187 research outputs found
Cosmic shear statistics in the Suprime-Cam 2.1 sq deg field: Constraints on Omega_m and sigma_8
We present measurements of the cosmic shear correlation in the shapes of
galaxies in the Suprime-Cam 2.1 deg^2 R_c-band imaging data. As an estimator of
the shear correlation originated from the gravitational lensing, we adopt the
aperture mass variance. We detect a non-zero E mode variance on scales between
2 and 40arcmin. We also detect a small but non-zero B mode variance on scales
larger than 5arcmin. We compare the measured E mode variance to the model
predictions in CDM cosmologies using maximum likelihood analysis. A
four-dimensional space is explored, which examines sigma_8, Omega_m, Gamma and
zs (a mean redshift of galaxies). We include three possible sources of error:
statistical noise, the cosmic variance estimated using numerical experiments,
and a residual systematic effect estimated from the B mode variance. We derive
joint constraints on two parameters by marginalizing over the two remaining
parameters. We obtain an upper limit of Gamma0.9 (68% confidence).
For a prior Gamma\in[0.1,0.4] and zs\in[0.6,1.4], we find
sigma_8=(0.50_{-0.16}^{+0.35})Omega_m^{-0.37} for flat cosmologies and
sigma_8=(0.51_{-0.16}^{+0.29})Omega_m^{-0.34}$ for open cosmologies (95%
confidence). If we take the currently popular LCDM model, we obtain a
one-dimensional confidence interval on sigma_8 for the 95.4% level,
0.62<\sigma_8<1.32 for zs\in[0.6,1.4]. Information on the redshift distribution
of galaxies is key to obtaining a correct cosmological constraint. An
independent constraint on Gamma from other observations is useful to tighten
the constraint.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The Kormendy Relation for early-type galaxies. Dependence on the magnitude range
Previous studies indicate that faint and bright early-type galaxies (ETGs)
present different coefficients and dispersion for their Kormendy relation (KR).
A recently published paper states that the intrinsic dispersion of the KR
depends on the magnitude range within which the galaxies are contained,
therefore, we investigate here whether the magnitude range has also an
influence over the values of the coefficients of the KR; (zero point)
and (slope). We perform numerical simulations and analysis of these
coefficients for 4 samples of galaxies, which contain an approximate total of
9400 ETGs in a relatively ample magnitude range ( ).
The analysis of the results makes us conclude that the values of the KR
coefficients depend on the width of the magnitude range and the brightness of
galaxies within the magnitude range. This dependence is due to the fact that
the distribution of galaxies in the plane depends on
luminosity and that this distribution is not symmetrical, that is, the
geometric shape of the distribution of galaxies in the plane plays an important role in the determination of the values of
the coefficients of the KR.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures. A&A. Accepte
The Extraordinary `Superthin' Spiral Galaxy UGC7321. I. Disk Color Gradients and Global Properties from Multiwavelength Observations
We present B- and R-band imaging and photometry, H-alpha narrow-band imaging,
NIR H-band imaging, and HI 21-cm spectroscopy of the nearby Sd spiral galaxy
UGC7321. UGC7321 exhibits a remarkably thin stellar disk with no bulge
component. The galaxy has a very diffuse, low surface brightness disk, which
appears to suffer little internal extinction in spite of its edge-on geometry.
The UGC7321 disk shows significant B-R color gradients in both the radial and
vertical directions. These color gradients cannot be explained solely by dust
and are indicative of changes in the mix of stellar ages and/or metallicity as
a function of both radius and height above the galaxy plane. The outer regions
of the UGC7321 disk are too blue to be explained by low metallicity alone
(B-R<0.6), and must be relatively young. However, the galaxy also contains
stellar populations with B-R>1.1, indicating it is not a young or
recently-formed galaxy. The disk of UGC7321 is not a simple exponential, but
exhibits a light excess at small radii, as well as distinct surface brightness
zones. Together the properties of UGC7321 imply that it is an under-evolved
galaxy in both a dynamical and in a star-formation sense. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal; 28 pages, 1 table and 21
figures (GIF and postscript
The u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star Network
We present the 158 standard stars that define the u'g'r'i'z' photometric
system. These stars form the basis for the photometric calibration of the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The defining instrument system and filters, the
observing process, the reduction techniques, and the software used to create
the stellar network are all described. We briefly discuss the history of the
star selection process, the derivation of a set of transformation equations for
the UBVRcIc system, and plans for future work.Comment: References to URLs in paper have been updated to reflect moved
website. Accepted by AJ. 50 pages, including 20 pages of text, 9 tables, and
15 figures. Plain ASCII text versions of Tables 8 and 9 can be found at
http://home.fnal.gov/~dtucker/ugriz/index.html (new URL
The Fundamental Plane for early-type galaxies. Dependence on the magnitude range
Studying 3 samples of early-type galaxies, which include approximately 8800
galaxies and cover a relatively ample magnitude range (
), we find that the coefficients as well as the intrinsic dispersion of
the Fundamental Plane depend on the width of the magnitude range within which
the galaxies are distributed. We analyse this dependence and the results show
that it could be due to the fact that the distribution of galaxies in the space
defined by the variables depends on the
luminosity.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. MNRAS. Accepte
The Photometric Properties of Isolated Early-Type Galaxies
Isolated galaxies are important since they probe the lowest density regimes
inhabited by galaxies. We define a sample of 36 nearby isolated early-type
galaxies for further study. Our isolation criteria require them to have no
comparable-mass neighbours within 2 B-band magnitudes, 0.67 Mpc in the plane of
the sky and 700 km/s in recession velocity. New wide-field optical imaging of
10 isolated galaxies with the Anglo-Australian Telescope confirms their
early-type morphology and relative isolation. We also present imaging of 4
galaxy groups as a control sample. The isolated galaxies are shown to be more
gravitationally isolated than the group galaxies. We find that the isolated
early-type galaxies have a mean effective colour of (B-R)_e = 1.54 +/- 0.14,
similar to their high-density counterparts. They reveal a similar
colour-magnitude relation slope and small intrinsic scatter to cluster
ellipticals. They also follow the Kormendy relation of surface brightness
versus size for luminous cluster galaxies. Such properties suggest that the
isolated galaxies formed at a similar epoch to cluster galaxies, such that the
bulk of their stars are very old. However, our galaxy modelling reveals
evidence for dust lanes, plumes, shells, boxy and disk isophotes in four out of
nine galaxies. Thus at least some isolated galaxies have experienced a recent
merger/accretion event which may have induced a small burst of star formation.
We derive luminosity functions for the isolated galaxies and find a faint slope
of -1.2, which is similar to the `universal' slope found in a wide variety of
environments. We examine the number density distribution of galaxies in the
field of the isolated galaxies.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, 17 figures, 6 tables, MNRAS in pres
The Updated Zwicky Catalog (UZC)
The Zwicky Catalog of galaxies (ZC), with m_Zw<=15.5mag, has been the basis
for the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) redshift surveys. To date, analyses of
the ZC and redshift surveys based on it have relied on heterogeneous sets of
galaxy coordinates and redshifts. Here we correct some of the inadequacies of
previous catalogs by providing: (1) coordinates with <~2 arcsec errors for all
of the Nuzc catalog galaxies, (2) homogeneously estimated redshifts for the
majority (98%) of the data taken at the CfA (14,632 spectra), and (3) an
estimate of the remaining "blunder" rate for both the CfA redshifts and for
those compiled from the literature. For the reanalyzed CfA data we include a
calibrated, uniformly determined error and an indication of the presence of
emission lines in each spectrum. We provide redshifts for 7,257 galaxies in the
CfA2 redshift survey not previously published; for another 5,625 CfA redshifts
we list the remeasured or uniformly re-reduced value. Among our new
measurements, Nmul are members of UZC "multiplets" associated with the original
Zwicky catalog position in the coordinate range where the catalog is 98%
complete. These multiplets provide new candidates for examination of tidal
interactions among galaxies. All of the new redshifts correspond to UZC
galaxies with properties recorded in the CfA redshift compilation known as
ZCAT. About 1,000 of our new measurements were motivated either by inadequate
signal-to-noise in the original spectrum or by an ambiguous identification of
the galaxy associated with a ZCAT redshift. The redshift catalog we include
here is ~96% complete to m_Zw<=15.5, and ~98% complete (12,925 galaxies out of
a total of 13,150) for the RA(1950) ranges [20h--4h] and [8h--17h] and
DEC(1950) range [-2.5d--50d]. (abridged)Comment: 34 pp, 7 figs, PASP 1999, 111, 43
VEGAS: A VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey. II. Photometric study of giant ellipticals and their stellar halos
Observations of diffuse starlight in the outskirts of galaxies are thought to
be a fundamental source of constraints on the cosmological context of galaxy
assembly in the CDM model. Such observations are not trivial because
of the extreme faintness of such regions. In this work, we investigate the
photometric properties of six massive early type galaxies (ETGs) in the VEGAS
sample (NGC 1399, NGC 3923, NGC 4365, NGC 4472, NGC 5044, and NGC 5846) out to
extremely low surface brightness levels, with the goal of characterizing the
global structure of their light profiles for comparison to state-of-the-art
galaxy formation models. We carry out deep and detailed photometric mapping of
our ETG sample taking advantage of deep imaging with VST/OmegaCAM in the g and
i bands. By fitting the light profiles, and comparing the results to
simulations of elliptical galaxy assembly, we identify signatures of a
transition between "relaxed" and "unrelaxed" accreted components and can
constrain the balance between in situ and accreted stars. The very good
agreement of our results with predictions from theoretical simulations
demonstrates that the full VEGAS sample of ETGs will allow us to use
the distribution of diffuse light as a robust statistical probe of the
hierarchical assembly of massive galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
- âŠ