Mapping Motions in the Nearest Galaxies
The structure and kinematics of the ISM on the scale of individual clouds is a powerful probe of
stellar feedback. However, isolating the very local effects of feedback requires removing the bulk
velocity structure of the gas, which is shaped more by the gravitational potential and possible
large scale gas accretion. Given the high spatial and kinematic resolution needed to measure
signatures of feedback, such an experiment requires data of exceptionally high quality in the
closest star forming galaxies. Here we show first results for global kinematic modeling of Local
Group star-forming galaxies, using new data from the Local Group L-band Survey (LGLBS).
LGLBS comprises approximately 1800 hours of observations using all available configurations
of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), targeting NGC6822, WLM, M33, M31, IC10,
and IC1613. We focus on 21-cm line emission to map the atomic-dominated diffuse interstellar
medium (ISM). The proximity of the observed galaxies (500 kpc -1 Mpc), along with the
unprecedented resolution (<10 to 100 pc, and ~0.42 km/s velocity resolution), allows for detailed
studies of the atomic gas kinematics on both global and highly-local scales. The high-resolution
2-dimensional velocity fields we present here offer the best measurements of gas motion in
nearby galaxies to date, providing new insights into the relationship between gas dynamics and
stellar feedback in the Local Group.
