We carried out a survey of low-surface-brightness companions around nine luminous Local Volume galaxies using long exposures with small amateur telescopes. We found 12 low- and very low-surface-brightness objects around the galaxies: NGC 628, NGC 2337, NGC 3368, NGC 3521, NGC 4236, NGC 4258, NGC 4594, NGC 5055, and NGC 6744 situated within 12 Mpc from us. Assuming the dwarf candidates are satellites of the neighbouring massive galaxies, their absolute B magnitudes are in the range of [-8.9, -13.0], linear diameters are [0.6 - 2.7] kpc, and the mean surface brightnesses are [25.1 - 27.5] mag/sq.arecsec. The mean linear projected separation of satellite candidates from the host galaxies is 83 kpc.
We use images from the Hubble Space Telescope to determine the distances to a dozen objects with low surface brightness recently observed around the bright nearby spiral M101. Only two dwarf galaxies, M101-DwA and M101-Dw9, turn out to be actual satellites of M101 at distances of about 7 Mpc. The other objects are probably members of a distant group around the S0-galaxies NGC 5485/5473. Based on the radial velocities and projected separations of the 9 satellites, we obtain an estimate of $(8.5\pm3.0)\times 10^{11} M_{\odot}$ for the total mass of M101, which is consistent with a ratio $16\pm6$…
We undertook a search for new dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of relatively isolated nearby galaxies with distances $D < 12$ Mpc and stellar masses in the $2\times10^{11}-3\times10^8~M_{\odot}$ interval, using the data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. Around the 46 considered Local Volume galaxies, $67$ new candidates for satellites of these galaxies were found. About half of them are classified as spheroidal dwarfs of low surface brightness. The new galaxies are included in the Local Volume database (LVGDB), which now contains 1421 objects, being 63% more than the Updated Nearby Galaxy Ca…
We present deep H-band surface photometry and analysis of 40 Local Volume galaxies, a sample primarily composed of dwarf irregulars in the Cen A group, obtained using the IRIS2 detector at the 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope. We probe to a surface brightness of ~25 mag arcsec$^{-2}$, reaching a 40 times lower stellar density than the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Employing extremely careful and rigorous cleaning techniques to remove contaminating sources, we perform surface photometry on 33 detected galaxies deriving the observed total magnitude, effective surface brightness and best fitt…
We review observational data about a sample of Local Volume objects containing about 1000 galaxies within 11 Mpc of the Milky Way. Dwarf galaxies with stellar masses $M_*/M_{\odot} < 9$ dex make up 5/6 of the sample. Almost 40% of them have their distances measured with high precision using the Hubble Space Telescope. Currently, the LV is the most representative and least selection-affected sample of dwarf galaxies suitable for testing the standard $Λ$CDM paradigm at the shortest cosmological scales. We discuss the H II properties of dwarf galaxies in different environments and the star format…
Half-dozen of extreme representatives of void dwarf galaxy population were found in our study of evolutionary status of a hundred galaxies in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. They are very gas-rich, extremely low-metallicity [7.0 < 12+log(O/H)< ~7.3] objects, with blue colours of outer parts. The colours indicate the ages of the oldest visible stellar population of one to a few Gyr. They all are intrinsically faint, mostly Low Surface Brightness dwarfs, with M_B range of -9.5 to -14 mag. Thus, their finding is a subject of the severe observational selection. The recent advancement in search for su…
We report iron and titanium abundance measurements from high resolution spectra in a volume-limited sample of 106 M0 and M0.5 dwarf stars. The sample includes stars north of the celestial equator and closer than 29 parsecs. The results imply that there is an M dwarf problem similar to the previously known G dwarf problem, in that the fraction of low-metallicity M dwarfs is not large enough to fit simple closed-box models of Galactic chemical evolution. This volume-limited sample avoids many of the statistical uncertainties present in a previous study using a brightness-limited sample of M dwar…
In this paper, we introduce the Local Volume TiNy Titans sample (LV-TNT), which is a part of a larger body of work on interacting dwarf galaxies: TNT (Stierwalt et al. 2015). This LV-TNT sample consists of 10 dwarf galaxy pairs in the Local Universe (< 30 Mpc from Milky Way), which span mass ratios of M_(*,1)/M_(*,2) < 20, projected separations < 100 kpc, and pair member masses of log(M_*/M_Sun) < 9.9. All 10 LV-TNT pairs have resolved synthesis maps of their neutral hydrogen, are located in a range of environments and captured at various interaction stages. This enables us to do a comparative…
In the last decades, extended old stellar clusters have been observed. These extended objects cover a large range in masses, from extended clusters or faint fuzzies to ultra compact dwarf galaxies. It has been demonstrated that these extended objects can be the result of the merging of star clusters in cluster complexes (small regions in which dozens to hundreds of star clusters form). This formation channel is called the `Merging Star Cluster Scenario'. This work tries to explain the formation of compact ellipticals in the same theoretical framework. Compact ellipticals are a comparatively ra…
We report five Local Volume dwarf galaxies (two of which are presented here for the first time) uncovered during a comprehensive archival search for optical counterparts to ultra-compact high velocity clouds (UCHVCs). The UCHVC population of HI clouds are thought to be candidate gas-rich, low mass halos at the edge of the Local Group and beyond, but no comprehensive search for stellar counterparts to these systems has been presented. Careful visual inspection of all publicly available optical and ultraviolet imaging at the position of the UCHVCs revealed six blue, diffuse counterparts with a m…
We report the discovery of two dwarf galaxies, Pisces A and B, from a blind 21 cm HI search. These were the only two galaxies found via optical imaging and spectroscopy of 22 HI clouds identified in the GALFA-HI survey as dwarf galaxy candidates. They have properties consistent with being in the Local Volume ($<10$ Mpc), and one has resolved stellar populations such that it may be on the outer edge of the Local Group ($\sim 1 \, {\rm Mpc}$ from M31). While the distance uncertainty makes interpretation ambiguous, these may be among the faintest starforming galaxies known. Additionally, rough es…
We present the final results of the Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) Survey, a survey of the dwarf satellites of a nearly volume-limited sample of Milky Way (MW)-like hosts in the Local Volume. Hosts are selected simply via a cut in luminosity ($M_{K_s}<-22.1$ mag) and distance ($D<12$ Mpc). We have cataloged the satellites of 25 of the 31 such hosts, with another five taken from the literature. All hosts are surveyed out to at least 150 projected kpc ($\sim R_\mathrm{vir}/2$) with the majority surveyed to 300 kpc ($\sim R_\mathrm{vir}$). Satellites are detected using a consisten…
A faint dwarf irregular galaxy has been discovered in the HST/ACS field of LV J1157+5638. The galaxy is resolved into individual stars, including the brightest magnitude of the red giant branch. The dwarf is very likely a physical satellite of LV J1157+5638.The distance modulus of LV J1157+5638 using the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) distance indicator is 29.82+-0.09 mag (D = 9.22+-0.38 Mpc). The TRGB distance modulus of LV J1157+5638 sat is 29.76+-0.11 mag (D = 8.95+-0.42 Mpc). The distances to the two galaxies are consistent within the uncertainties. The projected separation between the…
We report the discovery of Specter, a disrupted ultrafaint dwarf galaxy revealed by the H3 Spectroscopic Survey. We detected this structure via a pair of comoving metal-poor stars at a distance of 12.5 kpc, and further characterized it with Gaia astrometry and follow-up spectroscopy. Specter is a $25^\circ \times 1^\circ$ stream of stars that is entirely invisible until strict kinematic cuts are applied to remove the Galactic foreground. The spectroscopic members suggest a stellar age $τ\gtrsim 12$ Gyr and a mean metallicity $\langle\text{[Fe/H]}\rangle = -1.84_{-0.18}^{+0.16}$, with a signifi…
The abundance of satellite dwarf galaxies has long been considered a crucial test for the current model of cosmology leading to the well-known missing satellite problem. Recent advances in both simulations and observations have allowed to study dwarf galaxies around host galaxies in more detail. We have surveyed a 72 deg2 area of the nearby Sculptor group using the Dark Energy Camera - also encompassing the two low-mass Local Volume galaxies NGC24 and NGC45 residing behind the group - to search for hitherto undetected dwarf galaxies. Apart from the previously known dwarf galaxies we have found…
The Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey (AGES) has detected a nearby HI source at a heliocentric velocity of +363 km/s . The object was detected through its neutral hydrogen emission and has an obvious possible optical counterpart in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data (though it does not have an optical redshift measurement). We discuss three possible scenarios for the object : 1) It is within the Local Group, in which case its HI properties are comparable with recently discovered ultra-compact high velocity clouds; 2) It is just behind the Local Group, in which case its optical characteristic…
We present observations of the dwarf galaxies GALFA Dw3 and GALFA Dw4 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These galaxies were initially discovered as optical counterparts to compact HI clouds in the GALFA survey. Both objects resolve into stellar populations which display an old red giant branch, younger helium burning, and massive main sequence stars. We use the tip of the red giant branch method to determine the distance to each galaxy, finding distances of 7.61$_{-0.29}^{+0.28}$ Mpc and 3.10$_{-0.17}^{+0.16}$ Mpc, respectively. With these distance…
Radial velocities measured with the 6-meter telescope are given for 5 faint dwarf galaxies. All of these galaxies are confirmed as very nearby objects. Two of them, KK135 (dIr) and UGC 1703 (dSph/dTr), are local isolated dwarfs, and the three others, UGCA 127sat (dIr), NGC 2683dw1 (dIr), and NGC891dwA (dTr), belong to companions of nearby massive spirals.
We used the $Hα$ images from a large sample of nearby late-type dwarf galaxies to investigate properties of their emission structure. The sample consists of three hundred galaxies of the irregular (Irr), Magellanic irregular (Im), blue compact dwarf (BCD), and transition (Tr) types situated within a distance of 11 Mpc. In each galaxy, we indicated: the number of compact HII-regions, the presence of bubble-like or filament-like structures, the presence of a faint diffuse emission, and a sign of the global burst. The larger luminosity of a galaxy, the greater number of compact HII-sources in it.…
Spatially resolved HI studies of dwarf galaxies have provided a wealth of precision data. However these high-quality, resolved observations are only possible for handful of dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume. Future HI surveys are unlikely to improve the current situation. We therefore explore a method for estimating the surface density of the atomic gas from global HI parameters, which are conversely widely available. We perform empirical tests using galaxies with resolved HI maps, and find that our approximation produces values for the surface density of atomic hydrogen within typically 0.5d…
In the last decades, much effort has been put into finding the star formation law which could unequivocally link the gas and the star formation rate (SFR) densities measured on sub-kiloparsec scale in star-forming galaxies. The conventional approach of using the observed surface densities to infer star formation laws has however revealed a major and well-known issue, as such relations are valid for the high-density regions of galaxies but break down in low-density and HI-dominated environments. Recently, an empirical correlation between the total gas (HI+H$_2$) and the star formation rate (SFR…
We have obtained deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging of four faint and ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidates in the vicinity of M101 - Dw21, Dw22, Dw23 and Dw35, originally discovered by Bennet et al. (2017). Previous distance estimates using the surface brightness fluctuation technique have suggested that these four dwarf candidates are the only remaining viable M101 satellites identified in ground based imaging out to the virial radius of M101 (D~250 kpc). Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of all four dwarf candidates shows no associated resolved stellar populations, indicating that th…
We present more results from a fully cosmological LCDM simulation of a group of isolated dwarf galaxies that has been shown to reproduce the observed stellar mass and cold gas content, resolved star formation histories, and metallicities of dwarfs in the Local Volume. Here we investigate the energetics and timetable of the cusp-core transformation. As suggested by previous work, supernova-driven gas outflows remove dark matter (DM) cusps and create kpc-size cores in all systems having a stellar mass above 1e6 Msun. The "DM core mass removal efficiency" -- dark mass ejected per unit stellar mas…
Star Formation Histories (SFHs) reveal physical processes that influence how galaxies form their stellar mass. We compare the SFHs of a sample of 36 nearby (D $\leq$ 4 Mpc) dwarf galaxies from the ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury (ANGST), inferred from the Color Magnitude Diagrams (CMDs) of individually resolved stars in these galaxies, with those reconstructed by broad-band Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting using the Dense Basis SED fitting code. When comparing individual SFHs, we introduce metrics for evaluating SFH reconstruction techniques. For both the SED and CMD methods, the m…
Ultracool dwarf stars and brown dwarfs provide a unique probe of large-scale Galactic structure and evolution; however, until recently spectroscopic samples of sufficient size, depth, and fidelity have been unavailable. Here, we present the identification of 164 M7--T9 ultracool dwarfs in 0.6~deg$^2$ of deep, low-resolution, near-infrared spectroscopic data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 instrument as part of the WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel Survey and the 3D-HST survey. We describe the methodology by which we isolate ultracool dwarf candidates from over 2…
We present our discovery and analysis of dwarf galaxies in the NGC 3585 galaxy group by the KMTNet Supernova Program. Using deep stack images reaching $\simeq$ 28 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in $BVI$, we discovered 46 dwarf galaxy candidates distributed in a 7 square degree field. The dwarf galaxy candidates exhibit central surface brightness as faint as $μ_{0,V} = 26.2$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$, with effective radii larger than 150 pc and total absolute magnitudes brighter than $M_V \approx -10$ mag, if at the distance of NGC 3585. The dwarf galaxy surface number density decreases with projected distance from…
We present initial results of a survey of host $L_{*}$ galaxies environments in the Local Volume ($D<10\,$Mpc) searching for satellite dwarf galaxy candidates using the wide-field Hyper Suprime-Cam imager on the 8m Subaru Telescope. The current paper presents complete results on NGC2683 ($M_{B_T,0}=-19.62$, $D=9.36\,Mpc$, $v_{\odot}=411\,km\,s^{-1}$), an isolated Sc spiral galaxy in the Leo Spur. At the distance of NGC2683, we image the complete volume out to projected radii of $380\,kpc$ using a hexagonal arrangement of 7 pointings. Direct inspection of the images is complete down to $M_{g}\s…
Dedicated HI surveys have recently led to a growing category of low-mass galaxies found in the Local Volume. We present synthesis imaging of one such galaxy, Pisces A, a low-mass dwarf originally confirmed via optical imaging and spectroscopy of neutral hydrogen (HI) sources in the Galactic Arecibo L-band Feed Array HI (GALFA-HI) survey. Using HI observations taken with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA), we characterize the kinematic structure of the gas and connect it to the galaxy's environment and evolutionary history. While the galaxy shows overall ordered rotation, a number of ki…
A Sample of Nearby Isolated Dwarf Galaxies: A First Look at the Mass Function of Field Dwarfs
Princeton University(普林斯顿大学);Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory(费米国家加速器实验室);Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago(芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙物理研究所);Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago(芝加哥大学天文学与天体物理学系);School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University(特拉维夫大学物理与天文学院)
A few dozen dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way have been discovered, which are often viewed as the remaining building blocks of our Galaxy. The follow-up spectroscopy showed that dwarf galaxies have a sizeable spread in their metallicities. Several scenarios were suggested to explain the metallicity spread, which can be tested by the structural patterns of stellar subpopulations with distinct metallicities. However, such chemical plus structural examination, to which we refer to as "chemostructural study" is hindered by the lack of stars with spectroscopic metallicity. Here we propose t…
We present the results of an extensive search for dwarf satellite galaxies around 10 primary host galaxies in the Local Volume (D$<$12 Mpc) using archival CFHT/MegaCam imaging data. The hosts span a wide range in properties, with stellar masses ranging from that of the LMC to ${\sim}3$ times that of the Milky Way (MW). The surveyed hosts are: NGC 1023, NGC 1156, NGC 2903, NGC 4258, NGC 4565, NGC 4631, NGC 5023, M51, M64, and M104. We detect satellite candidates using a consistent semi-automated detection algorithm that is optimized for the detection of low surface brightness objects. Depending…
The Milky Way is surrounded by dozens of ultra-faint (< $10^5$ solar luminosities) dwarf satellite galaxies. They are the surviving remnants of the earliest galaxies, as confirmed by their ancient (~13 billion years old) and chemically primitive stars. Simulations suggest that these systems formed within extended dark matter halos and experienced early galaxy mergers and supernova feedback. However, the signatures of these events would lie outside their core regions (>2 half-light radii), which are spectroscopically unstudied due to the sparseness of their distant stars. Here we identify membe…
Ultracool dwarfs represent a significant proportion of stars in the Milky Way,and deep samples of these sources have the potential to constrain the formation history and evolution of low-mass objects in the Galaxy. Until recently, spectral samples have been limited to the local volume (d<100 pc). Here, we analyze a sample of 164 spectroscopically-characterized ultracool dwarfs identified by Aganze et al. (2022) in the Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel (WISP) Survey and 3D-HST. We model the observed luminosity function using population simulations to place constraints …
We present the first HI spectral line images of the nearby, star-forming dwarf galaxies UGC11411 and UGC 8245, acquired as part of the "Observing for University Classes" program with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). These low-resolution images localize the HI gas and reveal the bulk kinematics of each system. Comparing with HST broadband and ground-based Hα imaging, we find that the ongoing star formation in each galaxy is associated with the highest HI mass surface density regions. UGC 8245 has a much lower current star formation rate than UGC 11411, which harbors very high surface …
The use of Reduced Proper Motion in identifying isolated white dwarfs has long been used as a proxy for the absolute magnitude in a population with known kinematics. This, however, introduces a proper motion detection limit on top of the existing photometric limit. How the survey volume is hampered by this extra parameter is discussed in Hambly et al. 2012. In this work, we discuss some robust outlier rejection methods in order to minimise the proper motion limit and hence maximise the survey volume. The generalised volume, corrected for the distance of the Sun from the Galactic Plane, is inte…
A Quenched and Relatively Isolated Dwarf Galaxy in the Local Volume
Rutgers University(罗格斯大学);Space Telescope Science Institute(太空望远镜科学研究所);University of Utah(犹他大学);Raytheon(雷神公司);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台)
Radial Stellar Age Gradients in 42 Local Volume Dwarf Galaxies
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey(新泽西州立罗格斯大学);Eureka Scientific Inc.(尤里卡科学公司);Space Telescope Science Institute(太空望远镜科学研究所);University of Utah(犹他大学);Indiana University(印第安纳大学);Dartmouth College(达特茅斯学院);Raytheon(雷神公司);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯蒂沃德天文台);West Virginia University(西弗吉尼亚大学)
We present the properties of the globular clusters (GCs) and nuclear star clusters (NSCs) of low-mass ($10^{5.5}<M_\star<10^{8.5}$ $M_\odot$) early-type satellites of Milky Way-like and small group hosts in the Local Volume (LV) using deep, ground-based data from the ongoing Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) Survey. This sample of 177 dwarfs significantly increases the statistics for studying the star clusters of dwarfs in low-density environments, offering an important comparison to samples from nearby galaxy clusters. The LV dwarfs exhibit significantly lower nucleation fraction…
The structure of a dwarf galaxy is an important probe into the effects of stellar feedback and environment. Using an unprecedented sample of 223 low-mass satellites from the ongoing Exploration of Local VolumE Satellites (ELVES) Survey, we explore the structures of dwarf satellites in the mass range $10^{5.5}<M_\star<10^{8.5}$M$_\odot$. We survey satellites around $80\%$ of the massive, $M_K<-22.4$ mag, hosts in the Local Volume. Our sample of dwarf satellites is complete to luminosities of $M_V<-9$ mag and surface brightness $μ_{0,V}<26.5$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$ within at least $\sim200$ projected…
KK242 is a LV dwarf of transition type residing in the void environment. Koda et al. present clear indications on its connection with Scd galaxy NGC6503. This implies the distance to KK242 of ~6.3 Mpc and its M_B = -10.5 mag. Its radial velocity, known from the Effelsberg radio telescope \HI\ observations, reveals, however, the difference with that of NGC6503, dV ~ 400 km/s. If real, this fact implies the substantial constraints on its origin. To clear-up the issue of KK242 radial velocity, we obtained with the SAO 6-m telescope spectra of its faint star-forming (SF) complex. H-alpha and H-bet…
We present observations of the Pisces A and B galaxies with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. Photometry from these images clearly resolve a Red Giant Branch for both objects, demonstrating that they are nearby dwarf galaxies. We describe a Bayesian inferential approach to determining the distance to these galaxies using the magnitude of the tip of the RGB, and then apply this approach to these galaxies. We also provide the full probability distributions for parameters derived using this approach. This reveals the distance to these galaxies as $5.64^{+0.13}_{-0.15}…
We report the measured H$α$ fluxes and images of 66 nearby objects observed with the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Three of these objects: IC2233, UGC4704, and NGC3432 are late-type spiral galaxies, six objects are distant globular clusters of the M31 galaxy, and the remaining ones are dwarf galaxies. We used the measured H$α$ fluxes to estimate the integrated and specific star-formation rates and analyzed some of the main features of star formation in dwarf galaxies and late-type spirals based on a sample of more than 500 Local volu…
We present the discovery of a candidate ultra-faint Milky Way satellite, Eridanus IV (DELVE J0505$-$0931), detected in photometric data from the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey (DELVE). Eridanus IV is a faint ($M_V = -4.7 \pm 0.2$), extended ($r_{1/2} = 75^{+16}_{-13}$ pc), and elliptical ($ε= 0.54 \pm 0.1$) system at a heliocentric distance of $76.7^{+4.0}_{-6.1}$ kpc, with a stellar population that is well-described by an old, metal-poor isochrone (age of $τ\sim 13.0$ Gyr and metallicity of ${\rm [Fe/H] \lesssim -2.1}$ dex). These properties are consistent with the known population of …
Associations of dwarf galaxies are loose systems composed exclusively of dwarf galaxies. These systems were identified in the Local Volume for the first time more than thirty years ago. We study these systems in the cosmological framework of the $Λ$ Cold Dark Matter ($Λ$CDM) model. We consider the Small MultiDark Planck simulation and populate its dark matter haloes by applying the semi-analytic model of galaxy formation SAG. We identify galaxy systems using a friends of friends algorithm with a linking length equal to $b=0.4 \,{\rm Mpc}\,h^{-1}$, to reproduce the size of dwarf galaxy associat…
In this paper we measure the far-infrared (FIR) and radio flux densities of a sample of 82 local gas-rich galaxies, including 70 "dwarf" galaxies ($M_* < 10^9 M_\odot$), from the Local Volume HI Survey (LVHIS), which is close to volume limited. It is found that LVHIS galaxies hold a tight linear FIR-radio correlation (FRC) over four orders of magnitude ($F_{1.4GHz} \propto F_{FIR}^{1.00\pm0.08}$). However, for detected galaxies only, a trend of larger FIR-to-radio ratio with decreasing flux density is observed. We estimate the star formation rate by combining UV and mid-IR data using empirical…
The Solo (Solitary Local) Dwarf Galaxy survey is a volume limited, wide-field g- and i- band survey of all known nearby (<3 Mpc) and isolated (>300 kpc from the Milky Way or M31) dwarf galaxies. This set of 44 dwarfs are homogeneously analysed for quantitative comparisons to the satellite dwarf populations of the Milky Way and M31. In this paper, an analysis of the 12 closest Solo dwarf galaxies accessible from the northern hemisphere is presented, including derivation of their distances, spatial distributions, morphology, and extended structures, including their inner integrated light propert…