Extraplanar emission in isolated edge-on late-type galaxies – I. The Hα distribution versus to the old and young stellar discs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Isolated galaxies are the ideal reference sample to study the galaxy structure minimizing potential environmental effects. We selected a complete sample of 14 nearby, late-type, highly inclined (i ≥ 80°), isolated galaxies from the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG) which offers a vertical view of their disc structure. We aim to study extraplanar Diffuse Ionized Gas (eDIG) by comparing the old and young disc components traced by near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet (UV) imaging with the Hα emission structure. We obtained Hα monochromatic maps from the Fabry–Perot (FP) interferometry, while the old and young discs structures are obtained from the photometric analysis of the 2MASS Ks band, and GALEX NUV and FUV images, thereby identifying the stellar disc and whether the eDIG is present. The Hα morphology is peculiar in CIG 71, CIG 183, and CIG 593 showing clear asymmetries. In general, geometric parameters (isophotal position angle, peak light distribution, and inclination) measured from Hα, UV, and NIR show minimal differences (e.g. Δi ≤ ±10°), suggesting that interaction does not play a significant role in shaping the morphology, as expected in isolated galaxies. From Hα maps, the eDIG was detected vertically in 11 out of 14 galaxies. Although the fraction of eDIG is high, the comparison between our sample and a generic sample of inclined spirals suggests that the phenomenon is uncorrelated to the galaxy environment. As suggested by the extraplanar UV emission found in 13 out of 14 galaxies the star formation extends well beyond the disc defined by the Hα map.