The growth of the central region by acquisition of counterrotating gas in star-forming galaxies

Yan-Mei Chen (), Yong Shi, Christy A. Tremonti, Matt Bershady, Michael Merrifield, Eric Emsellem, Yi-Fei Jin, Song Huang, Hai Fu, David A. Wake, Kevin Bundy, David Stark, Lihwai Lin, Maria Argudo-Fernandez, Thaisa Storchi Bergmann, Dmitry Bizyaev, Joel Brownstein, Martin Bureau, John Chisholm, Niv Drory, Qi Guo, Lei Hao, Jian Hu, Cheng Li, Ran Li, Alexandre Roman Lopes, Kai-Ke Pan, Rogemar A. Riffel, Daniel Thomas, Lan Wang, Kyle Westfall and Ren-Bin Yan
Additional contact information
Yan-Mei Chen: School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University
Yong Shi: School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University
Christy A. Tremonti: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1150 University Ave
Matt Bershady: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1150 University Ave
Michael Merrifield: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park
Eric Emsellem: European Southern Observatory
Yi-Fei Jin: School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University
Song Huang: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, the University of Tokyo
Hai Fu: University of Iowa
David A. Wake: The Open University
Kevin Bundy: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, the University of Tokyo
David Stark: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, the University of Tokyo
Lihwai Lin: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
Maria Argudo-Fernandez: Shanghai Astronomical Observatory
Thaisa Storchi Bergmann: Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, CP 15051, 91501-970
Dmitry Bizyaev: Apache Point Observatory and New Mexico State University
Joel Brownstein: University of Utah
Martin Bureau: University of Oxford
John Chisholm: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1150 University Ave
Niv Drory: University of California
Qi Guo: National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lei Hao: Shanghai Astronomical Observatory
Jian Hu: Tsinghua University
Cheng Li: Tsinghua University
Ran Li: National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Alexandre Roman Lopes: Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena
Kai-Ke Pan: Apache Point Observatory and New Mexico State University
Rogemar A. Riffel: Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia—LIneA
Daniel Thomas: Institute for Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth
Lan Wang: National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kyle Westfall: Institute for Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth
Ren-Bin Yan: University of Kentucky

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Galaxies grow through both internal and external processes. In about 10% of nearby red galaxies with little star formation, gas and stars are counter-rotating, demonstrating the importance of external gas acquisition in these galaxies. However, systematic studies of such phenomena in blue, star-forming galaxies are rare, leaving uncertain the role of external gas acquisition in driving evolution of blue galaxies. Here, based on new measurements with integral field spectroscopy of a large representative galaxy sample, we find an appreciable fraction of counter-rotators among blue galaxies (9 out of 489 galaxies). The central regions of blue counter-rotators show younger stellar populations and more intense, ongoing star formation than their outer parts, indicating ongoing growth of the central regions. The result offers observational evidence that the acquisition of external gas in blue galaxies is possible; the interaction with pre-existing gas funnels the gas into nuclear regions (

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13269

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