A multiwavelength survey of H I-excess galaxies with surprisingly inefficient star formation

作者：Gereb, K.^*; Janowiecki, S.; Catinella, B.; Cortese, L.; Kilborn, V.

来源：Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2018, 476(1): 896-907.

DOI：10.1093/mnras/sty214

• galaxies: evolution
• galaxies: individual
• galaxies: interactions
• galaxies: star formation
• radio lines: galaxies
• ultraviolet: galaxies

We present the results of a multiwavelength survey of H I-excess galaxies, an intriguing population with large H I reservoirs associated with little current star formation. These galaxies have stellar masses M-star > 1010 M-circle dot, and were identified as outliers in the gas fraction versus NUV-r colour and stellar mass surface density scaling relations based on the GALEX Arecibo SDSS Survey (GASS). We obtained H I interferometry with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Keck optical long-slit spectroscopy, and deep optical imaging (where available) for four galaxies. Our analysis reveals multiple possible reasons for the H I excess in these systems. One galaxy, AGC 10111, shows an H I disc that is counter-rotating with respect to the stellar bulge, a clear indication of external origin of the gas. Another galaxy appears to host a Malin 1-type disc, where a large specific angular momentum has to be invoked to explain the extreme M (H I)/M-star ratio of 166 per cent. The other two galaxies have early-type morphology with very high gas fractions. The lack of merger signatures (unsettled gas, stellar shells, and streams) in these systems suggests that these gas-rich discs have been built several Gyr ago, but it remains unclear how the gas reservoirs were assembled. Numerical simulations of large cosmological volumes are needed to gain insight into the formation of these rare and interesting systems.

• 出版日期2018-5