Searches for ultracompact dwarf galaxies in galaxy groups |
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| Authors: | E. A. Evstigneeva M. J. Drinkwater R. Jurek P. Firth J. B. Jones M. D. Gregg S. Phillipps |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Physics, University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia;Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS;Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA;Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA;Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL |
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| Abstract: | We present the results of a search for ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in six different galaxy groups: Dorado, NGC 1400, 0681, 4038, 4697 and 5084. We searched in the apparent magnitude range 17.5 ≤ b J≤ 20.5 (except NGC 5084: 19.2 ≤ b J≤ 21.0 ). We found one definite plus two possible UCD candidates in the Dorado group and two possible UCD candidates in the NGC 1400 group. No UCDs were found in the other groups. We compared these results with predicted luminosities of UCDs in the groups according to the hypothesis that UCDs are globular clusters formed in galaxies. The theoretical predictions broadly agree with the observational results, but deeper surveys are needed to fully test the predictions. |
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| Keywords: | astronomical data bases: miscellaneous surveys galaxies: distances and redshifts galaxies: dwarf galaxies: star clusters |
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