Search

UGC 2885 (z = 0.01935) is one of the largest and most massive galaxies in the local Universe, yet its undisturbed spiral structure is unexpected for such an object and unpredicted in cosmological simulations. Understanding the detailed properties of extreme systems such as UGC 2885 can provide insight on the limits of scaling relations and physical processes driving galaxy evolution. Our goal is to understand whether UGC 2885 has followed a similar evolutionary path to other high-mass galaxies by examining its place on the fundamental metallicity relation and the star-forming main sequence. We present new observations of UGC 2885 with the CFHT and IRAM 30-m telescopes. These novel data are used to respectively calculate metallicity and molecular hydrogen mass values. We estimate stellar mass (M*) and star formation rate (SFR) based on mid-infrared observations with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. We find global metallicities Z = 9.28, 9.08 and 8.74 at the 25 kpc ellipsoid from N2O2, R23 and O3N2 indices, respectively. This puts UGC 2885 at the high end of the galaxy metallicity distribution. The molecular hydrogen mass is calculated as M(H2)=(1.89+/-0.24)e11 Msun, the SFR as 1.63+/-0.72 Msun/yr and the stellar mass as (4.83 +/- 1.52)e11 Msun, which gives a star formation efficiency (SFE = SFR/M(H2)) of (8.67+/-4.20)e12/yr. This indicates that UGC 2885 has an extremely high molecular gas content when compared to known samples of star forming galaxies (~100 times more) and a relatively low SFR for its current gas content. We conclude that UGC 2885 has gone through cycles of star formation periods, which increased its stellar mass and metallicity to its current state. The mechanisms that are fueling the current molecular gas reservoir and keeping the galaxy from producing stars remain uncertain. We discuss the possibility that a molecular bar is quenching star forming activity., Comment: A&A accepted; 15 pages, 14 figures

This study investigates the detectability of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) within the mass range $10^2-10^5$ solar masses in the globular star clusters of NGC 1399 at a frequency of 300.00 MHz. Employing the theoretical Bondi accretion model and the empirical fundamental plane of black hole accretion, we estimate IMBH masses based on bolometric luminosity and X-ray/radio luminosities, respectively. By simulating a 3-hour observation of 77 globular cluster candidates using the Square Kilometer Array, we identify radio detection benchmarks indicative of accretion onto IMBHs. Our results show that IMBHs inside the globular star clusters located in NGC 1399 are indeed detectable, with the Bondi accretion model providing IMBH mass estimates ranging from $2.93 \times 10^{3.0\pm 0.39}$ to $7.43 \times 10^{4.0 \pm 0.39}$ solar masses, and the empirical fundamental-plane relation suggesting IMBH mass estimation with $3.41\times 10^{5.0 \pm 0.96}$ solar masses. These findings highlight the presence and detectability of IMBHs in globular clusters, offering insights into their role as precursors to supermassive black holes and enriching our understanding of black hole formation and evolution in astrophysical environments., Comment: AAS journals, in press; 9 pages, 5 figures

Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) provides the first classifications for the sources in Gaia's all-sky database. Most Gaia sources are stars in the Milky Way, but DR3 also contains many sources that belong to nearby galaxies, as well as background galaxies and quasars. In this work, we compare the Gaia classifications from the Discrete Source Classifier (CU8-DSC) module to the more detailed and heterogeneous classifications in NED and/or SIMBAD for sources with sky positions within twice the Holmberg radius of nearby galaxies. Matching these catalogues gives approximately 3.2e5 unique Gaia matches for 4e5 sources over 1040 galaxies (excluding some large Local Group galaxies) in the Local Volume Galaxy catalogue. Matched sources contain a lower fraction of Gaia-classified stars and higher fractions of galaxies and quasars (~95, 2 and 2 per cent, respectively) than DR3 overall. Considering NED (SIMBAD) classifications as truth values, the balanced accuracy of Gaia classification is 0.80 (0.83): the most common disagreements are literature-classified galaxies Gaia-classified as stars and literature-classified stars Gaia-classified as quasars. Purity (P) and completeness (C) metrics show that agreement between Gaia classification and NED/SIMBAD classification is best for stars (P,C~0.9), and decreases for quasars (P<0.3, 0.7

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will undertake the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, providing an unprecedented, volume-limited catalog of star clusters in the Southern Sky, including Galactic and extragalactic star clusters. The Star Clusters subgroup of the Stars, Milky Way and Local Volume Working Group has identified key areas where Rubin Observatory will enable significant progress in star cluster research. This roadmap represents our science cases and preparation for studies of all kinds of star clusters from the Milky Way out to distances of tens of megaparsecs., Comment: accepted to PASP

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope's High Latitude Wide Area Survey will have a number of synergies with the Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), particularly for extragalactic star clusters. Understanding the nature of star clusters and star cluster systems are key topics in many areas of astronomy, chief among them stellar evolution, high energy astrophysics, galaxy assembly/dark matter, the extragalactic distance scale, and cosmology. One of the challenges will be disentangling the age/metallicity degeneracy because young ($\sim$Myr) metal-rich clusters have similar SEDs to old ($\sim$Gyr) metal-poor clusters. Rubin will provide homogeneous, $ugrizy$ photometric coverage, and measurements in the red Roman filters will help break the age-metallicity and age-extinction degeneracies, providing the first globular cluster samples that cover wide areas while essentially free of contamination from Milky Way stars. Roman's excellent spatial resolution will also allow measurements of cluster sizes. We advocate for observations of a large sample of galaxies with a range of properties and morphologies in the Rubin/LSST footprint matching the depth of the LSST Wide-Fast-Deep field $i$ band limit (26.3 mag), and recommend adding the F213 filter to the survey., Comment: white paper submitted for Roman CCS input

Nearby galaxies provide populations of stellar and non-stellar sources at a common distance and in quantifiable environments. All are observed through the Milky Way foreground, with varying degrees of contamination that depend on observed Galactic latitude and the distance and size of the target galaxy. This work uses Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) to identify foreground sources via astrometric measurements and thus quantify foreground contamination for a large sample of nearby galaxies. There are approximately half a million Gaia sources in the directions of 1401 galaxies listed in the Local Volume Galaxy catalogue (D<11 Mpc), excluding the largest Local Group galaxies. About two thirds of the Gaia sources have astrometric properties consistent with foreground sources; these sources are brighter, redder, and less centrally-concentrated than non-foreground sources. Averaged over galaxies, foreground sources make up 50 per cent of Gaia sources at projected radius r50=1.06*a26, where a26 is the angular diameter at the B=26.5 isophote. Foreground sources make up 50 per cent of Gaia sources at apparent magnitude m(G,50)=20.50. This limit corresponds to the tip of the red giant branch absolute magnitude at D = 450 kpc, and to the globular cluster luminosity function peak absolute magnitude at 5 Mpc. Gaia data provide a powerful tool for removing foreground contamination in stellar population studies of nearby galaxies, although Gaia foreground removal will be incomplete beyond distances of 5 Mpc., Comment: MNRAS in press; 8 pages, 9 figures

The COSMOS field has been extensively observed by most major telescopes, including Chandra, HST, and Subaru. HST imaging boasts very high spatial resolution and is used extensively in morphological studies of distant galaxies. Subaru provides lower spatial resolution imaging than HST but a substantially wider field of view with greater sensitivity. Both telescopes provide near-infrared imaging of COSMOS. Successful morphological fitting of Subaru data would allow us to measure morphologies of over $10^4$ known active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts, accessible through Subaru wide-field surveys, currently not covered by HST. For 4016 AGN between $0.03

Cataloguing and classifying celestial objects is one of the fundamental activities of observational astrophysics. In this work, we compare the contents of two comprehensive databases, the NASA Extragalactic Database (NED) and Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data (SIMBAD) in the vicinity of nearby galaxies. These two databases employ different classification schemes -- one flat and one hierarchical -- and our goal was to determine the compatibility of classifications for objects in common. Searching both databases for objects within the respective isophotal radius of each of the ~1300 individual galaxies in the Local Volume Galaxy sample, we found that on average, NED contains about ten times as many entries as SIMBAD and about two thirds of SIMBAD objects are matched by position to a NED object, at 5 arcsecond tolerance. These quantities do not depend strongly on the properties of the parent galaxies. We developed an algorithm to compare individual object classifications between the two databases and found that 88% of the classifications agree; we conclude that NED and SIMBAD contain consistent information for sources in common in the vicinity of nearby galaxies. Because many galaxies have numerous sources contained only in one of NED or SIMBAD, researchers seeking the most complete picture of an individual galaxy's contents are best served by using both databases., Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, to be published in MNRAS

Automating classification of galaxy components is important for understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. Traditionally, only the larger galaxy structures such as the spiral arms, bulge, and disc are classified. Here we use machine learning (ML) pixel-by-pixel classification to automatically classify all galaxy components within digital imagery of massive spiral galaxy UGC 2885. Galaxy components include young stellar population, old stellar population, dust lanes, galaxy center, outer disc, and celestial background. We test three ML models: maximum likelihood classifier (MLC), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM). We use high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) digital imagery along with textural features derived from HST imagery, band ratios derived from HST imagery, and distance layers. Textural features are typically used in remote sensing studies and are useful for identifying patterns within digital imagery. We run ML classification models with different combinations of HST digital imagery, textural features, band ratios, and distance layers to determine the most useful information for galaxy component classification. Textural features and distance layers are most useful for galaxy component identification, with the SVM and RF models performing the best. The MLC model performs worse overall but has comparable performance to SVM and RF in some circumstances. Overall, the models are best at classifying the most spectrally unique galaxy components including the galaxy center, outer disc, and celestial background. The most confusion occurs between the young stellar population, old stellar population, and dust lanes. We suggest further experimentation with textural features for astronomical research on small-scale galactic structures., Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures; Advances in Space Research in press

Observing nearby galaxies with submillimeter telescopes on the ground has two major challenges. First, the brightness is significantly reduced at long submillimeter wavelengths compared to the brightness at the peak of the dust emission. Second, it is necessary to use a high-pass spatial filter to remove atmospheric noise on large angular scales, which has the unwelcome by-product of also removing the galaxy's large-scale structure. We have developed a technique for producing high-resolution submillimeter images of galaxies of large angular size by using the telescope on the ground to determine the small-scale structure (the large Fourier components) and a space telescope (Herschel or Planck) to determine the large-scale structure (the small Fourier components). Using this technique, we are carrying out the HARP and SCUBA-2 High Resolution Terahertz Andromeda Galaxy Survey (HASHTAG), an international Large Program on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, with one aim being to produce the first high-fidelity high-resolution submillimeter images of Andromeda. In this paper, we describe the survey, the method we have developed for combining the space-based and ground-based data, and present the first HASHTAG images of Andromeda at 450 and 850um. We also have created a method to predict the CO(J=3-2) line flux across M31, which contaminates the 850um band. We find that while normally the contamination is below our sensitivity limit, the contamination can be significant (up to 28%) in a few of the brightest regions of the 10 kpc ring. We therefore also provide images with the predicted line emission removed., Comment: 26 pages, 19 figures. Submitted to ApJS June 2021, Accepted September 2021

Wu & Peek (2020) predict SDSS-quality spectra based on Pan-STARRS broad-band \textit{grizy} images using machine learning (ML). In this letter, we test their prediction for a unique object, UGC 2885 ("Rubin's galaxy"), the largest and most massive, isolated disk galaxy in the local Universe ($D<100$ Mpc). After obtaining the ML predicted spectrum, we compare it to all existing spectroscopic information that is comparable to an SDSS spectrum of the central region: two archival spectra, one extracted from the VIRUS-P observations of this galaxy, and a new, targeted MMT/Binospec observation. Agreement is qualitatively good, though the ML prediction prefers line ratios slightly more towards those of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), compared to archival and VIRUS-P observed values. The MMT/Binospec nuclear spectrum unequivocally shows strong emission lines except H$\beta$, the ratios of which are consistent with AGN activity. The ML approach to galaxy spectra may be a viable way to identify AGN supplementing NIR colors. How such a massive disk galaxy ($M^* = 10^{11}$ M$_\odot$), which uncharacteristically shows no sign of interaction or mergers, manages to fuel its central AGN remains to be investigated., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJL

This document provides recommendations to the Government of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency in response to their call for feedback on the future of Canadian space exploration. The report focuses on how the construction and long-term placement of mega-constellations of satellites into Earth orbit will affect astronomy and the view of the night sky by all peoples, with attention to all Canadians. The broader discussion highlights several environmental concerns associated with the construction and maintenance of these mega-constellations. The eight recommendations here address ways that Canada can play a role in mitigating some of these negative effects through national and international initiatives. In drafting the recommendations, we take the approach that space needs to be developed sustainably. In this regard, we use the Brundtland Report's definition: "Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Thus, all recommendations here are made with the intent of minimizing the negative consequences of mega-constellations, while also recognizing that their development will continue., Comment: Corresponding authors: Boley and Lawler. Submitted to CSA on March 31, 2021

Precise and accurate measurements of distances to Galactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) reduce uncertainties in the determination of XRB physical parameters. We have cross-matched the XRB catalogues of Liu et al. (2006, 2007) to the results of Gaia Data Release 2. We identify 86 X-ray binaries with a Gaia candidate counterpart, of which 32 are low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and 54 are high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). Distances to Gaia candidate counterparts are, on average, consistent with those measured by Hipparcos and radio parallaxes. When compared to distances measured by Gaia candidate counterparts, distances measured using Type I X-ray bursts are systematically larger, suggesting that these bursts reach only 50% of the Eddington limit. However, these results are strongly dependent on the prior assumptions used for estimating distance from the Gaia parallax measurements. Comparing positions of Gaia candidate counterparts for XRBs in our sample to positions of spiral arms in the Milky Way, we find that HMXBs exhibit mild preference for being closer to spiral arms; LMXBs exhibit mild preference for being closer to inter-arm regions. LMXBs do not exhibit any preference for leading or trailing their closest spiral arm. HMXBs exhibit a mild preference for trailing their closest spiral arm. The lack of a strong correlation between HMXBs and spiral arms may be explained by star formation occurring closer to the midpoint of the arms, or a time delay between star formation and HMXB formation manifesting as a spatial separation between HMXBs and the spiral arm where they formed., Comment: MNRAS in press; 16 pages, 8 figures. Supplementary online data in source file Liu_catalog_non_matches.txt

We demonstrate the power of Gibbs point process models from the spatial statistics literature when applied to studies of resolved galaxies. We conduct a rigorous analysis of the spatial distributions of objects in the star formation complexes of M33, including giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and young stellar cluster candidates (YSCCs). We choose a hierarchical model structure from GMCs to YSCCs based on the natural formation hierarchy between them. This approach circumvents the limitations of the empirical two-point correlation function analysis by naturally accounting for the inhomogeneity present in the distribution of YSCCs. We also investigate the effects of GMCs' properties on their spatial distributions. We confirm that the distribution of GMCs and YSCCs are highly correlated. We found that the spatial distributions of YSCCs reaches a peak of clustering pattern at ~250 pc scale compared to a Poisson process. This clustering mainly occurs in regions where the galactocentric distance >~4.5 kpc. Furthermore, the galactocentric distance of GMCs and their mass have strong positive effects on the correlation strength between GMCs and YSCCs. We outline some possible implications of these findings for our understanding of the cluster formation process., Comment: MNRAS in press; 22 pages

It is imperative to map the strength and distribution of feedback in galaxies to understand how feedback affects the galactic ecosystems. H$_2$O masers act as indicators of energy injection into the ISM. Our goal is to measure the strength and distribution of feedback traced by water masers in the Milky Way. We identify optical counterparts to H$_2$O masers discovered by the HOPS survey. The distribution and luminosities of H$_2$O masers in the Milky Way are determined using parallax measurements derived from the second Gaia Data Release. We provide evidence of a correlation between evolved stars, as traced by H$_2$O masers, and the spiral structure of the Milky Way, suggesting a link between evolved stars and the Galactic environment., Comment: MNRAS in press; 8 pages, 9 figures

Identifying X-ray binary (XRB) candidates in nearby galaxies requires distinguishing them from possible contaminants including foreground stars and background active galactic nuclei. This work investigates the use of supervised machine learning algorithms to identify high-probability X-ray binary candidates. Using a catalogue of 943 Chandra X-ray sources in the Andromeda galaxy, we trained and tested several classification algorithms using the X-ray properties of 163 sources with previously known types. Amongst the algorithms tested, we find that random forest classifiers give the best performance and work better in a binary classification (XRB/non-XRB) context compared to the use of multiple classes. Evaluating our method by comparing with classifications from visible-light and hard X-ray observations as part of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury, we find compatibility at the 90% level, although we caution that the number of sources in common is rather small. The estimated probability that an object is an X-ray binary agrees well between the random forest binary and multiclass approaches and we find that the classifications with the highest confidence are in the X-ray binary class. The most discriminating X-ray bands for classification are the 1.7-2.8, 0.5-1.0, 2.0-4.0, and 2.0-7.0 keV photon flux ratios. Of the 780 unclassified sources in the Andromeda catalogue, we identify 16 new high-probability X-ray binary candidates and tabulate their properties for follow-up., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures; accepted to MNRAS

(Abridged from Executive Summary) This white paper focuses on the interdisciplinary fields of astrostatistics and astroinformatics, in which modern statistical and computational methods are applied to and developed for astronomical data. Astrostatistics and astroinformatics have grown dramatically in the past ten years, with international organizations, societies, conferences, workshops, and summer schools becoming the norm. Canada's formal role in astrostatistics and astroinformatics has been relatively limited, but there is a great opportunity and necessity for growth in this area. We conducted a survey of astronomers in Canada to gain information on the training mechanisms through which we learn statistical methods and to identify areas for improvement. In general, the results of our survey indicate that while astronomers see statistical methods as critically important for their research, they lack focused training in this area and wish they had received more formal training during all stages of education and professional development. These findings inform our recommendations for the LRP2020 on how to increase interdisciplinary connections between astronomy and statistics at the institutional, national, and international levels over the next ten years. We recommend specific, actionable ways to increase these connections, and discuss how interdisciplinary work can benefit not only research but also astronomy's role in training Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) in Canada., Comment: White paper E017 submitted to the Canadian Long Range Plan LRP2020

SIGNALS, the Star formation, Ionized Gas, and Nebular Abundances Legacy Survey, is a large observing program designed to investigate massive star formation and HII regions in a sample of local extended galaxies. The program will use the imaging Fourier transform spectrograph SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Over 355 hours (54.7 nights) have been allocated beginning in fall 2018 for eight consecutive semesters. Once completed, SIGNALS will provide a statistically reliable laboratory to investigate massive star formation, including over 50 000 resolved HII regions : the largest, most complete, and homogeneous database of spectroscopically and spatially resolved extragalactic HII regions ever assembled. For each field observed, three datacubes covering the spectral bands of the filters SN1 (363 -386 nm), SN2 (482 - 513 nm), and SN3 (647 - 685 nm) are gathered. The spectral resolution selected for each spectral band is 1000, 1000, and 5000, respectively. As defined, the project sample will facilitate the study of small-scale nebular physics and many other phenomena linked to star formation at a mean spatial resolution of 20 pc. This survey also has considerable legacy value for additional topics including planetary nebulae, diffuse ionized gas, andsupernova remnants. The purpose of this paper is to present a general outlook of the survey, notably the observing strategy, galaxy sample, and science requirements., Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, submitted to MNRAS

[ABRIDGED] We derive the dust properties for 753 local galaxies and examine how these relate to some of their physical properties. We model their global dust-SEDs, treated statistically as an ensemble within a hierarchical Bayesian dust-SED modeling approach. The model-derived properties are the dust masses (Mdust), the average interstellar radiation field intensities (Uav), the mass fraction of very small dust grains ('QPAH' fraction), as well as their standard deviations. In addition, we use mid-IR observations to derive SFR and Mstar, quantities independent of the modeling. We derive distribution functions of the properties for the galaxy ensemble and per galaxy type. The mean value of Mdust for the ETGs is lower than that for the LTGs and IRs, despite ETGs and LTGs having Mstar spanning across the whole range observed. The Uav and 'QPAH' fraction show no difference among different galaxy types. When fixing Uav to the Galactic value, the derived 'QPAH' fraction varies across the Galactic value (0.071). The sSFR increases with galaxy type, while this is not the case for the dust-sSFR (=SFR/Mdust), showing an almost constant SFE per galaxy type. The galaxy sample is characterised by a tight relation between Mdust and Mstar for the LTGs and Irs, while ETGs scatter around this relation and tend towards smaller Mdust. While the relation indicates that Mdust may fundamentally be linked to Mstar, metallicity and Uav are the second parameter driving the scatter, which we investigate in a forthcoming work. We use the extended KS law to estimate Mgas and the GDR. The Mgas derived from the extended KS law is on average ~20% higher than that derived from the KS law, and a large standard deviation indicates the importance of the average SF present to regulate star formation and gas supply. The average GDR for the LTGs and IRs is 370, while including the ETGs gives an average of 550. [ABRIDGED], Comment: 18 pages, including 8 figures; 4 tables in the Appendix contain the data release (in the online version at cds and upon request); article to appear in A&A; replacement to match the online version

We present an unprecedented, deep study of the primordial low-mass X-ray binary population in an isolated, lower-metallicity environment. We perform followup observations of previously-identified X-ray binary candidates in the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy by combining a second Chandra observation with Spitzer and Gemini photometry, as well as Gemini spectroscopy of selected targets. Of the original nine bright X-ray sources identified, we are able to classify all but one as quasars, active galactic nuclei, or background galaxies. We further discover four new X-ray sources in the second-epoch Chandra observation. Three of these new sources are background sources and one is a foreground flaring star. We have found that Sculptor is effectively devoid of X-ray sources above a few 1e34 erg/s. If Sculptor is able to retain primordial binaries at a similar rate to globular clusters, this implies that bright X-ray binaries observed in globular clusters in the present epoch are all formed dynamically., Comment: MNRAS in press; 19 pages, 12 figures

Observational astrophysics uses sophisticated technology to collect and measure electromagnetic and other radiation from beyond the Earth. Modern observatories produce large, complex datasets and extracting the maximum possible information from them requires the expertise of specialists in many fields beyond physics and astronomy, from civil engineers to statisticians and software engineers. This article introduces the essentials of professional astronomical observations to colleagues in allied fields, to provide context and relevant background for both facility construction and data analysis. It covers the path of electromagnetic radiation through telescopes, optics, detectors, and instruments, its transformation through processing into measurements and information, and the use of that information to improve our understanding of the physics of the cosmos and its history., Comment: Final version for Open Journal of Astrophysics; correct minor typos from previous version

The Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey is a survey of $>400$ square degrees centered on the Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33) galaxies that has provided the most extensive panorama of a $L_\star$ galaxy group to large projected galactocentric radii. Here, we collate and summarise the current status of our knowledge of the substructures in the stellar halo of M31, and discuss connections between these features. We estimate that the 13 most distinctive substructures were produced by at least 5 different accretion events, all in the last 3 or 4 Gyrs. We suggest that a few of the substructures furthest from M31 may be shells from a single accretion event. We calculate the luminosities of some prominent substructures for which previous estimates were not available, and we estimate the stellar mass budget of the outer halo of M31. We revisit the problem of quantifying the properties of a highly structured dataset; specifically, we use the OPTICS clustering algorithm to quantify the hierarchical structure of M31's stellar halo, and identify three new faint structures. M31's halo, in projection, appears to be dominated by two `mega-structures', that can be considered as the two most significant branches of a merger tree produced by breaking M31's stellar halo into smaller and smaller structures based on the stellar spatial clustering. We conclude that OPTICS is a powerful algorithm that could be used in any astronomical application involving the hierarchical clustering of points. The publication of this article coincides with the public release of all PAndAS data products., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 51 pages, 24 figures, 5 tables. Some figures have degraded resolution. All PAndAS data products are available via the CADC at http://www.cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/community/pandas/query.html where you can also find a version of the paper with full resolution figures

We present multi-wavelength global star formation rate (SFR) estimates for 326 galaxies from the Star Formation Reference Survey (SFRS) in order to determine the mutual scatter and range of validity of different indicators. The widely used empirical SFR recipes based on 1.4 GHz continuum, 8.0 $\mu$m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and a combination of far-infrared (FIR) plus ultraviolet (UV) emission are mutually consistent with scatter of $\raise{-0.8ex}\stackrel{\textstyle <}{\sim }$0.3 dex. The scatter is even smaller, $\raise{-0.8ex}\stackrel{\textstyle <}{\sim }$0.24 dex, in the intermediate luminosity range 9.3}5\times10^9$ L$_{\odot}$ or with implied far-UV extinction <1 mag, the UV spectral slope gives extinction corrections with 0.22~dex uncertainty., Comment: To be published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Data tables available at https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/irac/SFRS/ . V2 has minor clarifications from V1; no changes in data or results

JINGLE is a new JCMT legacy survey designed to systematically study the cold interstellar medium of galaxies in the local Universe. As part of the survey we perform 850um continuum measurements with SCUBA-2 for a representative sample of 193 Herschel-selected galaxies with M*>10^9Msun, as well as integrated CO(2-1) line fluxes with RxA3m for a subset of 90 of these galaxies. The sample is selected from fields covered by the Herschel-ATLAS survey that are also targeted by the MaNGA optical integral-field spectroscopic survey. The new JCMT observations combined with the multi-wavelength ancillary data will allow for the robust characterization of the properties of dust in the nearby Universe, and the benchmarking of scaling relations between dust, gas, and global galaxy properties. In this paper we give an overview of the survey objectives and details about the sample selection and JCMT observations, present a consistent 30 band UV-to-FIR photometric catalog with derived properties, and introduce the JINGLE Main Data Release (MDR). Science highlights include the non-linearity of the relation between 850um luminosity and CO line luminosity, and the serendipitous discovery of candidate z>6 galaxies., Comment: MNRAS in press, 25 pages

The spectrum of a galaxy contains information about its physical properties. Classifying spectra using templates helps elucidate the nature of a galaxy's energy sources. In this paper, we investigate the use of self-organizing maps in classifying galaxy spectra against templates. We trained semi-supervised self-organizing map networks using a set of templates covering the wavelength range from far ultraviolet to near infrared. The trained networks were used to classify the spectra of a sample of 142 galaxies with 0.5 < z < 1 and the results compared to classifications performed using K-means clustering, a supervised neural network, and chi-squared minimization. Spectra corresponding to quiescent galaxies were more likely to be classified similarly by all methods while starburst spectra showed more variability. Compared to classification using chi-squared minimization or the supervised neural network, the galaxies classed together by the self-organizing map had more similar spectra. The class ordering provided by the one-dimensional self-organizing maps corresponds to an ordering in physical properties, a potentially important feature for the exploration of large datasets., Comment: MNRAS in press; 19 pages, 22 figures

What do we see when we look at a nearby, well-resolved galaxy? Thousands of individual sources are detected in multiband imaging observations of even a fraction of a nearby galaxy, and characterizing those sources is a complex process. This work analyses a ten-band photometric catalogue of nearly 70 000 point sources in a 7.3 square arcmin region of the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 83, made as part of the Early Release Science programme with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3. Colour distributions were measured for both broad-band and broad-and-narrow-band colours; colours made from broad-bands with large wavelength differences generally had broader distributions although B - V was an exception. Two- and three-dimensional colour spaces were generated using various combinations of four bands and clustered with the K-Means and Mean Shift algorithms. Neither algorithm was able to consistently segment the colour distributions: while some distinct features in colour space were apparent in visual examinations, these features were not compact or isolated enough to be recognized as clusters in colour space. K-Means clustering of the UBVI colour space was able to identify a group of objects more likely to be star clusters. Mean Shift was successful in identifying outlying groups at the edges of colour distributions. For identifying objects whose emission is dominated by spectral lines, there was no clear benefit from combining narrow-band photometry in multiple bands compared to a simple continuum subtraction. The clustering analysis results are used to inform recommendations for future surveys of nearby galaxies., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures

The Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE) is a blind narrow-band Halpha+[NII] imaging survey carried out with MegaCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The survey covers the whole Virgo cluster region from its core to one virial radius (104 deg^2). The sensitivity of the survey is of f(Halpha) ~ 4 x 10^-17 erg sec-1 cm^-2 (5 sigma detection limit) for point sources and Sigma (Halpha) ~ 2 x 10^-18 erg sec^-1 cm^-2 arcsec^-2 (1 sigma detection limit at 3 arcsec resolution) for extended sources, making VESTIGE the deepest and largest blind narrow-band survey of a nearby cluster. This paper presents the survey in all its technical aspects, including the survey design, the observing strategy, the achieved sensitivity in both the narrow-band Halpha+[NII] and in the broad-band r filter used for the stellar continuum subtraction, the data reduction, calibration, and products, as well as its status after the first observing semester. We briefly describe the Halpha properties of galaxies located in a 4x1 deg^2 strip in the core of the cluster north of M87, where several extended tails of ionised gas are detected. This paper also lists the main scientific motivations of VESTIGE, which include the study of the effects of the environment on galaxy evolution, the fate of the stripped gas in cluster objects, the star formation process in nearby galaxies of different type and stellar mass, the determination of the Halpha luminosity function and of the Halpha scaling relations down to ~ 10^6 Mo stellar mass objects, and the reconstruction of the dynamical structure of the Virgo cluster. This unique set of data will also be used to study the HII luminosity function in hundreds of galaxies, the diffuse Halpha+[NII] emission of the Milky Way at high Galactic latitude, and the properties of emission line galaxies at high redshift., Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics

The Astropy project supports and fosters the development of open-source and openly-developed Python packages that provide commonly-needed functionality to the astronomical community. A key element of the Astropy project is the core package Astropy, which serves as the foundation for more specialized projects and packages. In this article, we provide an overview of the organization of the Astropy project and summarize key features in the core package as of the recent major release, version 2.0. We then describe the project infrastructure designed to facilitate and support development for a broader ecosystem of inter-operable packages. We conclude with a future outlook of planned new features and directions for the broader Astropy project., Comment: Minor changes to author list and title. Comments and feedback welcome through the paper source repository: https://github.com/astropy/astropy-v2.0-paper For more information about Astropy, see http://www.astropy.org/

Galactic and extragalactic studies have shown that metal-rich globular clusters (GCs) are approximately three times more likely to host bright low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) than metal-poor GCs. There is no satisfactory explanation for this metallicity effect. We tested the hypothesis that the number density of red giant branch (RGB) stars is larger in metal-rich GCs, and thus potentially the cause of the metallicity effect. Using Hubble Space Telescope photometry for 109 unique Milky Way GCs, we investigated whether RGB star density was correlated with GC metallicity. Isochrone fitting was used to calculate the number of RGB stars, which were normalized by the GC mass and fraction of observed GC luminosity, and determined density using the volume at the half-light radius $r_{h}$. The RGB star number density was weakly correlated with metallicity [Fe/H], giving Spearman and Kendall Rank test $p$-values of 0.00016 and 0.00021 and coefficients $r_{s} = 0.35$ and $\tau = 0.24$ respectively. This correlation may be biased by a possible dependence of $r_{h}$ on [Fe/H], although studies have shown that $r_{h}$ is correlated with Galactocentric distance and independent of [Fe/H]. The dynamical origin of the $r_{h}$-metallicity correlation (tidal stripping) suggests that metal-rich GCs may have had more active dynamical histories, which would promote LMXB formation. No correlation between the RGB star number density and metallicity was found when using only the GCs that hosted quiescent LMXBs. A complete census of quiescent LMXBs in our Galaxy is needed to further probe the metallicity effect, which will be possible with the upcoming launch of eROSITA., Comment: 25 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, MNRAS (in press)

This study represents the most sensitive Chandra X-ray point source catalogue of M31. Using 133 publicly available Chandra ACIS-I/S observations totalling ~1 Ms, we detected 795 X-ray sources in the bulge, northeast, and southwest fields of M31, covering an area of approximately 0.6 deg$^{2}$, to a limiting unabsorbed 0.5-8.0 keV luminosity of $10^{34}$ erg/s. In the inner bulge, where exposure is approximately constant, X-ray fluxes represent average values because they were determined from many observations over a long period of time. Similarly, our catalogue is more complete in the bulge fields since monitoring allowed more transient sources to be detected. The catalogue was cross-correlated with a previous XMM-Newton catalogue of M31's $D_{25}$ isophote consisting of 1948 X-ray sources, with only 979 within the field of view of our survey. We found 387 (49%) of our Chandra sources (352 or 44% unique sources) matched to within 5 arcsec of 352 XMM-Newton sources. Combining this result with matching done to previous Chandra X-ray sources we detected 259 new sources in our catalogue. We created X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) in the soft (0.5-2.0 keV) and hard (2.0-8.0 keV) bands that are the most sensitive for any large galaxy based on our detection limits. Completeness-corrected XLFs show a break around $1.3\times10^{37}$ erg/s, consistent with previous work. As in past surveys, we find the bulge XLFs are flatter than the disk, indicating a lack of bright high-mass X-ray binaries in the disk and an aging population of low-mass X-ray binaries in the bulge., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 10 tables. Accepted to MNRAS

The mid-infrared provides a unique view of galaxy stellar populations, sensitive to both the integrated light of old, low-mass stars and to individual dusty mass-losing stars. We present results from an extended Spitzer/IRAC survey of M31 with total lengths of 6.6 and 4.4 degrees along the major and minor axes, respectively. The integrated surface brightness profile proves to be surprisingly diffcult to trace in the outskirts of the galaxy, but we can also investigate the disk/halo transition via a star count profile, with careful correction for foreground and background contamination. Our point-source catalog allows us to report on mid-infrared properties of individual objects in the outskirts of M31, via cross-correlation with PAndAS, WISE, and other catalogs., Comment: Proceedings of IAU Symposium 321, "Formation and evolution of galaxy outskirts", Eds. A. Gil de Paz, J. C. Lee & J. H. Knapen, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

Several dedicated surveys focusing on early-type galaxies (ETGs) reveal that significant fractions of them are detectable in all interstellar medium phases studied to date. We select ETGs from the Herschel Reference Survey that have both far-infrared Herschel and either HI or CO detection (or both). We derive their star formation rates (SFR), stellar masses and dust masses via modelling their spectral energy distributions. We combine these with literature information on their atomic and molecular gas properties, in order to relate their star formation, total gas mass and dust mass on global scales. The ETGs deviate from the dust mass-SFR relation and the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation that SDSS star forming galaxies define: compared to SDSS galaxies, ETGs have more dust at the same SFR, or less SFR at the same dust mass. When placing them in the M*-SFR plane, ETGs show a much lower specific SFR as compared to normal star-forming galaxies. ETGs show a large scatter compared to the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation found locally within our Galaxy, extending to lower SFRs and gas mass surface densities. Using an ETG's SFR and the Schmidt-Kennicutt law to predict its gas mass leads to an underestimate. ETGs have similar observed-gas-to-modelled-dust mass ratios to star forming-galaxies of the same stellar mass, as well as they exhibit a similar scatter., Comment: MNRAS accepted; 12 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables

We present the first results from an extended survey of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) using 41.1 h of observations by Spitzer-IRAC at 3.6 and 4.5$\,\mu$m. This survey extends previous observations to the outer disc and halo, covering total lengths of 4$.\!\!^\circ$4 and 6$.\!\!^\circ$6 along the minor and major axes, respectively. We have produced surface brightness profiles by combining the integrated light from background-corrected maps with stellar counts from a new catalogue of point sources. Using auxiliary catalogues we have carried out a statistical analysis in colour-magnitude space to discriminate M31 objects from foreground Milky Way stars and background galaxies. The catalogue includes 426,529 sources, of which 66 per cent have been assigned probability values to identify M31 objects with magnitude depths of [3.6]$\,=\,$19.0$\,\pm\,$0.2, [4.5]$\,=\,$18.7$\,\pm\,$0.2. We discuss applications of our data for constraining the stellar mass and characterising point sources in the outer radii., Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables; Updated to match published version; minor revisions from v1

We use hierarchical Bayesian regression analysis to investigate star formation laws in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) in both local (30, 155, and 750pc) and global cases. We study and compare the well-known Kennicutt-Schmidt law, the extended Schmidt law and the metallicity/star formation correlation. Using a combination of H$\alpha$ and 24 $\mu$m emission, a combination of far-ultraviolet and 24$\mu$m, and the total infrared emission, we estimate the total star formation rate (SFR) in M31 to be between $0.35\pm 0.04$M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$ and $0.4\pm 0.04$M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$. We produce a stellar mass surface density map using IRAC 3.6$\mu$m emission and measured the total stellar mass to be $6.9 \times 10^{10}$M$_{\odot}$. For the Kennicutt-Schmidt law in M31, we find the power-law index $N$ to be between 0.49 and 1.18, for all the laws, the power-law index varies more with changing gas tracer than with SFR tracer. The power-law index also changes with distance from the centre of the galaxy. We also applied the commonly-used ordinary least squares fitting method and showed that using different fitting methods leads to different power-law indices. There is a correlation between the surface density of SFR and the stellar mass surface density, which confirms that the Kennicutt-Schmidt law needs to be extended to consider the other physical properties of galaxies. We found a weak correlation between metallicity, the SFR and the stellar mass surface density., Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables; Accepted for publication in MNRS

We present a study of the molecular gas properties in a sample of 98 HI - flux selected spiral galaxies within $\sim25$ Mpc, using the CO $J=3-2$ line observed with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We use the technique of survival analysis to incorporate galaxies with CO upper limits into our results. Comparing the group and Virgo samples, we find a larger mean H$_{2}$ mass in the Virgo galaxies, despite their lower mean HI mass. This leads to a significantly higher H$_{2}$ to HI ratio for Virgo galaxies. Combining our data with complementary H$\alpha$ star formation rate measurements, Virgo galaxies have longer molecular gas depletion times compared to group galaxies, due to their higher H$_{2}$ masses and lower star formation rates. We suggest that the longer depletion times may be a result of heating processes in the cluster environment or differences in the turbulent pressure. From the full sample, we find that the molecular gas depletion time has a positive correlation with the stellar mass, indicative of differences in the star formation process between low and high mass galaxies, and a negative correlation between the molecular gas depletion time and the specific star formation rate., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 25 pages, 14 figures

We present Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) 5-21 micron spectroscopic maps towards 12 regions in the Andromeda galaxy (M31). These regions include the nucleus, bulge, an active region in the star-forming ring, and 9 other regions chosen to cover a range of mid-to-far-infrared colours. In line with previous results, PAH feature ratios (6.2 micron and 7.7 micron features compared to the 11.2 micron feature) measured from our extracted M31 spectra, except the nucleus, strongly correlate. The equivalent widths of the main PAH features, as a function of metallicity and radiation hardness, are consistent with those observed for other nearby spiral and starburst galaxies. Reprocessed data from the ISOCAM instrument on the Infrared Space Observatory agree with the IRS data; early reports of suppressed 6-8 micron features and enhanced 11.3 micron feature intensity and FWHM apparently resulted from background-subtraction problems. The nucleus does not show any PAH emission but does show strong silicate emission at 9.7 micron. Furthermore, different spectral features (11.3 micron PAH emission, silicate emission and [NeIII] 15.5 micron line emission) have distinct spatial distributions in the nuclear region: the silicate emission is strongest towards the stellar nucleus, while the PAH emission peaks 15 arcsec north of the nucleus. The PAH feature ratios at this position are atypical with strong emission at 11.2 microns and 15-20 microns but weak emission at 6--8 microns. The nucleus itself is dominated by stellar light giving rise to a strong blue continuum and silicate emission., Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures; MNRAS in press

We present the results of deep \chandra\ imaging of the central region of the Extended Groth Strip, the AEGIS-X Deep (AEGIS-XD) survey. When combined with previous \chandra\ observations of a wider area of the strip, AEGIS-X Wide (AEGIS-XW; Laird et~al. 2009), these provide data to a nominal exposure depth of 800ks in the three central ACIS-I fields, a region of approximately $0.29$~deg$^{2}$. This is currently the third deepest X-ray survey in existence, a factor $\sim 2-3$ shallower than the Chandra Deep Fields (CDFs) but over an area $\sim 3$ times greater than each CDF. We present a catalogue of 937 point sources detected in the deep \chandra\ observations. We present identifications of our X-ray sources from deep ground-based, Spitzer, GALEX and HST imaging. Using a likelihood ratio analysis, we associate multi band counterparts for 929/937 of our X-ray sources, with an estimated 95~\% reliability, making the identification completeness approximately 94~\% in a statistical sense. Reliable spectroscopic redshifts for 353 of our X-ray sources are provided predominantly from Keck (DEEP2/3) and MMT Hectospec, so the current spectroscopic completeness is $\sim 38$~per cent. For the remainder of the X-ray sources, we compute photometric redshifts based on multi-band photometry in up to 35 bands from the UV to mid-IR. Particular attention is given to the fact that the vast majority the X-ray sources are AGN and require hybrid templates. Our photometric redshifts have mean accuracy of $\sigma=0.04$ and an outlier fraction of approximately 5\%, reaching $\sigma=0.03$ with less than 4\% outliers in the area covered by CANDELS . The X-ray, multi-wavelength photometry and redshift catalogues are made publicly available., Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJS

The DUSTiNGS survey (DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer) is a 3.6 and 4.5 micron imaging survey of 50 nearby dwarf galaxies designed to identify dust-producing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and massive stars. Using two epochs, spaced approximately six months apart, we identify a total of 526 dusty variable AGB stars (sometimes called "extreme" or x-AGB stars; [3.6]-[4.5]>0.1 mag). Of these, 111 are in galaxies with [Fe/H] < -1.5 and 12 are in galaxies with [Fe/H] < -2.0, making them the most metal-poor dust-producing AGB stars known. We compare these identifications to those in the literature and find that most are newly discovered large-amplitude variables, with the exception of approximately 30 stars in NGC 185 and NGC 147, one star in IC 1613, and one star in Phoenix. The chemical abundances of the x-AGB variables are unknown, but the low metallicities suggest that they are more likely to be carbon-rich than oxygen-rich and comparisons with existing optical and near-IR photometry confirms that 70 of the x-AGB variables are confirmed or likely carbon stars. We see an increase in the pulsation amplitude with increased dust production, supporting previous studies suggesting that dust production and pulsation are linked. We find no strong evidence linking dust production with metallicity, indicating that dust can form in very metal-poor environments., Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Nearby resolved dwarf galaxies provide excellent opportunities for studying the dust-producing late stages of stellar evolution over a wide range of metallicity (-2.7 < [Fe/H] < -1.0). Here, we describe DUSTiNGS (DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer): a 3.6 and 4.5 micron post-cryogen Spitzer Space Telescope imaging survey of 50 dwarf galaxies within 1.5 Mpc that is designed to identify dust-producing Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and massive stars. The survey includes 37 dwarf spheroidal, 8 dwarf irregular, and 5 transition-type galaxies. This near-complete sample allows for the building of statistics on these rare phases of stellar evolution over the full metallicity range. The photometry is >75% complete at the tip of the Red Giant Branch for all targeted galaxies, with the exception of the crowded inner regions of IC 10, NGC 185, and NGC 147. This photometric depth ensures that the majority of the dust-producing stars, including the thermally-pulsing AGB stars, are detected in each galaxy. The images map each galaxy to at least twice the half-light radius to ensure that the entire evolved star population is included and to facilitate the statistical subtraction of background and foreground contamination, which is severe at these wavelengths. In this overview, we describe the survey, the data products, and preliminary results. We show evidence for the presence of dust-producing AGB stars in 8 of the targeted galaxies, with metallicities as low as [Fe/H] = -1.9, suggesting that dust production occurs even at low metallicity., Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJS

NGC1569 has some of the most vigorous star formation among nearby galaxies. It hosts two super star clusters (SSCs) and has a higher star formation rate (SFR) per unit area than other starburst dwarf galaxies. Extended emission beyond the galaxy's optical body is observed in warm and hot ionised and atomic hydrogen gas; a cavity surrounds the SSCs. We aim to understand the impact of the massive star formation on the surrounding interstellar medium in NGC1569 through a study of its stellar and dust properties. We use Herschel and ancillary multiwavelength observations, from the ultraviolet to the submillimeter regime, to construct its spectral energy distribution, which we model with magphys on ~300pc scales at the SPIRE250 {\mu}m resolution. The multiwavelength morphology shows low levels of dust emission in the cavity, and a concentration of several dust knots in its periphery. The extended emission seen in the ionised and neutral hydrogen observations is also present in the far-infrared emission. The dust mass is higher in the periphery of the cavity, driven by ongoing star formation and dust emission knots. The SFR is highest in the central region, while the specific SFR is more sensitive to the ongoing star formation. The region encompassing the cavity and SSCs contains only 12 per cent of the dust mass of the central starburst, in accord with other tracers of the interstellar medium. The gas-to-dust mass ratio is lower in the cavity and fluctuates to higher values in its periphery., Comment: MNRAS accepted; 22 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables

X-ray binaries (XRBs) are probes of both star formation and stellar mass, but more importantly remain one of the only direct tracers of the compact object population. To investigate the XRB population in M31, we utilized all 121 publicly available observations of M31 totalling over 1 Ms from $\it{Chandra's}$ ACIS instrument. We studied 83 star clusters in the bulge using the year 1 star cluster catalogue from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Survey. We found 15 unique star clusters that matched to 17 X-ray point sources within 1'' (3.8 pc). This population is composed predominantly of globular cluster low-mass XRBs, with one previously unidentified star cluster X-ray source. Star clusters that were brighter and more compact preferentially hosted an X-ray source. Specifically, logistic regression showed that the F475W magnitude was the most important predictor followed by the effective radius, while color (F475W$-$F814W) was not statistically significant. We also completed a matching analysis of 1566 HII regions and found 10 unique matches to 9 X-ray point sources within 3'' (11 pc). The HII regions hosting X-ray point sources were on average more compact than unmatched HII regions, but logistic regression concluded that neither the radius nor H$\alpha$ luminosity was a significant predictor. Four matches have no previous classification and thus are high-mass XRB candidates. A stacking analysis of both star clusters and HII regions resulted in non-detections, giving typical upper limits of $\approx10^{32}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which probes the quiescent XRB regime., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal