The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. V. Quantification of the isolation

The AMIGA project aims to build a well defined and statistically significant reference sample of isolated galaxies in order to estimate the environmental effects on the formation and evolution of galaxies. The goal of this paper is to provide a measure of the environment of the isolated galaxies in the AMIGA sample, quantifying the influence of the candidate neighbours identified in our previous work and their potential effects on the evolution of the primary galaxies. Here we provide a quantification of the isolation degree of the galaxies in this sample. Our starting sample is the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG). We used two parameters to estimate the influence exerted by the neighbour galaxies on the CIG galaxy: the local number density of neighbour galaxies and the tidal strength affecting the CIG galaxy. We show that both parameters together provide a comprehensive picture of the environment. For comparison, those parameters have also been derived for galaxies in denser environments such as triplets, groups and clusters. The CIG galaxies show a continuous spectrum of isolation, as quantified by the two parameters, from very isolated to interacting. The fraction of CIG galaxies whose properties are expected to be influenced by the environment is however low (159 out of 950 galaxies). The isolated parameters derived for the comparsion samples gave higher values than for the CIG and we found clear differences for the average values of the 4 samples considered, proving the sensitivity of these parameters. The environment of the galaxies in the CIG has been characterised, using two complementary parameters quantifying the isolation degree, the local number density of the neighbour galaxies and the tidal forces affecting the isolated galaxies. (Abridged)Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, proposed for acceptance A&

The open cluster Berkeley 53

We present a photometric study of the neglected open cluster Berkeley 53. We derived its fundamental parameters, such as the age, the interstellar reddening, and the distance from the Sun, based on BV photometry combined with near-infrared JHK data. The structure and the mass function of the cluster were also studied and the total number of members and the total mass were estimated. The cluster was found to be a rich and massive stellar system, located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, 3.1+/-0.1 kpc from the Sun. Its age exceeds 1 Gy but it seems to be very young in the context of its dynamical evolution. The analysis of the two-color diagrams and color-magnitude diagrams indicates that the cluster is significantly reddened. However, both methods resulted in different values of E(B-V), i.e. 1.21+/-0.04 and 1.52+/-0.01, respectively. This discrepancy suggests the presence of an abnormal interstellar extinction law toward the cluster

Hubble Space Telescope images of submillimeter sources: large, irregular galaxies at high redshift

We present new Hubble Space Telescope STIS, high-resolution optical imaging of a sample of 13 submillimeter (submm) luminous galaxies, for which the optical emission has been pinpointed either through radio-1.4 GHz or millimeter interferometry. We find a predominance of irregular and complex morphologies in the sample, suggesting that mergers are likely common for submm galaxies. The component separation in these objects are on average a factor two larger than local galaxies with similarly high bolometric luminosities. The sizes and star formation rates of the submm galaxies are consistent with the maximal star formation rate densities of 20 Msun kpc^{-2} in local starburst galaxies (Lehnert & Heckman 1996). We derive quantitative morphological information for the optical galaxies hosting the submm emission; total and isophotal magnitudes, Petrosian radius, effective radius, concentration, aspect ratio, surface brightness, and asymmetry. We compare these morphological indices with those of other galaxies lying within the same STIS images. Most strikingly, we find ~70% of the submm galaxies to be extraordinarily large and elongated relative to the field population, regardless of optical magnitude. Comparison of the submm galaxy morphologies with those of optically selected galaxies at z~2-3 reveal the submm galaxies to be a morphologically distinct population, with generally larger sizes, higher concentrations and more prevalent major-merger configurations.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, scheduled for ApJ, v599, Dec10, 2003. Minor edits. For version with higher resolution figures, see http://www.submm.caltech.edu/~schapman/ms_v3.ps.g

Quantifying Bar Strength: Morphology Meets Methodology

A set of objective bar-classification methods have been applied to the Ohio State Bright Spiral Galaxy Survey (Eskridge et al. 2002). Bivariate comparisons between methods show that all methods agree in a statistical sense. Thus the distribution of bar strengths in a sample of galaxies can be robustly determined. There are very substantial outliers in all bivariate comparisons. Examination of the outliers reveals that the scatter in the bivariate comparisons correlates with galaxy morphology. Thus multiple measures of bar strength provide a means of studying the range of physical properties of galaxy bars in an objective statistical sense.Comment: LaTeX with Kluwer style file, 5 pages with 3 embedded figures. edited by Block, D.L., Freeman, K.C., Puerari, I., & Groess,

The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. IV. A catalogue of neighbours around isolated galaxies

Studies of the effects of environment on galaxy properties and evolution require well defined control samples. Such isolated galaxy samples have up to now been small or poorly defined. The AMIGA project (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) represents an attempt to define a statistically useful sample of the most isolated galaxies in the local (z < 0.05) Universe. A suitable large sample for the AMIGA project already exists, the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies (CIG, Karachentseva 1973; 1050 galaxies), and we use this sample as a starting point to refine and perform a better quantification of its isolation properties. Digitised POSS-I E images were analysed out to a minimum projected radius R > 0.5 Mpc around 950 CIG galaxies (those within Vr = 1500 km s-1 were excluded). We identified all galaxy candidates in each field brighter than B = 17.5 with a high degree of confidence using the LMORPHO software. We generated a catalogue of approximately 54 000 potential neighbours (redshifts exist for 30% of this sample). Six hundred sixty-six galaxies pass and two hundred eighty-four fail the original CIG isolation criterion. The available redshift data confirm that our catalogue involves a largely background population rather than physically associated neighbours. We find that the exclusion of neighbours within a factor of four in size around each CIG galaxy, employed in the original isolation criterion, corresponds to Delta Vr ~ 18000 km s-1 indicating that it was a conservative limit. Galaxies in the CIG have been found to show different degrees of isolation. We conclude that a quantitative measure of this is mandatory. It will be the subject of future work based on the catalogue of neighbours obtained here.Comment: Accepted by A&A, 10 pages, 8 figures, 4 table

Morphological number-count and redshift distributions to I < 26 from the Hubble Deep Field: Implications for the evolution of Ellipticals, Spirals and Irregulars

We combine the photometric redshift data of Fernandez-Soto et al. (1997) with the morphological data of Odewahn et al. (1996) for all galaxies with I < 26.0 detected in the Hubble Deep Field. From this combined catalog we generate the morphological galaxy number-counts and corresponding redshift distributions and compare these to the predictions of high normalization zero- and passive- evolution models. From this comparison we conclude the following: (1) E/S0s are seen in numbers and over a redshift range consistent with zero- or minimal passive- evolution to I = 24. Beyond this limit fewer E/S0s are observed than predicted implying a net negative evolutionary process --- luminosity dimming, disassembly or masking by dust --- at I > 24. (2) Spiral galaxies are present in numbers consistent with zero- evolution predictions to I = 22. Beyond this magnitude some net- positive evolution is required. Although the number-counts are consistent with the passive-evolution predictions to I=26.0 the redshift distributions favor number AND luminosity evolution. (3) There is no obvious explanation for the late-type/irregular class and this category requires further subdivision. While a small fraction of the population lies at low redshift (i.e. true irregulars), the majority lie at redshifts, 1 < z < 3. At z > 1.5 mergers are frequent and, taken in conjunction with the absence of normal spirals at z > 2, the logical inference is that they represent the progenitors of normal spirals forming via hierarchical merging.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, colour plates available from http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~spd/bib.htm

Data-Mining a Large Digital Sky Survey: From the Challenges to the Scientific Results

The analysis and an efficient scientific exploration of the Digital Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (DPOSS) represents a major technical challenge. The input data set consists of 3 Terabytes of pixel information, and contains a few billion sources. We describe some of the specific scientific problems posed by the data, including searches for distant quasars and clusters of galaxies, and the data-mining techniques we are exploring in addressing them. Machine-assisted discovery methods may become essential for the analysis of such multi-Terabyte data sets. New and future approaches involve unsupervised classification and clustering analysis in the Giga-object data space, including various Bayesian techniques. In addition to the searches for known types of objects in this data base, these techniques may also offer the possibility of discovering previously unknown, rare types of astronomical objects.Comment: Invited paper, to appear in Applications of Digital Image Processing XX, ed. A. Tescher, Proc. S.P.I.E. vol. 3164, in press; 10 pages, a self-contained TeX file, and 3 separate postscript figure