The UNAM-KIAS Catalog of Isolated Galaxies

A new catalog of isolated galaxies from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR5) is presented. 1520 isolated galaxies were found in 1.4 steradians of sky. The selection criteria in this so called UNAM-KIAS catalog was implemented from a variation on the criteria developed by Karachentseva 1973 including full redshift information. Through an image processing pipeline that takes advantage from the high resolution (~ 0.4 ''/pix) and high dynamic range of the SDSS images, a uniform g band morphological classification for all these galaxies is presented. We identify 80% (SaSm) spirals (50% later than Sbc types) on one hand, and a scarce population of early-type E(6.5%) and S0(8%) galaxies amounting to 14.5% on the other hand. This magnitude-limited catalog is ~ 80% complete at 16.5, 15.6, 15.0, 14.6 and 14.4 magnitudes in the ugriz bands respectively. Some representative physical properties including SDSS magnitudes and color distributions, color-color diagrams, absolute magnitude-color, and concentration-color diagrams as a function of morphological type are presented. The UNAM-KIAS Morphological Atlas is also released along with this paper. For each galaxy of type later than Sa, a mosaic is presented that includes: (1) a g-band logarithmic image, (2) a g band filtered-enhanced image where a Gaussian kernel of various sizes was applied and (3) an RGB color image from the SDSS database. For E/S0/Sa galaxies, in addition to the images in (1), (2) and (3), plots of r band surface brightness and geometric profiles (ellipticity, Position Angle PA and A4/B4 coefficients of the Fourier series expansions of deviations of a pure ellipse) are provided...Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures and 3 table

The UNAM-KIAS Catalog of Isolated Galaxies

A new catalog of isolated galaxies from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR5) is presented. 1520 isolated galaxies were found in 1.4 steradians of sky. The selection criteria in this so called UNAM-KIAS catalog was implemented from a variation on the criteria developed by Karachentseva 1973 including full redshift information. Through an image processing pipeline that takes advantage from the high resolution (~ 0.4 ''/pix) and high dynamic range of the SDSS images, a uniform g band morphological classification for all these galaxies is presented. We identify 80% (SaSm) spirals (50% later than Sbc types) on one hand, and a scarce population of early-type E(6.5%) and S0(8%) galaxies amounting to 14.5% on the other hand. This magnitude-limited catalog is ~ 80% complete at 16.5, 15.6, 15.0, 14.6 and 14.4 magnitudes in the ugriz bands respectively. Some representative physical properties including SDSS magnitudes and color distributions, color-color diagrams, absolute magnitude-color, and concentration-color diagrams as a function of morphological type are presented. The UNAM-KIAS Morphological Atlas is also released along with this paper. For each galaxy of type later than Sa, a mosaic is presented that includes: (1) a g-band logarithmic image, (2) a g band filtered-enhanced image where a Gaussian kernel of various sizes was applied and (3) an RGB color image from the SDSS database. For E/S0/Sa galaxies, in addition to the images in (1), (2) and (3), plots of r band surface brightness and geometric profiles (ellipticity, Position Angle PA and A4/B4 coefficients of the Fourier series expansions of deviations of a pure ellipse) are provided...Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures and 3 table

The Bulgeless Seyfert/LINER Galaxy NGC 3367: Disk, Bar, Lopsidedness and Environment

NGC3367 is a nearby isolated active galaxy that shows a radio jet, a strong bar and evidence of lopsidedness. We present a quantitative analysis of the stellar and gaseous structure of the galaxy disk and a search for evidence of recent interaction based on new UBVRI Halpha and JHK images and on archival Halpha Fabry-Perot and HI VLA data. From a coupled 1D/2D GALFIT bulge/bar/disk decomposition an (B/D ~ 0.07-0.1) exponential pseudobulge is inferred in all the observed bands. A NIR estimate of the bar strength = 0.44 places NGC 3367 bar among the strongest ones. The asymmetry properties were studied using (1) optical and NIR CAS indexes (2) the stellar (NIR) and gaseous (Halpha, HI) A_1 Fourier mode amplitudes and (3) the HI integrated profile and HI mean intensity distribution. While the average stellar component shows asymmetry values close to the average found in the Local Universe for isolated galaxies, the young stellar component and gas values are largely decoupled showing significantly larger A_1 mode amplitudes suggesting that the gas has been recently perturbed. Our search for (1) faint stellar structures in the outer regions (up to u_R ~ 26 mag arcsec^{-2}), (2) (Halpha) star-forming satellite galaxies and (3) regions with different colors (stellar populations) along the disk all failed. Such an absence is interpreted using recent numerical simulations to constrain a tidal event with an LMC like galaxy to some dynamical times in the past or to a current very low mass, gas rich accretion. We conclude that a cold accretion mode (gas and small/dark galaxies) may be responsible of the nuclear activity and peculiar (young stars and gas) morphology regardless of the highly isolated environment. Black hole growth in bulgeless galaxies may be triggered by cosmic smooth mass accretion.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

BVRI Surface Photometry of (S+S) Binary Galaxies. I. The data

We present multicolour broad band ($BVRI$) photometry for a sample of 33 spiral-spiral (S+S) binary galaxies drawn from the Karachentsev Catalogue of Isolated Pairs of Galaxies (KPG). The data is part of a joint observational programme devoted to systematic photometric study of one of the most complete and homogeneous pair samples available in the literature. We present azimuthally averaged colour and surface brightness profiles, colour index (B-I) maps, B band and sharp/filtered B band images as well as integrated magnitudes, magnitudes at different circular apertures and integrated colours for each pair. Internal and external data comparisons show consistency within the estimated errors. Two thirds of the sample have total aperture parameters homogeneously derived for the first time. After reevaluating morphology for all the pairs, we find a change in Hubble type for 24 galaxies compared to the original POSS classifications. More than half of our pairs show morphological concordance which could explain, in part, the strong correlation in the (B-V) colour indices (Holmberg Effect) between pair components. We find a tendency for barred galaxies to show grand design morphologies and flat colour profiles. The measurements will be used in a series of forthcoming papers where we try to identify and isolate the main structural and photometric properties of disk galaxies at different stages of interaction.Comment: 23 pages. 5 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Mosaics for all pairs can be found at http://www.inaoep.mx/~puerari/binar

BVRI Surface Photometry of Isolated Spiral Galaxies

A release of multicolor broad band (BVRI) photometry for a subsample of 44 isolated spirals drawn from the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG) is presented. Total magnitudes and colors at various circular apertures, as well as some global structural/morphological parameters are estimated. Morphology is reevaluated through optical and sharp/filtered R band images, (B-I) color index maps, and archive near-IR JHK images from the Two-Micron Survey. The CAS structural parameters (Concentration, Asymmetry, and Clumpiness) were calculated from the images in each one of the bands. The fraction of galaxies with well identified optical/near-IR bars (SB) is 63%, while a 17% more shows evidence of weak or suspected bars (SAB). The sample average value of the maximum bar ellipticity is 0.4. Half of the galaxies in the sample shows rings. We identify two candidates for isolated galaxies with disturbed morphology. The structural CAS parameters change with the observed band, and the tendencies they follow with the morphological type and global color are more evident in the redder bands. In any band, the major difference between our isolated spirals and a sample of interacting spirals is revealed in the A-S plane. A deep and uniformly observed sample of isolated galaxies is intended for various purposes including (i) comparative studies of environmental effects, (ii) confronting model predictions of galaxy evolution and (iii) evaluating the change of galaxy properties with redshift.Comment: 44 pages, 9 figures and 7 tables included. To appear in The Astronomical Journal. For the 43 appendix figures 4.1-4.43 see http://www.astroscu.unam.mx/~avila/Figs4.1_4.43.tar.gz (7.2 Mb tar.gz file

Hα3: an Hα imaging survey of HI selected galaxies from ALFALFA. VI. The role of bars in quenching star formation from z = 3 to the present epoch

A growing body of evidence indicates that the star formation rate per unit stellar mass (sSFR) decreases with increasing mass in normal main-sequence star-forming galaxies. Many processes have been advocated as being responsible for this trend (also known as mass quenching), e.g., feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the formation of classical bulges. In order to improve our insight into the mechanisms regulating the star formation in normal star-forming galaxies across cosmic epochs, we determine a refined star formation versus stellar mass relation in the local Universe. To this end we use the Hα narrow-band imaging follow-up survey (Hα3) of field galaxies selected from the HI Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey (ALFALFA) in the Coma and Local superclusters. By complementing this local determination with high-redshift measurements from the literature, we reconstruct the star formation history of main-sequence galaxies as a function of stellar mass from the present epoch up to z = 3. In agreement with previous studies, our analysis shows that quenching mechanisms occur above a threshold stellar mass Mknee that evolves with redshift as ∝ (1 + z)2. Moreover, visual morphological classification of individual objects in our local sample reveals a sharp increase in the fraction of visually classified strong bars with mass, hinting that strong bars may contribute to the observed downturn in the sSFR above Mknee. We test this hypothesis using a simple but physically motivated numerical model for bar formation, finding that strong bars can rapidly quench star formation in the central few kpc of field galaxies. We conclude that strong bars contribute significantly to the red colors observed in the inner parts of massive galaxies, although additional mechanisms are likely required to quench the star formation in the outer regions of massive spiral galaxies. Intriguingly, when we extrapolate our model to higher redshifts, we successfully recover the observed redshift evolution for Mknee. Our study highlights how the formation of strong bars in massive galaxies is an important mechanism in regulating the redshift evolution of the sSFR for field main-sequence galaxies