Detection of a hot intergalactic medium in the spiral-only compact group SCG0018-4854

TL;DR

This study investigates the X-ray properties of the spiral-only compact galaxy group SCG0018-4854, revealing diffuse intergalactic medium emission and suggesting it may be the coolest such system observed, highlighting the need for deeper X-ray data.

Contribution

First detailed X-ray analysis of a dynamically young spiral-only galaxy group, revealing diffuse intergalactic medium emission and expanding understanding of such systems.

Findings

Detected diffuse X-ray emission between galaxies.

Indications of the coolest intergalactic medium in such systems.

Highlighting the need for high-quality deep X-ray observations.

Abstract

AIMS: Compact groups of galaxies are excellent laboratories for studying galaxy interactions and their effects on the evolution of galaxies. In particular, dynamically young systems, with a large fraction of interacting, late type galaxies, have so far escaped proper studies in the X-ray band and their hot intergalactic medium properties are virtually unknown. Motivated by this lack of knowledge, we present a detailed investigation here of the X-ray properties of such a dynamically young system. METHODS: We obtained XMM-Newton observations of one spiral-only system in the new southern compact group catalogue: SCG0018-4854. We present here the results of the data analysis and discuss them in comparison with the few other similar systems also studied in the X-ray band. RESULTS: The 4 members of SCG0018-4854 emit at a level comparable to what is expected based on their optical properties. We detect the low level diffuse emission between galaxies, which is most likely due to the presence of the intergalactic medium. Compared to other spiral--only groups, this could be the coolest system detected so far, although the measurements have large uncertainties. These results indicate that high quality deep X-ray observations are needed to allow a proper study of the properties of the potential well of dynamically young systems, before more general conclusions can be drawn on their average characteristics.