J/ApJS/281/19 Stellar counterrotation in galaxies using MaNGA (Gasymov+, 2025)
Stellar CoRGI in MaNGA: stellar counterrotating galaxies identified in the
MaNGA survey.
Gasymov D., Katkov I.Y., Rubtsov E.V., Saburova A.S., Kniazev A.Y.,
Gelfand J.D., Sil'chenko O.K., Chilingarian I.V., Moiseev A.V.,
Kasparova A.V., Zasov A.V.
<Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 281, 19 (2025)>
=2025ApJS..281...19G 2025ApJS..281...19G
ADC_Keywords: Galaxies, spectra; Morphology; Redshifts; Surveys
Keywords: Disk galaxies ; Galaxy kinematics ; Galaxy stellar content ;
Galaxy accretion
Abstract:
Stellar counterrotating (CR) galaxies are systems hosting two
large-scale stellar components rotating in opposite directions-a main,
preexisting galaxy body with an older stellar population and a younger
CR stellar disk likely formed from externally accreted gas. Such
systems offer a unique opportunity to study disk assembly by analyzing
the stellar populations of each component. Using integral field
spectroscopic data from the SDSS-IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache
Point Observatory survey, we identified a sample of 120 CR disk
galaxies (65 reliable and 55 probable systems) by inspecting their
kinematic maps and analyzing the shape of the stellar line-of-sight
velocity distribution, which was recovered nonparametrically. Of
these, 74 CR galaxies have not been reported in previous studies. For
one-third of our sample, we further derived the ages and metallicities
of stars for both disks via a spectral decomposition technique. We
show that the observed spatial bimodality-where the CR disk either is
concentrated in the central region (inner counterrotation) or
dominates the outer part of the galaxy (outer counterrotation)-is
driven by differences in the stellar mass and angular momentum of the
CR disk. The wide range of stellar metallicities observed in CR disks
suggests that no single source of external material is solely
responsible for the formation of counterrotation in all galaxies;
instead, proposed mechanisms such as merger with gas-rich satellites,
accretion from cosmic filaments, and exchange of gas between
neighboring galaxies can dominate in individual cases.
Description:
We performed a search for stellar counterrotating (CR) galaxies using
data collected by the MaNGA survey (Abdurro'uf+ 2022, III/286) based
on IFU spectroscopic observations, conducted at the Sloan 2.5m
telescope (wavelength coverage of 3600-10300Å with spectral
resolving power R∼2000), of some 10,000 galaxies in the nearby
Universe (0.01≲z≲0.15), covering a wide range of stellar mass and
colors (Wake+ 2017, J/AJ/154/86).
In our work, we also used the quantities from MaNGA value-added
catalogs (VACs) and external galaxy catalogs. See Section 2.1.
To identify galaxies with CR disks, we visually inspected the Data
Analysis Products (DAP) maps of the stellar velocity, gas (Halpha)
velocity, and stellar velocity dispersion of all MaNGA galaxies.
See Section 2.2.
File Summary:
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FileName Lrecl Records Explanations
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ReadMe 80 . This file
table2.dat 121 65 Sample of reliable galaxies with
stellar counterrotation
table3.dat 117 55 Sample of probable galaxies with
stellar counterrotation
table9.dat 101 468 Sample of kinematically decoupled galaxies
(excluding stellar counterrotation)
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See also:
III/286 : APOGEE-2 DR17 final allStar catalog (Abdurro'uf+, 2022)
J/A+AS/125/229 : A standard stellar library (Lejeune+ 1997)
J/A+A/424/447 : Kinematics in 17 nearby spiral galaxies (Pizzella+, 2004)
J/A+A/578/A110 : Isolated gal., pairs and triplets (Argudo-Fernandez+, 2015)
J/ApJS/219/8 : SFR for WISE + SDSS spectroscopic galaxies (Chang+, 2015)
J/A+A/581/A65 : IFU observations of NGC 4191 (Coccato+, 2015)
J/AJ/154/86 : MaNGA catalog, DR15 (Wake+, 2017)
J/MNRAS/477/4711 : Stellar angular momentum for MaNGA galaxies (Graham+, 2018)
J/ApJ/861/49 : ALFALFA extragalactic HI source catalog (Haynes+, 2018)
J/A+A/651/L15 : Angular-momentum plane for disc gal. (Mancera Pina+, 2021)
J/MNRAS/511/139 : CRDs galaxies candidates in SDSS-IV MaNGA (Bevacqua+, 2022)
J/A+A/666/A186 : MZ-SFR in SDSS star-forming galaxies (Duarte Puertas+, 2022)
J/MNRAS/520/L85 : HSC gLSB gal. structures and SB properties (Saburova+, 2023)
Byte-by-byte Description of file: table2.dat
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Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
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1- 8 A8 --- MANGAID "MaNGA-ID" object identifier
10- 14 A5 --- f_MANGAID Flag on MANGAID (G1)
16- 24 F9.5 deg RAdeg [28/332.3] Right Ascension (J2000)
26- 34 F9.5 deg DEdeg [-1.2/55.8] Declination (J2000)
36- 40 A5 --- TType Morphology from MVM-VAC
(Vazquez-Mata+ 2022MNRAS.512.2222V 2022MNRAS.512.2222V)
42- 47 F6.3 [Msun] logM [9.5/11.2] Log of stellar mass (G2)
49- 55 F7.5 --- z [0.017/0.075] Spectroscopic redshift
57- 81 A25 --- Features Kinematic classification (G3)
83- 89 A7 --- CRConfig Location of CR disk (inner, outer, undef or
unclear)
91-101 A11 --- Env Environmental properties (G4)
103-113 A11 --- Morph Morphological features (G5)
115-121 A7 --- Refs Reference codes (G6)
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Byte-by-byte Description of file: table3.dat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 8 A8 --- MANGAID "MaNGA-ID" object identifier
10- 14 A5 --- f_MANGAID Flag on MANGAID (G1)
16- 24 F9.5 deg RAdeg [7.8/358.5] Right Ascension (J2000)
26- 34 F9.5 deg DEdeg [-0.5/55.6] Declination (J2000)
36- 40 A5 --- TType Morphology from MVM-VAC
(Vazquez-Mata+ 2022MNRAS.512.2222V 2022MNRAS.512.2222V)
42- 47 F6.3 [Msun] logM [9.22/11.22] Log of stellar mass (G2)
49- 55 F7.5 --- z [0.015/0.084] Spectroscopic redshift
57- 81 A25 --- Features Kinematic classification (G3)
83- 89 A7 --- CRConfig Location of CR disk
91-101 A11 --- Env Environmental properties (G4)
103-113 A11 --- Morph Morphological features (G5)
115-117 A3 --- Refs Reference codes (G6)
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Byte-by-byte Description of file: table9.dat
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Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 9 A9 --- MANGAID "MaNGA-ID" object identifier
11- 19 F9.5 deg RAdeg [6.4/356] Right Ascension (J2000)
21- 29 F9.5 deg DEdeg [-7.7/64.5] Declination (J2000)
31- 38 A8 --- TType Morphology from MVM-VAC
(Vazquez-Mata+ 2022MNRAS.512.2222V 2022MNRAS.512.2222V)
40- 45 F6.3 [Msun] logM [9.1/11.7] Log of stellar mass (G2)
47- 53 F7.5 --- z [0.01/0.14] Spectroscopic redshift
55- 77 A23 --- Features Kinematic classification (G3)
79- 89 A11 --- Env Environmental properties (G4)
91-101 A11 --- Morph Morphological features (G5)
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Global notes:
Note (G1): Flag as follows:
d = galaxy with a clear X-shape in the non-parametric recovered stellar
line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD).
* = galaxy without emission lines.
b = galaxy upgraded from the probable to the reliable
category after LOSVD inspection.
Note (G2): From NASA-Sloan Atlas (Blanton+ 2011AJ....142...31B 2011AJ....142...31B),
corrected to H0=69.3km/s.
Note (G3): Galaxies possibly exhibiting kinematic misalignment features
associated with CR disks were identified and attributed to one of the
following types (Figure 1) by the following criteria:
2sigma = two symmetrically positioned off-centered peaks in the
stellar velocity dispersion map aligned along the major axis
of the galaxy.
sigma-elong = σ-elongated. Analogous to the 2sigma type, but
characterized by an elongated peak along the major axis observed
in the stellar velocity dispersion map, formed by the merging of
the two velocity dispersion peaks.
CR-GS = Gas/Star counterrotation. Galaxies in which the gas and stars
have different rotation patterns, as indicated by comparing
their velocity maps. For galaxies with a prominent S-shaped
rotation, the gas velocity map is compared to the outer regions
of the stellar velocity map.
NRR = Nonregular (irregular) rotation. Disk galaxies with stellar
velocity maps that do not indicate regular rotation.
Srot = S-rotation. Characterized by a change in the direction of
stellar rotation between the inner and outer regions of the
galaxy. So named because the stellar velocity profile along
the major axis has an "S" shape.
gas-polar = Characterized by the major kinematic axis of the stellar
velocity field being perpendicular to that of the gas
velocity field.
star-polar = The rare case where the stellar velocity map reveals a polar
structure, typically associated with a morphological feature
in the polar direction relative to the main disk, as detected
in DECaLS images.
Gas-mis = Gas misalignment. Where the kinematic major axes of stellar
and gas velocity fields are misaligned but neither perpendicular
nor CR.
See Section 2.2.
Note (G4): From GEMA-VAC (Argudo-Fernadez M. et al. in prep.). Code as follows:
P = Pair,
G = Group,
O = Overdensity,
Cl = Cluster,
Sh = Sheet,
F = Filament,
V = Void.
Note (G5): From MVM-VAC (Vazquez-Mata+ 2022MNRAS.512.2222V 2022MNRAS.512.2222V) and
our visual inspection. Code as follows:
B = Bar,
E = Edge-on,
T = Tidal,
LSB = LSB outskirts,
Sh = Shells/tails,
C = Near companion/cluster,
Sp = Spirals,
P = Polar structure.
Note (G6): Reference as follows:
1 = Graham et al. (2018, J/MNRAS/477/4711)
2 = Bevacqua et al. (2022, J/MNRAS/511/139)
3 = Beom et al. 2024AJ....168..197B 2024AJ....168..197B
4 = Bao et al. 2024MNRAS.528.2643B 2024MNRAS.528.2643B
5 = Katkov et al. 2024ApJ...962...27K 2024ApJ...962...27K
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History:
From electronic version of the journal
License: CC-BY-4.0
(End) Prepared by [AAS], Emmanuelle Perret [CDS] 23-Jun-2026