KAT-7 Science Verification: Cold Gas, Star Formation, and Substructure in the Nearby Antlia Cluster

TL;DR

This study uses deep HI observations from KAT-7 to analyze the distribution, gas content, and star formation activity of galaxies in the nearby Antlia Cluster, revealing substructure and accretion processes.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed HI mapping and dynamical analysis of the Antlia Cluster, identifying new galaxy detections and substructures related to galaxy accretion.

Findings

37 cluster members detected in HI, 35 are new detections

HI galaxies are located beyond the X-ray core, indicating ram pressure stripping

Substructure analysis reveals recent and older galaxy infall patterns

Abstract

The Antlia Cluster is a nearby, dynamically young structure, and its proximity provides a valuable opportunity for detailed study of galaxy and group accretion onto clusters. We present a deep HI mosaic completed as part of spectral line commissioning of the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7), and identify infrared counterparts from the WISE extended source catalog to study neutral atomic gas content and star formation within the cluster. We detect 37 cluster members out to a radius of ~0.9 Mpc with M_HI > 5x10^7 M_Sun. Of these, 35 are new HI detections, 27 do not have previous spectroscopic redshift measurements, and one is the Compton thick Seyfert II, NGC 3281, which we detect in HI absorption. The HI galaxies lie beyond the X-ray emitting region 200 kpc from the cluster center and have experienced ram pressure stripping out to at least 600 kpc. At larger radii, they are distributed asymmetrically suggesting accretion from surrounding filaments. Combining HI with optical redshifts, we perform a detailed dynamical analysis of the internal substructure, identify large infalling groups, and present the first compilation of the large scale distribution of HI, and star forming galaxies within the cluster. We find that elliptical galaxy NGC 3268 is at the center of the oldest substructure and argue that NGC 3258 and its companion population are more recent arrivals. Through the presence of HI and on-going star formation, we rank substructures with respect to their relative time since accretion onto Antlia.