星系形态分类的研究进展

传统的哈勃星系形态分类法可以很好地对近邻的亮星系进行分类,但对低面亮度星系、矮椭球星系、矮旋涡星系以及高红移星系等都已无能为力。德沃古勒分类系统、叶凯士分类系统和范登伯分类系统是在哈勃分类法的基础上进行了发展和细化,利用光的中心聚集度或光度级等作为星系形态分类的参数。模型化分类系统试图定量地测量星系形态参数,但需要假定星系面亮度分布满足一定的形式,如r~(1/4)律、指数律等。最近几年,又有一些学者提出了非模型化分类系统,给出了若干个可以直接测量星系形态的结构参数,如:聚集度指数C、非对称指数A、簇聚指数S、基尼系数G及矩指数M_(20)。这些参数可以反映星系的形成历史、恒星形成、与其他星系的相互作用、已经发生或正在进行的并合活动等。它们不仅可以有效地给出近邻星系的分类特性,还能用于测量高红移星系的形态。该文介绍了不同的星系形态分类方法,比较了各类方法的优点和不足。在此基础上,最后介绍了基于非模型化分类系统的星系形态分类的研究进展。     

Dynamical friction on a satellite of a disk galaxy: The circular orbit

In a previous paper, we have studied dynamical friction during a parabolic passage of a companion galaxy past a disk galaxy. This paper continues with the study of satellites in circular orbits around the disk galaxy. Simulations of orbit decay in a self gravitating disk are compared with estimates based on two-body scattering theories; the theories are found to give a satisfactory explanation of the orbital changes. The disk friction is strongly dependent on the sense of rotation of the companion relative to the rotation of the disk galaxy as well as on the amount of mass in a spherical halo. The greatest amount of dynamical friction occurs in direct motion if no spherical halo is present. Then the infall time from the edge of the disk is about one half of the orbital period of the disk edge. A halo twice as massive as the disk increases the infall time four fold. The results of Quinn and Goodman, obtained with a non-self-gravitating method, agree well with our experiments with massive halos (Q ₀ 1.5), but are not usable in a more general case. We give analytic expressions for calculating the disk friction in galaxies of different disk/halo mass ratios.     

The environments and clustering properties of 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey selected starburst galaxies

We investigate the environments and clustering properties of starburst galaxies selected from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) in order to determine which, if any, environmental factors play a role in triggering a starburst. We quantify the local environments, clustering properties and luminosity functions of our starburst galaxies and compare to random control samples. The starburst galaxies are also classified morphologically in terms of their broad Hubble type and evidence of tidal merger/interaction signatures. We find the starburst galaxies to be much less clustered on large (5–15 Mpc) scales compared to the overall 2dFGRS galaxy population. In terms of their environments, we find just over half of the starburst galaxies to reside in low to intermediate luminosity groups, and a further ∼30 per cent residing in the outskirts and infall regions of rich clusters. Their luminosity functions also differ significantly from that of the overall 2dFGRS galaxy population, with the sense of the difference being critically dependent on the way their star formation rates are measured. In terms of pin-pointing what might trigger the starburst, it would appear that factors relating to their local environment are most germane. Specifically, we find clear evidence that the presence of a near neighbour of comparable luminosity/mass within 20 kpc is likely to be important in triggering a starburst. We also find that a significant fraction (20–30 per cent) of the galaxies in our starburst samples have morphologies indicative of either an ongoing or a recent tidal interaction and/or merger. These findings notwithstanding, there remain a significant portion of starburst galaxies where such local environmental influences are not in any obvious way playing a triggering role, leading us to conclude that starbursts can also be internally driven.     

星系翘曲盘及其统计研究

河外旋涡星系外区普遍存在翘曲结构,其特征可用干翘曲参数来描述,包括翘曲角、翘曲半径、不对称度等。一些翘曲星系表已相继发表,并用于相关的统计分析。关于翘曲盘的形成已提出多种理论机制,如星系间的潮汐相互作用、星系际介质的吸积、盘与暗晕的角动量错向以及星系际磁场的作用等。     

CDM, Feedback and the Hubble Sequence

We have performed TreeSPH simulations of galaxy formation in a standard ΛCDM cosmology, including effects of star formation, energetic stellar feedback processes and a meta-galactic UV field, and obtain a mix of disk, lenticular and elliptical galaxies. The disk galaxies are deficient in angular momentum by only about a factor of two compared to observed disk galaxies. The stellar disks have approximately exponential surface density profiles, and those of the bulges range from exponential to r ^1/4, as observed. The bulge-to-disk ratios of the disk galaxies are consistent with observations and likewise are their integrated B-V colours, which have been calculated using stellar population synthesis techniques. Furthermore, we can match the observed I-band Tully-Fisher (TF) relation, provided that the mass-to-light ratio of disk galaxies is (M/L _I) ≃ 0.6–0.7. The ellipticals and lenticulars have approximately r ^1/4 stellar surface density profiles, are dominated by non-disklike kinematics and flattened due to non-isotropic stellar velocity distributions, again consistent with observations. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

HUDF 1619—A candidate for polar-ring galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

A galaxy that is a good candidate for polar-ring galaxies has been detected in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). The galaxy HUDF 1619 (V ≈ 25 ^m , z ～ 1) is the most distant object of this type known to date. A large-scale structure crosses the highly warped disk of the main galaxy seen almost edge-on at an angle of about 70°. The luminosity of this structure (the possible polar ring) reaches ～1/3 of the luminosity of the central galaxy. A strong absorption lane is seen in the region where this structure is projected onto the disk of the central object. There are two galaxies of comparable luminosity adjacent to HUDF 1619 (in projection). One of them may be the donor galaxy the interaction with which gave rise to the ring structure.     

晚型星系金属丰度与自转速度的关系

星系物质化学组成的研究不仅对于理解有关星系形成和演化的各种物理过程具有重要意义，而且还可以对星系形成和演化的各种理论模型提供重要的约束。随着观测技术及理论工作水平的不断提高，利用星系的大量观测资料来系统地研究星系化学组成与星系宏观性质之间的关系将成为可能。星系金属丰度与光度之间的强相关性以及晚型星系金属丰度与自转速度的关系即是其中最有意义的内容之一。全面回顾了星系金属丰度与星系宏观观测性质间关系的研究历史，重点评述了晚型星系金属丰度与自转速度关系的最新研究进展，详细讨论了目前对此类关系的物理解释及其对星系形成和演化模型的影响。     

不同光度星系大尺度分布的交叉相关分析

在对不同光度星系大尺度分布进行空间两点相关函数分析的基础上,仍以CfA红移巡天资料为样本,对不同光度星系分布进行了交叉相关分析。结果表明,不同光度星系间的交叉相关函数仍可近似地以幂函数表示,说明不同光度星系在空间是一起成团的。但在较小尺度上((?)4—6Mpc),光度较高的星系间相关更强,而在更大一些尺度上光度较高的星系间相关减弱更快,甚至变得比与光度较低星系间的相关更弱。结合前面对自相关函数分析的结果可以看到,统计上看来,星系分布形成群和团。群或团中亮的星系形成更致密的分布而较暗的星系则在这些群和团中分布较弥散。此结果表明星系光度和其环境(密度)有关,从而从观测上为Biased星系形成理论提供了一个可能的证据。     

The fraction of galaxies that contain active nuclei and their accretion rates

We investigate the relationship between the present-day optical luminosity function of galaxies and the X-ray luminosity function of Seyfert 1s to determine the fraction of galaxies that host Seyfert 1 nuclei and their Eddington ratios. The local type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) X-ray luminosity function is well reproduced if ∼1 per cent of all galaxies are type 1 Seyferts which have Eddington ratios of ∼10⁻³. However, in such a model the X-ray luminosity function is completely dominated by AGN in E and S0 galaxies, contrary to the observed mix of Seyfert host galaxies. To obtain a plausible mix of AGN host galaxy morphologies requires that the most massive black holes in E and S0 galaxies accrete with lower Eddington ratios, or have a lower incidence of Seyfert activity, than the central black holes of later-type galaxies.     

星系团的分层效应

对星系团各类分层效应的有关问题做了概要的评述,包括成员星系在位置空间和(或)速度空间中的形态分层、光度(质量)分层和元素丰度分层的表现形式和探测途径,分层效应可能的形成机制及其对星系和星系团的结构和演化的影响。     

The Global, Local and Cluster Galaxy Luminosity Function

We review selected measurements of the galaxy luminosity function including the field, the local group, the local sphere, nearby clusters (Virgo, Coma and Fornax) and clusters in general. We conclude that, excluding the super-luminous cD and D galaxies, the overall cluster luminosity function is fully consistent with the field luminosity function over the magnitude range in common (–22 ≤ M _B –5log _{h 0.68} ≤ –17). We find that only in the core regions of clusters (r ≤ 300 kpc) does the overall form of the luminosity function show significant variation. However when the luminosity function is subdivided by spectral type some further variations are seen. We argue that these results imply: substantial late infall, efficient star-formation suppression, and the confinement of mass-changing evolutionary processes to the core regions only. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The evolution of disk galaxies in clusters

We are carrying out a programme to measure the evolution of the stellar and dynamical masses and M/L ratios for a sizeable sample of morphologically-classified disk galaxies in rich galaxy clusters at 0.2 < z < 0.9. Using FORS2 at the VLT we are obtaining rotation curves for the cluster spirals so that their Tully-Fisher relation can be studied as a function of redshift and compared with that of field spirals. We already have rotation curves for ∼ 10 cluster spirals at z = 0.83, and 25 field spirals at lower redshifts and we plan to increase this sample by one order of magnitude. We present here the first results of our study, and discuss the implications of our data in the context of current ideas and models of galaxy formation and evolution. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Difference between the α-disks of Seyfert 1 Galaxiesand Quasars

In a previous paper, it was suggested that contamination of the nuclear luminosity by the host galaxy plays an important role in determining the parameters of the standard a disk of AGNs. Using the nuclear absolute B band magnitude instead of the total absolute B band magnitude, we have recalculated the central black hole masses, accretion rates and disk inclinations for 20 Seyfert 1 galaxies and 17 Palomar-Green (PG) quasars. It is found that a small value of a is needed for the Seyfert 1 galaxies than for the PG quasars. This difference in a possibly leads to the different properties of Seyfert 1 galaxies and quasars. Furthermore, we find most of the objects in this sample are not accreting at super-Eddington rates if we adopt the nuclear optical luminosity in our calculation.     

The host galaxies of luminous radio-quiet quasars

We present the results of a deep K -band imaging study which reveals the host galaxies around a sample of luminous radio-quiet quasars. The K -band images, obtained at UKIRT, are of sufficient quality to allow accurate modelling of the underlying host galaxy. Initially, the basic structure of the hosts is revealed using a modified clean deconvolution routine optimized for this analysis. Two of the 14 quasars are shown to have host galaxies with violently disturbed morphologies which cannot be modelled by smooth elliptical profiles. For the remainder of our sample, 2D models of the host and nuclear component are fitted to the images using the χ ² statistic to determine goodness of fit. Host galaxies are detected around all of the quasars. The reliability of the modelling is extensively tested, and we find the host luminosity to be well constrained for nine quasars. The derived average K -band absolute K -corrected host galaxy magnitude for these luminous radio-quiet quasars is 〈 M _K 〉=25.15±0.04, slightly more luminous than an L * galaxy. The spread of derived host galaxy luminosities is small, although the spread of nuclear-to-host ratios is not. These host luminosities are shown to be comparable to those derived from samples of quasars of lower total luminosity, and we conclude that there is no correlation between host and nuclear luminosity for these quasars. Nuclear-to-host ratios break the lower limit previously suggested from studies of lower nuclear luminosity quasars and Seyfert galaxies. Morphologies are less certain but, on the scales probed by these images, some hosts appear to be dominated by spheroids while others appear to have disc-dominated profiles.     

A catalogue and analysis of local galaxy ages and metallicities

We have assembled a catalogue of relative ages, metallicities and abundance ratios for about 150 local galaxies in field, group and cluster environments. The galaxies span morphological types from cD and ellipticals, to late-type spirals. Ages and metallicities were estimated from high-quality published spectral line indices using Worthey & Ottaviani (1997) single stellar population evolutionary models.
The identification of galaxy age as a fourth parameter in the fundamental plane ( Forbes, Ponman & Brown 1998 ) is confirmed by our larger sample of ages. We investigate trends between age and metallicity, and with other physical parameters of the galaxies, such as ellipticity, luminosity and kinematic anisotropy. We demonstrate the existence of a galaxy age–metallicity relation similar to that seen for local galactic disc stars, whereby young galaxies have high metallicity, while old galaxies span a large range in metallicities.
We also investigate the influence of environment and morphology on the galaxy age and metallicity, especially the predictions made by semi-analytic hierarchical clustering models (HCM). We confirm that non-cluster ellipticals are indeed younger on average than cluster ellipticals as predicted by the HCM models. However we also find a trend for the more luminous galaxies to have a higher [Mg/Fe] ratio than the lower luminosity galaxies, which is opposite to the expectation from HCM models.     

Clustering of galaxies around radio quasars at 0.5≤z≤0.8

We have observed the galaxy environments around a sample of 21 radio-loud, steep-spectrum quasars at 0.5≤ z ≤0.82, spanning several orders of magnitude in radio luminosity. The observations also include background control fields used to obtain the excess number of galaxies in each quasar field. The galaxy excess was quantified using the spatial galaxy–quasar correlation amplitude, B _gq, and an Abell-type measurement, N _0.5. A few quasars are found in relatively rich clusters, but on average, they seem to prefer galaxy groups or clusters of approximately Abell class 0. We have combined our sample with literature samples extending down to z ≈0.2 and covering the same range in radio luminosity. By using the Spearman statistic to disentangle redshift and luminosity dependences, we detect a weak, but significant, positive correlation between the richness of the quasar environment and the radio luminosity of the quasar. However, we do not find any epoch dependence in B _gq, as has previously been reported for radio quasars and galaxies. We discuss the radio luminosity–cluster richness link and possible explanations for the weak correlation that is seen.     

Galaxy populations in the Fornax and Virgo clusters

In these first results from a photographic survey of nearby clusters and groups of galaxies, we compare the luminosity functions of galaxies of various Hubble types in the core of the Formax cluster to luminosity functions in the core of the Virgo cluster from Sandageet al. (1985). The galaxy classifications for the two clusters are based on identical plate material, and are hence directly comparable. The properties (galaxy density, velocity dispersion, X-ray luminosity) of the two clusters are quite different, yet we find few significant differences in the luminosity functions, or in the morphological mix of galaxies between the two clusters. In particular, while there is some indication that the ratios of giants to dwarfs and early to late-type galaxies in the two clusters differ, we cannot exclude the possibility that the ratios are identical. We discuss the selection limits of our survey and the completeness corrections that must be applied to the faint end of the luminosity function. The effective surface brightness of early-type galaxies in our sample decreases with decreasing luminosity. We show that this correlation is not an artifact of our selection criteria for dwarf spheroidal galaxies and use it to determine the relative distances to the Fornax and Virgo clusters. We also present evidence for a radial variation in the luminosity function of dwarf ellipticals within the two clusters in the sense that the faint end of the luminosity distribution is enhanced at the centre of each cluster.     

The constraints on dark matter distribution in the isolated spiral NGC 4414

The purpose of our work is to strongly constrain the mass to light ratio in the disk of the flocculent isolated Sc type spiral NGC 4414 using a combined high resolution interferometric CO(1-0) and HI rotation curve, and deep HST B-V-I images of the galaxy. To identify the mass contributions of the visible – stellar and gaseous – components, we observed the rotation curve with high resolution in the optical disk. The M/L ratios we derive are low, about 1.5 in I band and 0.5 in K' band. The B and V band M/L ratios vary greatly due to absorption by dust, reaching 4 in the molecular ring and decreasing to about 1.6 –1.8 at larger radii. This unequivocally shows that models, like most maximum disk models, assuming constant M/L ratios in an optical waveband, simply are not appropriate. We illustrate this by making mock maximum disk models with a constant V band M/L ratio. The key is having the central light distribution unobscured such that it can be used to trace the mass. The K' band M/L ratio is virtually constant over the disk, suggesting that the intrinsic (unobscured) stellar M/L ratio is roughly constant. We use our knowledge of the visible mass distribution to test disk and halo dark matter models. Fitting an NFW (Navarro et al., 1996) halo to the rotation curve suggests that NGC 4414 is in a low mass concentrated halo typical of small galaxies and early halo formation times. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

盘状星系形成中的角动量问题

目前的星系形成理论认为，盘状星系由暗晕中的重子物质冷却并坍缩而成。在这一演化图像中，重子物质的角动量及其分布起着关键作用，它直接决定了盘状星系的结构。然而，在盘状星系形成和演化的各种解析、半解析模型及数值模拟中，出现了一系列与角动量有关的问题。其中包括角动量灾变(angular momentum catastrophe)及角动量分布不匹配(mismatch of angulamomentum profile)等。近年来，为解决此类问题，人们进行了大量的研究，引入并建立了各种机制和模型。详细表述了星系形成与演化中两类主要的角动量问题，并系统地综述了目前针对此类问题所提出的各种可能的解决方法和途径。     

The Mid-IR view of interacting galaxies

In this paper, we present ISOCAM mid-IR broad band images and spectraof three well known interacting galaxies. These are the prototypicalultraluminous IR galaxy Arp 220, and NGC 6240, which are classifiedas major mergers resulting from a collision of two disk galaxies ofapproximately equal mass, and the prime example of collisional ringgalaxies, the Cartwheel. Our observations provide a new powerful tooland shed some more light to the properties of the hot dust and starformation in interacting galaxies.