THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

Bonita De Swardt; Kartik Sheth; Taehyun Kim; Stephen Pardy; Elena D'Onghia; Eric Wilcots; Joannah Hinz; Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mateos; Michael W. Regan; E. Athanassoula; Albert Bosma; Ronald J. Buta; Mauricio Cisternas; Sébastien Comerón; Dimitri A. Gadotti; Armando Gil De Paz; Thomas H. Jarrett; Bruce G. Elmegreen; Santiago Erroz-Ferrer; Luis C. Ho; Johan H. Knapen; Jarkko Laine; Eija Laurikainen; Barry F. Madore; Sharon Meidt; Karín Menéndez-Delmestre; Chien Y. Peng; Heikki Salo; Eva Schinnerer; Dennis Zaritsky

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

Bonita De Swardt, Kartik Sheth, Taehyun Kim, Stephen Pardy, Elena D'Onghia, Eric Wilcots, Joannah Hinz, Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, E. Athanassoula, Albert Bosma, Ronald J. Buta, Mauricio Cisternas, Sébastien Comerón, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Thomas H. Jarrett, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Luis C. HoJohan H. Knapen, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Barry F. Madore, Sharon Meidt, Karín Menéndez-Delmestre, Chien Y. Peng, Heikki Salo, Eva Schinnerer, Dennis Zaritsky

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7 Scopus citations

Abstract

We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S⁴G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	90
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	808
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90
State	Published - Jul 20 2015

Keywords

galaxies: evolution
galaxies: formation
galaxies: structure

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

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De Swardt, B., Sheth, K., Kim, T., Pardy, S., D'Onghia, E., Wilcots, E., Hinz, J., Muñoz-Mateos, J. C., Regan, M. W., Athanassoula, E., Bosma, A., Buta, R. J., Cisternas, M., Comerón, S., Gadotti, D. A., De Paz, A. G., Jarrett, T. H., Elmegreen, B. G., Erroz-Ferrer, S., ... Zaritsky, D. (2015). THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906. Astrophysical Journal, 808(1), Article 90. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

De Swardt, B, Sheth, K, Kim, T, Pardy, S, D'Onghia, E, Wilcots, E, Hinz, J, Muñoz-Mateos, JC, Regan, MW, Athanassoula, E, Bosma, A, Buta, RJ, Cisternas, M, Comerón, S, Gadotti, DA, De Paz, AG, Jarrett, TH, Elmegreen, BG, Erroz-Ferrer, S, Ho, LC, Knapen, JH, Laine, J, Laurikainen, E, Madore, BF, Meidt, S, Menéndez-Delmestre, K, Peng, CY, Salo, H, Schinnerer, E & Zaritsky, D 2015, 'THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906', Astrophysical Journal, vol. 808, no. 1, 90. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

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title = "THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906",

abstract = "We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.",

keywords = "galaxies: evolution, galaxies: formation, galaxies: structure",

author = "{De Swardt}, Bonita and Kartik Sheth and Taehyun Kim and Stephen Pardy and Elena D'Onghia and Eric Wilcots and Joannah Hinz and Mu{\~n}oz-Mateos, {Juan Carlos} and Regan, {Michael W.} and E. Athanassoula and Albert Bosma and Buta, {Ronald J.} and Mauricio Cisternas and S{\'e}bastien Comer{\'o}n and Gadotti, {Dimitri A.} and {De Paz}, {Armando Gil} and Jarrett, {Thomas H.} and Elmegreen, {Bruce G.} and Santiago Erroz-Ferrer and Ho, {Luis C.} and Knapen, {Johan H.} and Jarkko Laine and Eija Laurikainen and Madore, {Barry F.} and Sharon Meidt and Kar{\'i}n Men{\'e}ndez-Delmestre and Peng, {Chien Y.} and Heikki Salo and Eva Schinnerer and Dennis Zaritsky",

year = "2015",

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doi = "10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90",

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T1 - THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

AU - De Swardt, Bonita

AU - Sheth, Kartik

AU - Kim, Taehyun

AU - Pardy, Stephen

AU - D'Onghia, Elena

AU - Wilcots, Eric

AU - Hinz, Joannah

AU - Muñoz-Mateos, Juan Carlos

AU - Regan, Michael W.

AU - Athanassoula, E.

AU - Bosma, Albert

AU - Buta, Ronald J.

AU - Cisternas, Mauricio

AU - Comerón, Sébastien

AU - Gadotti, Dimitri A.

AU - De Paz, Armando Gil

AU - Jarrett, Thomas H.

AU - Elmegreen, Bruce G.

AU - Erroz-Ferrer, Santiago

AU - Ho, Luis C.

AU - Knapen, Johan H.

AU - Laine, Jarkko

AU - Laurikainen, Eija

AU - Madore, Barry F.

AU - Meidt, Sharon

AU - Menéndez-Delmestre, Karín

AU - Peng, Chien Y.

AU - Salo, Heikki

AU - Schinnerer, Eva

AU - Zaritsky, Dennis

PY - 2015/7/20

Y1 - 2015/7/20

N2 - We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.

AB - We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.

KW - galaxies: evolution

KW - galaxies: formation

KW - galaxies: structure

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U2 - 10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

DO - 10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/90

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84937949690

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 808

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 1

M1 - 90

ER -

THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

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