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Star formation history in early-type galaxies - I. The line absorption indices diagnostics
To unravel the formation mechanism and the evolutionary history ofelliptical galaxies (EGs) is one of the goals of modern astrophysics. Ina simplified picture of the issue, the question to be answered iswhether they have formed by hierarchical merging of pre-existingsubstructures (maybe disc galaxies) made of stars and gas, with eachmerging event probably accompanied by strong star formation, orconversely, whether they originated from the early aggregation of lumpsof gas turned into stars in the remote past via a burst-like episodeever since followed by quiescence so as to mimic a sort of monolithicprocess. Even if the two alternatives seem to oppose each other,actually they may both contribute to shaping the final properties of EGsas seen today. Are there distinct signatures of the underlying dominantprocess in the observational data? To this aim we have examined the lineabsorption indices on the Lick system of the normal, field EGs of Tragerand the interacting EGs (pair- and shell-objects) of Longhetti et al.The data show that both normal, field and interacting galaxies have thesame scattered but smooth distribution in the Hβ versus [MgFe]plane even if the interacting ones show a more pronounced tail towardhigh Hβ values. This may suggest that a common physical cause is atthe origin of their distribution. There are two straightforwardinterpretations of increasing complexity. (i) EGs span true large rangesof ages and metallicities. A young age is the signature of theaggregation mechanism, each event accompanied by metal enrichment. Thissimple scheme cannot, however, explain other spectro-photometricproperties of EGs and has to be discarded. (ii) The bulk population ofstars is old but subsequent episodes of star formation scatter the EGsin the diagnostic planes. However, this scheme would predict anoutstanding clump at low Hβ values, contrary to what is observed.The model can be cured by supposing that the primary star formationactivity lasted for a significant fraction of the Hubble time (5<=T<= 13 Gyr) accompanied by global metal enrichment. The`younger' galaxies are more metal-rich. The later burst of starformation should be small otherwise too many high-Hβ objects wouldbe observed. Therefore, the distribution of normal, pair- andshell-galaxies in the Hβ versus [MgFe] plane is due to global metalenrichment. Even though the above schemes provide a formal explanation,they seem to be too demanding because of the many ad hoc ingredientsthat have to be introduced. Furthermore, they neglect theobservationally grounded hint that the stellar content of EGs is likelyto be enhanced in α-elements with [α/Fe] ranging from 0.1 to0.4 dex. Here we propose a new scheme, in which the bulk dispersion ofgalaxies in the Hβ versus [MgFe] plane is caused by a differentmean degree of enhancement. In this model, neither the large age rangesnor the universal enrichment law for the old component are required andthe observed distribution along Hβ is naturally recovered.Furthermore, later bursts of stellar activity are a rare event,involving only those galaxies with very high Hβ (roughly >2.5).Finally, simulations of the scatter in broad-band colours of EGs seem toconfirm that the bulk stars have formed in the remote past, and thatmergers and companion star formation in a recent past are not likely,unless the intensity of the secondary activity is very small.
| Galaxy interactions - poor starburst triggers. III. A study of a complete sample of interacting galaxies
We report on a study of tidally triggered star formation in galaxiesbased on spectroscopic/photometric observations in the optical/near-IRof a magnitude limited sample of 59 systems of interacting and merginggalaxies and a comparison sample of 38 normal isolated galaxies. From astatistical point of view the sample gives us a unique opportunity totrace the effects of tidally induced star formation. In contrast toresults from previous investigations, our global UBV colours do notsupport a significant enhancement of starforming activity in theinteracting/merging galaxies. We also show that, contrary to previousclaims, there is no significantly increased scatter in the colours ofArp galaxies as compared to normal galaxies. We do find support formoderate (a factor of ~ 2-3) increase in star formation in the verycentres of the interacting galaxies of our sample, contributingmarginally to the total luminosity. The interacting and in particularthe merging galaxies are characterized by increased far infrared(hereafter FIR) luminosities and temperatures that weakly correlate withthe central activity. The LFIR/LB ratio however,is remarkably similar in the two samples, indicating that truestarbursts normally are not hiding in the central regions of the FIRluminous cases. The gas mass-to-luminosity ratio in optical-IR ispractically independent of luminosity, lending further support to thepaucity of true massive starburst galaxies triggered byinteractions/mergers. We estimate the frequency of such cases to be ofthe order of ~ 0.1% of the galaxies in an apparent magnitude limitedsample. Our conclusion is that interacting and merging galaxies, fromthe global star formation aspect, generally do not differ dramaticallyfrom scaled up versions of normal, isolated galaxies. No drastic changewith redshift is expected. One consequence is that galaxy formationprobably continued over a long period of time and did not peak at aspecific redshift. The effects of massive starbursts, like blowoutscaused by superwinds and cosmic reionization caused by starburstpopulations would also be less important than what is normally assumed.Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, LaSilla, Chile.
| A catalogue and analysis of local galaxy ages and metallicities
We have assembled a catalogue of relative ages, metallicities andabundance ratios for about 150 local galaxies in field, group andcluster environments. The galaxies span morphological types from cD andellipticals, to late-type spirals. Ages and metallicities were estimatedfrom high-quality published spectral line indices using Worthey &Ottaviani (1997) single stellar population evolutionary models. Theidentification of galaxy age as a fourth parameter in the fundamentalplane (Forbes, Ponman & Brown 1998) is confirmed by our largersample of ages. We investigate trends between age and metallicity, andwith other physical parameters of the galaxies, such as ellipticity,luminosity and kinematic anisotropy. We demonstrate the existence of agalaxy age-metallicity relation similar to that seen for local galacticdisc stars, whereby young galaxies have high metallicity, while oldgalaxies span a large range in metallicities. We also investigate theinfluence of environment and morphology on the galaxy age andmetallicity, especially the predictions made by semi-analytichierarchical clustering models (HCM). We confirm that non-clusterellipticals are indeed younger on average than cluster ellipticals aspredicted by the HCM models. However we also find a trend for the moreluminous galaxies to have a higher [Mg/Fe] ratio than the lowerluminosity galaxies, which is opposite to the expectation from HCMmodels.
| Background galaxies as reddening probes throughout the Magellanic Clouds
We study the spectral properties in the range 3600 Å-6800 Åof the nuclear region of galaxies behind the Magellanic Clouds. Theradial velocities clarified the nature of the objects as backgroundgalaxies or extended objects belonging to the Clouds. For most galaxiesbehind the main bodies of the LMC and SMC, radial velocities weremeasured for the first time. In the present sample typical LMCbackground galaxies are nearby (4000 < V(km s-1) <6000), while SMC's are considerably more distant (10 000 < V(kms-1) < 20 000). We determine the reddening in each line ofsight by matching a reddening-free galaxy template with comparablestellar population. For the LMC main body we derive a combined Milky Wayand internal reddening value E(B-V)MW+i = 0.12 +/- 0.10,while for the SMC E(B-V)MW+i = 0.05 +/- 0.05. By subtractingMilky Way reddening values for galaxies projected onto the surroundingsof each Cloud, we estimate average internal reddening values DeltaE(B-V)i = 0.06 and 0.04, respectively for the main bodies ofthe LMC and SMC. The Clouds are optically thin, at least in thedirections of the studied background galaxies which are often difficultto be identified as such on ESO/SERC sky survey images. Nevertheless,more reddened zones may occur where it is difficult to identifygalaxies.
| Star formation history of early-type galaxies in low density environments. IV. What do we learn from nuclear line-strength indices?
In this paper we analyze the line-strength indices in the Lick-systemmeasured by Longhetti et al. (1998a, b) for a sample of 51 early-typegalaxies located in low density environments (LDE) and showingsignatures of fine structures and/or interactions. The sample contains21 shell-galaxies and 30 members of interacting pairs. Firstly weperform a preliminary comparison between three different sources ofcalibrations of the line strength indices, namely Buzzoni et al. (1992,1994), Worthey (1992), Worthey et al. (1994) and Idiart et al. (1995),derived from stars with different effective temperature, gravity, andmetallicity. Looking at the three indices in common, i.e. Mg2, Fe5270,and Hβ , the calibrations by Buzzoni et al. (1992, 1994), Worthey(1992) and Worthey et al. (1994) lead to mutually consistent results.The calibration of Hβ by Idiart et al. (1995) can be compared withthe previous ones only for a limited range of ages, in which goodagreement is found. Mg2 and Mgb indices predicted by the Idiart's et al.(1995) fitting functions result to be systematically lower than thoseobtained from using Worthey (1992) calibrations. Secondly, we discussthe properties of the galaxies in our sample by comparing them both withtheoretical Single Stellar Populations (SSPs) and the normal galaxies ofthe González (1993: G93) sample. The analysis is performed bymeans of several diagnostic planes. In the sigma , Mg2, Fe5270 andFe5335 space, normal, shell- and pair-galaxies have a differentbehavior. First of all, normal and pair-galaxies follow the universalsigma vs. Mg2 relation, whereas shell-galaxies lie above it; secondlythe Fe versus Mg2 relation of normal, shell- and pair-galaxies isflatter than the theoretical expectation. This fact hints forenhancement of alpha -elements with respect to solar partition ingalaxies with strong Fe indices and/or high velocity dispersion, massand luminosity in turn. In the sigma vs. Hβ plane normal galaxiesseem to follow a nice relation suggesting that objects with shallowgravitational potential have strong Hβ values (youth signature?),whereas shell- and pair-galaxies scatter all over the plane. A group ofgalaxies with deep gravitational potential and strong Hβ is found.Is this a signature of recent star formation? In the Hβ vs. [MgFe]plane, which is perhaps best suited to infer the age of the stellarpopulations, the peculiar galaxies in our sample show nearly the samedistribution of the normal galaxies in the G93 sample. There is howevera number of peculiar galaxies with much stronger Hβ . Does thismean that the scatter in the Hβ vs. [MgFe] plane, of normal, shell-and pair-galaxies has a common origin, perhaps a secondary episode ofstar formation? We suggest that, owing to their apparent youth, shell-and pair-galaxies should have experienced at least one interaction eventafter their formation. The explanation comes natural for shell- andpair-galaxies where the signatures of interactions are evident. It ismore intrigued in normal galaxies (perhaps other causes may concur).Noteworthy, the distribution in the Hβ vs. [MgFe] plane of normal,shell- and pair-galaxies is confined within a narrow strip that runssignificantly steeper than the path followed by aging SSPs. This featureis explained as due to metal enrichment always accompanying starformation. Shell-galaxies encompass the whole range of ages inferredfrom the Hβ vs. [MgFe] plane, indicating that among them recent andold interaction/acquisition events are equally probable. If shells areformed at the same time at which the rejuvenating event took place,shells ought to be long lasting phenomena. [MgFe] = sqrt { xMgb}, = (Fe5270 + Fe5335)/2 }
| Star formation history of early-type galaxies in low density environments. V. Blue line-strength indices for the nuclear region
We analyze the star formation properties of a sample of 21 shellgalaxies and 30 early-type galaxies members of interacting pairs,located in low density environments (Longhetti et al. 1998a, 1998b). Thestudy is based on new models developed to interpret the informationcoming from `blue' Hdelta /FeI, H+K(CaII) and Delta 4000 line-strengthindices proposed by Rose (1984; 1985) and Hamilton (1985). We find thatthe last star forming event that occurred in the nuclear region of shellgalaxies is statistically old (from 0.1 up to several Gyr) with respectto the corresponding one in the sub-sample of pair galaxies (<0.1 Gyror even ongoing star formation). If the stellar activity is somehowrelated to the formation of shells, as predicted by several dynamicalmodels of galaxy interaction, shells have to be considered long lastingstructures. Since pair members show evidence of very recent starformation, we suggest that either large reservoirs of gas have to bepresent to maintain active star formation, if these galaxies are onperiodic orbits, or most of the pair members in the present sample areexperiencing unbound encounters. Table~2 is available in electronic formonly, at CDS: via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| 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.
| Star formation history of early-type galaxies in low density environments. II. Kinematics
The present paper is a companion of two others dedicated one to themeasurement of the line-strength indices \cite[(Longhetti et al.1997a)]{Lo7a} and the second to trace back the star formation history ofa sample of early-type galaxies by comparing observed indices to thepredictions of new spectro-photometric models \cite[(Longhetti et al.1997b).]{Lo7b} The sample of 51 early-type galaxies in low densityenvironments is composed of two sub-sets of galaxies: 21 shell galaxiesfrom the \cite[Malin & Carter (1983)]{Ma3} catalogue (one of whichshows double nucleous and has been considered as two separate objects)and 30 members of isolated interacting pairs from the \cite[Reduzzi& Rampazzo (1995)]{Re5} catalogue. Most of the objects show finestructures. The paper collects nuclear kinematic data together with thevelocity and velocity dispersion curves of the stellar and gaseouscomponents as a function of the distance from the galaxies centres. Thegalaxies heliocentric systemic velocity compares within -1+/- 32 kms(-1) with RC3 data, while their central velocity dispersion compareswithin 9+/- 9 km s(-1) , 10+/- 27 km s(-1) and 2+/- 33 km s(-1) with\cite[Gonzalez (1993),]{Go3} \cite[Davies et al. (1987)]{Da7} and\cite[Carter et al. (1988)]{Ca8} respectively. The detailed comparisonbetween our velocity and velocity dispersion curves and those fromseveral authors is discussed. 9 out of 22 shell galaxies nuclei showemission lines, 4 of which, using data in the literature, have lineratios characteristic of LINERs. 10 members of pairs out of 30 showemission lines. RR 331a has a Seyfert like nucleus, while for theremaining galaxies the ([O III] lambda 5007)/Hβ ratio ischaracteristic of low ionization regions. In a small fraction of theobjects the emission component is detectable outside the central value.None of the objects in the sample shows counter-rotation of the gaseousversus the stellar component. The two components appear associated,although, in two cases there is evidence that gas and stars lie ondifferent planes. This latter phenomenon could be associated toaccretion events. Emission lines in the central part of the RR 331a showa secondary component in the emission lines profile. E 2400100 has twonuclei embedded in the main body of the galaxy. The U-shape profile ofthe stellar velocity profile shows the ongoing interaction of the twonuclei. V/sigma profile of shell galaxies is, finally, discussed inrelation to the hypothesis of the accretion/merging origin of thesegalaxies. Based on observations obtained at ESO, La Silla, Chile. Dataand and kinematical profiles are available at CDS.
| Star formation history of early-type galaxies in low density environments. I. Nuclear line-strength indices
This paper is the first of a series \cite[(Longhetti et al.1997a,b)]{lon97} dedicated to the study of the star formation history inearly-type galaxies which show fine structures and/or signatures ofinteraction. It presents nuclear line-strength indices for a samplecomposed of 21 shell galaxies, from the \cite[Malin & Carter(1983)]{mal83} southern survey, and 30 members of isolated interactingpairs, from the \cite[Reduzzi & Rampazzo (1995)]{red95} catalogue,located in low density environments. The spectral range covers 3700Angstroms < lambda < 5700 Angstroms at 2.1 Angstroms FWHMresolution. We measure 16 red (lambda > 4200 Angstroms) indicesdefined by the Lick Group. Measures have been transformed into theLick-IDS ``standard'' system. The procedure has been tested on a set of5 elliptical galaxies selected from the \cite[Gonzalez (1993)]{gon93}sample. We derive also three blue (lambda < 4200) indices, namelyDelta (4000 Angstroms) defined by \cite[Hamilton (1985)]{ham85},H+K(CaII) and Hdelta /FeI defined by \cite[Rose (1984, 1985)]{ros84}.Blue indices are correlated to the age of the last starburst occurred ina galaxy \cite[(Leonardi & Rose 1996)]{leo96}. The determination ofthese indices, the estimate of the measurement errors and the correctionfor the galaxies velocity dispersions are discussed in detail. In theAppendix A we present the indices for a set of hot stars (T> 10000 K)which may be used for extending W92 fitting functions toward hightemperatures. Based on observations obtained at ESO, La Silla, Chile.Tables 1-8 are also available in electronic form at CDS and Tables 9-15are only available in electronic form at CDS: via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| 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 molecular gas content of spiral galaxies in the Coma/A1367 supercluster.
We present ^12^CO(J=1-0) line observations of 73 spiral galaxies mostlyin the Coma/A1367 supercluster. From these data, combined with dataavailable in the literature, we extract the first complete, opticallyselected sample (m_pg_<15.2) of 37 isolated and of 27 clustergalaxies. Adopting a standard conversion factor X=N(H_2_)/I(CO), weestimate that the molecular hydrogen content of isolated spiral galaxiesis, on average, 20% of the atomic hydrogen reservoir, significantlylower than previous estimates based on samples selected by FIR criteria,thus biased towards CO rich objects. We show that the frequencydistributions of the CO deficiency parameter, defined as the differencebetween the expected and the observed molecular gas content of a galaxyof given luminosity (or linear diameter), computed separately forcluster and isolated galaxies, are not significantly different,indicating that the environment does not affect the molecular gascontent of spiral discs. A well defined relationship exists betweenM_i_(H_2_) and the star formation activity in bright galaxies, while itis weaker at lower luminosities. We interpret this finding as indicatingthat CO emission traces relatively well the H_2_ mass only in high-massgalaxies, such as the Milky Way. On the other hand, in low-mass spiralsthe higher far-UV radiation field produced by young O-B stars and thelower metallicity cause the photodissociation of the diffuse moleculargas, weakening the expected relationship between star formation and theCO emission. The conversion factor between the CO line intensity and theamount of molecular hydrogen being ill-determined and variable with theUV flux and abundances, it is difficult to assess the relationshipbetween the star formation and the amount of molecular hydrogen.
| The Catalog of Southern Ringed Galaxies
The Catalog of Southern Ringed Galaxies (CSRG) is a comprehensivecompilation of diameters, axis ratios, relative bar position angles, andmorphologies of inner and outer rings, pseudorings, and lenses in 3692galaxies south of declination -17 deg. The purpose of the catalog is toevaluate the idea that these ring phenomena are related to orbitalresonances with a bar or oval in galaxy potentials. The catalog is basedon visual inspection of most of the 606 fields of the Science ResearchCouncil (SRC) IIIa-J southern sky survey, with the ESO-B, ESO-R, andPalomar Sky surveys used as auxiliaries when needed for overexposed coreregions. The catalog is most complete for SRC fields 1-303 (mostly southof declination -42 deg). In addition to ringed galaxies, a list of 859mostly nonringed galaxies intended for comparison with other catalogs isprovided. Other findings from the CSRG that are not based on statisticsare the identification of intrinsic bar/ring misalignment; bars whichunderfill inner rings; dimpling of R'1pseudorings; pointy, rectangular, or hexagonal inner or outer ringshapes; a peculiar polar-ring-related system; and other extreme examplesof spiral structure and ring morphology.
| Southern Sky Redshift Survey - The catalog
The catalog of radial velocities for galaxies which comprise thediameter-limited sample of the Southern Sky Redshift Survey ispresented. It consolidates the data of observations carried out at theLas Campanas Observatory, Observatorio Nacional, and South AfricanAstronomical Observatory. The criteria used for the sample selection aredescribed, as well as the observational procedures and the techniqueutilized to obtain the final radial velocities. The intercomparisonbetween radial velocity measurements from different telescopes indicatesthat the final data base is fairly homogeneous with a typical error ofabout 40 km/s. The sample is at present 90 percent complete, and themissing galaxies are predominantly objects with very low surfacebrightness for which it is very difficult to obtain optical redshifts.
| A study of a complete sample of interacting galaxies. I - Presentation of the sample and the UBVRIJHK photometry
An investigation is presented on what effects galaxy-galaxy interactionhas on the properties of the involved galaxies. A magnitude limitedsample of interacting galaxies is presented, together with a controlsample of isolated galaxies. The Cousins UBVRI and Johnson JHKphotometry of all galaxies included in the samples is also presented.
| The components of mid- and far-infrared emission from S0 and early-type shell galaxies
The IRAS database has been used to study detections of about 150early-type elliptical and S0 galaxies exhibiting a shell structure. Nostrong evidence for the expected enhancement of either star formationrates or heating of the interstellar medium is found. It is suggestedthat for some of the sample galaxies either a contribution from warmdust surrounding evolved stars or emission from an active nucleus may besignificant.
| Simulated aperture-photometry on CCD-frames for 67 southern galaxies in B and R
As part of a large project to calibrate all the Schmidt plates of theESO Quick blue and the red survey, CCD-photometry in B and R has beenobtained for galaxies on 67 different survey fields. On these framessynthetic-aperture photometry is applied in order to present the data ina way which makes the comparison with photographic photometry easy.
| Southern Galaxy Catalogue.
Not Available
| A catalog of elliptical galaxies with shells
We present a catalog of 137 elliptical galaxies south of -17 deg declination which exhibit shell or ripple features at large distances from the galaxy or in the outer envelope. Some of these galaxies show similar features in the inner envelope when suitable high resolution plate material is examined. Very few of the galaxies are associated with radio sources. We discuss the environment of shell galaxies, and the proportion of ellipticals which have these features. It appears that about half of the galaxies with shells are isolated and most of the rest are members of small groups. We discuss several individual examples which appear to be typical of this class of galaxy, and others which probably illustrate an evolutionary sequence.
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