Simulation of compact groups of galaxies

Self-consistent simulations of seven groups of galaxies with halos have been performed to find a constraint upon the size of missing halos around spiral galaxies. An initial galaxy, which consists of 100 superstars, has half-mass radius 41 kpc and central velocity dispersion 235 km s^–1. The simulations start from the epoch of maximum expansion. The initial conditions involve a variety of spatial distributions of galaxies, and the velocity dispersion of galaxies as would be permitted for maximum expansion. Dense groups having collapse times shorter than (2/3)H ₀ ^–1 are shown to form multiple mergers in a Hubble timeH ₀ ^–1 . From a comparison of the frequencies of cD galaxies, or multiple mergers, in observed and simulated groups, it is concluded that the effective radius of missing halos is less than 41 kpc.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

Isolated Shakhbazian compact groups

It is more appropriate to study the dynamics and evolution of compact groups using a sample of isolated compact groups in the nearby vicinity of which there are no accordant redshift galaxies. To look for isolated compact groups we inspected the environment of 78 Shakhbazian compact groups, with known redshifts. We found that 26 of nearby groups with V < 40000 km s⁻¹ are isolated compact groups in the vicinity of which up to a projected distance of 1 Mpc there are no accordant redshift galaxies. For four of them, the redshift of only two members are known, so their being groups is not certain. In the vicinities of eleven distant groups (V > 40000 km s⁻¹) no accordant redshift galaxies are detected as well. The reason for this may be the faintness of galaxies there. These groups may possibly be isolated.     

On actual presence of discordant-redshift galaxies in compact groups

Hickson's compact galaxy groups were classified using the statistical criterion which includes the radial velocities of galaxies as well as their relative positions. These groups on the whole and their components are identified as the confident and probable non-chance ones as well as probable and confident chance ones. All confident chance objects have the discordant radial velocities (the differences of radial velocitiesDV [1000; 20000] km s^–1). The special class of objects bright discordants is selected. These galaxies have the discordant radial velocities withDV [825; 8440] km s^–1 and have a strong tendency to be the brightest components of their groups. The lowest difference of radial velocities for the last class of objects DV = (1.0±0.2) × 10³ km s^–1 and we accept this value of DV as the lowest value of discordant radial velocities. It is found that the biggest part of Hickson's compact groups consist of non-chance aggregations of galaxies and some of the cases of discordant-redshifts require a special study in order to explain their origin from a dynamic or some other point of view.Present address.     

Spectral and photometric study of compact groups of compact galaxies

Results are presented from a spectral, photometric, and morphological study of two compact groups of compact galaxies (CGCG) from Shahbazian’s list. The observations were made on the 1.5-m ESO telescope and the 2.6-m telescope at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) during 1999–2000. These data are compared with data for the Shahbazian compact group 4. A high spatial density of galaxies, ranging from 10000 to 100000 galaxies per Mpc³, is observed in all the groups that were studied. The discovery of a Seyfert Sy1 galaxy in the Shahbazian 355 compact group is especially noteworthy. The direct photographs of the CGCGs that were studied contain no signs of merging or tidal interactions among the members of these groups. This suggests that the galaxies in these dense systems have a common origin. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 347–353 (August 2007).     

The importance of blue compact galaxies

I review the importance of blue compact galaxies with respect to current studies of massive star formation, abundances of elemental and heavy elements in the interestellar medium, and to the epoch of galaxy formation. Their relevance to cosmological studies will be emphasized.Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 593–602, October–December, 1995.     

The color properties of compact groups of main galaxies from the SDSS Data Release 4

In order to compare color statistical properties of member galaxies in compact groups with those of field galaxies, we use a compact group (CG) sample which contains 4217 CGs extracted from the MAIN galaxy sample of the SDSS Data Release 4 (SDSS4), and construct a random group sample which has the same distributions of redshift and number of member galaxies as those of the CG sample. It turns out that the mean colors of galaxies in CGs are redder than those of galaxies in random groups. Additionally, we also find that member galaxies in real CGs have a smaller dispersion of colors than those in random groups-at least for g-r, r-i, and i-z colors. Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 29–37 (February 2007).     

Redshifts of compact galaxies in systems of galaxies

82 compact galaxies with measured redshift present in systems containing partly normal galaxies have been found, using Zwicky's Catalogues and Morphological Catalogue. For them the mean residual redshift has been obtained. The chance probability for this result is 0.015. A high frequency of compact galaxies among those with large discrepant redshift is remarked. Relatively compact normal galaxies also reveal a positive mean value of . Redshift is correlated with magnitude in groups and pairs of compact galaxies, this depending in pairs on the linear separation and colours of the components. If a colour difference is present, the bluer member has the larger redshift in general. In contrast with the large luminosity deduced from the redshift for many field compacts, compact galaxies in systems are faint. The majority of the proposed associations between quasars and systems of normal galaxies are shown to be probably physical.     

Catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies. VI.

The sixth part of the catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies contains the positions and references of all the galaxies of the following 48 groups (north of δ > +2°30''): Shkh 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107. For the estimation of the coordinates the Digitized Sky Survey was used.     

Segregation of galaxies belonging to different morphological types into groups

Groups of galaxies are studied to identify galaxies of different morphological type in terms of their position relative to the centers of the groups and in terms of their peculiar radial velocities within the groups. The following results are obtained: (1) The mean distances of the galaxies relative to the centers of the groups gradually increase in the transition from the elliptical to the lenticular and spiral galaxies. However, galaxies classified in the subtypes of early or late elliptical are not distinguishable on the basis of this parameter. (b) The peculiar radial velocities of the elliptical, lenticular, and spiral galaxies in the groups are statistically indistinguishable. However, spiral galaxies falling in the early and late subtypes are distinguishable in terms of this parameter. The former subtype exhibit a lesser mean pecular radial velocity than the latter subtype.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 301–305, March–April, 1994.The present study was supported by grant ESO C & EE No. A-04-069.     

The peaks and gaps in the redshift distributions of active galactic nuclei and quasars

The distributionsf(z) of the redshifts for active galaxies (Seyfert galaxies, radio galaxies, and quasars) have been studied. Some statistically-significant maxima and minima are observed in the distributionsf(z) for these objects. The significance of peaks and gaps increases for the brighter objects, for which the samples are more complete. The clustering of the Seyfert galaxies is significantly different from that of the nearby normal galaxies. The distributionf(z) for the radio galaxies is similar to the analogous distribution for the galaxy clusters. Three of the five peaks in the distributionf(z) for the radio quasars may be caused by the selection effects. Two peaks within the intervalsz (0.5, 0.7) and (1.0, 1.1) are probably real. The corresponding scales of the QSO clustering along the line-of-sight are about 100h ^–1 Mpc (h is the Hubble constant in the units of 75 km s^–1 Mpc^–1). The possibility of some global quasi-periodical cycles for the processes of activity is discussed. The period of a cycle for the Seyfert and radio galaxies is about 1×10⁸ years that corresponds to the distances of about 30h ^–1 Mpc between the shells.     

Comparisons of u ‐, g ‐, r ‐, i ‐, and z ‐band luminosity distributions between galaxy members of compact groups and isolated galaxies

To investigate the environmental dependence of u ‐, g ‐, r ‐, i ‐, and z ‐band luminosities, we perform comparative studies of luminosity distributions between galaxy members of compact groups (CGs) and isolated galaxies. It is found that for the r, i, and z bands isolated galaxies have a higher proportion of faint galaxies and a lower proportion of luminous galaxies than galaxy members of CGs, but for the u band an opposite trend is observed. The correlation between the g ‐band luminosity and the environment has different trends in different luminosity regions (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Properties of OH Megamaser Galaxies in the Radio Continuum. II. Data Analysis

The properties of OH megamaser galaxies in the radio continuum are discussed. Many radio sources in OH megamaser galaxies exhibit relatively flat (α ≥ −0.5) radio spectra between frequencies of 1.49 and 8.44 GHz along with high brightness temperatures (T_b ≥ 10⁴ K). In these galaxies the line and radio continuum fluxes are not correlated. The continuum radio emission of OH megamasers is predominantly nonthermal and is associated either with an active nucleus or with compact star formation. The thermal component of the radio emission from these galaxies can be neglected. The observed flat radio spectra and high brightness temperatures imply the existence of an active galactic nucleus, although some megamasers may be associated with compact star formation.__________Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 281–290 (May 2005).     

The Fundamental Plane of E Galaxies in Compact Groups

We present a study focusing on the nature of compact groups through the study of their elliptical galaxies. We determine central velocity dispersions (σ_o) for 18 bright elliptical galaxies located in the core of Hickson compact groups and a control sample of 12 brightbona fide ellipticals located in the field or very loose groups. Several tests are carried out to avoid systematic effects in σ measurements. We use these velocity dispersions to compare the position of 11 compact group galaxies in the Fundamental Plane to that of a large and homogeneous sample of elliptical galaxies (Burstein et al., 1987).We find that little or no significant difference exists, as far as the Fundamental Plane is concerned, between ellipticals in compact groups and their counterparts in other environments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Compact groups of compact galaxies

The paper is a review of the most important phenomenological properties of the compact groups of compact galaxies (CCCGs) and the physical conditions of objects with well-known spectra. This paper contains a reference list of all CCCGs.     

Cosmological rates of coalescing neutron stars and GRB

Assuming that gamma-ray bursts (GRB) originate from binary neutron star (NS) or black holes (BH) merging in distant galaxies, theoretical logN-logS distributions for gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are calculated using the compact binaries coalescence rates computed for model galaxies with different star formation histories. A flat cosmological model ( = 1) with different values of the cosmological constant is used. The calculated source evolution predicts a 5–10 times increase of the source statistics at count rates 3–10 times lower than the existing BATSE sensitivity limit. The most important parameter in fitting the 2nd BATSE catalogue is the initial redshift of star formation, which is found to bez _* = 2 — 5 depending on a poorly determined average spectral index of GRB.     

The Hubble relation: Differences between galaxy types Sb and Sc

The most accurate data on galaxy types, corrected apparent magnitudes and redshifts as given in the Sandage-TammanRevised Shapley-Ames catalog are analyzed. It is shown that Sb galaxies of the same luminosity class as M31 and M81 define a narrow Hubble relation withH ₀=65 _–6 ⁺¹⁵ km s^–1 Mpc^–1.In contrast, Sc galaxies deviate strongly towars higher redshift from a linear, log redshift—apparent magnitude relation. Not all this deviation can be selection effect due to increasing volume sampled at increasing redshift (Malmquist bias). Physical associations of groups of galaxies in theRSA Catalog are used to establish the existence of various amounts of excess (non-velocity) redshifts among Sc and allied types of galaxies.Independent distances fromHi line width — luminosity criterion (Tully-Fisher) are analyzed. It is shown that this criterion gives much smaller distances than redshifts do for galaxies which deviate above the Hubble line. Unless the Tully-Fisher relation gives too small distances for more luminous galaxies, this confirms the excess redshift to be intrinsic to the Galaxy. But it is next demonstrated, that for low redshift galaxies, there is no discrepancy between redshift and Tully-Fisher distance even though there is a wide range of absolute magnitudes.If Tully-Fisher distances are accepted, the onlly alternative to having a Hubble constant which increases strongly with distance is to have a component of the higher redshift Sc's contributed by a non-recessional redshift. Streaming motions would have to be large, increase with distance and be always in the receding sence. It is shown here that the Sc's which deviate most from the Hubble relation and have the largest discrepancies with Tully-Filsher distances lie predominantly in the sky toward very nearby groups of galaxies. If they were at these closer distances the discordant galaxies, mostly ScI's, would have dwarfish physical properties but not so unprecedented as the large sizes which result from redshift distances.Finally the interaction of specific high redshift ScI's with nearby galaxies is presented as an independent proof that ScI's are generally small, low luminosity galaxies. This result furnishes insight into the long standing puzzle of how apparently distant ScI's can interact with nearby galaxies such as in Stephan's Quintet, Seyfert's Sextet and NGC 4151/4156.     

Photographic photometry of compact galaxies near the north galactic pole

Photographic photometry in U, B, r, of 265 compact galaxies from a sample selected by RICHTER , RICHTER , and SCHNELLER (1972) is presented. The colours of most of them resemble the colour of E-galaxies. A few objects show a blue or ultraviolet excess if compared with E-galaxies. Some of these may be galaxies with an active nucleus (Seyfert or N-Type).     

Surface photometry of blue compact dwarf galaxies from the Byurakan lists

Surface photometry of 23 ultraviolet excess galaxies from the two Byurakan surveys (FBS and SBS), selected to be blue compact dwarf candidates, has been made in B and R colors. A remarkable fraction of the sample exhibit a projected brightness distribution following the same de Vaucouleurs law as the bright spheroidal objects of the field (ellipticals and bulges of spirals). The other most frequent morphological type has an exponential brightness distribution, therefore similar to usual dwarf Magellanic irregulars. From their small absolute dimensions and average high effective surface brightness, the studied objects are indeed compact in the usual empirical sense.This article was presented as a report at the French-Armenian Colloquium (seeAstrofizika, 38, No. 4, 1995). Since it was submitted for publication slightly late, it was decided to include it in the present issue.Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 91–100, January–March, 1996.     

Photometric catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies. II

The second part of the photometric catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies contains optical and geometrical properties of another 24 groups (Shkh 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287). As in the first paper photometric data were obtained from the COSMOS/UKST catalogue of the Southern sky with δ ≤ +2°30′. The survey of compact galaxy groups by Shakhbazian, Petrosian, Baier, and Tiersch is a basis for studying dynamical processes in such groups.