Photometric observations of nine Shakhbazian compact groups

By observations with the 1.5m telescope at San Pedro Martir (OAN, UNAM, Mexico) the BVR magnitudes are determined for 66 member galaxies in Shakhbazian Compact Galaxy Groups ShCG 40, ShCG 176, ShCG 270, ShCG 278, ShCG 310, and ShCG 342. Three other groups were observed in two or only in one band. Seven galaxies in ShCG 298 were observed in B and R, six galaxies in ShCG 95 were observed in V, and seven galaxies in ShCG 345 were observed in V and R. The distribution of brightness of observed galaxies is determined. Signs of interaction between galaxies are detected in some groups.     

Spectroscopy and photometry of ShCG 191 – Abell 1097

In the course of investigation of Shakhbazian compact groups we studied the group ShCG 191 which has been identified also as the Abell cluster A1097. By its richness it may be classified as a rich compact group or a poor cluster. We determined redshifts of 14 objects in the area of the cluster and found that two of the supposed members of the group are stars. Redshifts of 12 galaxies show that the system is gravitationally bound. The V and R magnitudes of 23 member galaxies and their morphological types are determined. We present in this paper also the surface brightness contours of member galaxies in the central area of the cluster, the curves of isophotal twisting and the Fourier parameter a₄. It is shown that some galaxies in the cluster are interacting with each other. Physical parameters of the group are close to those of ShCGs. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Neighbourhoods of isolated star forming dwarf galaxies

We report the discovery of small groups of uncatalogued, compact, star forming (SF) dwarf galaxies (DGs) by Hα mapping of the neighbourhoods of apparently isolated, catalogued, SF DGs. Our sample consists of dwarf  ( M ≥−18 mag)  galaxies at least 2 Mpc away from any other catalogued galaxy. The galaxies were selected to exhibit Hα emission of any intensity, i.e. not selecting only strong starbursts, as an indicator of recent or on-going star formation with the goal of understanding why are they presently forming stars. We identified possible neighbours by imaging the galaxies and their surroundings through Hα filters centred at or near the redshift of the galaxy, and searching for localized Hα emission with the characteristics of the line emission from the sample galaxies.
We identified 20 possible SF neighbour galaxies, 17 of them not previously catalogued, in three of the five search fields where we had good quality data, and present here their positions and, images and morphology, as well as some indications of binarity. The relatively large number of possible neighbour candidates, combined with their relative faintness, argue that it would be virtually impossible to identify truly isolated galaxies. It seems that the objects we selected as extremely isolated are probably the brightest members of sparse groups of galaxies, where the other members are also DGs that are presently forming stars. In order to enhance the confidence of this statement regular redshifts are required for our candidate neighbours.     

Kinematics and Dynamics of Galaxies in Compact Groups for a sample of 31 groups

A long-term program based on Fabry-Perot Hα velocity field data of compact groups has been undertaken in order to analyse the kinematics of the compact group galaxies and the extent of their dark halos. The data are taken at the ESO and the CFH 3.6 m telescopes. The main goals of our project are: • To determine the evolutionary stages of the studied groups, • To search for tidal dwarf galaxy candidates in heavily interacting systems and • in combination with photometry available in the literature, to determine the Tully-Fisher relation for the group galaxies. The sample contains examples of groups at a variety of dynamical stages: from a false group that is in fact one single irregular galaxy with several star-forming blobs (e.g. H18) to a group whose members are strongly interacting and possibly forming tidal dwarf galaxies (e.g. H92) to a group in the final process of merging. We have so far identified five HCG classes: 1. merging groups2. strongly interacting, 3. weakly interacting, 4. non-groups, 5. single irregular galaxies. The ones which can be used in the TF studies are those in classes (2) and (3), for which comprehensive rotation curves can be derived. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Catalogue of Galaxies within 10 MPC

A catalogue is given of the 179 known galaxies within 10 Mpc. The inclusion of a galaxy depends on its redshift (v₀ ≤ 500 km s⁻¹) or, in the case of 7 dwarf galaxies, on the fact that their distances are known to be small. The catalogue contains in addition 52 more distant galaxies with v₀ ≤ 500 km s⁻¹: 50 are bona fide Virgo cluster members and 2 are members of the Leo group. Positions, types, absorption-corrected luminosities, and velocities are given for the catalogue galaxies. The catalogue is believed to be nearly complete for galaxies brighter than ∽ – 18^m.5, but it contains also many considerably fainter galaxies. The galaxies within 10 Mpc form the Local Group with 28 members and seven additional groups with a total of 92 known members. 59 galaxies (33%) do not seem to belong to any group.     

Photometric catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies. III.

The third part of the photometric catalogue of Shakhbazian compact groups of galaxies contains optical and geometrical properties of another 24 groups (Shkh 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312). 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 physical properties of such groups.     

The influence of the surroundings on the morphology of galaxies

The characteristics of galaxies within galaxy groups are investigated as a function of the surroundings. It is shown that the relative number of the galaxies with different morphological type is correlated with the number of members within the group, but the fraction of E+S0 galaxies does not depend on the mean-pairwise distance between the galaxies, the density of the luminous matter as well as the velocity dispersion in the group.     

Physical Coupling of Kazarian Galaxies with Surrounding Galaxies

Results from a statistical study of Kazarian galaxies and the objects surrounding them are presented. It is shown that: (1) the sample of Kazarian galaxies up to 16^m.0 is complete. (2) Roughly 35.7% of the Kazarian galaxies are members of clusters, 14.0% of groups, and 13.6% of binary systems, while 36.7% are single galaxies. (3) Of the 580 Kazarian galaxies, roughly 61.2% are infrared, 8.8% radio, and 2.8% x-ray sources. (4) The relative numbers of Kazarian galaxies for complete samples of I, R, and X in the different groups are systematically higher than the corresponding numbers for samples of all Kazarian galaxies.     

Nearby galaxies. II. Luminosity function and spatial distribution

A sample of nearby galaxies (Schmidt and Boller 1992, paper I) has been analysed with regard to the luminosity function and the spatial distribution. The main results are as follows: (i) a relation between the slope of the luminosity function of the members of a group of galaxies and the earliest morphological type in this group has been detected which possibly is a new kind of environmental effects; (ii) the virial masses of the groups of galaxies are, on the average, by a factor 3 to 4 greater, only, than the luminous masses derived from the individual galaxy masses; (iii) the nearby galaxies are concentrated in a thin disk-like layer around the supergalactic plane the thickness of which is a few hundred kiloparsecs, only; (iv) a population of field galaxies with nearly constant density (about 3 per cent of the number density in the supergalactic plane) is extended into the voids on both the supergalactic hemispheres.     

Relationship between the Morphological Type of the Brightest Galaxy and the Morphological Content of the Remaining Members in a Loose Group of Galaxies

An investigation of groups of galaxies showed that there is a correlation between the morphological type of the brightest galaxy and the morphological types of the remaining population of the group. The distributions by morphological type of the brightest galaxies and of the remaining group members do not differ from each other. This means that the observed morphological types of both the brightest and the remaining group members cannot be explained by their interaction with their surroundings. They may be due to the initial conditions at the epoch of galaxy formation.     

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).     

Global properties of nearby galaxies in various environments

We analyze a sample of the Local Volume that contains 451 galaxies within 10 Mpc. We compare the various global parameters of these galaxies with their tidal index that characterizes the local density of the environment. The closest correlation is observed between the density of the galaxy’s environment and its morphological type. The abundance of neutral hydrogen in the members of close groups was found to be, on average, a factor of 3 lower than that in isolated galaxies. However, much of this difference is attributable to different morphological composition for the group members and field galaxies. The total mass-to-luminosity ratio is virtually independent of the tidal index of the galaxy, which indirectly indicates a low percentage of tidal systems among dwarf galaxies. All of the galaxies with three or more companions in the Local Volume are shown to have masses above the threshold value of 10¹⁰M_⊙.     

Multi-object spectroscopy of the field surrounding PKS 2126−158: discovery of a z= 0.66 galaxy group

The high-redshift radio-loud quasar PKS 2126−158 is found to have a large number of red galaxies in close apparent proximity. We use the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South to obtain optical spectra for a large fraction of these sources. We show that there is a group of galaxies at   z ∼ 0.66  , coincident with a metal-line absorption system seen in the quasar's optical spectrum. The multiplexing capabilities of GMOS also allow us to measure redshifts of many foreground galaxies in the field surrounding the quasar.
The galaxy group has five confirmed members, and a further four fainter galaxies are possibly associated. All confirmed members exhibit early-type galaxy spectra, a rare situation for a Mg  ii absorbing system. We discuss the relationship of this group to the absorbing gas, and the possibility of gravitational lensing of the quasar due to the intervening galaxies.     

On the cometary shape of compact groups of compact galaxies

It is shown that the brightest members of elongated, compact groups of compact galaxies (CGCGs) are located not in the central part of a group but at its edge. This suggests that compact groups of compact galaxies (n>8) have a cometary shape, with their opening angle being less than 60°, for the most part.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 585–592, October–December, 1996.     

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).     

Galaxy groups at 0.3 ≤z≤ 0.55 – I. Group properties

The evolution of galaxies in groups may have important implications for the evolution of the star formation history of the Universe, since many processes which operate in groups may suppress star formation and the fraction of galaxies in bound groups grows rapidly between   z = 1  and the present day. In this paper, we present an investigation of the properties of galaxies in galaxy groups at intermediate redshift  ( z ∼ 0.4)  . The groups were selected from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Redshift Survey (CNOC2) redshift survey as described by Carlberg et al., with further spectroscopic follow-up undertaken at the Magellan telescope in order to improve the completeness and depth of the sample. We present the data for the individual groups, and find no clear trend in the fraction of passive galaxies with group velocity dispersion and group concentration. We stack the galaxy groups in order to compare the properties of group galaxies with those of field galaxies at the same redshift. The groups contain a larger fraction of passive galaxies than the field, this trend being particularly clear for galaxies brighter than   M _{B J} < −20  in the higher velocity dispersion groups. In addition, we see evidence for an excess of bright passive galaxies in the groups relative to the field. In contrast, the luminosity functions of the star-forming galaxies in the groups and the field are consistent. These trends are qualitatively consistent with the differences between group and field galaxies seen in the local Universe.     

The two-point correlation of galaxy groups: probing the clustering of dark matter haloes

We analyse the two-point correlation function (2PCF) of galaxy groups identified from the 2-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey with the halo-based group finder recently developed by Yang et al. With this group catalogue we are able to estimate the 2PCFs for systems ranging from isolated galaxies to rich clusters of galaxies. The real-space correlation length obtained for these systems ranges from ∼4 to ∼15  h ⁻¹ Mpc, respectively. The observed correlation amplitude (and the corresponding bias factor) as a function of group abundance is well reproduced by associating galaxy groups with dark matter haloes in the standard Λ-cold dark matter model. Redshift distortions are clearly detected in the redshift-space correlation function, the degree of which is consistent with the assumption of gravitational clustering and halo bias in the cosmic density field. In agreement with previous studies we find a strong increase of the correlation length with the mean intergroup separation. Although well-determined observationally, we show that current theoretical predictions are not yet accurate enough to allow for stringent constraints on cosmological parameters. Finally, we use our results to explore the power-law nature of the 2PCF of galaxies. We split the 2PCF into one- and two-group terms, equivalent to the one- and two-halo terms in halo occupation models, and show that the power-law form of the 2PCF is broken, when only including galaxies in the more massive systems.     

HCGs: stable and rotating systems?

It is shown that the radial velocity dispersion of the elongated HCGs (b/a ≤ 0.2) with smaller two‐dimensional galaxy‐galaxy median projected separation R is, on average, higher than those of the groups with larger R. It shows that galaxies in a group move preferentially along its elongation. Inspection of radial velocities of member galaxies in chain‐like and in roundish HCGs shows that galaxies in HCGs most probably rotate around the gravitational center of the corresponding group. Other two possible mechanisms: flying apart of galaxies from the group in opposite directions, and infall of field galaxies upon the group are excluded. It follows that HCGs are, probably, more stable formations, than it has been assumed. In this case the known inconsistencies between the results of the N‐body simulations and the observational facts are being excluded.     

Influence of environment on the luminosity function of galaxies

The luminosity function (LF) of galaxies in different environments is studied. A method proposed by the author is used to determine the LF of galaxies. It is found that the luminosity functions of galaxies of different morphological types in single galaxies and small groups do not differ greatly. The luminosity functions of galactic clusters differ greatly from the analogous functions for other systems. A relatively large number of faint galaxies is observed in clusters. Groups with low dispersions in their radial velocities and with small average pairwise distances between the members contain relatively many faint galaxies and relatively few bright galaxies compared to groups with large dispersions in their radial velocities and large average pairwise distances between members. This applies to elliptical and lenticular galaxies, as well as to spiral and irregular galaxies.     

Studying the dwarf galaxies in nearby groups of galaxies: Spectroscopic and photometric data

Galaxy evolution by interaction‐driven transformation is probably highly efficient in groups of galaxies. Dwarf galaxies with their shallow potential are expected to reflect the interaction most prominently in their observable structure. The major aim of this series of papers is to establish a data base which allows to study the impact of group interaction onto the morphology and star‐forming properties of dwarf galaxies. Firstly, we present our selection rules for target groups and the morphological selection method of target dwarf member candidates. Secondly, the spectroscopic follow‐up observations with the HET are presented. Thirdly, we applied own reduction methods based on adaptive filtering to derive surface photometry of the candidates. The spectroscopic follow‐up indicate a dwarf identification success rate of roughly 55 %, and a group member success rate of about 33 %. A total of 17 new low surface‐brightness members is presented. For all candidates, total magnitudes, colours, and light distribution parameters are derived and discussed in the context of scaling relations. We point out short comings of the SDSS standard pipeline for surface photometry for these dim objects. We conclude that our selection strategy is rather efficient to obtain a sample of dim, low surface brightness members of groups of galaxies within the Virgo super‐cluster. The photometric scaling relation in these X‐ray dim, rather isolated groups does not significantly differ from those of the galaxies within the local volume. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)