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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.
| Redshift-Distance Survey of Early-Type Galaxies: Spectroscopic Data
We present central velocity dispersions and Mg2 line indicesfor an all-sky sample of ~1178 elliptical and S0 galaxies, of which 984had no previous measures. This sample contains the largest set ofhomogeneous spectroscopic data for a uniform sample of ellipticalgalaxies in the nearby universe. These galaxies were observed as part ofthe ENEAR project, designed to study the peculiar motions and internalproperties of the local early-type galaxies. Using 523 repeatedobservations of 317 galaxies obtained during different runs, the dataare brought to a common zero point. These multiple observations, takenduring the many runs and different instrumental setups employed for thisproject, are used to derive statistical corrections to the data and arefound to be relatively small, typically <~5% of the velocitydispersion and 0.01 mag in the Mg2 line strength. Typicalerrors are about 8% in velocity dispersion and 0.01 mag inMg2, in good agreement with values published elsewhere.
| Redshift-Distance Survey of Early-Type Galaxies: Circular-Aperture Photometry
We present R-band CCD photometry for 1332 early-type galaxies, observedas part of the ENEAR survey of peculiar motions using early-typegalaxies in the nearby universe. Circular apertures are used to tracethe surface brightness profiles, which are then fitted by atwo-component bulge-disk model. From the fits, we obtain the structuralparameters required to estimate galaxy distances using theDn-σ and fundamental plane relations. We find thatabout 12% of the galaxies are well represented by a pure r1/4law, while 87% are best fitted by a two-component model. There are 356repeated observations of 257 galaxies obtained during different runsthat are used to derive statistical corrections and bring the data to acommon system. We also use these repeated observations to estimate ourinternal errors. The accuracy of our measurements are tested by thecomparison of 354 galaxies in common with other authors. Typical errorsin our measurements are 0.011 dex for logDn, 0.064 dex forlogre, 0.086 mag arcsec-2 for<μe>, and 0.09 for mRC,comparable to those estimated by other authors. The photometric datareported here represent one of the largest high-quality and uniformall-sky samples currently available for early-type galaxies in thenearby universe, especially suitable for peculiar motion studies.Based on observations at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO),National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., undercooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF);European Southern Observatory (ESO); Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory(FLWO); and the MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak.
| 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.
| 0422-476: a shell galaxy with azimuthally distributed shells
A morphological and two-colour charge-coupled device photometry study ofthe shell galaxy 0422-476, one of the richest known azimuthallydistributed shell galaxies, is presented. Taking this galaxy as aprototype, a general method for reducing observational data of theseobjects is defined and quantitative parameters for use in furthertheoretical studies are derived. According to some recent models (e.g.that of Thomson and Wright in 1990), the shells in such a galaxy couldbe density waves induced in a thick disc population of dynamically coldstars by a weak interaction with another galaxy. In 0422-476 there is noevidence of either a conventional exponential disc or a thick disc.Although it is not possible to rule out the weak interaction model, theobservations continue to favour the merger model (e.g. that of Quinnfrom 1984).
| 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.
| 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 }
| The shell elliptical galaxy NGC 2865: evolutionary population synthesis of a kinematically distinct core
We report on the discovery of a rapidly corotating stellar and gascomponent in the nucleus of the shell elliptical NGC 2865. The stellarcomponent extends ~ 0.51 h_100^-1 kpc along the major axis, and showsdepressed velocity dispersion and absorption-line profiles skewed in theopposite sense to the mean velocity. Associated with it is a youngstellar population with enhanced Hβ, lowered Mg, and the same Feindices relative to the underlying elliptical. Its recent star formationhistory is constrained by considering `bulge+burst' models under fourphysically motivated scenarios, using evolutionary population synthesis.Scenarios in which the nuclear component is formed over a Hubble time orrecently from continuous gas inflow are ruled out. A recent starburstcan satisfy observational constraints only if its population hasmetallicity 2.5-6.3 times that of the bulge. The nucleariron-to-magnesium index ratio can be explained by a temperature effectin the atmospheres of stars at main-sequence turn-offs between A3 andF4, during which the Fe indices of the burst population are high enoughto compensate for dilution effects. It is therefore possible to modifyline-index ratios (and hence the inferred abundance ratio) simply by thepresence of a young population with the same abundance. The highmetallicity requirement suggests self-enrichment, and a burst durationlonger than the SN II feedback time-scale. No solution exists for burstslonger than 0.4 Gyr. Burst age estimates of 0.4-1.7 Gyr are larger thanthat for the shells (0.24 Gyr), assuming phase-wrapping. No starburst isrequired if the nuclear component is composed of stars with Fe abundanceenhanced by ~0.08 dex relative to the underlying elliptical, which areaccreted by an event which truncated the star formation. This relies onthe abundance differences between giant ellipticals and spirals. The ageestimates of 0.1-0.4 Gyr in this scenario are in closer agreement withthose for phase-wrapped shells. Our results argue for a gas-richaccretion or merger origin for the shells and kinematic subcomponent inNGC 2865. Arguments based on stellar populations and gas dynamicssuggest that one of the progenitors is probably an Sb or Sc spiral. Wedemonstrate that despite the age and metallicity degeneracy of theunderlying elliptical, the age and metallicity of the kinematicsubcomponent can be constrained. This work strengthens the link betweenkinematically distinct cores (KDCs) and shells, and demonstrates that aKDC can be formed from a late merger.
| Minor axis rotation and the intrinsic shape of the shell elliptical NGC 3923
We present kinematic observations of NGC 3923, one of the best-knownexamples of an elliptical galaxy with shells. Although NGC 3923 has norotation on its major axis, it has minor axis rotation with an amplitudeof some 20 km/s out to 25 arcsec radius. This is possibly the result ofa kinematically decoupled core, but we present arguments against thishypothesis, and if the core was formed by a merger, this must have beena different merger from that which gave rise to the shells. The minoraxis rotation suggests that NGC 3923 is prolate or triaxial, at least inthe inner region. A prolate geometry for the whole galaxy would favorthe merger model over the interaction model for the shell formationmechanism. There is other evidence, however, that the shape of theunderlying galaxy changes with radius, in which case it is possible thatthe minor axis rotation could be confined to the galaxy core. Thekinematics could reflect a triaxial mass distribution, in which the longand short axes are aligned with the photometric major and minor axes,and the axial ratios change such that the galaxy is near-prolate in theinner regions and near-oblate at larger radii. Measuring the rotationcurve to about double this radius along the minor axis, as well asoffset from the nucleus along the major axis at the radius of theinnermost shells, would enable the true extent of the minor axisrotation to be determined.
| 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
| A la rencontre des galaxies a coquilles.
Not Available
| 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.
| 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.
| General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups
We present a whole sky catalog of nearby groups of galaxies taken fromthe Lyon-Meudon Extragalactic Database. From the 78,000 objects in thedatabase, we extracted a sample of 6392 galaxies, complete up to thelimiting apparent magnitude B0 = 14.0. Moreover, in order to considersolely the galaxies of the local universe, all the selected galaxieshave a known recession velocity smaller than 5500 km/s. Two methods wereused in group construction: a Huchra-Geller (1982) derived percolationmethod and a Tully (1980) derived hierarchical method. Each method gaveus one catalog. These were then compared and synthesized to obtain asingle catalog containing the most reliable groups. There are 485 groupsof a least three members in the final catalog.
| Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members
This paper gives a catalog of the groups and associations obtained bymeans of a revised hierarchical algorithm applied to a sample of 4143galaxies with diameters larger than 100 arcsec and redshifts smallerthan 6000 km/s. The 264 groups of galaxies obtained in this way (andwhich contain at least three sample galaxies) are listed, with the looseassociations surrounding them and the individual members of eachaggregate as well; moreover, the location of every entity among 13regions corresponding roughly to superclusters is specified. Finally,1729 galaxies belong to the groups, and 466 to the associations, i.e.,the total fraction of galaxies within the various aggregates amounts to53 percent.
| Shell formation in elliptical galaxies
Numerical simulations are described which show the formation of shellstructures in elliptical/SO galaxies. The shells are formed as densitywaves induced in a thick disk population of dynamiclly cold stars by aweak interaction with another galaxy. The elliptical galaxy is modeledas an oblate spheroidal mass distribtion in which test particles are setup on short axis tube orbits with zero radial thickness. The initialparticle distribution function is calculated so that the system is inequilibrium. The effect of the primary galaxy ellipticity and the massof the secondary galaxy on the shell-forming process are described.Simulated shell profiles and their radial distribution are also comparedwith observations. The results support the weak interaction model ofshell formation in elliptical/SO galaxies, and imply that shell galaxiesare similar oblate spheroids which appear as type 1 (aligned) systemswhen viewed edge-on, and as type 2 (all-round) when viewed face-on. Theweak interaction model of shell formation is shown to give a moreaccurate and robust description of the observed phenomena than does themerger model.
| Spectra of shell ellipticals - Redshifts, velocity dispersions and evidence for recent nuclear star formation
Nuclear spectra are presented for 100 of the galaxies in the Malin andCarter (1983) catalog. Redshifts and velocity dispersions are given forsome of the galaxies. It is found that about 10 percent of the samplegalaxies have colors, absolute magnitudes, and spectra characteristic ofthe poststarburst galaxies in high reshift clusters. It is suggestedthat the more distant poststarburst galaxies may have undergone mergeror accretion events.
| Formation of shells in elliptical galaxies from interstellar gas
An alternative to the merger model for producing systems of shellsaround elliptical galaxies is proposed wherein a one-sided or highlyasymmetric disturbance in the nuclear or core region leads to a periodof enhanced star formation as it propagates through the hot interstellarmedium observed in X-rays. If such a disturbance can induce cooler,denser gas co-existing with the hot phase to form observable stars at arate comparable to the inferred mass-deposition rates in these galaxies,the newly-formed stars will be created with the appropriate phase-spacecharacteristics for the phase-wrapping mechanism invoked in the contextof the merger hypothesis to occur. Thus a system of optical shells withthe observed wide range of binding energies can be produced from asingle disturbance having a wide variety of possible energies andepochs.
| Radio emission from shell elliptical galaxies
A subset of the Malin & Carter catalogue of 'shell ellipticalgalaxies' has been surveyed at 20 and 6 cm with the VLA. Forty-two percent of the galaxies were detected, down to a 6-cm flux density limit ofabout 0.6 mJy. This detection rate does not differ significantly from anormal population of mixed elliptical and S0 galaxies. Most of the radiodetections, which are sources coincident with the galaxy nuclei, areunresolved by the C-array and so have angular sizes of less than 3arcsec. The sample contains objects with a wide variety of opticalappearances, suggesting that shell galaxies are not a homogenoeus classwith uniform physical characteristics.
| Spectrophotometry of Shell Galaxies
Not Available
| Formation of stellar shells and X-ray coronae around elliptical galaxies
A wind-accretion flow interaction model is proposed for the formation ofextended multiple stellar shells and hot X-ray coronae around ellipticalgalaxies. Consideration is given to the successive interactions of a hotgalactic wind with the nonstationary ambient gas which accretes onto thegalaxy. It is found that the critical luminosity becomes larger if theambient gas density is higher; this may be one of the reasons why shellgalaxies are found in the regions of low galaxy density.
| Shells and dark matter in elliptical galaxies
Radial mass distributions in elliptical galaxies are modeled asshell-like structures arising from collisions involving less massivecompanions during radial encounters. Particles stripped from companionsby tidal forces attain radial orbits, i.e., oscillatory motions in fixedpotential wells of elliptical galaxies, with turning points and phasesdetermined by the collisional positions and energies. Model predictionsare limited by the number of shells between two fixed radii, the radialdistribution of shells, the location of the innermost shell, andinfra-galaxy velocity dispersions. When applied to NGC 3923, 1344 and3051, the model shows that extended, dark halos may explain massdistributions that cannot be accounted for by the quantity of observedluminous material.
| ARP 227 - A case for shells without mergers?
Multicolor surface photometry is presented for shell galaxy Arp 227 (NGC474). The profile shape and colors confirm that this object is an SO.Unlike previous color measurements of blue shells (Carter et al. 1982;Forte et al. 1986), the shells of this system are red (B-V = 0.90 + or -0.08), identical within the errors to the color of the parent galaxy(B-V = 0.94). Possible origins for the shells are tidally liberatedmaterial from the parent galaxy, stripped matter from a nearbycompanion, or the merger with a low-luminosity elliptical.
| A Checklist of Supernovae in the NGC and IC Galaxies Through 1985
This Checklist of Supernovae in the NGC and IC Galaxies Through 1985 ispresented to assist those interested in undertaking a visual orphotographic search for extragalactic supernovae. Some galaxies appearto have had more than one or two supernovae, and these should bemonitored closely for any new outbursts.
| Spectrophotometry of shell galaxies
Low-dispersion spectra of two shell galaxies, NGC 3923 and NGC 3051,have been obtained covering the 5300-10,000 A spectral range. The shellsin NGC 3923 are all 3-5 percent as bright as the underlying galaxy,showing that the shells roughly follow the same luminosity distributionwhich describes the galaxy itself. The shells in NGC 3051 are muchbrighter than in NGC 3923, and the two inner shells are found to havenearly constant surface brightness as a function of radius out to anabrupt cutoff radius. Some gas and dust is detected in both galaxies,but there is no excess emission in the shells, showing that the shellluminosity comes nearly completely from stellar continuum radiation. Theshells have the same V-R and R-I colors as the underlying galaxy, whichsuggests that the shell material came from the merger with an E or S0galaxy.
| Southern Galaxy Catalogue.
Not Available
| Spectroscopy of Shells around Elliptical Galaxies
Not Available
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