Analysis of the properties of galaxy clusters in the Leo supercluster region

We analyze the properties of galaxy clusters in the region of the Leo supercluster using observational data from the SDSS and 2MASS catalogs. We have selected 14 galaxy clusters with a total dynamical mass of 1.77 × 10¹⁵ M _⊙ in the supercluster region 130 by 60 Mpc in the plane of the sky (z ≃ 0.037). The composite luminosity function of the supercluster is described by a Schechter function with parameters that, within the error limits, correspond to field galaxies and does not differ from the luminosity function of the richer Ursa Major (UMa) supercluster for the same luminosity range (the bright end). The luminosity functions of early-type and late-type galaxies in Leo at the faint end are characterized by a sharp decrease (α = −0.60±0.08) and a steep increase (α = −1.44± 0.10) in the number of galaxies, respectively. In the virialized cluster regions, the fraction of early-type galaxies selected by the u-r color, bulge contribution, and concentration index among the galaxies brighter than M _K ^* + 1 is, on average, 62%. This fraction is smaller than that in the UMa supercluster at a 2–3σ level. The near-infrared luminosities of galaxy clusters down to a fixed absolute magnitude correlate with their masses almost in the same way as for other samples of galaxy clusters (L _200,K ∝ M ₂₀₀^0.63±0.11)).     

Two new LBV candidates in the M 33 galaxy

We present two new luminous blue variable (LBV) candidate stars discovered in the M33 galaxy. We identified these stars as massive star candidates at the final stages of evolution, presumably with a notable interstellar extinction. The candidates were selected from the Massey et al. catalog based on the following criteria: emission in H _α , V<18^./m 5 and 0_.^m 35 < (B - V) < 1_.^m 2. The spectra of both stars reveal a broad and strong H _α emission with extended wings (770 and 1000 kms⁻¹). Based on the spectra we estimated the main parameters of the stars. Object N45901 has a bolometric luminosity log(L/L_⊙) = 6.0–6.2 with the value of interstellar extinction A _V = 2.3 ± 0.1. The temperature of the star’s photosphere is estimated as T⋆ ∼ 13000–15000 K, its probable mass on the Zero Age Main Sequence is M∼ 60–80 M_⊙. The infrared excess in N 45901 corresponds to the emission of warm dust with the temperature Twarm ∼ 1000 K, and amounts to 0.1%of the bolometric luminosity. A comparison of stellar magnitude estimates from different catalogs points to the probable variability of the object N45901. Bolometric luminosity of the second object, N125093, is log(L/L_⊙) = 6.3 − 6.6, the value of interstellar extinction is A _V = 2.75 ± 0.15. We estimate its photosphere’s temperature as T⋆∼ 13000–16000K, the initial mass as M ∼ 90–120 M_⊙. The infrared excess in N125093 amounts to 5–6% of the bolometric luminosity. Its spectral energy distribution reveals two thermal components with the temperatures T_warm ∼ 1000K and T_cold ∼ 480 K. The [Ca II] λλ7291, 7323 lines, observed in LBV-like stars Var A and N93351 in M33 are also present in the spectrum of N 125093. These lines indicate relatively recent gas eruptions and dust activity linked with them. High bolometric luminosity of these stars and broad H α emissions allow classifying the studied objects as LBV candidates.     

Catalog of nearby isolated galaxies in the volume <Emphasis Type="Italic">z</Emphasis> < 0.01

We present a catalog of 520 most isolated nearby galaxies with angular velocities V _LG < 3500 km/s, covering the entire sky. This population of “space orphans” makes up 4.8% among 10 900 galaxies with measured radial velocities. We describe the isolation criterion used to select our sample, called the “Local Orphan Galaxies”(LOG), and discuss their basic optical and HI properties. A half of the LOG catalog is occupied by the Sdm, Im and Ir morphological type galaxies without a bulge. The median ratio M _gas/M _star in the LOG galaxies exceeds 1. The distribution of the catalog galaxies on the sky looks uniform with some signatures of a weak clustering on the scale of about 0.5 Mpc. The LOG galaxies are located in the regions where the mean local density of matter is approximately 50 times lower than the mean global density. We indicate a number of LOG galaxies with distorted structures, which may be the consequence of interaction of isolated galaxies with massive dark objects.     

Mass-luminosity relation for massive stars

A catalog of massive (⩾10 M _⊙) stars in binary and multiple systems with well-known masses and luminosities has been compiled. The catalog is analyzed using a theoretical mass-luminosity relation. This relation allows both normal main-sequence stars and stars with peculiarities: with clear manifestations of mass transfer, mass accretion, and axial rotation, to be identified. Least-squares fitting of the observational data in the range of stellar masses 10M _⊙ ⩽ M ≲ 50 M _⊙ yields the relation L ∼ M ^2.76. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Investigation of the correlation between morphology and luminosity for two classes of main galaxies

Using an apparent-magnitude limited Main galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7(SDSS DR7), we investigate the correlation between morphologies and luminosity for the Main galaxy sample. Our Main galaxy sample is divided into two classes: Main galaxies only with TARGET_GALAXY flag (bestPrimtarget = 64), and ones also with other flags. It is found that for the second class Main galaxies, the early-type proportion monotonously increases with increasing luminosity nearly in the whole luminosity region. But for the first class Main galaxies, the early-type proportion increases with increasing luminosity only within a certain luminosity region (−22.2 < M _r  < −19.8). In the high luminosity region (M _r  < −22.2), the early-type proportion of the first class Main galaxies even decreases dramatically with increasing luminosity. We also analyze the correlation between morphologies and luminosity of galaxies around the peak of the redshift distribution ( 0.07 ≤ z ≤ 0.08 ). In such a narrow redshift region, we still observe strong correlation between morphologies and luminosity, which shows that this correlation is fundamental.     

Ultra-flat galaxies selected from RFGC catalog. II. Orbital estimates of halo masses

We used the Revised Flat Galaxy Catalog (RFGC) to select 817 ultra-flat (UF) edge-on disk galaxies with blue and red apparent axial ratios of (a/b)_B > 10.0 and (a/b)_R > 8.5. The sample covering the whole sky, except the Milky Way zone, contains 490 UF galaxies with measured radial velocities. Our inspection of the neighboring galaxies around them revealed only 30 companions with radial velocity difference of | ΔV |< 500 kms^?1 inside the projected separation of R_p < 250 kpc. Wherein, the wider area around the UF galaxy within R_p < 750 kpc contains no other neighbors brighter than the UF galaxy itself in the same velocity span. The resulting sample galaxies mostly belong to the morphological types Sc, Scd, Sd. They have a moderate rotation velocity curve amplitude of about 120 km s^?1 and a moderate K-band luminosity of about 10¹⁰L_⊙. The median difference of radial velocities of their companions is 87 km s^?1, yielding the median orbital mass estimate of about 5 × 10¹¹M_⊙. Excluding six probable non-isolated pairs, we obtained a typical halo-mass-to-stellar-mass of UF galaxies of about 30, what is almost the same one as in the principal spiral galaxies, like M31 and M81 in the nearest groups. We also note that ultra-flat galaxies look two times less “dusty” than other spirals of the same luminosity.     

Catalog of isolated galaxies selected from the 2MASS survey

We search for isolated galaxies based on the automatic identification of isolated sources from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) followed by a visual inspection of their surroundings. We use the modified Karachentseva criterion to compile a catalog of 3227 isolated galaxies (2MIG), which contains 6% of 2MASS Extended Sources Catalog (or 2MASX) sources brighter than K _s = 12 ^m with angular diameters a _K ≥ 30″. The catalog covers the entire sky and has an effective depth of z ∼ 0.02. The 2493 very isolated objects of the catalog, which we include into the 2MVIG catalog, can be used as a reference sample to investigate the effects of the environment on the structure and evolution of galaxies located in regions with extremely low density of matter.     

Structure of clusters with bimodal distribution of galaxy line-of-sight velocities III: A1831

We study the A1831 cluster within the framework of our program of the investigation of galaxy clusters with bimodal velocity distributions (i.e., clusters where the velocities of subsystems differ by more than Δ _cz ∼ 3000 km/s).We identify two subsystems in this cluster: A1831A (cz = 18970 km/s) and A1831B (cz = 22629 km/s) and directly estimate the distances to these subsystems using three methods applied to early-type galaxies: the Kormendy relation, the photometric plane, and the fundamental plane. To this end, we use the results of our observations made with the 1-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the data adopted from the SDSS DR6 catalog. We confirmed at a 99% confidence level that (1) the two subsystems are located at different distances, which are close to their Hubble distances, and (2) the two subsystems are located behind one another along the line of sight and are not gravitationally bound to each other. Both clusters have a complex internal structure, which makes it difficult to determine their dynamical parameters. Our estimates for the velocity dispersions and masses of the two clusters: 480 km/s and 1.9 × 10¹⁴ M _⊙ for A1831A, 952 km/s and 1.4 × 10¹⁵ M _⊙ for A1831B should be views as upper limits. At least three spatially and kinematically distinct groups of galaxies can be identified in the foreground cluster A1831A, and this fact is indicative of its incomplete dynamical relaxation. Neither can we rule out the possibility of a random projection. The estimate of the mass of the main cluster A1831B based on the dispersion of the line-of-sight velocities of galaxies is two-to-three times greater than the independent mass estimates based on the total K-band luminosity, temperature, and luminosity of the X-ray gas of the cluster. This fact, combined with the peculiarities of its kinematical structure, leads us to conclude that the cluster is in a dynamically active state: galaxies and groups of galaxies with large line-of-sight velocities relative to the center of the cluster accrete onto the virialized nucleus of the cluster (possibly, along the filament directed close to the line of sight).     

Tidal dwarf galaxies in the Stephan's Quintet?

We present kinematics and photometric evidence for the presence of seven candidate tidal dwarf galaxies in Stephan's Quintet. The central regions of the two most probable parent galaxies, NGC 7319 and NGC 7318B, contain little or no gas whereas the intragroup medium and, in particular, the optical tails that seem to be associated with NGC 7318B are rich in cold and ionized gas. Two tidal dwarf candidates may be located at the edge of a tidal tail, another located within a tail, and for the four others there is no obvious stellar/gaseous bridge between them and the parent galaxy. Two of the candidates are associated with H I clouds, one of which is, in addition, associated with a CO cloud. All seven regions have low continuum fluxes and high Hα luminosity densities [F(Hα) = (1-60) × 10-14 ergs s^-1 cm^-2]. Their magnitudes (M_B = –16.1 to –12.6), sizes (∼ 3.5 h₇₅ ^-1 kpc), colors (typically B – R = 0.7), and gas velocity gradients (∼ 8 –26 h₇₅ km s^-1 kpc^-1) are typical for tidal dwarf galaxies. In addition, the ratios between their star formation rates determined from Hα and from the B-band luminosity are typical of other tidal dwarf galaxies. The masses of the tidal dwarf galaxies in Stephan's Quintet range from ∼ 2 × 10⁸ to 10¹⁰ M_⊙, and the median value for their inferred mass-to-light ratios is 7 (M/L)_⊙. At least two of the systems may survive possible ‘fallbacks’ or disruption by the parent galaxies and may already be, or turn into, self-gravitating dwarf galaxies, new members of the group. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Flat Galaxies of the RFGC Catalog Detected in the HIPASS Survey

Data from the H I Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) of the southern sky in the neutral hydrogen line are used to determine the radial velocities and widths of the H I line for flat spiral galaxies of the Revised Flat-Galaxy Catalog (RFGC) seen edge-on. The sample of 103 flat galaxies detected in HIPASS is characterized by a median radial velocity of +2037 km/sec and a median width of the H I line at the level of 50% of maximum of 242 km/sec. For RFGC galaxies the 50% detection level in HIPASS corresponds to an apparent magnitude B _t = 14 ^m .5 or an angular diameter a = 2.9. The relative number of detected galaxies increases from 2% for the morphological types Sbc and Sc to 41% for the type Sm. The median value of the ratio of hydrogen mass to total mass for RFGC galaxies is 0.079. With allowance for the average internal extinction for edge-on galaxies, <B _t< = 0 ^m .75, the median ratio of hydrogen mass to luminosity, M _{H I}/L _B = 0.74 M /L , is typical for late-type spirals. Because of its small depth, HIPASS reveals only a few RFGC galaxies with previously unknown velocities and line widths.     

On the Formation of Massive Primordial Stars

We investigate the formation by accretion of massive primordial protostars in the range 10 to 300 M _⊙. The high accretion rate used in the models (M _⊙ = 4.4 x 10^-3 M_⊙ yr^-1) causes the structure and evolution to differ significantly from those of both present-day protostars and primordial zero-age main sequence stars. The stellar surface is not visible throughout most of the main accretion phase, since a photosphere is formed in the in falling envelope. Significant nuclear burning does not take place until a protostellar mass of about 80 M _⊙. As the interior luminosity approaches the Eddington luminosity, the protostellar radius rapidly expands owing to the radiation pressure. Eventually, a final swelling occurs when the stellar mass reaches about 300 M _⊙. This expansion is likely to signal the end of the main accretion phase, thus setting an upper limit to the protostellar mass formed in these conditions. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Absolute dimensions of the close binary systems V453 Monocerotis and V523 Cassiopeiae

We present multi-colour CCD observations of the low-temperature contact binaries, V453 Mon and V523 Cas. Their light curves are modelled to determine a new set of stellar and orbital parameters. Analysis of mid-eclipse times yields a new linear ephemeris for both systems. A period decrease (dP/dt=2.3×10⁻⁷ days/yr) in V453 Mon is discovered. V523 Cas, however, is detected to show a period increase (dP/dt=9.8×10⁻⁸ days/yr) because of the mass transfer of a rate of 1.1×10⁻⁷ M_⊙ yr⁻¹, from a less massive donor. Using these findings we can determine the physical parameters of the components of V523 Cas to be M ₁=0.76 (3)M _⊙, M ₂=0.39 (2)M _⊙, R ₁=0.74 (2)R _⊙, R ₂=0.55 (2)R _⊙, L ₁=0.19 (3)L _⊙, L ₂=0.14 (3)L _⊙, and the distance of system as 46(9) pc.     

Extrapolating SMBH correlations down the mass scale: the case for IMBHs in globular clusters

Empirical evidence for both stellar mass black holes (M _•<10²  M _⊙) and supermassive black holes (SMBHs, M _•>10⁵  M _⊙) is well established. Moreover, every galaxy with a bulge appears to host a SMBH, whose mass is correlated with the bulge mass, and even more strongly with the central stellar velocity dispersion σ _c , the M _•–σ relation. On the other hand, evidence for “intermediate-mass” black holes (IMBHs, with masses in the range 100–10⁵ M _⊙) is relatively sparse, with only a few mass measurements reported in globular clusters (GCs), dwarf galaxies and low-mass AGNs. We explore the question of whether globular clusters extend the M _•–σ relationship for galaxies to lower black hole masses and find that available data for globular clusters are consistent with the extrapolation of this relationship. We use this extrapolated M _•–σ relationship to predict the putative black hole masses of those globular clusters where existence of central IMBH was proposed. We discuss how globular clusters can be used as a constraint on theories making specific predictions for the low-mass end of the M _•–σ relation.     

A red giant with a strange star as its core. Principal similarities to and differences from Thorne-Zytkow objects

A model red giant with a mass of 5 M_⊙ a luminosity of 41,740 L_⊙, and a radius of 960 R_⊙ and with a strange quark star as its core is constructed, and it is compared with a Thorne-Zytkow object having similar integrated parameters. The difference in internal structure is manifested right at the dense core: matter above the core is held off only by γ rays from the strange star, and convection is maintained down to the strange star. The lifetime of a red giant containing a strange star turns out to be almost 500 times shorter than that of a Thorne-Zytkow object — on the order of 10⁵ years. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 41. No. 4, pp. 533–544, October–December, 1998.     

Binary galaxies in the local supercluster and its neighborhood

We report a catalog of 509 pairs identified among 10403 nearby galaxies with line-of-sight velocities V _LG < 3500 km/s. We selected binary systems in accordance with two criteria (“bounding” and “temporal”), which require the physical pair of galaxies to have negative total energy and its components to be located inside the zero-velocity surface. We assume that individual galaxy masses are proportional to their total K-band luminosities, M = L _K × 6M _⊙/L _⊙. The catalog gives the magnitudes and morphological types of galaxies and also the projected (orbital) masses and pair isolation indices. The component line-of-sight velocity differences and projected distances of the binary systems considered have power-law distributions with the median values of 35 km/s and 123 kpc, respectively. The median mass-to-K-band luminosity ratio is equal to 11M _⊙/L _⊙, and its uncertainty is mostly due to the errors of measured velocities. Our sample of binary systems has a typical density contrast of δρ/ρ _c ～ 500 and a median crossing time of about 3.5 Gyr. We point out the substantial fraction of binary systems consisting of late-type dwarf galaxies, where the luminosities of both components are lower than that of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The median projected distance for 41 such pairs is only 30 kpc, and the median difference of their line-ofsight velocities is equal to 14 km/s which is smaller than the typical error for radial-velocity (30 km/s). This specific population of gas-rich dwarf binary galaxies such as I Zw 18 may be at the stage immediately before merging of its components. Such objects, which are usually lost in flux-limited (and not distance-limited) samples deserve a thorough study in the HI radio line with high spatial and velocity resolution.     

Comparison of Star Formation Rate Estimates from Hα, FIR and Radio Data

We use three indicators of massive star formation, H_α, FIR and non-thermal radio luminosities, to compare estimates of the star formation rate (SFR) for a sample of 34 spiral galaxies. To adjust the SFR values obtained from these indicators, we considered the slope, α, and/or the upper mass limit M _up of the initial mass function (IMF) as free parameters. The best agreement between the indicators is found for M _up≈ 60-100 M⊙ and α ≈–3.1 at the high-mass end of the IMF (M>10 M⊙.Parallelwith the SFR we also estimated the FIR excess X _FIR, defined as the fraction of the observed FIR not directly related to young massive stars. X _FIR is found to be well correlated with types of spiral galaxies and their colours (B-V): the redder a galaxy, the higher its FIR excess. We conclude that for any parameters of the IMF the observed FIR flux of early-type spiral galaxies needs an additional source of energy apart from massive star radiation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Production of dust by massive stars at high redshift

The large amounts of dust detected in sub-millimeter galaxies and quasars at high redshift pose a challenge to galaxy formation models and theories of cosmic dust formation. At z>6 only stars of relatively high mass (>3 M_⊙) are sufficiently short-lived to be potential stellar sources of dust. This review is devoted to identifying and quantifying the most important stellar channels of rapid dust formation. We ascertain the dust production efficiency of stars in the mass range 3–40 M_⊙ using both observed and theoretical dust yields of evolved massive stars and supernovae (SNe) and provide analytical expressions for the dust production efficiencies in various scenarios. We also address the strong sensitivity of the total dust productivity to the initial mass function. From simple considerations, we find that, in the early Universe, high-mass (>3 M_⊙) asymptotic giant branch stars can only be dominant dust producers if SNe generate ≲3×10⁻³ M_⊙ of dust whereas SNe prevail if they are more efficient. We address the challenges in inferring dust masses and star-formation rates from observations of high-redshift galaxies. We conclude that significant SN dust production at high redshift is likely required to reproduce current dust mass estimates, possibly coupled with rapid dust grain growth in the interstellar medium.     

Chemical Evolution of Gas-Rich Galaxy Mergers

We investigate numerically the chemodynamical evolution of major disc–disc galaxy mergers in order to explore the origin of the mass-dependent chemical, photometric and spectroscopic properties observed in elliptical galaxies. We investigate especially the dependence of the fundamental properties on merger progenitor disc mass (M _d). Three main results are obtained in this study:– More massive (luminous) ellipticals formed by galaxy mergers between more massive spirals have higher metallicity (Z) and thus show redder colours; the typical metallicity ranges from ∼ 1.0 solar abundance (Z∼ 0.02) for ellipticals formed by mergers with M _d = 10¹⁰ M _⊙to ∼ 2.0 solar (Z∼ 0.04) for those with M _d= 10¹² M _⊙.– Both the Mg₂ line index in the central part of ellipticals (R ≤ 0.1 R _e) and the radial gradient of Mg₂ (δ Mg₂ / δ log R) are more likely to be larger for massive ellipticals. δ Mg₂ / δ log R correlates reasonably well with the central Mg₂ in ellipticals. For most of the present merger models, ellipticals show a positive radial gradient of the H_β line index. – Both M/L _B and M/L _K (where M, L _B, and L _K are the total stellar mass of galaxy mergers, the B-band and the K-band luminosities, respectively) depend on galactic mass in such a way that more massive ellipticals have larger M/L _B and smaller M/L _K. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Probing the nuclear activity with supermassive black holes

We report three new or updated techniques for probing the parameters of active galaxies based on the masses of their central black holes M_BH). First, we derived a near-IR analog of the bulge luminosity versus M_BH relationship. The low scatter makes it a promising new tool to study the black hole demographics. Next, we present relations between M_BH and the10 μm and 2-10 keV nuclear luminosity. They may help to study the M_BH evolution over wide redshift ranges. Finally, we measured M_BH in quasars from z ∼ 3.4 to z ∼ 0.3 to search directly for M_BH growth. Surprisingly, we found no evidence for growth implying that the majority of quasar host galaxies have undergone their last major merger at z ≥ 3. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Finding Faint Intermediate-Mass Black Holes in the Radio Band

We discuss the prospects for detecting faint intermediate-mass black holes, such as those predicted to exist in the cores of globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We briefly summarize the difficulties of stellar dynamical searches, then show that recently discovered relations between black hole mass, X-ray luminosity and radio luminosity imply that in most cases, these black holes should be more easily detected in the radio than in the X-rays. Finally, we show upper limits from some radio observations of globular clusters, and discuss the possibility that the radio source in the core of the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy might be a ∼10,000–100,000 M⊙ black hole.