star formation rates are higher in the interior of spiral arms in galaxies, compared to inter-arm regions. However, recent studies have found that the star formation inside the arms is not more efficient than elsewhere in the galaxy. Previous studies have based their conclusion mainly on integrated light. We use resolved stellar populations to investigate the star formation rates throughout the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 5236. We aim to investigate how the star formation rate varies in the spiral arms compared to the inter-arm regions, using optical sp…
We investigate the relationship between spiral arms and star formation in the grand-design spirals NGC 5194 and NGC 628 and in the flocculent spiral NGC 6946. Filtered maps of near-IR (3.6 micron) emission allow us to identify "arm regions" that should correspond to regions of stellar mass density enhancements. The two grand-design spirals show a clear two-armed structure, while NGC 6946 is more complex. We examine these arm and interarm regions, looking at maps that trace recent star formation - far-ultraviolet (GALEX NGS) and 24 micron emission (Spitzer, SINGS) - and cold gas - CO (Heracles)…
The relation is studied between occurrence of a regular chain of star complexes and superclouds in a spiral arm, and other properties of the latter. A regular string of star complexes is located in the north-western arm of M31; they have about the same size 0.6 kpc with spacing of 1.1 kpc. Within the same arm segment the regular magnetic field with the wavelength of 2.3 kpc was found by Beck et al. (1989). We noted that this wavelength is twice as large as the spacing between complexes and suggested that they were formed in result of magneto-gravitational instability developed along the arm. I…
