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We carried out deep mapping observations of the atomic hydrogen (HI) 21 cm line emission in a field centered on the famous galaxy group Stephan's Quintet (SQ), using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) equipped with the 19-Beam Receiver. The final data cube reaches an HI column density sensitivity of $5 \sigma = 2.1\times 10^{17}$ cm$^{-2}$ per 20 km s$^{-1}$ channel with an angular resolution of $4'.0$. The discovery of a large diffuse feature of the HI emission in the outskirt of the intragroup medium of SQ was reported in a previous paper (Xu et al. 2022). Here we present a new study of the total HI emission of SQ and the detection of several neighboring galaxies, exploiting the high sensitivity and the large sky coverage of the FAST observations. A total HI mass of $M_{\rm HI} = 3.48 \pm 0.35 \times 10^{10}\; M_\odot$ is found for SQ, which is significantly higher than previous measurements in the literature. This indicates that, contrary to earlier claims, SQ is not HI deficient. The excessive HI gas is mainly found in the velocity ranges of 6200 - 6400 km s$^{-1}$ and 6800 - 7000 km s$^{-1}$, which was undetected in previous observations that are less sensitive than ours. Our results suggest that the ``missing HI" in compact groups may be hidden in the low-density diffuse neutral gas instead of in the ionized gas., Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, Accepted by ApJ

In this paper, we aim to derive high-precision alpha-element abundances using CRIRES high-resolution IR spectra of 72 cool M giants of the inner Galactic bulge. Silicon, magnesium, and calcium abundances were determined by fitting a synthetic spectrum for each star. We also incorporated recent theoretical data into our spectroscopic analysis (i.e. updated K-band line list, better broadening parameter estimation, non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) corrections). We compare these inner bulge alpha abundance trends with those of solar neighbourhood stars observed with IGRINS using the same line list and analysis technique; we also compare our sample to APOGEE DR17 abundances for inner bulge stars. We investigate bulge membership using spectro-photometric distances and orbital simulations. We construct a chemical-evolution model that fits our metallicity distribution function (MDF) and our alpha-element trends. Among our 72 stars, we find four that are not bulge members. [Si/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H] trends show a typical thick disc alpha-element behaviour, except that we do not see any plateau at supersolar metallicities as seen in other works. The NLTE analysis lowers [Mg/Fe] typically by $\sim$0.1 dex, resulting in a noticeably lower trend of [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H]. The derived [Ca/Fe] versus [Fe/H] trend has a larger scatter than those for Si and Mg, but is in excellent agreement with local thin and thick disc trends. With our updated analysis, we constructed one of the most detailed studies of the alpha abundance trends of cool M giants in the inner Galactic bulge. We modelled these abundances by adopting a two-infall chemical-evolution model with two distinct gas-infall episodes with timescales of 0.4 Gyr and 2 Gyr, respectively. Based on a very meticulous spectral analysis, we have constructed detailed and precise chemical abundances of Mg, Si, and Ca for cool M giants., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures

Stephan's Quintet (SQ, distance=85$\pm$6 Mpc) is unique among compact groups of galaxies. Observations have previously shown that interactions between multiple members, including a high-speed intruder galaxy currently colliding into the intragroup medium, have likely generated tidal debris in the form of multiple gaseous and stellar filaments, the formation of tidal dwarfs and intragroup-medium starbursts, as well as widespread intergalactic shocked gas. The details and timing of the interactions/collisions remain poorly understood because of the multiple nature. Here we report atomic hydrogen (HI) observations in the vicinity of SQ with a smoothed sensitivity of 1$\sigma$=4.2 $\times 10^{16}\rm cm^{-2}$ per channel ($\Delta$v=20 km s$^{-1}$; angular-resolution=4'), which are about two orders of magnitude deeper than previous observations. The data reveal a large HI structure (linear scale ~0.6 Mpc) encompassing an extended source of size ~0.4 Mpc associated with the debris field and a curved diffuse feature of length ~0.5 Mpc attached to the south edge of the extended source. The diffuse feature was likely produced by tidal interactions in early stages of SQ (>1 Gyr ago), though it is not clear how the low density HI gas (N$_{\rm HI}\leq 10^{18}\rm cm^{-2}$) can survive the ionization by the inter-galactic UV background on such a long time scale. Our observations require a rethinking of gas in outer parts of galaxy groups and demand complex modeling of different phases of the intragroup medium in simulations of group formation., Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Nature

We study the structure of atomic hydrogen (HI) in the host galaxy of GRB 171205A / SN 2017iuk at z=0.037 through HI 21cm emission line observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. These observations reveal unusual morphology and kinematics of the HI in this otherwise apparently normal galaxy. High column density, cold HI is absent from an extended North-South region passing by the optical centre of the galaxy, but instead is extended towards the South, on both sides of the galaxy. Moreover, the HI kinematics do not show a continuous change along the major axis of the galaxy as expected in a classical rotating disk. We explore several scenarios to explain the HI structure and kinematics in the galaxy: feedback from a central starburst and/or an active galactic nucleus, ram pressure stripping, accretion, and tidal interaction from a companion galaxy. All of these options are ruled out. The most viable remaining explanation is the penetrating passage of a satellite through the disk only a few Myr ago, redistributing the HI in the GRB host without yet affecting its stellar distribution. It can also lead to the rapid formation of peculiar stars due to a violent induced shock. The location of GRB 171205A in the vicinity of the distorted area suggests that its progenitor star(s) originated in extreme conditions that share the same origin as the peculiarities in HI. This could explain the atypical location of GRB 171205A in its host galaxy., Comment: This is the Accepted Manuscript version of an article accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The manuscript has 8 pages and 2 figures

We present the first spatially resolved study of molecular gas in the vicinity of a Gamma Ray Burst, using CO(2-1) emission line observations with the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) at ~50 pc scales. The host galaxy of GRB 980425 contains a ring of high column density HI gas which is likely to have formed due to a collision between the GRB host and its companion galaxy, within which the GRB is located. We detect eleven molecular gas clumps in the galaxy, seven of which are within the gas ring. The clump closest to the GRB position is at a projected separation of ~280 pc. Although it is plausible that the GRB progenitor was ejected from clusters formed in this clump, we argue that the in situ formation of the GRB progenitor is the most likely scenario. We measure the molecular gas masses of the clumps and find them to be sufficient for forming massive star clusters. The molecular gas depletion times of the clumps show a variation of ~2 dex, comparable with the large variation in depletion times found in starburst galaxies in the nearby Universe. This demonstrates the presence of starburst modes of star formation on local scales in the galaxy, even while the galaxy as a whole cannot be categorised as a starburst based on its global properties. Our findings suggest that the progenitor of GRB 9802425 was originated in a young massive star cluster formed in the starburst mode of star formation., Comment: ApJ (in press), 12 pages, 4 figures, 1 table

We present a detailed study of the composition of 20 M giants in the Galactic center with 15 of them confirmed to be in the Nuclear Star Cluster. As a control sample we have also observed 7 M giants in the Milky Way Disk with similar stellar parameters. All 27 stars are observed using the NIRSPEC spectograph on the KECK II telescope in the K-band at a resolving power of R=23,000. We report the first silicon abundance trends versus [Fe/H] for stars in the Galactic center. While finding a disk/bulge like trend at subsolar metallicities, we find that [Si/Fe] is enhanced at supersolar metallicities. We speculate on possible enrichment scenarios to explain such a trend. However, the sample size is modest and the result needs to be confirmed by additional measurements of silicon and other \textalpha-elements. We also derive a new distribution of [Fe/H] and find the most metal rich stars at [Fe/H]=+0.5 dex, confirming our earlier conclusions that the Galactic center hosts no stars with extreme chemical composition., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, Figure 7 corrected

We report the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the metal rich host galaxy of superluminous supernova (SLSN) PTF10tpz, a barred spiral galaxy at z=0.03994. We find the CO(1-0) emission to be confined within the bar of the galaxy. The distribution and kinematics of molecular gas in the host galaxy resemble gas flows along two lanes running from the tips of the bar towards the galaxy center. These gas lanes end in a gaseous structure in the inner region of the galaxy, likely associated with an inner Lindblad resonance. The interaction between the large-scale gas flows in the bar and the gas in the inner region plausibly leads to the formation of massive molecular clouds and consequently massive clusters. This in turn can result in formation of massive stars, and thus the likely progenitor of the SLSN in a young, massive cluster. This picture is consistent with SLSN PTF10tpz being located near the inner structure. We find the molecular gas in the vicinity of the SLSN to have high surface densities, comparable with those in interacting galaxies or starburst regions in nearby galaxies. This lends support to high densities being favorable conditions for formation of SLSNe progenitors., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)

We introduce the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST), a new high-multiplex, wide-field spectroscopic survey facility under development for the four-metre-class Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at Paranal. Its key specifications are: a large field of view (FoV) of 4.2 square degrees and a high multiplex capability, with 1624 fibres feeding two low-resolution spectrographs ($R = \lambda/\Delta\lambda \sim 6500$), and 812 fibres transferring light to the high-resolution spectrograph ($R \sim 20\,000$). After a description of the instrument and its expected performance, a short overview is given of its operational scheme and planned 4MOST Consortium science; these aspects are covered in more detail in other articles in this edition of The Messenger. Finally, the processes, schedules, and policies concerning the selection of ESO Community Surveys are presented, commencing with a singular opportunity to submit Letters of Intent for Public Surveys during the first five years of 4MOST operations., Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.html

We use hydrodynamical simulations of a Cartwheel-like ring galaxy, modelled as a nearly head-on collision of a small companion with a larger disc galaxy, to probe the evolution of the gaseous structures and flows, and to explore the physical conditions setting the star formation activity. Star formation is first quenched by tides as the companion approaches, before being enhanced shortly after the collision. The ring ploughs the disc material as it radially extends, and almost simultaneously depletes its stellar and gaseous reservoir into the central region, through the spokes, and finally dissolve 200 Myr after the collision. Most of star formation first occurs in the ring before this activity is transferred to the spokes and then the nucleus. We thus propose that the location of star formation traces the dynamical stage of ring galaxies, and could help constrain their star formation histories. The ring hosts tidal compression associated with strong turbulence. This compression yields an azimuthal asymmetry, with maxima reached in the side furthest away from the nucleus, which matches the star formation activity distribution in our models and in observed ring systems. The interaction triggers the formation of star clusters significantly more massive than before the collision, but less numerous than in more classical galaxy interactions. The peculiar geometry of Cartwheel-like objects thus yields a star (cluster) formation activity comparable to other interacting objects, but with notable second order differences in the nature of turbulence, the enhancement of the star formation rate, and the number of massive clusters formed., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Galaxy mergers are believed to trigger strong starbursts. This is well assessed by observations in the local Universe. However the efficiency of this mechanism has poorly been tested so far for high redshift, actively star forming, galaxies. We present a suite of pc-resolution hydrodynamical numerical simulations to compare the star formation process along a merging sequence of high and low z galaxies, by varying the gas mass fraction between the two models. We show that, for the same orbit, high-redshift gas-rich mergers are less efficient than low-redshift ones at producing starbursts: the star formation rate excess induced by the merger and its duration are both around 10 times lower than in the low gas fraction case. The mechanisms that account for the star formation triggering at low redshift - the increased compressive turbulence, gas fragmentation, and central gas inflows - are only mildly, if not at all, enhanced for high gas fraction galaxy encounters. Furthermore, we show that the strong stellar feedback from the initially high star formation rate in high redshift galaxies does not prevent an increase of the star formation during the merger. Our results are consistent with the observed increase of the number of major mergers with increasing redshift being faster than the respective increase in the number of starburst galaxies., Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, accepted for pubication in MNRAS

The strong time-dependence of the dynamics of galactic bars yields a complex and rapidly evolving distribution of dense gas and star forming regions. Although bars mainly host regions void of any star formation activity, their extremities can gather the physical conditions for the formation of molecular complexes and mini-starbursts. Using a sub-parsec resolution hydrodynamical simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy, we probe these conditions to explore how and where bar (hydro-)dynamics favours the formation or destruction of molecular clouds and stars. The interplay between the kpc-scale dynamics (gas flows, shear) and the parsec-scale (turbulence) is key to this problem. We find a strong dichotomy between the leading and trailing sides of the bar, in term of cloud fragmentation and in the age distribution of the young stars. After orbiting along the bar edge, these young structures slow down at the extremities of the bar, where orbital crowding increases the probability of cloud-cloud collision. We find that such events increase the Mach number of the cloud, leading to an enhanced star formation efficiency and finally the formation of massive stellar associations, in a fashion similar to galaxy-galaxy interactions. We highlight the role of bar dynamics in decoupling young stars from the clouds in which they form, and discuss the implications on the injection of feedback into the interstellar medium, in particular in the context of galaxy formation., Comment: MNRAS accepted

When the cosmic star formation history peaks (z ~ 2), galaxies vigorously fed by cosmic reservoirs are gas dominated and contain massive star-forming clumps, thought to form by violent gravitational instabilities in highly turbulent gas-rich disks. However, a clump formation event has not been witnessed yet, and it is debated whether clumps survive energetic feedback from young stars, thus migrating inwards to form galaxy bulges. Here we report spatially resolved spectroscopy of a bright off-nuclear emission line region in a galaxy at z = 1.987. Although this region dominates the star formation in the galaxy disk, its stellar continuum remains undetected in deep imaging, revealing an extremely young (age < 10 Myr) massive clump, forming through the gravitational collapse of > 10$^9$ M$_{\odot}$ of gas. Gas consumption in this young clump is > 10 times faster than in the host galaxy, displaying high star formation efficiency during this phase, in agreement with our hydrodynamic simulations. The frequency of older clumps with similar masses coupled with our initial estimate of their formation rate (~ 2.5 Gyr$^{-1}$) supports long lifetimes (~ 500 Myr), favouring scenarios where clumps survive feedback and grow the bulges of present-day galaxies., Comment: Published in May 7 issue of Nature (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14409)

The interstellar dust content in galaxies can be traced in extinction at optical wavelengths, or in emission in the far-infrared. Several studies have found that radiative transfer models that successfully explain the optical extinction in edge-on spiral galaxies generally underestimate the observed FIR/submm fluxes by a factor of about three. In order to investigate this so-called dust energy balance problem, we use two Milky Way-like galaxies produced by high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations. We create mock optical edge-on views of these simulated galaxies (using the radiative transfer code SKIRT), and we then fit the parameters of a basic spiral galaxy model to these images (using the fitting code FitSKIRT). The basic model includes smooth axisymmetric distributions along a S\'ersic bulge and exponential disc for the stars, and a second exponential disc for the dust. We find that the dust mass recovered by the fitted models is about three times smaller than the known dust mass of the hydrodynamical input models. This factor is in agreement with previous energy balance studies of real edge-on spiral galaxies. On the other hand, fitting the same basic model to less complex input models (e.g. a smooth exponential disc with a spiral perturbation or with random clumps), does recover the dust mass of the input model almost perfectly. Thus it seems that the complex asymmetries and the inhomogeneous structure of real and hydrodynamically simulated galaxies are a lot more efficient at hiding dust than the rather contrived geometries in typical quasi-analytical models. This effect may help explain the discrepancy between the dust emission predicted by radiative transfer models and the observed emission in energy balance studies for edge-on spiral galaxies., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We model the intensity of emission lines from the CO molecule, based on hydrodynamic simulations of spirals, mergers, and high-redshift galaxies with very high resolutions (3pc and 10^3 Msun) and detailed models for the phase-space structure of the interstellar gas including shock heating, stellar feedback processes and galactic winds. The simulations are analyzed with a Large Velocity Gradient (LVG) model to compute the local emission in various molecular lines in each resolution element, radiation transfer and opacity effects, and the intensity emerging from galaxies, to generate synthetic spectra for various transitions of the CO molecule. This model reproduces the known properties of CO spectra and CO-to-H2 conversion factors in nearby spirals and starbursting major mergers. The high excitation of CO lines in mergers is dominated by an excess of high-density gas, and the high turbulent velocities and compression that create this dense gas excess result in broad linewidths and low CO intensity-to-H2 mass ratios. When applied to high-redshift gas-rich disks galaxies, the same model predicts that their CO-to-H2 conversion factor is almost as high as in nearby spirals, and much higher than in starbursting mergers. High-redshift disk galaxies contain giant star-forming clumps that host a high-excitation component associated to gas warmed by the spatially-concentrated stellar feedback sources, although CO(1-0) to CO(3-2) emission is overall dominated by low-excitation gas around the densest clumps. These results overall highlight a strong dependence of CO excitation and the CO-to-H2 conversion factor on galaxy type, even at similar star formation rates or densities. The underlying processes are driven by the interstellar medium structure and turbulence and its response to stellar feedback, which depend on global galaxy structure and in turn impact the CO emission properties., Comment: A&A in press

The organization of the interstellar medium in disk galaxies obeys the large scale dynamics set by kpc-size structures. Improving our knowledge of how the dense, molecular gas is distributed in a disk is an important step in our understanding of star formation at galactic scale. Using a recently published simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy, we explore the formation and dynamical organization of the star forming gas in a proto-typical disk. Along spiral arms, we report the formation of regularly spaced clouds, called beads on a string and spurs. The former form through gravitational instabilities while the later originate from Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. We propose that the co-existence of both structures in the same galaxy can be explained by a different role of the disk dynamics, depending on the location within the disk. In particular, we highlight the impact of the pitch angle of the spiral arm in the development of either type of structure., Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the proceedings of "Structure and Dynamics of Disk Galaxies" - Petit Jean Mountain, Ar, USA (12-16 August 2013), M. Seigar and P. Treuthardt, eds

We aim at addressing the questions related to galaxy mass assembly through major and minor wet merging processes in the redshift range 1

We present a self-consistent hydrodynamical simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy, at the resolution of 0.05 pc. The model includes star formation and a new implementation of stellar feedback through photo-ionization, radiative pressure and supernovae. The simulation resolves the structure of the interstellar medium at subparsec resolution for a few cloud lifetimes, and at 0.05 pc for about a cloud crossing time. Turbulence cascade and gravitation from the kpc scales are de facto included in smaller structures like molecular clouds. We show that the formation of a bar influences the dynamics of the central ~100 pc by creating resonances. At larger radii, the spiral arms host the formation of regularly spaced clouds: beads on a string and spurs. These instabilities pump turbulent energy into the gas, generally in the supersonic regime. Because of asymmetric drift, the supernovae explode outside of their gaseous nursery, which diminishes the effect of feedback on the structure of clouds. The evolution of clouds is thus mostly due to fragmentation and gas consumption, regulated mainly by supersonic turbulence. The transition from turbulence supported to self-gravitating gas is detected in the gas density probability distribution function at ~2000 cm^-3. The power spectrum density suggests that gravitation governs the hierarchical organisation of structures from the galactic scale down to a few parsecs., Comment: MNRAS accepted

Physics lectures always refer to the tides as a disruptive effect. However, tides can also be compressive. When the potential of two galaxies overlap, as happens during a merger, fully compressive tides can develop and have a strong impact on the dynamics of substructures such as star clusters or tidal dwarf galaxies. Using N-body simulations of a large set of mergers, we noticed the importance of these tidal modes at cluster scale. With a model of the Antennae galaxies, we conclude that the positions and timescales of these tidal modes match the actual distribution of young clusters. A detailed study of the statistics of the compressive tides shows a stunning correlation between this purely gravitational effect and the observed properties of the star clusters. In this contribution, we introduce the concept of compressive tide and show its relevance in the special case of the Antennae galaxies. We extend our conclusions to a broad range of parameters and discuss their implications on several critical points such as the infant mortality, multiple star formation epochs in clusters or the age distribution., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the `Galaxy Wars: Stellar Populations and Star Formation in Interacting Galaxies Conference'

Gravitational tides are widely understood to strip and destroy galactic substructures. In the course of a galaxy merger, however, transient totally compressive tides may develop and prevent star forming regions from dissolving, after they condensed to form clusters of stars. We study the statistics of such compressive modes in an N-body model of the galaxy merger NGC 4038/39 (the Antennae) and show that ~15% of the disc material undergoes compressive tides at pericentre. The spatial distribution of observed young clusters in the overlap and nuclear regions of the Antennae matches surprisingly well the location of compressive tides obtained from simulation data. Furthermore, the statistics of time intervals spent by individual particles embedded in a compressive tide yields a log-normal distribution of characteristic time ~10 Myr, comparable to star cluster formation timescales. We argue that this generic process is operative in galaxy mergers at all redshifts and possibly enhances the formation of star clusters. We show with a model calculation that this process will prevent the dissolution of a star cluster during the formation phase, even for a star formation efficiency as low as ~10%. The transient nature of compressive tides implies that clusters may dissolve rapidly once the tidal field switches to the usual disruptive mode., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters. For higher resolution, see http://astro.u-strasbg.fr/~renaud/publi/mnras08.pdf