# A tidal tale: detection of multiple stellar streams in the environment of NGC1052

## TL;DR

This study investigates the environment of NGC1052, revealing tidal features and interactions, but finds no recent tidal disturbances around the dark matter free galaxy candidates NGC1052-DF2 and NGC1052-DF4, challenging some formation theories.

## Contribution

It provides new deep imaging evidence of tidal features and interactions in the NGC1052 group, clarifying the environmental context of dark matter free galaxy candidates.

## Key findings

- Detected a tidal interaction between NGC1052 and NGC1047.
- Found a stellar loop around NGC1052 pointing towards NGC1042.
- No recent tidal features around NGC1052-DF2 and NGC1052-DF4.

## Abstract

The possible existence of two dark matter free galaxies (NGC1052-DF2 and NGC1052-DF4) in the field of the early-type galaxy NGC1052 presents a challenge to theories of dwarf galaxy formation according to the current cosmological paradigm. We carried out a search for signatures of past interactions connected to the putative hosts of NGC1052-DF2 and NGC1052-DF4 using a very deep L-band image obtained with the 0.7m Jeanne Rich telescope that reach a surface brightness limit of 28.5 mag arcsec-2 in the r band. We found several low-surface brightness features, possibly consistent with an ongoing merger history in this group. We find a tidal interaction between NGC1052 and NGC1047, confirming a physical association. Furthermore we find a stellar loop around NGC1052 in the direction of NGC1042 and a stellar stream pointing in the direction of NGC1052-DF2 - but both are not directly connected. We find no evidence for a recent tidal interaction for NGC1052-DF2 and NGC1052-DF4. No low surface brightness features have been uncovered around the spiral galaxy NGC1042, which leaves the association (physical or projected) between NGC1052 and NGC1042 ambiguous, though they have similar radial velocities. Their association will only be established once accurate distances to both objects have been measured.