Looking into the faintEst WIth MUSE (LEWIS): Exploring the nature of ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Hydra-I cluster

Astronomy & Astrophysics EDP Sciences 711 (2026) a149

Authors:

Luca Rossi, Chiara Buttitta, Goran Doll, Enrichetta Iodice, Marco Gullieuszik, Marc Sarzi, Marco Mirabile, Johanna Hartke, Magda Arnaboldi, Rosa Calvi, Michele Cantiello, Enrico Maria Corsini, Giuseppe D鈥橝go, Jes煤s Falc贸n-Barroso, Francesca Fonzo, Duncan A Forbes, Michael Hilker, Antonio La Marca, Alessandro Loni, Steffen Mieske, Maurizio Paolillo, Marina Rejkuba, Marilena Spavone, Chiara Spiniello

Abstract:

Context. This paper presents a detailed analysis of a gas-rich star-forming ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) as part of the ESO Large Programme Looking into the faintEst WIth MUSE (LEWIS). Among the UDGs in the LEWIS sample, UDG 6 is the only galaxy that hosts a significant amount of ionised gas with evidence of emission lines, suggesting recent star-forming activity. Aims. The main goal of this work is to constrain the formation history of this UDG by comparing its properties with the main formation scenarios proposed for this extreme class of galaxies. Methods. We adopted integral field spectroscopy from MUSE to derive the morphology and the structural properties of the stellar and gas components of UDG 6. We applied spectral fitting and Voronoi tessellation algorithms to the MUSE data-cube to derive the kinematics and properties of the gas and stellar component, explore gas dynamics, and characterise emission lines. Moreover, we derived the properties of the globular cluster (GC) populations by applying a multi-band spectrophotometric analysis. Results. We confirmed that UDG 6 is a member of the Hydra I cluster and that it has a systemic velocity of V sys, * 鈭� 3580 km s 鈭�1 . It is characterised by a regular and elongated shape and contains a significant dust content ( A V = 1.2 卤 0.5 mag), a metal-poor (12 + log 10 (O/H) = 7.7 卤 0.2 dex) ionised gas fraction ( f gas = 0.24 卤 0.08), and an underlying old-to-intermediate (鈮�3 Gyr) stellar component. Evidence of local and clumpy star-forming activity has been revealed through the analysis of emission line ratios, and an arc-like tidal feature was discovered from unsharp masking analysis. The number counts of GCs in UDG 6 is N GC = 0.2 卤 5.4. Conclusions. Similar to the other UDGs in LEWIS, UDG 6 might originate from a 鈥減uffed-up dwarf鈥� whose stellar content has been stretched out to larger radii, passively evolving into a more diffuse galaxy. Since UDG 6 is located in a dynamically active region of the cluster characterised by tidal features and stripping phenomena, we suggest that the environmental processes have played a role in shaping its properties. A tidal interaction with a nearby galaxy might have triggered recent star-formation activity without dramatically altering the coherent gas rotation in UDG 6.

Decoding the Early-Time Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae. I. A Hierarchical Bayesian Framework for Demographic Inference

ArXiv 2607.00075 (2026)

Authors:

Chang Liu, Adam A Miller

Decoding the Early-Time Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae. II. Population Parameters of One Thousand ZTF Supernovae

(2026)

Authors:

Chang Liu, Adam A Miller, Nikhil Sarin, Kate Maguire, Tom谩s E M眉ller-Bravo, Ping Chen, L Galbany, Young-Lo Kim, Jesper Sollerman, Eric C Bellm, Joahan Castaneda Jaimes, Tracy X Chen, Matthew J Graham, David Hale, Mansi M Kasliwal, Josiah Purdum

Dense, multi-phase accretion disk atmosphere in the low-luminosity state of black hole transientV4641 Sgr

(2026)

Authors:

Zuobin Zhang, Rob Fender, James H Matthews, Jiachen Jiang, Honghui Liu, Alessandra Ambrifi, Teo Mu帽oz-Darias, Maxime Parra, Megumi Shidatsu, Menglei Zhou, Yuexin Zhang, Abdurakhmon Nosirov, Cosimo Bambi, Justine Crook-Mansour

Dense, multi-phase accretion disk atmosphere in the low-luminosity state of black hole transient V4641 Sgr

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (OUP) (2026) stag1242

Authors:

Zuobin Zhang, Rob Fender, James H Matthews, Jiachen Jiang, Honghui Liu, Alessandra Ambrifi, Teo Mu帽oz-Darias, Maxime Parra, Megumi Shidatsu, Menglei Zhou, Yuexin Zhang, Abdurakhmon Nosirov, Cosimo Bambi, Justine Crook-Mansour

Abstract:

Abstract We present soft X-ray spectroscopy of the black-hole X-ray binary V4641 Sgr with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS). The RGS spectrum shows narrow emission features from N聽vi鈥搗ii and O聽vii鈥搗iii superimposed on a partially covered disk blackbody continuum. A blind Gaussian search confirms the presence of significant lines at the expected rest wavelengths. He-like triplet ratios (high G, low R) and full photoionization modelling both indicate a dense, photoionized plasma. Small redshifted velocities of ~540鈥�720 km s鈭�1 are suggested, which are consistent with quasi-static or slowly flowing gas away from the observer after accounting for systematics. Photoionization modelling requires two xstar components with an intermediate ionization parameter (log 尉 鈮� 3.1) and a low ionization parameter (log 尉 鈮� 0.36), respectively. The simultaneous EPIC-pn spectrum suggests highly ionized Fe emission structures, hinting at an additional, more highly ionized component. These results imply the existence of a radially extended, multiphase, and dense disk atmosphere in the source. We compare the source with other X-ray binaries showing similar emission lines. V4641 Sgr shares a similarly high inclination with other sources; however, the presence of low ionization emission lines distinguishes it from the rest.