Observed Antiparallel Correlation between Spiral Galaxy and Cosmic Filament Spins

Abstract

Understanding the origin of galactic angular momentum and its connection to the cosmic web remains a pivotal issue in galaxy formation. Using kinematic data from the MaNGA survey, we investigate the alignment between the spin directions of spiral galaxies and their host cosmic filaments. By incorporating filament spin measurements derived from redshift asymmetry across filament spines, we reveal a mass-dependent antiparallel correlation: low-mass spiral galaxies ( ) exhibit a statistically significant antiparallel alignment between their stellar/gas spins and filament spins, while high-mass spirals show no such trend. Spatial analysis further indicates that high-mass spirals preferentially reside near filament spines, whereas low-mass spirals occupy filament outskirts. These findings extend previous alignment studies that neglected directional spin correlations and provide new insights into how cosmic environments shape galactic angular momentum. The observed antiparallel trend suggests a critical role for filament spin in regulating the angular momentum acquisition of low-mass spirals. This antiparallel alignment is significantly enhanced for low-mass spirals residing in dynamically cold filaments, highlighting the importance of filament properties in shaping galaxy spin.