Evidence of an interaction from resolved stellar populations: The curious case of NGC1313

Abstract

The galaxy NGC1313 has attracted the attention of various studies due to the peculiar morphology observed in optical bands, although it is classified as a barred, late-type galaxy with no apparent close-by companions. However, the velocity field suggests an interaction with a satellite companion. Using resolved stellar populations, we study different parts of the galaxy to understand further its morphology. Based on HST/ACS images, we estimated star formation histories by means of the synthetic CMD method in different areas in the galaxy. Incompleteness limits our analysis to ages younger than ~100Myr. Stars in the red and blue He burning phases are used to trace the distribution of recent star formation. Star formation histories suggest a burst in the southern-west region. We support the idea that NGC1313 is experiencing an interaction with a satellite companion, observed as a tidally disrupted satellite galaxy in the south-west of NGC1313. However, we do not observe any indication of a perturbation due to the interaction with the satellite galaxy at other locations across the galaxy, suggesting that only a modest-sized companion that did not trigger a global starburst was involved.