VERTICO II: How H I-identified Environmental Mechanisms Affect the Molecular Gas in Cluster Galaxies

In this VERTICO early science paper we explore in detail how environmental mechanisms, identified in H I, affect the resolved properties of molecular gas reservoirs in cluster galaxies. The molecular gas is probed using ALMA ACA (+TP) observations of (CO)-C-12(2-1) in 51 spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster (of which 49 are detected), all of which are included in the VIVA H I survey. The sample spans a stellar mass range of 9 <= log M-*/M-circle dot <= 11. We study molecular gas radial profiles, isodensity radii, and surface densities as a function of galaxy H I deficiency and morphology. There is a weak correlation between global H I and H-2 deficiencies, and resolved properties of molecular gas correlate with H I deficiency: galaxies that have large H I deficiencies have relatively steep and truncated molecular gas radial profiles, which is due to the removal of low-surface-density molecular gas on the outskirts. Therefore, while the environmental mechanisms observed in H I also affect molecular gas reservoirs, there is only a moderate reduction of the total amount of molecular gas.

Automated summary

In cluster galaxies, galaxies with large H I deficiencies exhibit relatively steep and truncated molecular gas radial profiles, mainly due to the removal of low-surface-density molecular gas in the outskirts.