Title:	Comparing the Inner and Outer Star-forming Complexes in the Nearby Spiral Galaxies NGC 628, NGC 5457, and NGC 6946 Using UVIT Observations
Authors:	Yadav, Jyoti Das, Mousumi Patra, Narendra Nath Dwarakanath, K. S. Rahna, P. T. McGaugh, Stacy S. James Schombert, Stacy S. Murthy, Jayant
Keywords:	Ultraviolet astronomy (1736) Spiral galaxies (1560) Galaxy interactions (600) Star forming regions (1565) HI shells (728)
Issue Date:	Jun-2021
Publisher:	IOP Sciences for The American Astronomical Society
Citation:	The Astrophysical Journal, 2021, Vol.914, p54
Abstract:	We present a far-UV (FUV) study of the star-forming complexes (SFCs) in three nearby galaxies using the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. The galaxies are close to face-on and show significant outer disk star formation. Two of them are isolated (NGC 628 and NGC 6946), and one is interacting with distant companions (NGC 5457). We compared the properties of the SFCs inside and outside the optical radius (R25). We estimated the sizes, star formation rates (SFRs), metallicities, and Toomre Q parameter of the SFCs. We find that the outer disk SFCs are at least 10 times smaller in area than those in the inner disk. The SFRs per unit area (ΣSFR) in both regions have similar mean values, but the outer SFCs have a much smaller range of ΣSFR. They are also metal-poor compared to the inner disk SFCs. The FUV emission is well correlated with the neutral hydrogen gas (H i) distribution and detected within and near several H i holes. Our estimation of the Q parameter in the outer disks of the two isolated galaxies suggests that their outer disks are stable (Q > 1). However, their FUV images indicate that there is ongoing star formation in these regions. This suggests that there may be some nonluminous mass or dark matter in their outer disks, which increases the disk surface density and supports the formation of local gravitational instabilities. In the interacting galaxy, NGC 5457, the baryonic surface density is sufficient (Q < 1) to trigger local disk instabilities in the outer disk.
Description:	Restricted Access. An open-access version is available at arXiv.org (one of the alternative locations)
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/7786
ISSN:	0004-637X 1538-4357(Online)
Alternative Location:	https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.16819 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/abf8c1
Copyright:	2021, The American Astronomical Society
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (A&A)

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