SDSS IV MaNGA: Characteristics of Edge-on Galaxies with a Counter-rotating Gaseous Disk

TL;DR

This study identifies and characterizes ten edge-on galaxies with counter-rotating gaseous disks, revealing their properties, potential formation mechanisms, and implications for galaxy evolution and quenching.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of gaseous counter-rotators in a large IFU galaxy sample, exploring their characteristics and possible formation scenarios.

Findings

Counter-rotators are found in small groups.

They have low star formation rates and dust content.

Some show signs of recent mergers or gas accretion.

Abstract

Counter-rotating components in galaxies are one of the most direct forms of evidence for past gas accretion or merging. We discovered ten edge-on disk gaseous counter-rotators in a sample of 523 edge-on galaxies identified in the final MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) IFU sample. The counter-rotators tend to located in small groups. The gaseous counter-rotators have intermediate stellar masses and and located in the green valley and red sequence of the color magnitude diagram. The average vertical extents of the stellar and ionized gas disks are the same as for the rest of the sample while their radial gas and stellar distributions are more centrally concentrated. This may point at angular momentum loss during the formation process of the counter-rotating disks. The counter-rotators have low gas and dust content, weak emission line strengths, and low star formation rates. This suggests that the formation of counter-rotators may be an efficient way to quench galaxies. One counter-rotator, SDSS J080016.09+292817.1 (Galaxy F), has a post starburst region and a possible AGN at the center. Another counter-rotator, SDSS J131234.03+482159.8 (Galaxy H), is identified as a potential on-going galaxy interaction with its companion satellite galaxy, a gas rich spiral galaxy. This may be representative case of a gaseous counter-rotator forming through a merger origin. However, tidal distortions expected in mergers are only found in a few of the galaxies and we cannot rule out direct gas accretion as another formation mechanism.