Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21934620l&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #346.20
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
In 2004, Braun & Thilker (B&T) reported the detection of extremely faint 21cm HI emission at the level log10(NH)=17.0 that formed a partial bridge about 200 kpc in extent between M31 and M33. This has been interpreted as the neutral component of a WHIM filament, or the remnant of a past encounter between the two galaxies. B&T used data from the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, operated as an array of single dishes, to obtain the necessary sensitivity, but at the expense of angular resolution ( 45'). Subsequently, Putman et al (2009) have questioned the existence of this filament, noting its absence from the immediate vicinity of M33 at the level log10(NH) 18 in data from Arecibo. We have reobserved much of the region between M31 and M33 using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at 9' resolution, with a 5-sigma sensitivity limit of log10(NHI) 18.0 and a few much deeper pointings. We detect HI lines consistent with the B&T results. In two locations the emission appears at log(NHI)>18.3, suggesting clumping in the otherwise diffuse gas. We estimate the mass of HI in the bridge, and show examples of the GBT's freedom from instrumental effects down to detection levels of log(NHI) 17.0. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under a cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
Free N.
Lockman Felix J.
Shields Joseph C.
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