John M. Cannon et al. 2009 ApJ 696 2104 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/696/2/2104
John M. Cannon1,2, John J. Salzer2,3 and Jessica L. Rosenberg4
Show affiliationsWe present new optical imaging and spectroscopy and H I spectral line imaging of the dwarf galaxy ADBS 113845 + 2008 (hereafter ADBS 1138). This metal-poor (Z ~ 30% Z ☉), "post-starburst" system has one of the most compact stellar distributions known in any galaxy to date (B-band exponential scale length = 0.57 kpc). In stark contrast to the compact stellar component, the neutral gas is extremely extended; H I is detected to a radial distance of ~25 kpc at the 1019 cm–2 level (
44 B-band scale lengths). Comparing to measurements of similar "giant disk" dwarf galaxies in the literature, ADBS 1138 has the largest known H I-to-optical size ratio. The stellar component is located near the center of a broken ring of H I that is ~15 kpc in diameter; column densities peak in this structure at the ~3.5 × 1020 cm–2 level. At the center of this ring, in a region of comparatively low H I column density, we find ongoing star formation traced by Hα emission. We sample the rotation curve to the point of turn over; this constrains the size of the dark matter halo of the galaxy, which outweighs the luminous component (stars + gas) by at least a factor of 15. To explain these enigmatic properties, we examine "inside-out" and "outside-in" evolutionary scenarios. Calculations of star formation energetics indicate that "feedback" from concentrated star formation is not capable of producing the ring structure; we posit that this is a system where the large H I disk is evolving in quiescent isolation. In a global sense, this system is exceedingly inefficient at converting neutral gas into stars.
galaxies: dwarf; galaxies: ISM; galaxies: individual (ADBS 113845+2008); galaxies: starburst
Issue 2 (2009 May 10)
Received 2009 January 22, accepted for publication 2009 February 25
Published 2009 April 28
John M. Cannon et al. 2009 ApJ 696 2104
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