Redshift-Distance Survey of Early-type Galaxies. I. Sample Selection, Properties and Completeness

This is the first in a series of papers describing the recently completed all-sky redshift-distance survey of nearby early-type galaxies (ENEAR) carried out for peculiar velocity analysis. The sample is divided into two parts and consists of 1607 elliptical and lenticular galaxies with cz < 7000 km/s and with blue magnitudes brighter than m_B=14.5 (ENEARm), and of galaxies in clusters (ENEARc). Galaxy distances based on the Dn-sigma and Fundamental Plane (FP) relations are now available for 1359 and 1107 ENEARm galaxies, respectively, with roughly 80% based on new data gathered by our group. The Dn-sigma and FP template distance relations are derived by combining 569 and 431 galaxies in 28 clusters, respectively, of which about 60% are based on our new measurements. The ENEARm redshift-distance survey extends the earlier work of the 7S and the recent Tully-Fisher surveys sampling a comparable volume. In subsequent papers of this series we intend to use the ENEAR sample by itself or in combination with the SFI Tully-Fisher survey to analyze the properties of the local peculiar velocity field and to test how sensitive the results are to different sampling and to the distance indicators. We also anticipate that the homogeneous database assembled will be used for a variety of other applications and serve as a benchmark for similar studies at high-redshift.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures, submitted to the Astronomical Journa

Redshift-distance Survey of Early-type Galaxies: The D_n-sigma Relation

In this paper R-band photometric and velocity dispersion measurements for a sample of 452 elliptical and S0 galaxies in 28 clusters are used to construct a template D_n-sigma relation. This template relation is constructed by combining the data from the 28 clusters, under the assumption that galaxies in different clusters have similar properties. The photometric and spectroscopic data used consist of new as well as published measurements, converted to a common system, as presented in a accompanying paper. The resulting direct relation, corrected for incompleteness bias, is log{D_n} =1.203 log{sigma} + 1.406; the zero-point has been defined by requiring distant clusters to be at rest relative to the CMB. This zero-point is consistent with the value obtained by using the distance to Virgo as determined by the Cepheid period-luminosity relation. This new D_n-sigma relation leads to a peculiar velocity of -72 (\pm 189) km/s for the Coma cluster. The scatter in the distance relation corresponds to a distance error of about 20%, comparable to the values obtained for the Fundamental Plane relation. Correlations between the scatter and residuals of the D_n-sigma relation with other parameters that characterize the cluster and/or the galaxy stellar population are also analyzed. The direct and inverse relations presented here have been used in recent studies of the peculiar velocity field mapped by the ENEAR all-sky sample.Comment: 46 pages, 20 figures, and 7 tables. To appear in AJ, vol. 123, no. 5, May 200

Flows on scales of 150 Mpc?

We investigate the reality of large-scale streaming on scales of up to 150 Mpc using the peculiar motions of galaxies in three directions. New R-band CCD photometry and spectroscopy for elliptical galaxies is used. The Fundamental Plane distance indicator is calibrated using the Coma cluster and an inhomogeneous Malmquist bias correction is applied. A linear bulk-flow model is fitted to the peculiar velocities in the sample regions and the results do not reflect the bulk flow observed by Lauer and Postman (LP). Accounting for the difference in geometry between the galaxy distribution in the three regions and the LP clustersconfirms the disagreement; assuming a low-density CDM power spectrum, we find that the observed bulk flow of the galaxies in our sample excludes the LP bulk flow at the 99.8% confidence level.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Near-Infrared Imaging of Early-Type Galaxies IV. The Physical Origins of the Fundamental Plane Scaling Relations

The physical origins of the Fundamental Plane (FP) scaling relations are investigated for early-type galaxies observed at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. The slope for the FP is shown to increase systematically with wavelength from the U-band through the K-band. A distance-independent construction of the observables is described which provides an accurate measurement of the change in the FP slope between any pair of bandpasses. The variation of the FP slope with wavelength is strong evidence of systematic variations in stellar content along the elliptical galaxy sequence. The intercept of the diagnostic relationship between log(D_K/D_V) and log(sigma_0) shows no significant dependence on environment within the uncertainties of the Galactic extinction corrections, demonstrating the universality of the stellar populations contributions at the level of Delta(V-K)=0.03 mag to the zero-point of the global scaling relations. Several other constraints on the properties of early-type galaxies --- the slope of the Mg_2-sigma_0 relation, the effects of stellar populations gradients, and deviations of early-type galaxies from a dynamically homologous family --- are included to construct an empirical, self-consistent model which provides a complete picture of the underlying physical properties which are varying along the early-type galaxy sequence. This empirical approach demonstrates that there are significant systematic variations in both age and metallicity along the elliptical galaxy sequence, and that a small, but systematic, breaking of dynamical homology (or a similar, wavelength independent effect) is required. Predictions for the evolution of the slope of the FP with redshift are described. [abriged]Comment: to appear in The Astronomical Journal; 40 pages, including 10 Postscript figures and 3 tables; uses AAS LaTeX style file

Harmonic analysis of iterated function systems with overlap

In this paper we extend previous work on IFSs without overlap. Our method involves systems of operators generalizing the more familiar Cuntz relations from operator algebra theory, and from subband filter operators in signal processing.Comment: 37 page

The Possible z=0.83 Precursors of z=0 M* Early-type Cluster Galaxies

We examine the distribution of stellar masses of galaxies in MS 1054-03 and RX J0152.7-1357, two X-ray selected clusters of galaxies at z=0.83. Our stellar mass estimates, from spectral energy distribution fitting, reproduce the dynamical masses as measured from velocity dispersions and half-light radii with a scatter of 0.2 dex in the mass for early-type galaxies. When we restrict our sample of members to high stellar masses, > 1e11.1 Msun (M* in the Schechter mass function for cluster galaxies), we find that the fraction of early-type galaxies is 79 +/- 6% at z=0.83 and 87 +/- 6% at z=0.023 for the Coma cluster, consistent with no evolution. Previous work with luminosity-selected samples finds that the early-type fraction in rich clusters declines from =~80% at z=0 to =~60% at z=0.8. The observed evolution in the early-type fraction from luminosity-selected samples must predominately occur among sub-M* galaxies. As M* for field and group galaxies, especially late-types, is below M* for clusters galaxies, infall could explain most of the recent early-type fraction growth. Future surveys could determine the morphological distributions of lower mass systems which will confirm or refute this explanation.Comment: 5 pages in emulate ApJ format with three color figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, v642n2. Updated to correct grammatical and typographic errors found by the journa

Mass-Selection and the Evolution of the Morphology-Density Relation from z=0.8 to z=0

We examined the morphology-density relations for galaxy samples selected by luminosity and by mass in each of five massive X-ray clusters from z=0.023 to 0.83 for 674 spectroscopically-confirmed members. Rest-frame optical colors and visual morphologies were obtained primarily from Hubble Space Telescope images. Morphology-density relations (MDR) are derived in each cluster from a complete, luminosity-selected sample of 452 galaxies with a magnitude limit M_V < M^{*}_{V} + 1. The change in the early-type fraction with redshift matches previous work for massive clusters of galaxies. We performed a similar analysis, deriving MDRs for complete, mass-selected samples of 441 galaxies with a mass-limit of 10^{10.6} M_{\sun}. Our mass limit includes faint objects, the equivalent of =~1 mag below L^{*} for the red cluster galaxies, and encompasses =~70% of the stellar mass in cluster galaxies. The MDRs in the mass-selected sample at densities of Sigma > 50 galaxies Mpc^{-2} are similar to those in the luminosity-selected sample but show larger early-type fractions. However, the trend with redshift in the fraction of elliptical and S0 galaxies with masses > 10^{10.6} M_{\sun} differs significantly between the mass- and luminosity-selected samples. The clear trend seen in the early-type fraction from z=0 to z=~ 0.8 is not found in mass-selected samples. The early-type galaxy fraction changes much less, and is consistent with being constant at 92% +/- 4% at \Sigma> 500 galaxies Mpc^{-2} and 83 +/- 3% at 50 < \Sigma < 500 galaxies Mpc^{-2}. This suggests that galaxies of mass lower than > 10^{10.6} M_{\sun} play a significant role in the evolution of the early-type fraction in luminosity-selected samples. (Abstract abridged)Comment: 18 pages in emulate ApJ format, with 10 color figures, Accepted to ApJ. Version updated to reflect published version, includes new references and a correction to table

On the probabilistic description of a multipartite correlation scenario with arbitrary numbers of settings and outcomes per site

We consistently formalize the probabilistic description of multipartite joint measurements performed on systems of any nature. This allows us: (1) to specify in probabilistic terms the difference between nonsignaling, the Einstein- Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) locality and Bell's locality; (2) to introduce the notion of an LHV model for an S_{1}x...xS_{N}-setting N-partite correlation experiment, with outcomes of any spectral type, discrete or continuous, and to prove both general and specific "quantum" statements on an LHV simulation in an arbitrary multipartite case; (3) to classify LHV models for a multipartite quantum state, in particular, to show that any N-partite quantum state, pure or mixed, admits an Sx1x...x1 -setting LHV description; (4) to evaluate a threshold visibility for a noisy bipartite quantum state to admit an S_{1}xS_ {2}-setting LHV description under any generalized quantum measurements of two parties. In a sequel to this paper, we shall introduce a single general representation incorporating in a unique manner all Bell-type inequalities for either joint probabilities or correlation functions that have been introduced or will be introduced in the literature.Comment: 26 pages; added section Conclusions and some references for section

Dependence of the Fundamental Plane Scatter on Galaxy Age

The fundamental plane (FP) has an intrinsic scatter that can not be explained purely by observational errors. Using recently available age estimates for nearby early type galaxies, we show that a galaxy's position relative to the FP depends on its age. In particular, the mean FP corresponds to ellipticals with an age of ~10 Gyr. Younger galaxies are systematically brighter with higher surface brightness relative to the mean relation. Old ellipticals form an `upper envelope' to the FP. For our sample of mostly non-cluster galaxies, age can account for almost half of the scatter in the B band FP. Distance determinations based on the FP may have a systematic bias, if the mean age of the sample varies with redshift. We also show that fundamental plane residuals, B-V colors and Mg_2 line strength are consistent with an ageing central burst superposed on an old stellar population. This reinforces the view that these age estimates are tracing the last major episode of star formation induced by a gaseous merger event. We briefly discuss the empirical `evolutionary tracks' of merger-remnants and young ellipticals in terms of their key observational parameters.Comment: 14 pages, Latex, 2 figures, accepted by ApJ Letter

Redshift-distance Survey of Early-type Galaxies: the ENEARc Cluster Sample

This paper presents data on the ENEARc subsample of the larger ENEAR survey of the nearby early-type galaxies. The ENEARc galaxies belong to clusters and were specifically chosen to be used for the construction of a D_n-sigma template. The ENEARc sample includes new measurements of spectroscopic and photometric parameters (redshift, velocity dispersion, line index Mg_2, and the angular diameter d_n) as well as data from the literature. New spectroscopic data are given for 229 cluster early-type galaxies and new photometry is presented for 348 objects. Repeat and overlap observations with external data sets are used to construct a final merged catalog consisting of 640 early-type galaxies in 28 clusters. Objective criteria, based on catalogs of groups of galaxies derived from complete redshift surveys of the nearby universe, are used to assign galaxies to clusters. In a companion paper these data are used to construct the template D_n-sigma distance relation for early-type galaxies which has been used to estimate galaxy distances and derive peculiar velocities for the ENEAR all-sky sample.Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures, and 8 tables. Accepted for publication in A