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Toward the Virgo Cluster: On the Study of Neutral Hydrogen in the Local Universe

Author
Kent, Brian
Abstract
A catalog of neutral hydrogen detections toward the Virgo cluster
has been assembled. The data set uses observations from the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey,
a large extragalactic survey project using the new multi-beam receiver at
the Arecibo Observatory. The survey is an ongoing effort and
will eventually cover 7000 square degrees of high galactic
latitude sky. The technical background, observing mode, and data reduction procedures
will be described. The catalog of HI detections and their associated distributions and
statistics will be discussed.
A number of unique HI detections from the catalog appear to have interesting properties.
Some appear associated with, but offset from, low surface brightness optical counterparts;
others, at larger spatial offsets, may be tidally related to optical counterparts.
Yet another class includes detections which are not identifiable with any optical emission
available in online imaging databases.
The preliminary ALFALFA results on these objects in the Virgo region,
as well as followup aperture synthesis observations obtained with the Very Large Array, will be described.
These gas-rich, optically dim objects are not detected
in large numbers and are likely not primordial in nature. We explore
scenarios pertaining to their origin from ram pressure stripping of large disk galaxies in a cluster environment.
We also briefly discuss an HI mass function for
the Virgo HI detections, as well as preliminary simulations of a disk galaxy
moving at high speed through a cluster environment. The summary
of results will include future endeavors
with high-velocity clouds and mapping of galactic neutral hydrogen.
Description
Riccardo Giovanelli,
Martha P. Haynes,
Robert L. Brown,
Eanna Flanagan,
Richard V. E. Lovelace
Sponsorship
National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center,
National Radio Astronomy Observatory,
National Virtual Observatory,
AST--0307661,
AST--0435697,
AST--0347929,
AST--0407011,
AST--0302049
Date Issued
2007-08-10Publisher
Astrophysical Journal
Subject
astronomy; astrophysics; radio astronomy; Arecibo Telescope; Very Large Array; neutral hydrogen; galaxy; galaxy clusters; spectroscopy; gas dynamics; astronomy surveys; extragalactic astronomy; universe
Previously Published As
Kent, B.R. et al. 2007, Astrophys. J. (Letters) 665, L15
Type
dissertation or thesis