Searching for Stellar-Feedback-Driven Outflow Signatures: A Deep Dive into NGC 3741

Lexi N. Gault, Liese van Zee, Elizabeth A. K. Adams, James M. Wells, Laura Congreve Hunter, Kristen B. W. McQuinn, Roger E. Cohen, O. Grace Telford

arXiv10/14/2025·Read paper

Abstract

Stellar feedback drives winds and outflows critical to the baryon cycles of low-mass galaxies whose shallow gravitational potential wells make them particularly susceptible to mass and metal loss through outflows. However, spatially resolved observations of stellar-feedback-driven outflows are limited due to their low-surface brightness and transient nature. We present the pilot of a larger multi-wavelength study searching for and quantifying stellar-feedback-driven winds and outflows on both spatially and globally resolved scales for a sample of 40 nearby low-mass galaxies. We search for outflow signatures in the star-forming dwarf galaxy NGC 3741 using new optical imaging and spectroscopy from the WIYN 3.5m telescope in conjunction with VLA 21cm observations and local star formation histories derived from resolved HST photometry. With this extensive dataset, we compare the neutral and ionized gas morphologies and kinematics, calculate mass-loading factors, and investigate spatial variations in the star formation history of NGC 3741. Though the galaxy is experiencing a burst in star formation, we find little evidence of strong outflows and calculate very low mass-loading factors. We suggest that, though star formation activity has increased dramatically in the central region of the galaxy over the last 40 Myr, the star formation rate is not high enough to produce a sufficient amount of high mass stars responsible for fueling outflows. Future analysis of the larger sample will allow us to explore how stellar feedback impacts mass loss on local scales, providing a deeper understanding of the interplay between stellar feedback and the interstellar medium in low-mass galaxies.

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