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.     

Effects of ulvoid (Ulva spp.) accumulation on the structure and function of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) bed

The objective of this study is to clarify the effect of ulvoid (Ulva spp.) accumulation on the structure and function of an eelgrass bed by the coast of Iwakuni, Seto Inland Sea, Japan. We monitored eelgrass shoot density and volume of ulvoid accumulation in the study site and evaluated effects of the accumulated ulvoid canopy on the percent survival, seedling density, growth rates, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and carbon contents of eelgrass. Eelgrass shoot density decreased by the accumulation of ulvoid. Also, seedling density decreased by the increase in the ulvoid volumes. Shoot density, seedling density and leaf elongation were negatively correlated with ulvoid volume. Carbon contents in eelgrass decreased by the accumulation of ulvoid (canopy height: 25cm). These results suggest that accumulation of ulvoid bloom has significant negative impacts on the structure and function of eelgrass bed, i.e. decreases in vegetative shoot density, seedling density, shoot height and growth rate.     

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.     

Spatially resolved spectroscopy of the E+A galaxies in the z= 0.32 cluster AC 114

We present spatially resolved intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of a sample of 12 E+A galaxies in the   z = 0.32  rich galaxy cluster AC 114, obtained with the FLAMES multi-integral field unit system on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory. Previous integrated spectroscopy of all these galaxies by Couch & Sharples had shown them to have strong Balmer line absorption and an absence of [O  ii ]λ3727 emission – the defining characteristics of the 'E+A' spectral signature, indicative of an abrupt halt to a recent episode of quite vigorous star formation. We have used our spectral data to determine the radial variation in the strength of Hδ absorption in these galaxies and hence map out the distribution of this recently formed stellar population. Such information provides important clues as to what physical event might have been responsible for this quite dramatic change in star formation activity in the recent past of these galaxies. We find a diversity of behaviour amongst these galaxies in terms of the radial variation in Hδ absorption: four galaxies show little Hδ absorption across their entire extent; it would appear they were misidentified as E+A galaxies in the earlier integrated spectroscopic studies. The remainder show strong Hδ absorption, with a gradient that is either negative (Hδ equivalent width decreasing with radius), flat or positive . By comparison with numerical simulations we suggest that the first of these different types of radial behaviour provides evidence for a merger/interaction origin, whereas the latter two types of behaviour are more consistent with the truncation of star formation in normal disc galaxies with the Hδ gradient becoming increasingly positive with time after truncation. It would seem therefore that more than one physical mechanism is responsible for E+A formation in the same environment.     

Geochemistry and sediment in the main stream of the Ca River basin,Vietnam: weathering process,solute-discharge relationships,and reservoir impact

Acta Geochimica - In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of dissolved solids in the Ca River basin, North-Central Vietnam. Water samples were collected from August 2017 to July...