Caught in the Act: Strong, Active Ram Pressure Stripping in Virgo Cluster Spiral NGC 4330

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

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Scientific paper

We present multi-wavelength data of NGC 4330, a highly-inclined spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster which is a very clear example of strong, ongoing ICM-ISM stripping. Although the older stellar disk appears undisturbed, multi-wavelength data (WIYN BVR-Hα, VLA 21-cm HI and radio continuum, and GALEX NUV and FUV) reveal one-sided extraplanar structures in dust, Hα, HI, and NUV. At the leading edge of the interaction, the ISM, as traced by Hα and dust extinction, curves sharply out of the disk. This upturn feature suggests that many different phases of the ISM are affected by ram pressure at around the same time in the stripping process. On the trailing side, the ISM forms a tail which contains 10% of the galaxy's total HI emission, as well as 8% of its NUV and FUV, and several HII regions. A strong gradient in the UV-optical colors on the leading side of the gas-stripped disk suggests that it has taken 200 - 500 Myr to strip the gas from a radius of >8 to 5 kpc. However, there are clear indications that the gas distribution on the downstream (tail) side of the galaxy is changing rapidly. The disk from 5 - 10 kpc on the tail side is FUV-bright but lacks Hα and HI emission, suggesting either a recent change in the direction of ram pressure or highly turbulent motions in the gas. The HI and HII peaks in the tail are offset, suggesting that the tail is currently moving away from the disk at 100 km/s. These observations are consistent with a scenario in which ram pressure increased rapidly 200 - 400 years ago, stripping the disk from >8 to 5 kpc. Within the past 50 Myr, the gas disk has gone from highly asymmetric to relatively symmetric.

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