VIVA, VLA Imaging of Virgo spirals in Atomic gas: I. The Atlas & The HI
  Properties
  We present the result of a new VLA HI Imaging survey of Virgo galaxies, VIVA
(the VLA Imaging survey of Virgo galaxies in Atomic gas). The survey includes
high resolution HI data of 53 carefully selected late type galaxies (48 spirals
and 5 irregular systems). The goal is to study environmental effects on HI gas
properties of cluster galaxies to understand which physical mechanisms affect
galaxy evolution in different density regions, and to establish how far out the
impact of the cluster reaches. As a dynamically young cluster, Virgo contains
examples of galaxies experiencing a variety of environmental effects. Its
nearness allows us to study each galaxy in great detail. We have selected Virgo
galaxies with a range of star formation properties in low to high density
regions (at the projected distance from M87, d_87=0.3-3.3 Mpc). Contrary to pr
evious studies, more than half of the galaxies in the sample (~60%) are fainter
than 12 mag in B_T. Overall, the selected galaxies represent the late type
Virgo galaxies (S0/a to Sd/Irr) down to m_p<~14.6 fairly well in morphological
type, systemic velocity, subcluster membership, HI mass and deficiency. In this
paper (VIVA I: the atlas and the HI properties), we present HI maps and
properties, and describe the HI morphology and kinematics of individual
galaxies in detail (abbreviated).
