Galaxy Alignments with Surrounding Structure in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Legacy Survey, we study the alignment of relatively luminous galaxies with spectroscopic data with the surrounding larger-scale structure as defined by galaxies with only photometric data. We find that galaxies from the red sequence have a statistically significant tendency for their images to align parallel to the projected surrounding structure. Red galaxies brighter than the median of our sample ($M_r < -21.05$) have a mean alignment angle $\langle \Phi \rangle < 45^\circ$, indicating preferred parallel alignment, at a significance level $> 7.8 \sigma$ on projected scales $1\,\textrm{Mpc} < r_p < 30\,\textrm{Mpc}$. Fainter red galaxies have $\langle \Phi \rangle 3.4 \sigma$ only at scales $r_p > 18\,\textrm{Mpc}$. Galaxies from the blue sequence show no statistically significant ($3\sigma$) tendency for their images to align with larger-scale structure. No dependence of alignment angle is seen as a function of local overdensity or of offset from the local distribution of surrounding galaxies.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Ap

Dependence of Galaxy Shape on Environment in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Using a sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 4, we study the trends relating surface brightness profile type and apparent axis ratio to the local galaxy environment. We use the SDSS parameter `fracDeV' to quantify the profile type. We find that galaxies with M_r > -18 are mostly described by exponential profiles in all environments. Galaxies with -21 < M_r < -18 mainly have exponential profiles in low density environments and de Vaucouleurs profiles in high density environments. The most luminous galaxies, with M_r < -21, are mostly described by de Vaucouleurs profiles in all environments. For galaxies with M_r < -19, the fraction of de Vaucouleurs galaxies is a monotonically increasing function of local density, while the fraction of exponential galaxies is monotonically decreasing. For a fixed surface brightness profile type, apparent axis ratio is frequently correlated with environment. As the local density of galaxies increases, we find that for -20 < M_r < -18, galaxies of all profile types become slightly rounder, on average; for -22 < M_r < -20, galaxies with exponential profiles tend to become flatter, while galaxies with de Vaucouleurs profiles become rounder; for M_r < -22, galaxies with exponential profiles become flatter, while the de Vaucouleurs galaxies become rounder in their inner regions, yet exhibit no change in their outer regions. We comment on how the observed trends relate to the merger history of galaxies.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Ap

More evidence for hidden spiral and bar features in bright early-type dwarf galaxies

Following the discovery of spiral structure in IC3328 (Jerjen et al.~2000), we present further evidence that a sizable fraction of bright early-type dwarfs in the Virgo cluster are genuine disk galaxies, or are hosting a disk component. Among a sample of 23 nucleated dwarf ellipticals and dS0s observed with the Very Large Telescope in $B$ and $R$, we found another four systems exhibiting non-axisymmetric structures, such as a bar and/or spiral arms, indicative of a disk (IC0783, IC3349, NGC4431, IC3468). Particularly remarkable are the two-armed spiral pattern in IC0783 and the bar and trailing arms in NGC4431. For both galaxies the disk nature has recently been confirmed by a rotation velocity measurement (Simien & Prugniel 2002). Our photometric search is based on a Fourier decomposition method and a specific version of unsharp masking. Some ``early-type'' dwarfs in the Virgo cluster seem to be former late-type galaxies which were transformed to early-type morphology, e.g. by ``harassment'', during their infall to the cluster, while maintaining part of their disk structure.Comment: A&A accepte

A solar cycle of spacecraft anomalies due to internal charging

International audienceIt is important to appreciate how the morphology of internal charging of spacecraft systems, due to penetrating electrons, differs from that of the more common surface charging, due to electrons with lower energy. A specific and recurrent anomaly on a geostationary communication satellite has been tracked for ten years so that solar cycle and seasonal dependencies can be clearly established. Concurrent measurements of sunspot number, solar wind speed and 2-day >2 MeV electron fluence are presented to highlight pertinent space weather relationships, and the importance of understanding the complex particle interaction processes involved

On formation of domain wall lattices

We study the formation of domain walls in a phase transition in which an S_5\times Z_2 symmetry is spontaneously broken to S_3\times S_2. In one compact spatial dimension we observe the formation of a stable domain wall lattice. In two spatial dimensions we find that the walls form a network with junctions, there being six walls to every junction. The network of domain walls evolves so that junctions annihilate anti-junctions. The final state of the evolution depends on the relative dimensions of the simulation domain. In particular we never observe the formation of a stable lattice of domain walls for the case of a square domain but we do observe a lattice if one dimension is somewhat smaller than the other. During the evolution, the total wall length in the network decays with time as t^{-0.71}, as opposed to the usual t^{-1} scaling typical of regular Z_2 networks.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Minor changes, final version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Relativistic Magnetic Monopole Flux Constraints from RICE

We report an upper limit on the flux of relativistic monopoles based on the non-observation of in-ice showers by the Radio Ice Cherenkov Experiment (RICE) at the South Pole. We obtain a 95% C.L. limit of order 10^{-18}/(cm^2-s-sr) for intermediate mass monopoles of 10^7<gamma<10^{12} at the anticipated energy E=10^{16} GeV. This bound is over an order of magnitude stronger than all previously published experimental limits for this range of boost parameters gamma, and exceeds two orders of magnitude improvement over most of the range. We review the physics of radio detection, describe a Monte Carlo simulation including continuous and stochastic energy losses, and compare to previous experimental limits.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D. Minor revisions, including expanded discussion of monopole energy uncertaint

An entirely analytical cosmological model

The purpose of the present study is to show that in a particular cosmological model, with an affine equation of state, one can obtain, besides the background given by the scale factor, Hubble and deceleration parameters, a representation in terms of scalar fields and, more important, explicit mathematical expressions for the density contrast and the power spectrum. Although the model so obtained is not realistic, it reproduces features observed in some previous numerical studies and, therefore, it may be useful in the testing of numerical codes and as a pedagogical tool.Comment: 4 pages (revtex4), 4 figure

The Size and Shape of Voids in Three-Dimensional Galaxy Surveys

The sizes and shapes of voids in a galaxy survey depend not only on the physics of structure formation, but also on the sampling density of the survey and on the algorithm used to define voids. Using an N-body simulation with a CDM power spectrum, we study the properties of voids in samples with different number densities of galaxies, both in redshift space and in real space. When voids are defined as regions totally empty of galaxies, their characteristic volume is strongly dependent on sampling density; when they are defined as regions whose density is 0.2 times the mean galaxy density, the dependence is less strong. We compare two void-finding algorithms, one in which voids are nonoverlapping spheres, and one, based on the algorithm of Aikio and Mahonen, which does not predefine the shape of a void. Regardless of the algorithm chosen, the characteristic void size is larger in redshift space than in real space, and is larger for low sampling densities than for high sampling densities. We define an elongation statistic Q which measures the tendency of voids to be stretched or squashed along the line of sight. Using this statistic, we find that at sufficiently high sampling densities (comparable to the number densities of galaxies brighter than L_*), large voids tend to be slightly elongated along the line of sight in redshift space.Comment: LaTex, 21 pages (including 7 figures), ApJ, submitte

The Ellipticity of the Disks of Spiral Galaxies

The disks of spiral galaxies are generally elliptical rather than circular. The distribution of ellipticities can be fit with a log-normal distribution. For a sample of 12,764 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (SDSS DR1), the distribution of apparent axis ratios in the i band is best fit by a log-normal distribution of intrinsic ellipticities with ln epsilon = -1.85 +/- 0.89. For a sample of nearly face-on spiral galaxies, analyzed by Andersen and Bershady using both photometric and spectroscopic data, the best fitting distribution of ellipticities has ln epsilon = -2.29 +/- 1.04. Given the small size of the Andersen-Bershady sample, the two distribution are not necessarily inconsistent. If the ellipticity of the potential were equal to that of the light distribution of the SDSS DR1 galaxies, it would produce 1.0 magnitudes of scatter in the Tully-Fisher relation, greater than is observed. The Andersen-Bershady results, however, are consistent with a scatter as small as 0.25 magnitudes in the Tully-Fisher relation.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; ApJ, accepte