Isolated dwarf galaxies in the local supercluster and its surroundings

We present a list of 75 isolated dwarf galaxies of later types which have no neighbors with a relative radial velocity difference of less than 500 km/s or projected distances of less than 500 kpc. These were selected from ~2000 dwarf galaxies with radial velocities V_LG<3500 km/s within the volume of the local supercluster. In terms of their sizes, luminosities, and the amplitudes of their internal motions, the isolated dwarf galaxies do not differ significantly from gas-rich dwarf galaxies in groups and clusters. However, the median mass of neutral hydrogen per unit luminosity for the isolated galaxies is a factor of two greater than for the galaxies of later types in groups. We have also identified 10 presumably isolated spheroidal dwarf galaxies. The discovery of isolated dwarf galaxies populated exclusively by old stars is of great interest for modern cosmological scenarios of galaxy formation.     

Alignment of spiral galaxies in the local supercluster

Evidence is presented indicating the non-random alignment of spiral galaxies in the Local Supercluster. The form of this effect is such that the spin angular momentum vectors of intermediate-type spirals are coherently aligned in space. The results suggest the formation of galaxies in the Local Supercluster according to the fragmentation hypothesis.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

Winding sense of galaxies around the local supercluster

We present an analysis of the winding sense(S and Z-shapes) of 1 621 field galaxies that have radial velocity between 3 000 km s-1 and 5 000 km s-1.The preferred alignments of S-and Z-shaped galaxies are studied using chi-square,autocorrelation and Fourier series tests.We classify all the galaxies into 32 subsamples and notice a good agreement between the position angle(PA) distribution of the S-and Zshaped galaxies.The homogeneous distribution of the S-and Z-shaped galaxies is more noticeable for the late-...     

A list of groups of dwarf galaxies in the local supercluster

We report a list of groups consisting of dwarf galaxies only. The sample contains 126 objects, mainly combined in pairs. The most populated group contains six dwarf galaxies. The majority of systems considered reside in the low-density regions and evolve unaffected by massive galaxies. The characteristic sizes and velocity dispersions of groups are 30 kpc and 11 km/s, respectively. They resemble the associations of dwarf galaxies, but are more compact. On the whole, groups and associations form a continuous sequence. Alike the associations, our groups possess high mass-to-luminosity ratios, what is indicative of a large amount of dark matter present in these systems.     

Galaxy triplets in the local supercluster

We report a catalog of 168 galaxy triplets with line-of-sight velocities V _LG < 3500 km/s identified using a percolation criterion, which takes individual properties of galaxies into account. The catalog contains the line-of-sight velocities, K-band magnitudes, and morphological types of galaxies. Our sample of galaxy triplets is characterized by the median values of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion, projected harmonic radius, and crossing time of 40 km/s, 155 kpc, and 3 Gyr, respectively. The median projectedmass and K-band luminosity of our triplets are equal to 5 × 10¹¹ M _⊙ and 15M _⊙/L _⊙, respectively, with the uncertainty of these parameters due mostly to the errors of radial-velocity measurements. The basic properties of triple systems in the Local Supercluster are compared to those of more distant isolated triplets from the KTG and KTS samples. The fraction of triplet members among all galaxies is found be more than 5%.     

Substructure of the core of the perseus supercluster of galaxies

The hierarchical substructure of the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies (A426, A262, A347, N507, and N383) is investigated using the method of S-tree diagrams. In the main system M (100 galaxies), two substructures AM (35 galaxies) and BM (13 galaxies) are determined. The group AM can be identified with the cluster A262 and the group N507; BM can be identified with the group N383; A426 and A347 are in the main system. The axis of symmetry of the system M passes through the Seyfert galaxy N1275 and is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the group AM, which is the core of increased density of the cluster of galaxies. Radial segregation of galaxies by morphological types is observed in the systems M and AM. The distribution of galaxies by position angles is uniform. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 65–72, January-March, 1998.     

The distribution of galaxies in the field of the hercules supercluster

The number-density distribution of four ABELL -clusters in the region of the Hercules supercluster was derived by counting galaxies on the red Palomar Sky Survey prints. For one isolated cluster the radial number-density distribution and the radial cumulative galaxy distribution were calculated.     

Peculiar motions in the region of the Ursa Major supercluster of galaxies

We have investigated the peculiar motions of clusters of galaxies in the Ursa Major (UMa) supercluster and its neighborhood. Based on SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) data, we have compiled a sample of early-type galaxies and used their fundamental plane to determine the cluster distances and peculiar velocities. The samples of early-type galaxies in the central regions (within R ₂₀₀) of 12 UMa clusters of galaxies, in three main subsystems of the supercluster—the filamentary structures connecting the clusters, and in nine clusters from the nearest UMa neighborhood have similar parameters. The fairly high overdensity (3 by the galaxy number and 15 by the cluster number) suggests that the supercluster as a whole is gravitationally bound, while no significant peculiar motions have been found: the peculiar velocities do not exceed the measurement errors by more than a factor of 1.5–2. The mean random peculiar velocities of clusters and the systematic deviations from the overall Hubble expansion in the supercluster are consistent with theoretical estimates. For the possible approach of the three UMa subsystems to be confirmed, the measurement accuracy must be increased by a factor of 2–3.     

Testing for quantized redshifts. II. the local supercluster

Samples of 97 and 117 high-precision 21 cm redshifts of spiral galaxies within the Local Supercluster were obtained in order to test claims that extragalactic redshifts are periodic (P36 km s^–1) when referred to the centre of the Galaxy. The power spectral density of the redshifts, when so referred, exhibits an extremely strong peak at 37.5 km s^–1. The signal is seen independently with seven major radio telescopes. Its significance was assessed by comparison with the spectral power distributions of synthetic datasets constructed so as to closely mimic the overall properties of the real datasets employed; it was found to be real rather than due to chance at an extremely high confidence level. The signal was subjected to various tests for robustness such as partitioning of data, increase of strength with precision and size of sample, and stability of the correcting vector. In every respect tested, it behaved like a physically real phenomenon. The periodicity is particularly strong within small groups and associations of galaxies, showing no sign of an intrinsic spread 3 km s^–1.     

High energy radiation from the center of the local supercluster

Evidence in X-rays, gamma rays and ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHCR) suggests the existence of active centers in extragalactic space which eject high energy particles and quanta. A concentration of these highest energy sources in the direction of the Local Supercluster indicates that the brightest apparent magnitude AGN's such as 3C274 (M87), 3C273, 3C279 and Markarian 421 are the only candidate sources for this radiation. A theoretical model of mass creation in the Local Supercluster based on a Machian theory of gravitation is described as a possible mechanism for production of the high energy while at the same time allowing the AGN's to be at the relatively close distance of the Supercluster. The fact that infrared photons fill intergalactic space limits the distance to the UHCR sources at a little over twice the distance to the center of the Local Supercluster strongly localizing the highest energy radiation to this relatively close distance.     

The Ursa Major supercluster of galaxies: I. The luminosity function

Catalogs of bright galaxies in the central regions of 11 clusters in the Ursa Major supercluster are presented. Absolute and relative coordinates and total B and R magnitudes are given for each galaxy. Plates taken with the 2-m Tautenburg Observatory telescope and CCD images obtained with the 6-m and 1-m SAO telescopes are used. The luminosity functions (LFs) for galaxies in the cluster nuclei (3 Mpc×3 Mpc) and the composite LF for the supercluster are constructed. The composite LF is well fitted by a Schechter function with $M_B^ * = - 20\mathop .\limits^m 91$ , α=?1.02 and with $M_R^ * = - 22\mathop .\limits^m 39$ , α=?1.06. A comparison with the LFs of field galaxies and of various samples of clusters and superclusters shows that the Ursa Major supercluster have LF parameters characteristic of the field and, thus, differ from those of the Corona Borealis supercluster, which is apparently at a later stage of dynamical evolution.     

Analysis of the properties of clusters of galaxies in the region of the Ursa Major supercluster

We analyze the properties of the clusters of galaxies in the region of the Ursa Major (UMa) supercluster using observational data from SDSS and 2MASS catalogs. The region studied includes a supercluster (with a galaxy and cluster overdensity of 3 and 15, respectively) and field clusters inside the 150-Mpc diameter surrounding region. The total dynamical mass of 10 clusters of galaxies in UMa is equal to 2.25 × 10¹⁵ M _⊙, and the mass of 11 clusters of galaxies in the UMa neighborhood is equal to 1.70 × 10¹⁵ M _⊙. The fraction of early-type galaxies brighter than M _K ^* + 1 in the virialized regions of clusters is, on the average, equal to 70%, and it is virtually independent on the mass of the cluster. The fraction of these galaxies and their average photometric parameters are almost the same both for UMa clusters and for the clusters located in its surroundings. Parameters of the clusters of galaxies, such as infrared luminosities up to a fixed magnitude, the mass-to-luminosity ratio, and the number of galaxies have almost the same correlations with the cluster mass as in other samples of galaxies clusters. However, the scatter of these parameters for UMa member clusters is twice smaller than the corresponding scatter for field clusters, possibly, due to the common origin of UMa clusters and synchronized dynamical evolution of clusters in the supercluster.     

Detailed study of the Ursa Major supercluster of galaxies using the 2MASS and SDSS Catalogs

We study the infrared (K _s band) properties of clusters of galaxies in the Ursa Major supercluster using data from 2MASS (Two-Micron All-Sky Survey) and SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey). We identified three large filaments with mean redshifts of z = 0.051, 0.060, and 0.071. All clusters of the supercluster are located in these filaments. We determined the total K _s-band luminosities and masses for 11 clusters of galaxies within comparable physical regions (within a radius R ₂₀₀ close to the virial radius) using a homogeneous method. We constructed a combined luminosity function for the supercluster in this region, which can be described by the Schechter function with the following parameters: M _K ^* = ?24.50 and α = ?0.98. The infrared luminosities of the clusters of galaxies correlate with their masses; the M/L _K ratios of the systems increase with their masses (luminosities), with most of the Ursa Major clusters of galaxies (particularly the richer ones) closely following the relations derived previously for a large sample of clusters and groups of galaxies. The total mass-to-infrared-luminosity ratio is 52 M _⊙/L _⊙ for six Abell clusters and 49M _⊙/L _⊙ for all of the clusters, except Anon2.     

The Ursa Major supercluster of galaxies: II. The structure and peculiar velocities

Kormendy’s relation (μ_e-logR _e) is used to investigate the structure of the compact Ursa Major supercluster of galaxies (11^h30^m+55°, cz=18 000 km s^?1); this relation allows the distances of early-type galaxies to be estimated. The relative distances of 13 clusters in the supercluster and their peculiar velocities are determined with a mean statistical accuracy of 6%. In general, the supercluster obeys the Hubble relation between radial velocity and distance. However, there is reason to suggest that the supercluster consists of two subsystems with mean radial velocities of 16 200 and 19 700 km s^?1. For a velocity dispersion in the subsystems of ～1100 km s^?1, the fact that each of them is gravitationally bound is not ruled out.     

The spatial distribution of galaxies within the cosmic microwave background cold spot in the Corona Borealis supercluster

We study the spatial distribution and colours of galaxies within the region covered by the cold spot in the cosmic microwave background recently detected by the Very Small Array interpherometer (VSA) towards the Corona Borealis supercluster (CrB-SC). The spot is in the northern part of a region with a radius  ∼1° (∼5 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) enclosing the clusters Abell 2056, 2065, 2059 and 2073, and where the density of galaxies, excluding the contribution from those clusters, is approximately two times higher than the mean value in typical intercluster regions of the CrB-SC. Two of such clusters (Abell 2056 and 2065) are members of the CrB-SC, while the other two are in the background. This high-density intercluster region is quite inhomogeneous, being the most remarkable feature a large concentration of galaxies in a narrow filament running from Abell 2065 with a length of ∼35 arcmin (  ∼3 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) in the SW–NE direction. This intercluster population of galaxies probably results from the interaction of clusters Abell 2065 and 2056. The area subtended by the VSA cold spot shows an excess of faint  (21 < r < 22)  and red  (1.1 < r − i < 1.3)  galaxies as compared with typical values within the CrB-SC intercluster regions. This overdensity of galaxies shows a radial dependence and extends out to ∼15 arcmin. This could be the signature of a previously unnoted cluster in the background.