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We present an analysis of the kinematics and ionization conditions in a sample composed of seven star-forming galaxies undergoing ram-pressure stripping in the A1367 cluster, and the galaxy ESO137–001 in the Norma cluster. MUSE observations of two new galaxies in this sample, CGCG097–073 and CGCG097–079, are also presented. This sample is characterized by homogeneous integral field spectroscopy with MUSE and by a consistent selection based on the presence of ionized gas tails. The ratio [O i]/H α is consistently elevated in the tails of these objects compared to what observed in unperturbed galaxy discs, an ubiquitous feature which we attribute to shocks or turbulent phenomena in the stripped gas. Compact star-forming regions are observed in only $\approx 50 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the tails, implying that specific (currently unknown) conditions are needed to trigger star formation inside the stripped gas. Focusing on the interface regions between the interstellar and intracluster medium, we observe different line ratios that we associate to different stages of the stripping process, with galaxies at an early stage of perturbation showing more prominent signatures of elevated star formation. Our analysis, thus, demonstrates the power of a well selected and homogeneous sample to infer general properties arising from ram-pressure stripping inside local clusters.

 

ABSTRACT Recent studies have highlighted the potential significance of intracluster medium (ICM) clumping and its important implications for cluster cosmology and baryon physics. Many of the ICM clumps can originate from infalling galaxies, as stripped interstellar medium (ISM) mixing into the hot ICM. However, a direct connection between ICM clumping and stripped ISM has not been unambiguously established before. Here, we present the discovery of the first and still the only known isolated cloud (or orphan cloud [OC]) detected in both X-rays and H α in the nearby cluster A1367. With an effective radius of 30 kpc, this cloud has an average X-ray temperature of 1.6 keV, a bolometric X-ray luminosity of ∼3.1 × 1041 erg s−1, and a hot gas mass of ∼1010 M⊙. From the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) data, the OC shows an interesting velocity gradient nearly along the east-west direction with a low level of velocity dispersion of ∼80 km s−1, which may suggest a low level of the ICM turbulence. The emission line diagnostics suggest little star formation in the main H α cloud and a low-ionization (nuclear) emission-line regions like spectrum, but the excitation mechanisms remain unclear. This example shows that stripped ISM, even long after the initial removal from the galaxy, can still induce ICM inhomogeneities. We suggest that the magnetic field can stabilize the OC by suppressing hydrodynamic instabilities and thermal conduction. This example also suggests that at least some ICM clumps are multiphase in nature and implies that the ICM clumps can also be traced in H α. Thus, future deep and wide-field H α surveys can be used to probe the ICM clumping and turbulence. 

ABSTRACT Previous studies have revealed a population of galaxies in galaxy clusters with ram pressure stripped (RPS) tails of gas and embedded young stars. We observed 1.4 GHz continuum and H i emission with the Very Large Array in its B-configuration in two fields of the Coma cluster to study the radio properties of RPS galaxies. The best continuum sensitivities in the two fields are 6 and 8 µJy per 4 arcsec beam, respectively, which are 4 and 3 times deeper than those previously published. Radio continuum tails are found in 10 (8 are new) out of 20 RPS galaxies, unambiguously revealing the presence of relativistic electrons and magnetic fields in the stripped tails. Our results also hint that the tail has a steeper spectrum than the galaxy. The 1.4 GHz continuum in the tails is enhanced relative to their H α emission by a factor of ∼7 compared to the main bodies of the RPS galaxies. The 1.4 GHz continuum of the RPS galaxies is also enhanced relative to their infrared emission by a factor of ∼2 compared to star-forming galaxies. The enhancement is likely related to ram pressure and turbulence in the tail. We furthermore present H i detections in three RPS galaxies and upper limits for the other RPS galaxies. The cold gas in D100’s stripped tail is dominated by molecular gas, which is likely a consequence of the high ambient pressure. No evidence of radio emission associated with ultra-diffuse galaxies is found in our data. 

PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the Subaru telescope, is now being tested on the telescope. The instrument is equipped with very wide (1.3 degrees in diameter) field of view on the Subaru's prime focus, high multiplexity by 2394 reconfigurable fibers, and wide waveband spectrograph that covers from 380nm to 1260nm simultaneously in one exposure. Currently engineering observations are ongoing with Prime Focus Instrument (PFI), Metrology Camera System (MCS), the first spectrpgraph module (SM1) with visible cameras and the first fiber cable providing optical link between PFI and SM1. Among the rest of the hardware, the second fiber cable has been already installed on the telescope and in the dome building since April 2022, and the two others were also delivered in June 2022. The integration and test of next SMs including near-infrared cameras are ongoing for timely deliveries. The progress in the software development is also worth noting. The instrument control software delivered with the subsystems is being well integrated with its system-level layer, the telescope system, observation planning software and associated databases. The data reduction pipelines are also rapidly progressing especially since sky spectra started being taken in early 2021 using Subaru Nigh Sky Spectrograph (SuNSS), and more recently using PFI during the engineering observations. In parallel to these instrumentation activities, the PFS science team in the collaboration is timely formulating a plan of large-sky survey observation to be proposed and conducted as a Subaru Strategic Program (SSP) from 2024. In this article, we report these recent progresses, ongoing developments and future perspectives of the PFS instrumentation. 

Sample return from the near-Earth asteroid known as 25143 Itokawa was conducted as part of the Hayabusa mission, with a large number of scientific findings being derived from the returned samples. Following the Hayabusa mission, Hayabusa2 was planned, targeting sample return from a primitive asteroid. The primary target body of Hayabusa2 was asteroid 162173 Ryugu; however, it was also necessary to gather physical information for backup target selection. Therefore, we examined five asteroids spectroscopically, 43 asteroids spectrophotometrically, and 41 asteroids through periodic analysis. Hence, the physical properties of 74 near-Earth asteroids were obtained, which helped the Hayabusa2 backup target search, and also furthered understanding of the physical properties of individual asteroids and their origins.

 

Observations of transient objects, such as short gamma-ray bursts and electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources, require prompt spectroscopy. To carry out prompt spectroscopy, we have developed an optical-fiber integral field unit (IFU) and connected it with an existing optical spectrograph, KOOLS. KOOLS–IFU was mounted on the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory 188 cm telescope. The fiber core and cladding diameters of the fiber bundle are 100 μm and 125 μm, respectively, and 127 fibers are hexagonally close-packed in the sleeve of the two-dimensional fiber array. We conducted test observations to measure the KOOLS–IFU performance and obtained the following conclusions: (1) the spatial sampling is ${2{^{\prime\prime}_{.}}34}$$\, \pm \,$${0{^{\prime\prime}_{.}}05}$ per fiber, and the total field of view is ${30{^{\prime\prime}_{.}}4}$$\, \pm \,$${0{^{\prime\prime}_{.}}65}$ with 127 fibers; (2) the observable wavelength and the spectral resolving power of the grisms of KOOLS are 4030–7310 Å and 400–600, 5020–8830 Å and 600–900, 4160–6000 Å and 1000–1200, and 6150–7930 Å and 1800–2400, respectively; and (3) the estimated limiting magnitude is 18.2–18.7 AB mag during 30 min exposure under optimal conditions.

 

We report on the development of a wide-field near-infrared (0.9–2.5$\, \mu$m) camera built as a renewal of the existing classical Cassegrain 0.91 m telescope at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. The optics system was replaced with fast hybrid optics (f/2.5) composed of forward Cassegrain optics and quasi-Schmidt optics, which results in an effective image circle of 52 mm diameter on the focal plane. The new camera, called the Okayama Astrophysical Observatory Wide-Field Camera (OAOWFC), has imaging capabilities in the $Y$, $J$, $H$, and $K_{\rm s}$ bands over a field of view of $0.^{\!\!\!\circ }47 \times 0.^{\!\!\!\circ }47$ with a HAWAII-1 HgCdTe PACE focal plane array. The primary purpose of OAOWFC is to search for variability in the Galactic plane in the $K_{\rm s}$ band and to promptly follow up transients. We have demonstrated a photometric repeatability of 2% in the densest field in the northern Galactic plane and successfully discovered previously unreported variable stars. The observations of OAOWFC are fully autonomous, and we started scientific operations in 2015 April.