This thesis records a detailed examination of the impact of the merger-pair galaxy environment on both the neutral hydrogen (Hi ) and mid-infrared (MIR) properties of galaxies in the nearby Universe. Making use of publicly available Hi profiles from the ALFALFA survey I construct the first statistically significant samples of close-pair galaxies (348 Hi -optical and 282 Hi - Hi pairs), and contrast their Hi content and star formation (SF) properties with a statistically significant Hisub-sample of isolated galaxies (544 galaxies) from the AMIGA project (Analysis of the interstellar Medium in Isolated GAlaxies; Verdes-Montenegro et al. (2005)). I present the first study of pairs using WISE data, and specifically examine their location on the MIR star-formation rate-stellar mass sequence (SFR-M★), or star-forming main sequence (SFMS), as a way to study how the close-pair environment influences the build up of galaxy stellar mass via SF. I also present the first MIR SFMS for isolated galaxies from the AMIGA catalogue to serve as the precedent for secular evolution. I derive an Hi scaling relation for isolated galaxies using WISE stellar masses, and thereby establish a baseline predictor of Hi content that can be used to assess the impact of environment on Hi content when compared with samples of galaxies in different environments. I use this updated relation to determine the Hi deficiency of both my paired and isolated galaxies, and invoke galaxy morphology (visual and MIR bulge-to-total ratios), the AMIGA isolation parameters 휂 (local number density) and Q (tidal influence), star formation efficiency (SFE), and Hi profile asymmetries to more closely inspect how these properties might be additionally driving the observed differences between the deficiency distributions of these two samples, as well as SFMS location. I also provide an analysis of the quantified Hi profile asymmetries of my pair and isolated galaxy samples, exploring not only the prevalence of asymmetry in Hi profiles, but also the possibility of using Hi profile asymmetries to trace merger activity. I find enhanced profile asymmetries in my pair sample, and propose that high profile asymmetries may be used to infer merger activity/identify close galaxy pairs at high redshifts, in lieu of the typically used 2D Hi maps we have for galaxies at low and intermediate redshifts, which are currently still limited. What my thesis shows is that although we have a plethora of data available (and coming), the key is to optimise how we use it, both in the questions we pose, and in understanding its limitations. We currently have large data-sets of Hi profiles in the local Universe, which, when incorporated into a cohesive multi- wavelength study, provide important clues as to how Hi forms, influences, and is processed in galaxies. These are the studies informing our theories for galaxy evolution, providing the incentive for superior telescopes (e.g. SKA), and ultimately guiding our decision-making in how to proceed in our ongoing endeavour to understand our Universe.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/35566 |
| Date | 25 January 2022 |
| Creators | Bok, Jamie |
| Contributors | Jarrett, Thomas, Skelton, Rosalind, Cluver, Michelle, Blyth, Sarah |
| Publisher | Faculty of Science, Department of Astronomy |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, Doctoral, PhD |
| Format | application/pdf |
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