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| Paper: |
Extra-planar Gas and Dust due to Ram Pressure Stripping of the Virgo Spiral NGC 4402 |
| Volume: |
331, Extra-Planar Gas |
| Page: |
281 |
| Authors: |
Crowl, H.H.; Kenney, J.D.P.; van Gorkom, J.H.; Vollmer, B. |
| Abstract: |
We present optical, HI and radio continuum observations of the highly inclined Virgo cluster Sc galaxy NGC 4402, which show evidence for ongoing ram-pressure stripping and dense cloud ablation. VLA HI and radio continuum maps show a truncated gas disk and extra-planar emission to the northwest of the main disk. The Hα image shows numerous HII complexes along the southern edge of the gas disk, presumably star formation triggered by the ICM pressure. BVR images at 0.5" resolution obtained with the WIYN Tip-Tilt Imager show a remarkable dust lane morphology: at half the optical radius, the dust lane of the galaxy curves up and out of the disk, matching the HI morphology. Star clusters at the southeast edge of the truncated gas disk are very blue, indicating very little dust reddening, suggesting dust blown out of the disk by an ICM wind at the leading edge of the interaction. To the south of the main ridge of interstellar material, where the galaxy is relatively clean of gas and dust, we have discovered linear dust filaments with a position angle that matches the extra-planar radio continuum tail; we interpret this angle as the projected ICM wind direction. One of the observed dust filaments has an HII region at its head. We interpret these dust filaments as large, dense clouds which were initially left behind as the low-density ISM is stripped, but then are ablated by the ICM, forming extra-planar trails of gas and dust.
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