1,130 research outputs found
The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey VII. Half-Light Radii of Globular Clusters in Early-Type Galaxies
We measure the half-light radii of globular clusters (GCs) in 43 galaxies
from the ACS Fornax Cluster Survey (ACSFCS). We use these data to extend
previous work in which the environmental dependencies of the half-light radii
of GCs in early type galaxies in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey (ACSVCS) were
studied, and a corrected mean half-light radius (corrected for the observed
environmental trends) was suggested as a reliable distance indicator. This work
both increases the sample size for the study of the environmental dependencies,
and adds leverage to the study of the corrected half-light radius as a possible
distance indicator (since Fornax lies at a larger distance than the Virgo
cluster). We study the environmental dependencies of the size of GCs using both
a Principal Component Analysis as well as 2D scaling relations. We largely
confirm the environmental dependencies shown in Jordan et al. (2005), but find
evidence that there is a residual correlation in the mean half-light radius of
GC systems with galaxy magnitude, and subtle differences in the other
correlations - so there may not be a universal correction for the half-light
radii of lower luminosity galaxy GC systems. The main factor determining the
size of a GC in an early type galaxy is the GC color. Red GCs have =
2.8+/-0.3 pc, while blue GCs have = 3.4+/-0.3 pc. We show that for bright
early-type galaxies (M_B < -19 mag), the uncorrected mean half-light radius of
the GC system is by itself an excellent distance indicator (with error ~11%),
having the potential to reach cosmologically interesting distances in the era
of high angular resolution adaptive optics on large optical telescopes.Comment: ApJ in press, 19 pages, 16 figures
The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. IX. The Color-Magnitude Relation of Globular Cluster Systems
We investigate the color-magnitude relation for globular clusters (GCs) --
the so-called "blue tilt" -- detected in the ACS Fornax Cluster Survey and
using the combined sample of GCs from the ACS Fornax and Virgo Cluster Surveys.
We find a tilt of gamma_z=d(g-z)/dz=-0.0257 +- 0.0050 for the full GC sample of
the Fornax Cluster Survey (~5800 GCs). This is slightly shallower than the
value gamma_z=-0.0459 +- 0.0048 found for the Virgo Cluster Survey GC sample
(~11100 GCs). The slope for the merged Fornax and Virgo datasets (~16900 GCs)
is gamma_z=-0.0293 +- 0.0085, corresponding to a mass-metallicity relation of Z
~ M^0.43. We find that the blue tilt sets in at GC masses in excess of M ~
2*10^5 M_sun. The tilt is stronger for GCs belonging to high-mass galaxies (M_*
> 5 * 10^10 M_sun) than for those in low-mass galaxies (M_* < 5 * 10^10 M_sun).
It is also more pronounced for GCs with smaller galactocentric distances. Our
findings suggest a range of mass-metallicity relations Z_GC ~ M_GC^(0.3-0.7)
which vary as a function of host galaxy mass/luminosity. We compare our
observations to a recent model of star cluster self-enrichment with generally
favorable results. We suggest that, within the context of this model, the
proto-cluster clouds out of which the GCs formed may have had density profiles
slightly steeper than isothermal and/or star formation efficiencies somewhat
below 0.3. We caution, however, that the significantly different appearance of
the CMDs defined by the GC systems associated with galaxies of similar mass and
morphological type pose a challenge to any single mechanism that seeks to
explain the blue tilt. We therefore suggest that the merger/accretion histories
of individual galaxies have played a non-negligible role determining the
distribution of GCs in the CMDs of individual GC systems
Discovery of a New Member of the Inner Oort Cloud from The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey
We report the discovery of 2010 GB, a likely new member of the Inner
Oort Cloud (IOC). 2010 GB is one of 91 Trans Neptunian Objects (TNOs)
and Centaurs discovered in a 76 deg contiguous region imaged as part of the
Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) --- a moderate ecliptic latitude
survey reaching a mean limiting magnitude of --- using
MegaPrime on the 3.6m Canada France Hawaii Telescope. 2010 GB is found
to have an orbit with semi-major axis AU, inclination and pericentre AU. This is the second largest
perihelion distance among known solar system objects. Based on the sky coverage
and depth of the NGVS, we estimate the number of IOC members with sizes larger
than 300 km ( mag) to be . A comparison of the
detection rate from the NGVS and the PDSSS (a characterized survey that
`re-discovered' the IOC object Sedna) gives, for an assumed a power-law LF for
IOC objects, a slope of , with only two detections
in this region this slope estimate is highly uncertain.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Globular cluster systems in fossil groups: NGC6482, NGC1132 and ESO306-017
We study the globular cluster (GC) systems in three representative fossil
group galaxies: the nearest (NGC6482), the prototype (NGC1132) and the most
massive known to date (ESO306-017). This is the first systematic study of GC
systems in fossil groups. Using data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope
Advanced Camera for Surveys in the F475W and F850LP filters, we determine the
GC color and magnitude distributions, surface number density profiles, and
specific frequencies. In all three systems, the GC color distribution is
bimodal, the GCs are spatially more extended than the starlight, and the red
population is more concentrated than the blue. The specific frequencies seem to
scale with the optical luminosities of the central galaxy and span a range
similar to that of the normal bright elliptical galaxies in rich environments.
We also analyze the galaxy surface brightness distributions to look for
deviations from the best-fit S\'ersic profiles; we find evidence of recent
dynamical interaction in all three fossil group galaxies. Using X-ray data from
the literature, we find that luminosity and metallicity appear to correlate
with the number of GCs and their mean color, respectively. Interestingly,
although NGC6482 has the lowest mass and luminosity in our sample, its GC
system has the reddest mean color, and the surrounding X-ray gas has the
highest metallicity.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
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