Evolution of compact groups from intermediate to final stages: A case
  study of the HI content of HCG 16
  Hickson Compact Group (HCG) 16 is a prototypical compact group of galaxies,
apparently in an intermediate stage of evolution, where its galaxies are losing
gas to the intra-group medium (IGrM). The wide variety of ongoing process in
HCG 16 make it an ideal case study for exploring which processes are likely to
dominate the late stages of evolution in compact groups. In order to build a
coherent picture of the evolution of this group we make use of the
multi-wavelength data available, but focus particularly on HI as a tracer of
interactions and evolutionary phase. We reprocess archival VLA L-band data of
HCG 16 using the multi-scale CLEAN algorithm to accurately recover diffuse
features. Despite the clear disruption of the HI component of HCG 16 we find
that it is not globally HI deficient, even though HCG 16a and b have lost the
majority of their HI and almost 50% of the group's HI is in the IGrM, including
a 160 kpc long tail extending towards the SE. This study indicates that in the
recent past (~1 Gyr) galaxies HCG 16a and b likely underwent major interactions
that unbound gas without triggering significant star formation. This gas was
then swept away by a high speed, close encounter with NGC 848. The starburst
events HCG 16c and d have triggered galactic winds which, in the case of HCG
16d, appears to have disrupted its HI reservoir. The tidal features still
connected to these galaxies indicate that more HI will soon be lost to the
IGrM, while that which remains in the discs will likely be consumed by star
formation episodes. This is expected to result in a collection of gas-poor
galaxies embedded in a diffuse HI structure, which will gradually be evaporated
by the UV background, resembling the final stage of the evolutionary model of
compact groups. This work is accompanied by a complete workflow to reproduce
the final data products, intended to improve reproducibility. (Abridged)
