GBT14B-293

Mapping the Extended HI Environment of the HALOGAS Galaxies

Abstract

One of the most crucial questions regarding galaxy formation today is how galaxies accrete their gas and how accretion processes affect subsequent star formation. In order to investigate this important question, we propose to map the HI in a four square degree region around 13 HALOGAS galaxies without existing GBT HI data. We have three science goals: First, the GBT data will be sensitive to column densities on the order of log(N)~18, which will allow us to search for low column density features like tidal interactions and cosmic web filaments providing a complete HI census in the extended HI environments of the HALOGAS galaxies. Second, the new GBT data will provide total power information to combine with existing WSRT data to better study the HI kinematics and distribution in the outer disks of these galaxies. Lastly, the combined WSRT+GBT data will supplement previous combined GBT+THINGS data to provide a large sample to investigate the correlations between gas accretion processes and galaxy parameters such as total mass, star formation rates, and environment allowing us to identify the origin of gas around these galaxies.

Investigators

Name	Institution
Nickolas Pingel *	Wisconsin at Madison, University of; Indiana University; Australian National University
D.J. Pisano	Cape Town, University of
George Heald	Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

* indicates the PI