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Near-infrared imaging of ellipticals: surface brightness profiles and photometry
We present near-infrared K-band imaging of a large sample of candidatemerger remnant galaxies and Hickson Compact Group ellipticals. We derivelight profile indices, effective radii and surface brightnesses, as wellas total K-band magnitudes. We find that the light distributions of themerger remnant candidates are consistent with those of `normal'ellipticals, and scatter around a mean profile index of (1/n) = 0.20.Many of our sample galaxies have surface brightness profiles that arenot well described by a de Vaucouleurs law (1/n= 0.25), and we discussthe implications of this on the derived total magnitudes. Comparing thetotal K magnitudes calculated by extrapolating a de Vaucouleurs profileand those derived using a generalized Sérsic form, we find that asignificant bias is introduced if the de Vaucouleurs law is not a gooddescription of the actual light profile.
| A new catalogue of ISM content of normal galaxies
We have compiled a catalogue of the gas content for a sample of 1916galaxies, considered to be a fair representation of ``normality''. Thedefinition of a ``normal'' galaxy adopted in this work implies that wehave purposely excluded from the catalogue galaxies having distortedmorphology (such as interaction bridges, tails or lopsidedness) and/orany signature of peculiar kinematics (such as polar rings,counterrotating disks or other decoupled components). In contrast, wehave included systems hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) in thecatalogue. This catalogue revises previous compendia on the ISM contentof galaxies published by \citet{bregman} and \citet{casoli}, andcompiles data available in the literature from several small samples ofgalaxies. Masses for warm dust, atomic and molecular gas, as well asX-ray luminosities have been converted to a uniform distance scale takenfrom the Catalogue of Principal Galaxies (PGC). We have used twodifferent normalization factors to explore the variation of the gascontent along the Hubble sequence: the blue luminosity (LB)and the square of linear diameter (D225). Ourcatalogue significantly improves the statistics of previous referencecatalogues and can be used in future studies to define a template ISMcontent for ``normal'' galaxies along the Hubble sequence. The cataloguecan be accessed on-line and is also available at the Centre desDonnées Stellaires (CDS).The catalogue is available in electronic form athttp://dipastro.pd.astro.it/galletta/ismcat and at the CDS via anonymousftp to\ cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via\http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/405/5
| Bar Galaxies and Their Environments
The prints of the Palomar Sky Survey, luminosity classifications, andradial velocities were used to assign all northern Shapley-Ames galaxiesto either (1) field, (2) group, or (3) cluster environments. Thisinformation for 930 galaxies shows no evidence for a dependence of barfrequency on galaxy environment. This suggests that the formation of abar in a disk galaxy is mainly determined by the properties of theparent galaxy, rather than by the characteristics of its environment.
| A catalogue and analysis of X-ray luminosities of early-type galaxies
We present a catalogue of X-ray luminosities for 401 early-typegalaxies, of which 136 are based on newly analysed ROSAT PSPC pointedobservations. The remaining luminosities are taken from the literatureand converted to a common energy band, spectral model and distancescale. Using this sample we fit the LX:LB relationfor early-type galaxies and find a best-fit slope for the catalogue of~2.2. We demonstrate the influence of group-dominant galaxies on the fitand present evidence that the relation is not well modelled by a singlepower-law fit. We also derive estimates of the contribution to galaxyX-ray luminosities from discrete-sources and conclude that they provideLdscr/LB~=29.5ergs-1LBsolar-1. Wecompare this result with luminosities from our catalogue. Lastly, weexamine the influence of environment on galaxy X-ray luminosity and onthe form of the LX:LB relation. We conclude thatalthough environment undoubtedly affects the X-ray properties ofindividual galaxies, particularly those in the centres of groups andclusters, it does not change the nature of whole populations.
| Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups
In this paper we describe the Nearby Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, whichis a complete, distance-limited (cz<=6000 km s-1) andmagnitude-limited (B<=14) sample of ~7000 optical galaxies. Thesample covers 2/3 (8.27 sr) of the sky (|b|>20deg) andappears to have a good completeness in redshift (97%). We select thesample on the basis of homogenized corrected total blue magnitudes inorder to minimize systematic effects in galaxy sampling. We identify thegroups in this sample by means of both the hierarchical and thepercolation ``friends-of-friends'' methods. The resulting catalogs ofloose groups appear to be similar and are among the largest catalogs ofgroups currently available. Most of the NOG galaxies (~60%) are found tobe members of galaxy pairs (~580 pairs for a total of ~15% of objects)or groups with at least three members (~500 groups for a total of ~45%of objects). About 40% of galaxies are left ungrouped (field galaxies).We illustrate the main features of the NOG galaxy distribution. Comparedto previous optical and IRAS galaxy samples, the NOG provides a densersampling of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe. Given itslarge sky coverage, the identification of groups, and its high-densitysampling, the NOG is suited to the analysis of the galaxy density fieldof the nearby universe, especially on small scales.
| The Cold and Hot Gas Content of Fine-Structure E and S0 Galaxies
We investigate trends of the cold and hot gas content of early-typegalaxies with the presence of optical morphological peculiarities, asmeasured by the fine-structure index Σ. H I mapping observationsfrom the literature are used to track the cold gas content, and archivalROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter data are used to quantifythe hot gas content. We find that E and S0 galaxies with a highincidence of optical peculiarities are exclusively X-ray underluminousand, therefore, deficient in hot gas. In contrast, more relaxed galaxieswith little or no signs of optical peculiarities span a wide range ofX-ray luminosities. That is, the X-ray excess anticorrelates withΣ. There appears to be no similar trend of cold gas content witheither fine-structure index or X-ray content. The fact that onlyapparently relaxed E and S0 galaxies are strong X-ray emitters isconsistent with the hypothesis that after strong disturbances, such as amerger, hot gas halos build up over a timescale of several gigayears.This is consistent with the expected mass loss from stars.
| On the relationship between age and dynamics in elliptical galaxies
Galaxy age estimates (mostly from spectroscopy of the central regions)are now available for many early-type galaxies. In a previous paper weshowed that the offset of galaxies from the fundamental plane depends ongalaxy age. Here, using the same sample of 88 galaxies, we examine thescatter about the Faber-Jackson (FJ) relation, and find that theposition of a galaxy relative to this relation depends on its age. Inparticular, younger ellipticals are systematically brighter inMB and/or have a lower central velocitydispersion (σ0). The mean relation corresponds togalaxies that are ~10Gyr old. We attempt to reproduce the observed trendof the FJ residuals with age using two simple models. The first assumesthat galaxy age is tracing the last major star formation event in anelliptical galaxy. We assume that this starburst was instantaneous,centrally located and involved 10per cent of the galaxy by mass. Thefading of this burst changes the MBcomponent of the FJ residuals, with time. Such a model was verysuccessful at reproducing the B-V and Mg2 evolution reportedin our previous paper, but is unable to reproduce the strength of the FJtrend. A second model is required to describe age-correlated changes ingalaxy dynamics. Following expectations from cosmological simulations,we assume that σ0, for a galaxy of a given mass, scaleswith the epoch of galaxy formation, i.e. with the mean density of theUniverse. Hence recently formed ellipticals have systematically lowervelocity dispersions than do old ellipticals. We find that a combinationof these two models provides a good match to the change in FJ residualswith galaxy age. This suggests that young ellipticals will have subtlydifferent dynamical properties from old ellipticals. We also find thatthere is not a strong relationship between the age of a galaxy and itsluminosity for our sample. This suggests that the tilt of thefundamental plane is not totally driven by age.
| X-ray luminosities for a magnitude-limited sample of early-type galaxies from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey
For a magnitude-limited optical sample (B_T <= 13.5 mag) ofearly-type galaxies, we have derived X-ray luminosities from the ROSATAll-Sky Survey. The results are 101 detections and 192 useful upperlimits in the range from 10^36 to 10^44 erg s^-1. For most of thegalaxies no X-ray data have been available until now. On the basis ofthis sample with its full sky coverage, we find no galaxy with anunusually low flux from discrete emitters. Below log (L_B) ~ 9.2L_⊗ the X-ray emission is compatible with being entirely due todiscrete sources. Above log (L_B) ~ 11.2 L_osolar no galaxy with onlydiscrete emission is found. We further confirm earlier findings that L_xis strongly correlated with L_B. Over the entire data range the slope isfound to be 2.23 (+/- 0.12). We also find a luminosity dependence ofthis correlation. Below log L_x = 40.5 erg s^-1 it is consistent with aslope of 1, as expected from discrete emission. Above this value theslope is close to 2, as expected from gaseous emission. Comparing thedistribution of X-ray luminosities with the models of Ciotti et al.leads to the conclusion that the vast majority of early-type galaxiesare in the wind or outflow phase. Some of the galaxies may have alreadyexperienced the transition to the inflow phase. They show X-rayluminosities in excess of the value predicted by cooling flow modelswith the largest plausible standard supernova rates. A possibleexplanation for these super X-ray-luminous galaxies is suggested by thesmooth transition in the L_x--L_B plane from galaxies to clusters ofgalaxies. Gas connected to the group environment might cause the X-rayoverluminosity.
| Galaxy coordinates. II. Accurate equatorial coordinates for 17298 galaxies
Using images of the Digitized Sky Survey we measured coodinates for17298 galaxies having poorly defined coordinates. As a control, wemeasured with the same method 1522 galaxies having accurate coordinates.The comparison with our own measurements shows that the accuracy of themethod is about 6 arcsec on each axis (RA and DEC).
| The Ages of Disturbed Field Elliptical Galaxies. II. Central Properties
The formation of elliptical galaxies via the merger of gas-rich diskshas received considerable attention in recent years, with many studiesstrongly supporting the merger hypothesis. When investigated in detail,the dynamics of a major merger that produces a high phase-space densityof material (e.g., the center of an elliptical galaxy) invariablyproduces the ubiquitous signature of a centrally concentrated burst ofstar formation. We have searched for this central burst of starformation in a sample of field elliptical galaxies that exhibitmorphological fine structure thought to be indicative of merging. Out ofthis sample of 32 galaxies, we find only two galaxies, NGC 3610 and NGC5322, with sufficiently red central near-IR colors to be consistent withthe asymptotic giant branch light reflective of the central burst ofstar formation a few gigayears ago. Using NGC 3610 and 5322 as casestudies, we discuss possible astrophysical links between global andcentral properties and their implied constraints on elliptical galaxyformation and evolution. In particular, we conclude that the availableevidence argues against mergers of disk galaxies within the last 3-4 Gyras being the primary formation mechanism for morphologically disturbedfield elliptical galaxies.
| The Ages of Disturbed Field Elliptical Galaxies. I. Global Properties
Near-infrared images of elliptical galaxies with morphologicalsignatures of recent merger activity have been obtained. If this mergeractivity stimulated significant and distributed star formation withinthe region defined by R < 1.5R_e, then JHK photometry in this regionshould detect the presence of an intermediate-age stellar populationassociated with this event. Our observations, however, show that thesegalaxies occupy the same locus of points in the J - H versus H - K planeas elliptical galaxies with no signs of recent merger activity. Thisstrongly constrains the global fractional amount of intermediate-age(1-3 Gyr) stellar mass to be no more than 10%-15%, and in most cases thedata are consistent with all the stellar mass being old (T > 10 Gyr)and metal-rich ([Fe/H] >= -0.3). We argue that any recent mergeractivity was, therefore, not accompanied by a significant episode ofdistributed star formation within the region defined by R < 1.5R_eand that the bluer UBV colors often observed in this region for some ofthese galaxies are due to the accretion of lower mass companions orrelative abundance differences. The possibility of a stronglycentralized starburst resulting from the merger, instead of a moredistributed star-forming episode, is fully discussed in Paper II of thisseries, in which similar tight constraints on this activity will bediscussed.
| The Southern Sky Redshift Survey
We report redshifts, magnitudes, and morphological classifications for5369 galaxies with m_B <= 15.5 and for 57 galaxies fainter than thislimit, in two regions covering a total of 1.70 sr in the southerncelestial hemisphere. The galaxy catalog is drawn primarily from thelist of nonstellar objects identified in the Hubble Space TelescopeGuide Star Catalog (GSC). The galaxies have positions accurate to ~1"and magnitudes with an rms scatter of ~0.3 mag. We compute magnitudes(m_SSRS2) from the relation between instrumental GSC magnitudes and thephotometry by Lauberts & Valentijn. From a comparison with CCDphotometry, we find that our system is homogeneous across the sky andcorresponds to magnitudes measured at the isophotal level ~26 magarcsec^-2. The precision of the radial velocities is ~40 km s^-1, andthe redshift survey is more than 99% complete to the m_SSRS2 = 15.5 maglimit. This sample is in the direction opposite that of the CfA2; incombination the two surveys provide an important database for studies ofthe properties of galaxies and their large-scale distribution in thenearby universe. Based on observations obtained at Cerro TololoInter-American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatories,operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation;Complejo Astronomico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between theConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas de laRepública Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata,Córdoba, and San Juan; the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile, partially under the bilateral ESO-ObservatórioNacional agreement; Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory;Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica, Brazil; and the SouthAfrican Astronomical Observatory.
| A catalogue of Mg_2 indices of galaxies and globular clusters
We present a catalogue of published absorption-line Mg_2 indices ofgalaxies and globular clusters. The catalogue is maintained up-to-datein the HYPERCAT database. The measurements are listed together with thereferences to the articles where the data were published. A codeddescription of the observations is provided. The catalogue gathers 3541measurements for 1491 objects (galaxies or globular clusters) from 55datasets. Compiled raw data for 1060 galaxies are zero-point correctedand transformed to a homogeneous system. Tables 1, 3, and 4 areavailable in electronic form only at the CDS, Strasbourg, via anonymousftp 130.79.128.5. Table 2 is available both in text and electronic form.
| Total magnitude, radius, colour indices, colour gradients and photometric type of galaxies
We present a catalogue of aperture photometry of galaxies, in UBVRI,assembled from three different origins: (i) an update of the catalogueof Buta et al. (1995) (ii) published photometric profiles and (iii)aperture photometry performed on CCD images. We explored different setsof growth curves to fit these data: (i) The Sersic law, (ii) The net ofgrowth curves used for the preparation of the RC3 and (iii) A linearinterpolation between the de Vaucouleurs (r(1/4) ) and exponential laws.Finally we adopted the latter solution. Fitting these growth curves, wederive (1) the total magnitude, (2) the effective radius, (3) the colourindices and (4) gradients and (5) the photometric type of 5169 galaxies.The photometric type is defined to statistically match the revisedmorphologic type and parametrizes the shape of the growth curve. It iscoded from -9, for very concentrated galaxies, to +10, for diffusegalaxies. Based in part on observations collected at the Haute-ProvenceObservatory.
| The Iron Discrepancy in Elliptical Galaxies after ASCA
We present estimates for the iron content of the stellar and diffusedcomponents of elliptical galaxies, as derived respectively fromintegrated optical spectra and from ASCA X-ray observations. Amacroscopic discrepancy emerges between the expected iron abundances inthe hot interstellar medium (ISM) and what is indicated by the X-rayobservations, especially when allowance is made for the current ironenrichment by Type Ia supernovae. This strong discrepancy, that in someextreme instances may be as large as a factor of ~20, calls intoquestion our current understanding of supernova enrichment and chemicalevolution of galaxies. We discuss several astrophysical implications ofthe inferred low iron abundances in the ISM, including the chemicalevolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, the evolution of gasflows in elliptical galaxies, and the heating of the intraclustermedium. Some of the consequences appear hard to accept, and in theattempt to avoid some of the difficulties we explore ways of hiding ordiluting iron in the ISM of ellipticals. None of these possibilitiesappears astrophysically plausible, and we alternatively raise thequestion of the reliability of iron L line diagnostic tools that arecurrently used to infer abundances from X-ray spectra. Variousthin-plasma emission models are shown to give iron abundances that maydiffer significantly, especially at low temperatures (kT <~ 1 keV),when the iron L complex is dominated by iron ions with still many boundelectrons. From a collection of ASCA and other X-ray observatory data,it is shown that current thin-plasma codes tend to give very low ironabundances when the temperature of the objects is below ~1 keV. Suchobjects include various types of binary stars, supernova remnants,starburst galaxies, and AGNs, with the case of galaxy groups beingespecially well documented. We conclude that, besides rethinking thechemical evolution of galaxies, one should also consider the possibilitythat existing thin-plasma models may incorporate inaccurate atomicphysics for the ions responsible for the iron L complex.
| The fundamental plane of early-type galaxies: stellar populations and mass-to-light ratio.
We analyse the residuals to the fundamental plane (FP) of ellipticalgalaxies as a function of stellar-population indicators; these are basedon the line-strength parameter Mg_2_ and on UBVRI broad-band colors, andare partly derived from new observations. The effect of the stellarpopulations accounts for approximately half the observed variation ofthe mass-to-light ratio responsible for the FP tilt. The residual tiltcan be explained by the contribution of two additional effects: thedependence of the rotational support, and possibly that of the spatialstructure, on the luminosity. We conclude to a constancy of thedynamical-to-stellar mass ratio. This probably extends to globularclusters as well, but the dominant factor would be here the luminositydependence of the structure rather than that of the stellar population.This result also implies a constancy of the fraction of dark matter overall the scalelength covered by stellar systems. Our compilation ofinternal stellar kinematics of galaxies is appended.
| A Catalog of Stellar Velocity Dispersions. II. 1994 Update
A catalog of central velocity dispersion measurements is presented,current through 1993 September. The catalog includes 2474 measurementsof 1563 galaxies. A standard set of 86 galaxies is defined, consistingof galaxies with at least three reliable, concordant measurements. It issuggested that future studies observe some of these standard galaxies sothat different studies can be normalized to a consistent system. Allmeasurements are reduced to a normalized system using these standards.
| Integrated photoelectric magnitudes and color indices of bright galaxies in the Johnson UBV system
The photoelectric total magnitudes and color indices published in theThird Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) are based on ananalysis of approximately equals 26,000 B, 25,000 B-V, and 17,000 U-Bmultiaperture measurements available up to mid 1987 from nearly 350sources. This paper provides the full details of the analysis andestimates of internal and external errors in the parameters. Thederivation of the parameters is based on techniques described by theVaucouleurs & Corwin (1977) whereby photoelectric multiaperture dataare fitted by mean Hubble-type-dependent curves which describe theintegral of the B-band flux and the typical B-V and U-B integrated colorgradients. A sophisticated analysis of the residuals of thesemeasurements from the curves was made to allow for the random andsystematic errors that effect such data. The result is a homogeneous setof total magnitudes BTA total colors(B-V)T and (U-B)T, and effective colors(B-V)e and (U-B)e for more than 3000 brightgalaxies in RC3.
| Line-strength gradients in the bulge components of NGC 3190 and 1023.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1994MNRAS.271...39S&db_key=AST
| Corrections and additions to the third reference catalogue of bright galaxies
List of corrections and additions to the Third Reference Catalogue ofBright Galaxies (RC3) are given. The corrected version of the catalogue(RC3.9b), dated April 1994, is currently available through the nationaldata centers.
| Quantitative morphology of E-S0 galaxies. III. Coded and parametric description of 108 galaxies in a complete sample
A survey has been performed of the morphological and photometricproperties of 108 E-S0 galaxies out of a complete sample of 112: thissample is built from the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalogue (RSA, Sandage& Tammann, 1981) keeping objects with δ>-10deg andV_0_<3000km/s, rejecting SB0's and Local Group dwarfs. The data weremainly derived from our CCD observations at Observatoire deHaute-Provence: the camera allowed fields of 4x7 arcmin (or 7x7 for thelast run), the seeing being generally in the 2-3 arcsec FWHM range. Themeasurements include the isophotal analysis according to Carter's(1978), principles,and the photometric profiles along the two main axis.Opposite semi-axis are measured separately to detect asymmetries.Partial results about strongly flattened galaxies were given anddiscussed in Paper I and II of this series (Michard & Marchal, 1993and 1994). The present paper gives in tabular form: - in Table 2a, 2bthe most useful morphological parameters and a coded description of the108 studied objects. This table includes a revised classificationaccording to Hubble types, this being completed by the subclassificationof ellipticals into "boxy", "disky" and "undeterminate". It alsoincludes the classifications of envelope geometry and disk extent, asintroduced in Paper I. - in Table 3a, b the usual photometric globalparameters, also converted to absolute units for future reference. Thetabular data is completed by individual notes for each galaxy, collectedin an Appendix. A discussion of the present data will be presented in aforthcoming Paper IV : it aims at checking the working hypothesis thatgalaxies of both E and S0 Hubble types belong, but for a small minority,to a common population of objects with similar structures.
| UBVRI photoelectric photometry of bright southern early-type galaxies
UBVRI multi-aperture photometry of 207 bright southern galaxies and of72 objects of an additional list is presented. These observations weremade for obtaining the magnitude scale zero-point as an accuratedetermination of the sky background for a two-dimensional photometryprogram concerning these galaxies. We have also inferred the asymptoticmagnitudes, color indices and effective apertures of these objects. Ourresults are in good agreement with those of others authors.
| Quantitative morphology of E-S0 galaxies IV. Ellipticals and lenticulars as a single population
The geometrical properties of E and S0 galaxies have been intercomparedusing the data collected in Paper III (Michard & Marchal 1994) for108 RSA objects in a complete, luminosity and distance limited, sample.As the apparent flattening (largely an effect of projection along theline of sight), is a determining factor in the segregation between E andS0 objects, the working hypothesis has been made that an important biasis introduced in the recognition of the two classes. It is perhaps aswell to assume that galaxies of both Hubble types belong, but for asmall(?) minority, to a common population of objects with similarstructures. This hypothesis receives strong support from thefrequency-diagrams of the ellipticity ɛ_max_, measured near itsmaximum or at the isophote of surface brightness V=21.5. The diagram forS0's alone cannot be generated by the random projection of any objects:it is clearly biased by the shift to the E type of many S0's of moderateinclination and relatively modest disk. This limits the significance ofthe same diagrams for E galaxies. The noted bias is much reduced if S0'sand disky E's are considered together. Because of the strong outwardsdecrease of the ellipticities in disky E's and in the S0's with non-thinenvelopes (thick disks and spheroidal haloes), the frequency diagrams ofthe ellipticities measured at the classical B=25, or at V=25, do notshow the bias noted above for S0's. The lack of round E's requires thespheroidal components to be faintly triaxial, as recently emphasized byother authors. Our hypothesis is also supported by the overlap of E andS0 galaxies in ad hoc classification schemes of ellipticity profiles andenvelope geometry, and in such correlation diagrams as: - theellipticity in the envelope, i.e. near μ(V)= 25, against theintermediate maximum ellipticity - the extremum of the Carter'scoefficient e_4_ (or a_4_ or c_4_ in other similar works) against themaximum ellipticity - the disk extent, as far as it can be estimatedwithout detailed modeling, against the maximum ellipticity. The"standard" structure of E-S0 objects includes a spheroidal, nearlyoblate component, that cannot be of constant ellipticity: this parameteroften increases outwards from its bulge value, then decreases again inthe envelope. Disks of various brightness and extent, between dominatingand vanishing, are the second essential component. Obviously, theirrelative importance is, together with the dust content, a physicalcriterion involved in the morphological separation between E and S0objects, besides the inclination effect. In the present sample, the diskcannot be detected in nearly half of E classified objects, and isprobably vanishing in about 40% of this class, or circa 17% of the totalof studied early-type objects. This minority contains mostly boxy E'swith non-standard ellipticity profiles, and, as is well known, nosignificant rotational support. From the convergent results ofquantitative morphology and kinematics, the early-type galaxies shouldbe segregated into the majority class of disky fast oblate rotators anda minority class of non-rotating ellipsoids.
| Neutral hydrogen observations of elliptical galaxies
Detection of HI emission from a number of E galaxies is reported. 33galaxies were searched for HI the first time. Seven of the detected Egalaxies are isolated, 9 have nearby companions, and 11 are in compactgroups and/or strongly interacting systems. Nearby confusing sources maybe responsible for some of the detections. The large number ofelliptical galaxies in groups (in this sample) suggests thatgravitational interaction and mergers might be an important source ofsupply of interstellar matter for elliptical galaxies.
| Stellar population-induced peculiar velocities of elliptical galaxies
The peculiar velocities of elliptical galaxies exhibiting 'finestructure' (deviations from elliptical isophotes) are shown to becorrelated with various stellar population-related quantities,demonstrating that photometric distance indicators can be affected bythe stellar population within galaxies. Ellipticals with current orrecent star formation will have relatively higher luminosities andlarger photometrically determined diameters. This causes theirdistances, as determined by photometric methods such as the Dn-sigmarelation of Dressler et al. (1987, 1988), to be underestimated, in turnyielding systematically large peculiar velocities measured against thecosmic microwave background. In the galaxy sample of Schweizer et al.(1990), elliptical galaxies which exhibit more pronounced 'finestructure' have bluer colors, higher surface brightness, and lower Mg2index relative to the mean relationship for ellipticals.
| Correlations between UBV colors and fine structure in E and S0 galaxies - A first attempt at dating ancient merger events
New high-quality UBV colors of E and S0 galaxies compiled in the RC3 areanalyzed, and correlations between them and the fine-structure indexSigma are explored. The color residuals Delta(U-B)e,0, Delta(B-V)e,0,and Delta(U-V)e,0 (where e refers to the effective or half-lightaperture) correlate with Sigma for 35 E and 34 S0 galaxies bothseparately and combined. Typical coefficients are -0.4 to -0.6, and theslopes of the mean relations are significant at the 2.1 sigma-4.2 sigmalevel. The new correlations show that the detected systematic variationsare not limited to the nuclei, but occur globally in the stellarpopulations of E and S0 galaxies. The color residuals and previouslydetermined line-strength residuals correlate closely, demonstrating thatit is cosmic scatter that dominates the vertical scatter in thecolor-magnitude and line-strength-magnitude relations. It is suggestedthat the deviations in color and line strength from mean relations havea common physical cause which, because of the correlations with finestructure, is probably a variation in the mean age of the stellarpopulations.
| Spectroscopic gradients in bright elliptical galaxies
Long-slit spectra of 11 bright elliptical galaxies are used here tostudy the radial behavior of various atomic and molecular absorptionfeatures in these objects. The data reinforce the idea that populationgradients are common occurrences in elliptical galaxies. Pronouncedradial gradients are seen in the Mg1, Mg2, MgB, Fe5270, Fe5335, andNa5895 indices, but the TiO bands show only weak radial variations. Thestrength of the H-beta and H-alpha absorption typically does not changewith radius in those systems where forbidden O III emission, and henceBalmer emission, is small. Other data on Mg2 suggest that, on average,the radial variations in stellar content are probably due to a singleparameter, and that star formation histories of elliptical galaxies havenot been uniform.
| Near Infrared Spectral Synthesis in Giant Early Type Galaxies
Not Available
| Interstellar matter in early-type galaxies. I - The catalog
A catalog is given of the currently available measurements ofinterstellar matter in the 467 early-type galaxies listed in the secondedition of the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies. Themorphological type range is E, SO, and Sa. The ISM tracers are emissionin the following bands: IRAS 100 micron, X-ray, radio, neutral hydrogen,and carbon monoxide. Nearly two-thirds of the Es and SOs have beendetected in one or more of these tracers. Additional observed quantitiesthat are tabulated include: magnitude, colors, radial velocity, centralvelocity dispersion, maximum of the rotation curve, angular size, 60micron flux, and supernovae. Qualitative statements as to the presenceof dust or emission lines, when available in the literature, are given.Quantities derivative from the observed values are also listed andinclude masses of H I, CO, X-ray gas, and dust as well as an estimate ofthe total mass and mass-to-luminosity ratio of the individual galaxies.
| Correlations between line strengths and fine structure in elliptical galaxies
For 36 giant elliptical galaxies located mostly in the field and ingroups, the strength of the nuclear H-beta absorption line at any givenabsolute magnitude increases systematically with the amount of finestructure while the strengths of the CN and Mg I + MgH featuresdecrease. This effect is most likely due to systematic variations inmean age, rather than mean metallicity, of the stellar populations. Theresulting correlations are used to estimate the contributions of age andmetallicity variations to line-strength scatter, and it is suggestedthat the elusive population of intermediate-age remnants of majordisk-disk mergers may be found among ellipticals with much finestructure and enhanced H-beta absorption.
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