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Creators/Authors contains: "Fielder, Catherine"

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  1. Abstract We present results from Identifying Dwarfs of MC Analog GalaxiEs (ID-MAGE), a survey aimed at identifying and characterizing unresolved satellite galaxies around 35 nearby LMC- and SMC-mass hosts (D = 4−10 Mpc). We use archival DESI Legacy Survey imaging data and perform an extensive search for dwarf satellites, extending out to a radius of 150 kpc (∼Rvir). We identify 355 candidate satellite galaxies, including 264 new discoveries. Extensive tests with injected galaxies demonstrate that the survey is complete down toMV ∼ −9.0 (assuming the distance of the host) andμ0,V ∼ 26 mag arcsec−2(assuming ann = 1 Sérsic profile). We perform consistent photometry, via Sérsic profile fitting, on all candidates and have initiated a comprehensive follow-up campaign to confirm and characterize candidates. Through a systematic visual inspection campaign, we classify the top candidates as high-likelihood satellites. On average, we find 4.0 ± 1.4 high-likelihood candidate satellites per LMC-mass host and 2.1 ± 0.6 per SMC-mass host, which is within the range predicted by cosmological models. We use this sample to establish upper and lower estimates on the satellite luminosity function of LMC-/SMC-mass galaxies. ID-MAGE nearly triples the number of low-mass galaxies surveyed for satellites with well-characterized completeness limits, providing a unique data set to explore small-scale structure and dwarf galaxy evolution around low-mass hosts in diverse environments. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available August 5, 2026
  2. Abstract We report the results of the deepest search to date for dwarf galaxies around NGC 3109, a barred spiral galaxy with a mass similar to that of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), using a semiautomated search method. Using the Dark Energy Camera, we survey a region covering a projected distance of ∼70 kpc of NGC 3109 (D= 1.3 Mpc,Rvir∼ 90 kpc,M∼ 108M*) as part of the MADCASH and DELVE-DEEP programs. We introduce a newly developed semiresolved search method, used alongside a resolved search, to identify crowded dwarf galaxies around NGC 3109. Using both approaches, we successfully recover the known satellites Antlia and Antlia B. We identified a promising candidate, which was later confirmed to be a background dwarf through deep follow-up observations. Our detection limits are well defined, with the sample ∼80% complete down toMV∼ −8.0, and include detections of dwarf galaxies as faint asMV∼ −6.0. This is the first comprehensive study of a satellite system through resolved stars around an SMC mass host. Our results show that NGC 3109 has more bright (MV∼ −9.0) satellites than the mean predictions from cold dark matter models, but well within the host-to-host scatter. A larger sample of LMC/SMC-mass hosts is needed to test whether or not the observations are consistent with current model expectations. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available August 1, 2026
  3. Abstract We present new follow-up observations of two ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) selected for their distorted morphologies and tidal features, suggestive of tidal influence. Using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys F555W and F814W imaging, we identify 8 ± 2 globular clusters in KUG 0203-Dw1 and 6 ± 2 in KDG 013, abundances typical for normal dwarf galaxies of similar stellar mass. Jansky Very Large Array data reveal a clear Hidetection of KUG 0203-Dw1 with a gas mass estimate of log M H I / M 7.4 and evidence of active stripping by the host, while KDG 013 has no clear gas detection. The UDGs likely originated as normal dwarf galaxies that have been subjected to significant stripping and tidal heating, causing them to become more diffuse. These two UDGs complete a sample of five exhibiting tidal features in the full Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey area (∼1502deg). These tidally influenced UDGs exhibit diverse properties; one stands out as a potential result of a dwarf merger, while the remainder suggest tidal heating origins. We also cannot conclusively rule out that these galaxies became UDGs in the field before processing by the group environment, underscoring the need for broader searches of diffuse galaxies to better understand the impact of galaxy interactions. 
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  4. Abstract We present deep optical observations of the stellar halo of NGC 300, an LMC-mass galaxy, acquired with the DEEP subcomponent of the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey using the 4 m Blanco Telescope. Our resolved star analysis reveals a large, low surface brightness stellar stream (MV ∼ −8.5; [Fe/H] = −1.4 ± 0.15) extending more than 40 kpc north from the galaxy’s center. We also find other halo structures, including potentially an additional stream wrap to the south, which may be associated with the main stream. The morphology and derived low metallicities of the streams and shells discovered surrounding NGC 300 are highly suggestive of a past accretion event. Assuming a single progenitor, the accreted system is approximately Fornax-like in luminosity, with an inferred mass ratio to NGC 300 of approximately 1:15. We also present the discovery of a metal-poor globular cluster (GC) (Rproj = 23.3 kpc;MV = −8.99 ± 0.16; [Fe/H] ≈ −1.6 ± 0.6) in the halo of NGC 300, the furthest identified GC associated with NGC 300. The stellar structures around NGC 300 represent the richest features observed in a Magellanic Cloud analog to date, strongly supporting the idea that accretion and subsequent disruption is an important mechanism in the assembly of dwarf galaxy stellar halos. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 26, 2026
  5. Abstract We report the discovery of three faint and ultrafaint dwarf galaxies—Sculptor A, Sculptor B, and Sculptor C—in the direction of NGC 300 (D= 2.0 Mpc), a Large Magellanic Cloud–mass galaxy. Deep ground-based imaging with Gemini/GMOS resolves all three dwarf galaxies into stars, each displaying a red giant branch indicative of an old, metal-poor stellar population. No young stars or Higas are apparent, and the lack of a GALEX UV detection suggests that all three systems are quenched. Sculptor C (D= 2.04 0.13 + 0.10 Mpc;MV=  −9.1 ± 0.1 mag orLV= (3.7 0.3 + 0.4 ) × 105L) is consistent with being a satellite of NGC 300. Sculptor A (D= 1.35 0.08 + 0.22 Mpc;MV= −6.9 ± 0.3 mag orLV= (5 1 + 1 ) × 104L) is likely in the foreground of NGC 300 and at the extreme edge of the Local Group, analogous to the recently discovered ultrafaint Tucana B in terms of its physical properties and environment. Sculptor B (D= 2.48 0.24 + 0.21 Mpc;MV= −8.1 ± 0.3 mag orLV= (1.5 0.4 + 0.5 ) × 105L) is likely in the background, but future distance measurements are necessary to solidify this statement. It is also of interest due to its quiescent state and low stellar mass. Both Sculptor A and B are ≳2–4rvirfrom NGC 300 itself. The discovery of three dwarf galaxies in isolated or low-density environments offers an opportunity to study the varying effects of ram-pressure stripping, reionization, and internal feedback in influencing the star formation history of the faintest stellar systems. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 10, 2025
  6. Abstract We investigate the ultradiffuse galaxy (UDG) UGC 9050-Dw1, which was selected because of its disturbed morphology as part of a larger sample of UDGs that display evidence for significant interactions. We use the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys to identify globular clusters (GCs) associated with UGC 9050-Dw1, and the Jansky Very Large Array to measure its Hicontent. UGC 9050-Dw1, a neighbor to the low surface brightness spiral UGC 9050, exhibits a unique UV-bright central “clump” with clearly associated Higas and an extended stellar tidal plume to the north. We identify 52 ± 12 GCs, implying a specific frequency ofSN= 122 ± 38, one of the highest reported for a UDG of this luminosity ( log L V / L = 7.5 ± 0.1 ). Additionally, ∼20% of the total light of the galaxy is contributed by GCs. Nearly uniform GC colors suggest they were formed during a single intense episode of star formation. We posit that UGC 9050-Dw1 represents the initial definitive observational example of UDG formation resulting from a dwarf merger event, where subsequent clumpy star formation has contributed to its present observed characteristics. 
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  7. Abstract We report the first comprehensive census of the satellite dwarf galaxies around NGC 55 (2.1 Mpc) as a part of the DECam Local Volume Exploration DEEP (DELVE-DEEP) survey. NGC 55 is one of four isolated, Magellanic analogs in the Local Volume around which DELVE-DEEP aims to identify faint dwarfs and other substructures. We employ two complementary detection methods: one targets fully resolved dwarf galaxies by identifying them as stellar overdensities, while the other focuses on semiresolved dwarf galaxies, detecting them through shredded unresolved light components. As shown through extensive tests with injected galaxies, our search is sensitive to candidates down toMV ≲ −6.6 and surface brightnessμ ≲ 28.5 mag arcsec2, and ∼80% complete down toMV ≲ −7.8. We do not report any new confirmed satellites beyond two previously known systems, ESO 294–010 and NGC 55-dw1. We construct the satellite luminosity function of NGC 55 and find it to be consistent with the predictions from cosmological simulations. As one of the first complete luminosity functions for a Magellanic analog, our results provide a glimpse of the constraints on low-mass-host satellite populations that will be further explored by upcoming surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. 
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  8. Abstract We have imaged the entirety of eight (plus one partial) Milky Way (MW)–like satellite systems, a total of 42 (45) satellites, from the Satellites Around Galactic Analogs II catalog in both Hαand Hiwith the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and the Jansky Very Large Array. In these eight systems we have identified four cases where a satellite appears to be currently undergoing ram pressure stripping (RPS) as its Higas collides with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of its host. We also see a clear suppression of gas fraction (MHI/M*) with decreasing (projected) satellite–host separation—to our knowledge, the first time this has been observed in a sample of MW-like systems. Comparisons to the Auriga, A Project Of Simulating The Local Environment, and TNG50 cosmological zoom-in simulations show consistent global behavior, but they systematically underpredict gas fractions across all satellites by roughly 0.5 dex. Using a simplistic RPS model, we estimate the average peak CGM density that satellites in these systems have encountered to be log ρ cgm / g cm 3 27.3 . Furthermore, we see tentative evidence that these satellites are following a specific star formation rate to gas fraction relation that is distinct from field galaxies. Finally, we detect one new gas-rich satellite in the UGC 903 system with an optical size and surface brightness meeting the standard criteria to be considered an ultra-diffuse galaxy. 
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  9. Abstract We report the discovery of Pavo, a faint (MV= −10.0), star-forming, irregular, and extremely isolated dwarf galaxy atD≈ 2 Mpc. Pavo was identified in Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey imaging via a novel approach that combines low surface brightness galaxy search algorithms and machine-learning candidate classifications. Follow-up imaging with the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan Baade telescope revealed a color–magnitude diagram (CMD) with an old stellar population, in addition to the young population that dominates the integrated light, and a tip of the red giant branch distance estimate of 1.99 0.22 + 0.20 Mpc. The blue population of stars in the CMD is consistent with the youngest stars having formed no later than 150 Myr ago. We also detected no Hαemission with SOAR telescope imaging, suggesting that we may be witnessing a temporary low in Pavo’s star formation. We estimate the total stellar mass of Pavo to be log M * / M = 5.6 ± 0.2 and measure an upper limit on its Higas mass of 1.0 × 106Mbased on the HIPASS survey. Given these properties, Pavo’s closest analog is Leo P (D= 1.6 Mpc), previously the only known isolated, star-forming, Local Volume dwarf galaxy in this mass range. However, Pavo appears to be even more isolated, with no other known galaxy residing within over 600 kpc. As surveys and search techniques continue to improve, we anticipate an entire population of analogous objects being detected just outside the Local Group. 
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  10. ABSTRACT We present the second data release for the H i-MaNGA programme of H i follow-up observations for the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey. This release contains measurements for 3669 unique galaxies, combining 2108 Green Bank Telescope observations with an updated crossmatch of the MaNGA sample with the ALFALFA survey. We combine these data with MaNGA spectroscopic measurements to examine relationships between H i-to-stellar mass ratio ($${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$) and average ISM/star formation properties probed by optical emission lines. $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ is very weakly correlated with the equivalent width of H α, implying a loose connection between the instantaneous star formation rate and the H i reservoir, although the link between $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ and star formation strengthens when averaged even over only moderate time-scales (∼30 Myr). Galaxies with elevated H i depletion times have enhanced [O i]/H α and depressed H α surface brightness, consistent with more H i residing in a diffuse and/or shock-heated phase that is less capable of condensing into molecular clouds. Of all optical lines, $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ correlates most strongly with oxygen equivalent width, EW(O), which is likely a result of the existing correlation between $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ and gas-phase metallicity. Residuals in the $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$−EW(O) relation are again correlated with [O i]/H α and H α surface brightness, suggesting they are also driven by variations in the fraction of diffuse and/or shock-heated gas. We recover the strong anticorrelation between $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ and gas-phase metallicity seen in previous studies. We also find a relationship between $${\rm M_{H\, {\small I}}/{M_*}}$$ and [O i]6302/H α, suggesting that higher fractions of diffuse and/or shock-heated gas are more prevalent in gas-rich galaxies. 
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