HALOGAS Observations of NGC 4559: Anomalous and Extraplanar H i and its Relation to Star Formation

Abstract

We use new deep 21 cm H i observations of the moderately inclined galaxy NGC 4559 in the HALOGAS survey to investigate the properties of extraplanar gas. We use TiRiFiC to construct simulated data cubes to match the H i observations. We find that a thick-disk component of scale height ∼2 kpc, characterized by a negative vertical gradient in its rotation velocity (lag) of ∼13 ± 5 km s −1 kpc −1 is an adequate fit to extraplanar gas features. The tilted ring models also present evidence for a decrease in the magnitude of the lag outside R 25 , and a radial inflow of ∼10 km s −1 . We extracted lagging extraplanar gas through Gaussian velocity profile fitting. From both the 3D models and extraction analyses we conclude that ∼10%–20% of the total H i mass is extraplanar. Most of the extraplanar gas is spatially coincident with regions of star formation in spiral arms, as traced by H α and GALEX FUV images, so it is likely due to star formation processes driving a galactic fountain. We also find the signature of a filament of a kinematically “forbidden” H i feature, containing ∼1.4 × 10 6 M ⊙ of H i , and discuss its potential relationship to a nearby H i hole. We discover a previously undetected dwarf galaxy in H i located ∼0.°4 (∼58 kpc) from the center of NGC 4559, containing ∼4 × 10 5 M ⊙ . This dwarf has counterpart sources in SDSS with spectra typical of H ii regions, and we conclude that it is two merging blue compact dwarf galaxies.