Galaxy Zoo: Chiral correlation function of galaxy spins

Slosar, Anze; Land, Kate; Bamford, Steven; Lintott, Chris; Andreescu, Dan; Murray, Phil; Nichol, Robert; Jordan Raddick, M.; Schawinski, Kevin; Szalay, Alex; Thomas, Daniel; Vandenberg, Jan

Abstract

Galaxy Zoo is the first study of nearby galaxies that contains reliable information about the spiral sense of rotation of galaxy arms for a sizeable number of galaxies. We measure the correlation function of spin chirality (the sense in which galaxies appear to be spinning) of face-on spiral galaxies in angular, real and projected spaces. Our results indicate a hint of positive correlation at separations less than ~0.5 Mpc at a statistical significance of 2-3 sigma. This is the first experimental evidence for chiral correlation of spins. Within tidal torque theory it indicates that the inertia tensors of nearby galaxies are correlated. This is complementary to the studies of nearby spin axis correlations that probe the correlations of the tidal field. Theoretical interpretation is made difficult by the small distances at which the correlations are detected, implying that substructure might play a significant role, and our necessary selection of face-on spiral galaxies, rather than a general volume-limited sample.

Citation

Slosar, A., Land, K., Bamford, S., Lintott, C., Andreescu, D., Murray, P., …Vandenberg, J. (2009). Galaxy Zoo: Chiral correlation function of galaxy spins. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 392(3), 1225–1232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.14127.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 22, 2008
• Online Publication Date: Jan 8, 2009
• Publication Date: 2009-01
• Deposit Date: Aug 27, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2020
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 392
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 1225–1232
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.14127.x
• Keywords: Astrophysics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2458757
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/392/3/1225/1064037
• Additional Information: This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: [year] [owner as specified on the article] Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.