Unveiling a Thin Filament of the Cosmic Web in the Ursa Major Supergroup

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of an extremely thin cosmic filament in the Ursa Major supergroup using HI observations from FAST, revealing galaxy alignments and velocity gradients that suggest cold accretion flows influencing galaxy formation.

Contribution

First detection of a thin cosmic filament in the Ursa Major supergroup using HI data, highlighting its structure, galaxy alignments, and potential role in galaxy growth.

Findings

Detection of a 0.9 Mpc long, extremely thin filament

Observation of galaxy-filament spin alignment

Identification of a velocity gradient indicating cold accretion

Abstract

Filaments are crucial components of the cosmic web, representing the extensive and aligned distributions of galaxies and gas. Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we report the detection of a filament in the Ursa Major supergroup using atomic-hydrogen (HI) observations. This filament consists of sixteen various types of galaxies and five starless gas clumps, spanning a length of approximately 0.9 Mpc. Notably, it is extremely thin, with a thickness comparable to the diameter of a galaxy. We observed a galaxy-filament spin alignment and a velocity gradient within the filament. These findings strongly suggest a cold accretion flow along the filament, potentially contributing to the formation and growth of the galaxies. The thin filament, as a small group, is likely to be merged into the Ursa Major supergroup in the context of hierarchical structure formation.