Grand Design and Flocculent Spirals in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G)

Elmegreen, Debra Meloy; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Yau, Andrew; Athanassoula, E.; Bosma, Albert; Buta, Ronald J.; Helou, George; Ho, Luis C.; Gadotti, Dimitri A.; Knapen, J. H.; Laurikainen, Eija; Madore, Barry F.; Masters, Karen L.; Meidt, Sharon E.; Menéndez-Delmestre, Karín; Regan, Michael W.; Salo, Heikki; Sheth, Kartik; Zaritsky, Dennis; Aravena, Manuel; Skibba, Ramin; Hinz, Joannah L.; Laine, Jarkko; Gil de Paz, Armando; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos; Seibert, Mark; Mizusawa, Trisha; Kim, Taehyun; Erroz-Ferrer, S.
Bibliographical reference

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 737, Issue 1, article id. 32 (2011).

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8
2011
Number of authors
29
IAC number of authors
2
Citations
80
Refereed citations
73
Description
Spiral arm properties of 46 galaxies in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) were measured at 3.6 μm, where extinction is small and the old stars dominate. The sample includes flocculent, multiple arm, and grand design types with a wide range of Hubble and bar types. We find that most optically flocculent galaxies are also flocculent in the mid-IR because of star formation uncorrelated with stellar density waves, whereas multiple arm and grand design galaxies have underlying stellar waves. Arm-interarm contrasts increase from flocculent to multiple arm to grand design galaxies and with later Hubble types. Structure can be traced further out in the disk than in previous surveys. Some spirals peak at mid-radius while others continuously rise or fall, depending on Hubble and bar type. We find evidence for regular and symmetric modulations of the arm strength in NGC 4321. Bars tend to be long, high amplitude, and flat-profiled in early-type spirals, with arm contrasts that decrease with radius beyond the end of the bar, and they tend to be short, low amplitude, and exponential-profiled in late Hubble types, with arm contrasts that are constant or increase with radius. Longer bars tend to have larger amplitudes and stronger arms.
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Spiral Galaxies: Evolution and Consequences
Our small group is well known and respected internationally for our innovative and important work on various aspects of the structure and evolution of nearby spiral galaxies. We primarily use observations at various wavelengths, exploiting synergies that allow us to answer the most pertinent questions relating to what the main properties of
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