Ram-pressure stripping of the multiphase interstellar medium of the Virgo cluster elliptical galaxy M86 (NGC 4406)

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Astrophysical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/170167· OSTI ID:5225484

White, D A; Fabian, A C; Forman, W; Jones, C; Stern, C ^[1]

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1. Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy (England) Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (USA)

The available infrared, optical, and X-ray data on the elliptical galaxy M86, which is experiencing strong ram-pressure stripping in the intracluster medium of the Virgo Cluster, are analyzed. A significant component of infrared 60 micron emission displaced from the center of the galaxy is found. The displaced 60 micron emission lies on the optical major axis of the galaxy in the direction of perturbations to the optical isophotes and is coincident with a small feature in X-ray emission southwest of the X-ray plume. The displaced infrared emission is interpreted in terms of collisionally heated dust exposed to hot gas where ram pressure and turbulence are disrupting the stripped interstellar medium of the galaxy. The displacement of the outer optical isophotes in the direction of the stripped gas in suggested to be due to reflection of star-light on the dust grains. Ram pressure has separated and exposed the various components of the multiphase interstellar medium of M86, enabling these constituents to be identified and analyzed separately for the first time in an elliptical galaxy. 31 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5225484
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 375; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALAXIES
PRESSURE EFFECTS
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
GALAXY CLUSTERS
GALAXY NUCLEI
INFRARED RADIATION
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MORPHOLOGY
VISIBLE RADIATION
X RADIATION
CONFIGURATION
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FLUIDS
GASES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
RADIATIONS
SPACE
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies