Bibcode
Venhola, A.; Peletier, Reynier; Laurikainen, Eija; Salo, Heikki; Lisker, Thorsten; Iodice, Enrichetta; Capaccioli, Massimo; Kleijn, Gijs Verdoes; Valentijn, Edwin; Mieske, Steffen; Hilker, Michael; Wittmann, Carolin; van de Ven, Glenn; Grado, Aniello; Spavone, Marilena; Cantiello, Michele; Napolitano, Nicola; Paolillo, Maurizio; Falcón-Barroso, J.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 608, id.A142, 32 pp.
Advertised on:
12
2017
Journal
Citations
130
Refereed citations
118
Description
Context. Studies of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies in nearby
clusters have revealed a sub-population of extremely diffuse galaxies
with central surface brightness of μ0,g' > 24 mag
arcsec-2, total luminosity Mg' fainter than -16
mag and effective radius between 1.5 kpc 23 mag arcsec-2. We classified the
objects based on their appearance into galaxies and tidal structures,
and perform 2D Sérsic model fitting with GALFIT to measure the
properties of those classified as galaxies. We analyzed their radial
distribution and orientations with respect of the cluster center, and
with respect to the other galaxies in our sample. We also studied their
colors and compare the LSB galaxies in Fornax with those in other
environments. Results: Our final sample complete in the parameter
space of the previously known UDGs, consists of 205 galaxies of which
196 are LSB dwarfs (with Re < 1.5 kpc) and nine are UDGs
(Re > 1.5 kpc). We show that the UDGs have (1) g'-r'
colors similar to those of LSB dwarfs of the same luminosity; (2) the
largest UDGs (Re > 3 kpc) in our sample appear different
from the other LSB galaxies, in that they are significantly more
elongated and extended; whereas (3) the smaller UDGs differ from the LSB
dwarfs only by having slightly larger effective radii; (4) we do not
find clear differences between the structural parameters of the UDGs in
our sample and those of UDGs in other galaxy environments; (5) we find
that the dwarf LSB galaxies in our sample are less concentrated in the
cluster center than the galaxies with higher surface brightness, and
that their number density drops within 180 kpc from the cluster center.
We also compare the LSB dwarfs in Fornax with the LSB dwarfs in the
Centaurus group, where data of similar quality to ours is available. (6)
We find the smallest LSB dwarfs to have similar colors, sizes and
Sérsic profiles regardless of their environment. However, in the
Centaurus group the colors become bluer with increasing galaxy
magnitudes, an effect which is probably due to smaller mass and hence
weaker environmental influence of the Centaurus group.
Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the small UDGs forming the
tail of a continuous distribution of less extended LSB galaxies.
However, the elongated and distorted shapes of the large UDGs could
imply that they are tidally disturbed galaxies. Due to limitations of
the automatic detection methods and uncertainty in the classification
the objects, it is yet unclear what is the total contribution of the
tidally disrupted galaxies in the UDG population.
Related projects
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro