GASP XXXIX: MeerKAT hunts Jellyfish in A2626

Abstract

We present MeerKAT H I observations of six jellyfish candidate galaxies (JFCGs) in the galaxy cluster, A2626. Two of the six galaxies JW100 and JW103, which were identified as JFCGs from B-band images, are confirmed as jellyfish galaxies (JFGs). Both of the JFGs have low H I content, reside in the cluster core, and move at very high velocities (∼ 3σcl). The other JFCGs, identified as non-jellyfish galaxies, are H I rich, with H I morphologies revealing warps, asymmetries, and possible tidal interactions. Both the A2626 JFGs and three other confirmed JFGs from the GASP sample show that these galaxies are H I stripped but not yet quenched. We detect H I, H α, and CO(2-1) tails of similar extent (∼50 kpc) in JW100. Comparing the multiphase velocity channels, we do not detect any H I or CO(2-1) emission in the northern section of the tail where H α emission is present, possibly due to prolonged interaction between the stripped gas and the intracluster medium. We also observe an anticorrelation between H I and CO(2-1), which hints at an efficient conversion of H I to H2 in the southern part of the tail. We find that both ram-pressure stripping and H I-to-H2 conversion are significant depletion channels for atomic gas. H I-to-H2 conversion is more efficient in the disc than in the tail.