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Elliptical Galaxies (elliptical + galaxy)
Kinds of Elliptical Galaxies Selected AbstractsFormation and evolution of dwarf elliptical galaxies , II.MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009Spatially resolved star formation histories ABSTRACT We present optical Very Large Telescope spectroscopy of 16 dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) comparable in mass to NGC 205, and belonging to the Fornax cluster and to nearby groups of galaxies. Using full-spectrum fitting, we derive radial profiles of the SSP-equivalent ages and metallicities. We make a detailed analysis with ulyss and steckmap of the star formation history in the core of the galaxies and in an aperture of one effective radius. We resolved the history into one to four epochs. The statistical significance of these reconstructions was carefully tested; the two programs give remarkably consistent results. The old stellar population of the dEs, which dominates their mass, is likely coeval with that of massive ellipticals or bulges, but the star formation efficiency is lower. Important intermediate age (1,5 Gyr) populations and frequently tails of star formation until recent times are detected. These histories are reminiscent of their lower mass dwarf spheroidal counterparts of the Local Group. Most galaxies (10/16) show significant metallicity gradients, with metallicity declining by 0.5 dex over one half-light radius on average. These gradients are already present in the old population. The flattened (or discy), rotating objects (6/16) have flat metallicity profiles. This may be consistent with a distinct origin for these galaxies or it may be due to their geometry. The central single stellar population equivalent age varies between 1 and 6 Gyr, with the age slowly increasing with radius in the vast majority of objects. The group and cluster galaxies have similar radial gradients and star formation histories. The strong and old metallicity gradients place important constraints on the possible formation scenarios of dEs. Numerical simulations of the formation of spherical low-mass galaxies reproduce these gradients, but they require a longer time for them to build up. A gentle depletion of the gas, by ram pressure stripping or starvation, could drive the gas-rich, star-forming progenitors to the present dEs. [source] GEMINI 3D spectroscopy of BAL + IR + Fe ii QSOs , I. Decoupling the BAL, QSO, starburst, NLR, supergiant bubbles and galactic wind in Mrk 231MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009S. Lipari ABSTRACT In this paper we present the first results of a study of BAL QSOs (at low and high redshift), based on very deep Gemini GMOS integral field spectroscopy. In particular, the results obtained for the nearest BAL IR,QSO Mrk 231 are presented. For the nuclear region of Mrk 231, the QSO and host galaxy components were modelled, using a new technique of decoupling 3D spectra. From this study, the following main results were found: (i) in the pure host galaxy spectrum an extreme nuclear starburst component was clearly observed, as a very strong increase in the flux, at the blue wavelengths; (ii) the BAL system I is observed in the spectrum of the host galaxy; (iii) in the clean/pure QSO emission spectrum, only broad lines were detected. 3D GMOS individual spectra (specially in the near-infrared Ca ii triplet) and maps confirm the presence of an extreme and young nuclear starburst (8 < age < 15 Myr), which was detected in a ring or toroid with a radius r= 0.3 arcsec , 200 pc, around the core of the nucleus. The extreme continuum blue component was detected only to the south of the core of the nucleus. This area is coincident with the region where we previously suggested that the galactic wind is cleaning the nuclear dust. Very deep 3D spectra and maps clearly show that the BAL systems I and II , in the strong ,absorption lines' Na iD,5889,95 and Ca ii K,3933 , are extended (reaching ,1.4,1.6 arcsec , 1.2,1.3 kpc, from the nucleus) and clearly elongated at the position angle (PA) close to the radio jet PA, which suggest that the BAL systems I and II are ,both' associated with the radio jet. The physical properties of the four expanding nuclear bubbles were analysed, using the GMOS 3D spectra and maps. In particular, we found strong multiple LINER/OF emission-line systems and Wolf,Rayet features in the main knots of the more external super bubble S1 (r= 3.0 kpc). The kinematics of these knots , and the internal bubbles , suggest that they are associated with an area of rupture of the shell S1 (at the south-west). In addition, in the more internal superbubble S4 and close to the core of the nucleus (for r < 0.7 arcsec , 0.6 kpc), two similar narrow emission-line systems were detected, with strong [S ii] and [O i] emission and ,V,,200 km s,1. These results suggest that an important part of the nuclear NLR is generated by the OF process and the associated low-velocity ionizing shocks. Finally, the nature of the composite BAL systems and very extended OF process , of 50 kpc , in Mrk 231 (and similar QSOs) are discussed. In addition, the ,composite hyperwind scenario' (already proposed for BALs) is suggested for the origin of giant Ly, blobs. The importance of study the end phases of Mrk 231, and similar evolving elliptical galaxies and QSOs (i.e. galaxy remnants) is discussed. [source] The link between the masses and central stellar populations of S0 galaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008A. G. Bedregal ABSTRACT Using high signal-to-noise ratio VLT/FORS2 long-slit spectroscopy, we have studied the properties of the central stellar populations and dynamics of a sample of S0 galaxies in the Fornax cluster. The central absorption-line indices in these galaxies correlate well with the central velocity dispersions (,0) in accordance with what previous studies found for elliptical galaxies. However, contrary to what it is usually assumed for cluster ellipticals, the observed correlations seem to be driven by systematic age and ,-element abundance variations, and not changes in overall metallicity. We also found that the observed scatter in the index,,0 relations can be partially explained by the rotationally supported nature of these systems. Indeed, even tighter correlations exist between the line indices and the maximum circular velocity of the galaxies. This study suggests that the dynamical mass is the physical property driving these correlations, and for S0 galaxies such masses have to be estimated assuming a large degree of rotational support. The observed trends imply that the most massive S0s have the shortest star formation time-scales and the oldest stellar populations. [source] Is AGN feedback necessary to form red elliptical galaxies?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008A. Khalatyan ABSTRACT We have used the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code gadget-2 to simulate the formation of an elliptical galaxy in a group-size cosmological dark matter halo with mass Mhalo, 3 × 1012 h,1 M, at z= 0. The use of a stellar population synthesis model has allowed us to compute magnitudes, colours and surface brightness profiles. We have included a model to follow the growth of a central black hole and we have compared the results of simulations with and without feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). We have studied the interplay between cold gas accretion and merging in the development of galactic morphologies, the link between colour and morphology evolution, the effect of AGN feedback on the photometry of early-type galaxies, the redshift evolution in the properties of quasar hosts, and the impact of AGN winds on the chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium (IGM). We have found that the early phases of galaxy formation are driven by the accretion of cold filamentary flows, which form a disc galaxy at the centre of the dark matter halo. Disc star formation rates in this mode of galaxy growth are about as high as the peak star formation rates attained at a later epoch in galaxy mergers. When the dark matter halo is sufficiently massive to support the propagation of a stable shock, the gas in the filaments is heated to the virial temperature, cold accretion is shut down, and the star formation rate begins to decline. Mergers transform the spiral galaxy into an elliptical one, but they also reactivate star formation by bringing gas into the galaxy. Without a mechanism that removes gas from the merger remnants, the galaxy ends up with blue colours, which are atypical for its elliptical morphology. We have demonstrated that AGN feedback can solve this problem even with a fairly low heating efficiency. Our simulations support a picture where AGN feedback is important for quenching star formation in the remnant of wet mergers and for moving them to the red sequence. This picture is consistent with recent observational results, which suggest that AGN hosts are galaxies in migration from the blue cloud to the red sequence on the colour,magnitude diagram. However, we have also seen a transition in the properties of AGN hosts from blue and star forming at z, 2 to mainly red and dead at z, 0. Ongoing merging is the primary but not the only triggering mechanism for luminous AGN activity. Quenching by AGN is only effective after the cold filaments have dried out, since otherwise the galaxy is constantly replenished with gas. AGN feedback also contributes to raising the entropy of the hot IGM by removing low-entropy tails vulnerable to developing cooling flows. We have also demonstrated that AGN winds are potentially important for the metal enrichment of the IGM a high redshift. [source] Photometric properties and scaling relations of early-type Brightest Cluster GalaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008F. S. Liu ABSTRACT We investigate the photometric properties of the early-type Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) using a carefully selected sample of 85 BCGs from the C4 cluster catalogue with a redshift of less than 0.1. We perform accurate background subtractions and surface photometry for these BCGs to 25 mag arcsec,2 in the Sloan r band. By quantitatively analysing the gradient of the Petrosian profiles of BCGs, we find that a large fraction of BCGs have extended stellar envelopes in their outskirts; more luminous BCGs tend to have more extended stellar haloes that are likely to be connected with mergers. A comparison sample of elliptical galaxies was chosen with similar apparent magnitude and redshift ranges, for which the same photometric analysis procedure is applied. We find that BCGs have steeper size,luminosity (R,L,) and Faber,Jackson (L,,,) relations than the bulk of early-type galaxies. Furthermore, the power-law indices (, and ,) in these relations increase as the isophotal limits become deeper. For isophotal limits from 22 to 25 mag arcsec,2, BCGs are usually larger than the bulk of early-type galaxies, and a large fraction (,49 per cent) of BCGs have discy isophotal shapes. The differences in the scaling relations are consistent with a scenario where the dynamical structure and formation route of BCGs may be different from the bulk of early-type galaxies; in particular dry (dissipationless) mergers may play a more important role in their formation. We highlight several possible dry merger candidates in our sample. [source] Axisymmetric orbit models of N -body merger remnants: a dependency of reconstructed mass on viewing angleMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007J. Thomas ABSTRACT We model mock observations of collisionless N -body disc,disc mergers with the same axisymmetric orbit superposition program that has been used to model elliptical galaxies in Coma. The remnants sample representatively the shape distribution of disc,disc mergers, including the most extreme cases, like highly prolate, maximally triaxial and dominantly oblate objects. The aim of our study is to better understand how the assumption of axial symmetry affects reconstructed masses and stellar motions of systems which are intrinsically not axisymmetric, whether the axisymmetry assumption then leads to a bias and how such a potential bias can be recognized in models of real galaxies. The mass recovery at the half-light radius depends on viewing angle and intrinsic shape: edge-on views allow to reconstruct total masses with an accuracy between 20 per cent (triaxial/prolate remnants) and 3 per cent (oblate remnant). Masses of highly flattened, face-on systems are underestimated by up to 50 per cent. Deviations in local mass densities can be larger where remnants are strongly triaxial or prolate. Luminous mass-to-light ratios are sensitive to box orbits in the remnants. Box orbits cause the central value of the Gauss,Hermite parameter H4 to vary with viewing angle. Reconstructed luminous mass-to-light ratios, as well as reconstructed central masses, follow this variation. Luminous mass-to-light ratios are always underestimated (up to a factor of 2.5). Respective dark haloes in the models can be overestimated by about the same amount, depending again on viewing angle. Reconstructed velocity anisotropies , depend on viewing angle as well as on the orbital composition of the remnant and are mostly accurate to about ,,= 0.2. Larger deviations can occur towards the centre or the outer regions, respectively. We construct N -body realizations of the Schwarzschild models to discuss chaotic orbits and the virial equilibrium in our models. In this study we explore the extreme limits of axisymmetric models. Apparently flattened, rotating ellipticals of intermediate mass are likely close to both, axial symmetry and edge-on orientation. Our results imply that Schwarzschild models allow a reconstruction of their masses and stellar anisotropies with high accuracy. [source] A highly obscured and strongly clustered galaxy population discovered with the Spitzer Space TelescopeMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007M. Magliocchetti ABSTRACT The ,800 optically unseen (R > 25.5) 24-,m selected sources in the complete Spitzer First Look Survey sample with F24 ,m, 0.35 mJy are found to be very strongly clustered. If, as indicated by several lines of circumstantial evidence, they are ultraluminous far-infrared galaxies at z, 1.6,2.7, the amplitude of their spatial correlation function is very high. The associated comoving clustering length is estimated to be r0= 14.0+2.1,2.4 Mpc, value which puts these sources amongst the most strongly clustered populations of our known Universe. Their 8,24 ,m colours suggest that the active galactic nucleus contribution dominates above F24 ,m, 0.8 mJy, consistent with earlier analyses. The properties of these objects (number counts, redshift distribution, clustering amplitude) are fully consistent with those of proto-spheroidal galaxies in the process of forming most of their stars and of growing their active nucleus, as described by the Granato et al. model. In particular, the inferred space density of such galaxies at z, 2 is much higher than what is expected from most semi-analytic models. Matches of the observed projected correlation function w(,) with models derived within the so-called halo occupation scenario show that these sources have to be hosted by haloes more massive than ,1013.4 M,. This value is significantly higher than that for the typical galactic haloes hosting massive elliptical galaxies, suggesting a duration of the starburst phase of massive high-redshift dusty galaxies of TB, 0.5 Gyr. [source] Stellar haloes and elliptical galaxy formation: origin of dynamical properties of the planetary nebula systemsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006Kenji Bekki ABSTRACT Recent spectroscopic observations of planetary nebulae (PNe) in several elliptical galaxies have revealed structural and kinematical properties of the outer stellar halo regions. In order to elucidate the origin of the properties of these planetary nebula systems (PNSs), we consider the merger scenario in which an elliptical galaxy is formed by merging of spiral galaxies. Using numerical simulations, we particularly investigate radial profiles of projected PN number densities, rotational velocities and velocity dispersions of PNSs extending to the outer halo regions of elliptical galaxies formed from major and unequal-mass merging. We find that the radial profiles of the project number densities can be fitted to the power law and the mean number density in the outer haloes of the ellipticals can be more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the original spiral's halo. The PNSs are found to show a significant amount of rotation (V/, > 0.5) in the outer halo regions (R > 5Re) of the ellipticals. Two-dimensional velocity fields of PNSs are derived from the simulations and their dependences on model parameters of galaxy merging are discussed in detail. We compare the simulated kinematics of PNSs with that of the PNS observed in NGC 5128 and thereby discuss advantages and disadvantages of the merger model in explaining the observed kinematics of the PNS. We also find that the kinematics of PNSs in elliptical galaxies are quite diverse depending on the orbital configurations of galaxy merging, the mass ratio of merger progenitor spirals and the viewing angle of the galaxies. This variation translates directly into possible biases by a factor of 2 in observational mass estimation. However, the biases in the total mass estimates can be even larger. The best case systems viewed edge-on can appear to have masses lower than their true mass by a factor of 5, which suggests that current observational studies on PN kinematics of elliptical galaxies can significantly underestimate their real masses. [source] Mergers between elliptical galaxies and the thickening of the Fundamental PlaneMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2003A. C. González-García ABSTRACT We have carried out computer simulations to study the effect of merging on the Fundamental Plane (FP) relation. Initially, systems are spherical Jaffe models following a simple scaling relation (M/R2e= constant). They have been put on the FP by imposing different M/L values. Various orbital characteristics have been considered. Our results show that the merger remnants lie very close to the FP of the progenitors. Although non-homology is introduced by the merging process, mergers among homologous galaxies leave a pre-existing FP-relation intact. As a side result we find that variations in the point of view lead to non-negligible scatter about the FP. [source] Mass components in ordered and in chaotic motion in galactic N -body modelsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2002N. Voglis ABSTRACT Two self-consistent (N -body) non-rotating equilibrium models of elliptical galaxies with smooth central density profiles (called ,Q' and ,C' models) are constructed, starting from quiet and clumpy cosmological initial conditions, respectively. Both models are triaxial. The Q model has an E7 maximum ellipticity in the inner parts and tends to E6 or E5 maximum ellipticity in the outer parts. The C model has a maximum ellipticity E4 in the inner parts and tends to an E2 or E1 in the outer parts. For each model, we identify the particles moving in chaotic orbits with the Lyapunov number exceeding a particular threshold (namely, 10,2.8, in units of the inverse radial periods of the particular orbits). At energy levels in the deepest 30 per cent of the potential well, no chaotic orbits were detected in the above limit of chaoticity. In the Q model, the detected chaotic part is 32 per cent of the total mass. This part has a nearly spherical distribution. It imposes limitations on the maximum ellipticity of the system, in spite of the fact that only a part of less than about 8 per cent of the total mass moves in chaotic orbits and is able to develop chaotic diffusion within a Hubble time. In the C model, the detected chaotic part is about 26 per cent of the total mass, but only less than 2 per cent can develop chaotic diffusion within a Hubble time. These chaotic components produce surface density profiles flatter than the profiles of the rest of the mass, particularly in the Q model. The two profiles intersect at a given distance, where the overall profile forms an observable hump, especially if the surface density profiles are taken along the shortest axis of the projection. [source] Dwarf elliptical galaxies: structure, star formation and colour,magnitude diagramsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001Giovanni Carraro The aim of this paper is to cast light on the formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies by means of N -body hydrodynamical simulations that include star formation, feedback and chemical evolution. Particular attention is paid to the case of dwarf spheroidals of the Local Group which, thanks to their proximity and modern ground-based and space instrumentation, can be resolved into single stars so that independent determinations of their age and star formation history can be derived. Indeed, the analysis of the colour,magnitude diagram of their stellar content allows us to infer the past history of star formation and chemical enrichment, thus setting important constraints on galactic models. Dwarf galaxies are known to exhibit complicated histories of star formation ranging from a single very old episode to a series of bursts over most of the Hubble time. By understanding the physical process driving star formation in these objects, we might be able to infer the mechanism governing star formation in more massive elliptical galaxies. Given these premises, we start from virialized haloes of dark matter, and follow the infall of gas into the potential wells and the formation of stars. We find that in objects of the same total mass, different star formation histories are possible, if the collapse phase started at different initial densities. We predict the final structure of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, their kinematics, their large-scale distribution of gas and stars, and their detailed histories of the star formation and metal enrichment. Using a population synthesis technique, star formation and metal enrichment rates are then adopted to generate the present colour,magnitude diagrams of the stellar populations hosted by dwarf spheroidal galaxies. The simulations are made assuming the redshift of galaxy formation and varying the cosmological parameters H0 and q0. The resulting colour,magnitude diagrams are then compared with the observational ones for some dwarf spheroidals of the Local Group. [source] Stellar populations and surface brightness fluctuations: new observations and modelsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001John P. Blakeslee We investigate the use of surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) measurements in optical and near-IR bandpasses for both stellar population and distance studies. New V -band SBF data are reported for five galaxies in the Fornax cluster and combined with literature data to define a V -band SBF distance indicator, calibrated against Cepheid distances to the Leo group and the Virgo and Fornax clusters. The colour dependence of the V -band SBF indicator is only ,15 per cent steeper than that found for the I band, and the mean ,fluctuation colour' of the galaxies is We use new stellar population models, based on the latest Padua isochrones transformed empirically to the observational plane, to predict optical and near-IR SBF magnitudes and integrated colours for a wide range of population ages and metallicities. We examine the sensitivity of the predicted SBF,colour relations to changes in the isochrones, stellar transformations, and initial mass function. The new models reproduce fairly well the weak dependence of V and I SBF in globular clusters on metallicity, especially if the more metal-rich globulars are younger. Below solar metallicity, the near-IR SBF magnitudes depend mainly on age, while the integrated colours depend mainly on metallicity. This could prove a powerful new approach to the age,metallicity degeneracy problem; near-IR SBF observations of globular clusters would be an important test of the models. The models also help in understanding the and fluctuation colours of elliptical galaxies, with much less need for composite stellar populations than in previous models. However, in order to obtain theoretical calibrations of the SBF distance indicators, we combine the homogeneous population models into composite models and select out those ones with fluctuation colours consistent with observations. We are able to reproduce the observed range of elliptical galaxy colours, the slopes of the V and I SBF distance indicators against (fainter SBF in redder populations), and the flattening of the I -band relation for The models also match the observed slope of I -band SBF against the Mg2 absorption index and explain the steep colour dependence found by Ajhar et al. for the HST/WFPC2 F814W-band SBF measurements. In contrast to previous models, ours predict that the near-IR SBF magnitudes will also continue to grow fainter for redder populations. The theoretical V -band SBF zero-point predicted by these models agrees well with the Cepheid-calibrated V -band empirical zero-point. However, the model zero-point is 0.15,0.27 mag too faint in the I band and 0.24,0.36 mag too faint in K. The zero-points for the I band (empirically the best determined) would come into close agreement if the Cepheid distance scale were revised to agree with the recent dynamical distance measured to NGC 4258. We note that the theoretical SBF calibrations are sensitive to the uncertain details of stellar evolution, and conclude that the empirical calibrations remain more secure. However, the sensitivity of SBF to these finer details potentially makes it a powerful, relatively unexploited, constraint for stellar evolution and population synthesis. [source] The origin and formation of cuspy density profiles through violent relaxation of stellar systemsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2000S. Hozumi It is shown that the cuspy density distributions observed in the cores of elliptical galaxies can be realized by dissipationless gravitational collapse. The initial models consist of power-law density spheres such as ,,r,1 with anisotropic velocity dispersions. Collapse simulations are carried out by integrating the collisionless Boltzmann equation directly, on the assumption of spherical symmetry. From the results obtained, the extent of constant density cores, formed through violent relaxation, decreases as the velocity anisotropy increases radially, and practically disappears for extremely radially anisotropic models. As a result, the relaxed density distributions become more cuspy with increasing radial velocity anisotropy. It is thus concluded that the velocity anisotropy could be a key ingredient for the formation of density cusps in a dissipationless collapse picture. The velocity dispersions increase with radius in the cores according to the nearly power-law density distributions. The power-law index, n, of the density profiles, defined as ,,r,n, changes from n,2.1 at intermediate radii to a shallower power than n,2.1 toward the centre. This density bend can be explained from our postulated local phase-space constraint that the phase-space density accessible to the relaxed state is determined at each radius by the maximum phase-space density of the initial state. [source] Constraining the star formation histories of spiral bulgesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2000R. N. Proctor Stellar populations in spiral bulges are investigated using the Lick system of spectral indices. Long-slit spectroscopic observations of line strengths and kinematics made along the minor axes of four spiral bulges are reported. Comparisons are made between central line strengths in spiral bulges and those in other morphological types [elliptical, spheroidal (Sph) and S0]. The bulges investigated are found to have central line strengths comparable to those of single stellar populations of approximately solar abundance or above. Negative radial gradients are observed in line strengths, similar to those exhibited by elliptical galaxies. The bulge data are also consistent with correlations between Mg2, Mg2 gradient and central velocity dispersion observed in elliptical galaxies. In contrast to elliptical galaxies, central line strengths lie within the loci defining the range of ,Fe, and Mg2 achieved by Worthey's solar abundance ratio, single stellar populations (SSPs). The implication of solar abundance ratios indicates significant differences in the star formation histories of spiral bulges and elliptical galaxies. A ,single zone with infall' model of galactic chemical evolution, using Worthey's SSPs, is used to constrain the possible star formation histories of our sample. We show that the ,Fe,, Mg2 and H, line strengths observed in these bulges cannot be reproduced using primordial collapse models of formation but can be reproduced by models with extended infall of gas and star formation (2,17 Gyr) in the region modelled. One galaxy (NGC 5689) shows a central population with a luminosity-weighted average age of ,5 Gyr, supporting the idea of extended star formation. Kinematic substructure, possibly associated with a central spike in metallicity, is observed at the centre of the Sa galaxy NGC 3623. [source] X-ray evidence for multiphase hot gas with nearly solar Fe abundances in the brightest groups of galaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2000David A. Buote We analyse the ASCA spectra accumulated within ,100 kpc radii of 12 of the brightest groups of galaxies. Upon fitting isothermal models (1T) jointly to the ASCA SIS and GIS spectra we obtain fits for most groups that are of poor or at best marginal quality and give very subsolar metallicities similar to previous studies, ,Z,=0.29±0.12 Z,. Two-temperature models (2T) provide significantly better fits for 11 out of the 12 groups, and in every case have metallicities that are substantially larger than obtained for the 1T models, ,Z,=0.75±0.24 Z,. Though not very well constrained, for most of the groups absorption in excess of the Galactic value is indicated for the cooler temperature component of the 2T models. A simple multiphase cooling flow model gives results analogous to the 2T models including large metallicities, ,Z,=0.65±0.17 Z,. The nearly solar Fe abundances and also solar ,/Fe ratios indicated by the 2T and cooling flow models are consistent with models of the chemical enrichment of ellipticals, groups, and clusters which assume ratios of Type Ia to Type II supernovae and an initial mass function (IMF) similar to those of the Milky Way. Thus we have shown that the very subsolar Fe abundances and Si/Fe enhancements obtained from most previous studies within r,100 kpc of galaxy groups are an artefact of fitting isothermal models to the X-ray spectra, which also has been recently demonstrated for the brightest elliptical galaxies. Owing to the importance of these results for interpreting X-ray spectra, in an appendix we use simulated ASCA observations to examine in detail the ,Fe bias' and ,Si bias' associated with the spectral fitting of ellipticals, groups and clusters of galaxies. [source] On the evolution of the Fe abundance and of the Type Ia supernova rate in clusters of galaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2007F. Calura ABSTRACT The study of the Fe abundance in the intracluster medium (ICM) provides strong constraints on the integrated star formation history and supernova rate of the cluster galaxies, as well as on the ICM enrichment mechanisms. In this Letter, using chemical evolution models for galaxies of different morphological types, we study the evolution of the Fe content of clusters of galaxies. We assume that the ICM Fe enrichment occurs by means of galactic winds arising from elliptical galaxies and from gas stripped from the progenitors of S0 galaxies via external mechanisms, due to the interaction of the interstellar medium with the ICM. The Fe-rich gas ejected by ellipticals accounts for the XFe,ICM values observed at z > 0.5, whereas the gas stripped from the progenitors of the S0 galaxies accounts for the increase of XFe,ICM observed at z < 0.5. We test two different scenarios for Type Ia supernova (SN) progenitors and we model the Type Ia SN rate observed in clusters, finding a good agreement between our predictions and the available observations. [source] Cool gas accretion, thermal evaporation, and quenching of star formation in elliptical galaxiesASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009C. NipotiArticle first published online: 4 NOV 200 Abstract The most evident features of colour-magnitude diagrams of galaxies are the red sequence of quiescent galaxies, extending up to the brightest elliptical galaxies, and the blue cloud of star-forming galaxies, which is truncated at a luminosity L , L*. The truncation of the blue cloud indicates that in the most massive systems star formation must be quenched. For this to happen the virial-temperature galactic gas must be kept hot and any accreted cold gas must be heated. The elimination of accreted cold gas can be due to thermal evaporation by the hot interstellar medium, which in turn is prevented from cooling by feedback from active galactic nuclei (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Metallicity gradients: Mass dependency in dwarf elliptical galaxies,ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009M. Koleva Abstract The formation and evolution of galaxies is imprinted on their stellar population radial gradients. Two recent articles present conflicting results concerning the mass dependence of the metallicity gradients for early-type dwarf galaxies. On one side, Spolaor et al. (2009) show a tight positive correlation between the total metallicity [Z /H] and the mass. On the other side, in a distinct sample, we do not find any trend involving [Fe/H] (Koleva et al. 2009). In order to investigate the origin of the discrepancy, we examine various factors that may affect the determination of the gradients: namely the sky subtraction and the signal-to-noise ratio. We conclude that our detection of gradients are well above the possible analysis biases. Then, we measured the [Mg/Fe] relative abundance profile and found moderate gradients. The derived [Z /H] gradients scatter around ,0.4 dex/re. The two samples contain the same types of objects and the reason of the disagreement is still not understood (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Stellar populations of seven early-type dwarf galaxies and their nuclei,ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009S. Paudel Abstract Dwarf galaxies are the numerically dominating population in the dense regions of the universe. Although they seem to be simple systems at first view, the stellar populations of dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) might be fairly complex. Nucleated dEs are of particular interest, since a number of objects exhibit different stellar populations in their nuclei and host galaxy. We present stellar population parameters obtained from integrated optical spectra using a Lick index analysis of seven nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxies and their nuclei. After subtracting the scaled galaxy spectra from the nucleus spectra, we compared them with one another and explore their stellar populations. As a preliminary result, we find that the luminosity weighted ages of the nuclei slightly lower than those of galaxies, however, we do not see any significant difference in metallicity of the host galaxies and their nuclei (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Smooth, undisturbed dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Perseus cluster core: Implications for dark matter contentASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009Sj. Penny Abstract Using deep HST/ACS observations of the core of the Perseus Cluster, we identify a large population of dwarf elliptical galaxies down to MV = ,12. All these dwarfs are remarkably smooth in appearance, showing no evidence for internal features that could be the result of tidal processes or star formation induced by the cluster potential. Based on these observations and the relatively large sizes of these dwarfs, we argue that at least some must have a large dark matter component to prevent their disruption by the cluster potential. We further derive a new method to quantify the dark matter content of cluster dSphs without the use of kinematics, which are impossible to obtain at these distances. We find that mass-to-light ratios for dwarfs in the core of the Perseus Cluster are comparable to those found for Local Group dSphs, ranging between M,/L, , 1 and 120. This is evidence that dwarf spheroidals reside in dark matter subhalos that protect them from tidal processes in the cores of dense clusters (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The evolution of spheroidal galaxies in different environmentsASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009A. Fritz Abstract We analyse the kinematic and chemical evolution of 203 distant spheroidal (elliptical and S0) galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.8 which are located in different environments (rich clusters, low-mass clusters and in the field). VLT/FORS and CAHA/MOSCA spectra with intermediate-resolution have been acquired to measure the internal kinematics and stellar populations of the galaxies. From HST/ACS and WFPC2 imaging, surface brightness profiles and structural parameters were derived for half of the galaxy sample. The scaling relations of the Faber-Jackson relation and Kormendy relation as well as the Fundamental Plane indicate a moderate evolution for the whole galaxy population in each density regime. In all environments, S0 galaxies show a faster evolution than elliptical galaxies. For the cluster galaxies a slight radial dependence of the evolution out to one virial radius is found. Dividing the samples with respect to their mass, a mass dependent evolution with a stronger evolution of lower-mass galaxies (M < 2 × 1011 M,) is detected. Evidence for recent star formation is provided by blue colours and weak [OII] emission or strong H, absorption features in the spectra. The results are consistent with a down-sizing formation scenario which is independent from the environment of the galaxies (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] How to disentangle the group of dwarf elliptical galaxies in the Virgo clusterASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009T. Gotthart Abstract A sample of early-type dwarf galaxies of the Virgo cluster extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is analyzed to search for two different populations: galaxies which were formed in the cluster and galaxies which were accreted at a later stage and which were stripped during this process. Photometric and spectroscopic data has been used for the analysis. Due to the low signal-to-noise ratios of the data, the results are however inconclusive (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The FIRST radio survey: Panchromatic properties of FIRST radio sources identified in the Boötes and Cetus fieldsASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1 2009K. El Bouchefry Abstract In this paper the availability of multi-wavelength optical/infrared information of FIRST (Faint Images of the Radio Sky at 20 cm) radio sources counterparts over ,9.2 deg2 in the Boötes field and ,2.4 deg2 in the Cetus field is exploited to infer the physical properties of the faint radio population. The radio sources optically identified have been divided into resolved galaxies and stellar-like objects finding that the faint radio population is mainly composed of early-type galaxies with very red colour (Bw , R , 4.6). A total number of 57 counterparts of FIRST radio sources have extremely red colour (R , K , 5). Photometric redshift from Hyperz implies that the Extremely Red Objects (EROs) counterparts to FIRST radio sources are mostly located in the range z = 0.7,2, with the bulk of the population at z , 1. Taking advantage of the near infrared imaging with FLAMEX (FLAMINGOS Extragalactic Infrared Survey), the EROs counterparts to FIRST radio sources are separated into passively-evolving and dusty star-forming galaxies using their RJK colours; the relatively blue J , K of these galaxies suggest that most are old elliptical galaxies (18/25) rather than dusty starburst galaxies (7/25). A total of 15 Distant Red Galaxy (DRGs) have been identified as counterparts to FIRST radio sources in the Cetus field and 3 DRGs in the Boötes field with J , K > 2.3 (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Hard X,ray observations of Extremely Red ObjectsASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1-2 2003M. Brusa Abstract Extremely Red Objects (EROs, R,K>5) constitute a heterogeneous class of extragalactic sources including high redshift elliptical galaxies, dusty star,forming systems and heavily obscured AGNs. Hard X-ray observations provide an unique and powerful tool to uncover obscured nuclear or star,forming activity. We present the results of XMM,Newton observations of the largest sample of EROs available to date (about 450 objects over a contiguous area of 700 arcmin2). Five of the 46 hard X,ray selected sources brighter than 3 × 10,15 cgs in the 2,10 keV band, are associated with EROs. All of the X-ray detected EROs show rather extreme X,ray,to,optical flux ratios, suggesting the presence of highly obscured AGN activity. We also report on the X,ray stacking analysis of spectroscopically identified EROs in the Chandra Deep Field South. [source] Is AGN feedback necessary to form red elliptical galaxies?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008A. Khalatyan ABSTRACT We have used the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code gadget-2 to simulate the formation of an elliptical galaxy in a group-size cosmological dark matter halo with mass Mhalo, 3 × 1012 h,1 M, at z= 0. The use of a stellar population synthesis model has allowed us to compute magnitudes, colours and surface brightness profiles. We have included a model to follow the growth of a central black hole and we have compared the results of simulations with and without feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). We have studied the interplay between cold gas accretion and merging in the development of galactic morphologies, the link between colour and morphology evolution, the effect of AGN feedback on the photometry of early-type galaxies, the redshift evolution in the properties of quasar hosts, and the impact of AGN winds on the chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium (IGM). We have found that the early phases of galaxy formation are driven by the accretion of cold filamentary flows, which form a disc galaxy at the centre of the dark matter halo. Disc star formation rates in this mode of galaxy growth are about as high as the peak star formation rates attained at a later epoch in galaxy mergers. When the dark matter halo is sufficiently massive to support the propagation of a stable shock, the gas in the filaments is heated to the virial temperature, cold accretion is shut down, and the star formation rate begins to decline. Mergers transform the spiral galaxy into an elliptical one, but they also reactivate star formation by bringing gas into the galaxy. Without a mechanism that removes gas from the merger remnants, the galaxy ends up with blue colours, which are atypical for its elliptical morphology. We have demonstrated that AGN feedback can solve this problem even with a fairly low heating efficiency. Our simulations support a picture where AGN feedback is important for quenching star formation in the remnant of wet mergers and for moving them to the red sequence. This picture is consistent with recent observational results, which suggest that AGN hosts are galaxies in migration from the blue cloud to the red sequence on the colour,magnitude diagram. However, we have also seen a transition in the properties of AGN hosts from blue and star forming at z, 2 to mainly red and dead at z, 0. Ongoing merging is the primary but not the only triggering mechanism for luminous AGN activity. Quenching by AGN is only effective after the cold filaments have dried out, since otherwise the galaxy is constantly replenished with gas. AGN feedback also contributes to raising the entropy of the hot IGM by removing low-entropy tails vulnerable to developing cooling flows. We have also demonstrated that AGN winds are potentially important for the metal enrichment of the IGM a high redshift. [source] A case of mistaken identity?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007GRB 060912A, short GRB divide, the nature of the long ABSTRACT We investigate the origin of the GRB 060912A, which has observational properties that make its classification as either a long or short burst ambiguous. Short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) are thought to have typically lower energies than long-duration bursts, can be found in galaxies with populations of all ages and are likely to originate from different progenitors to the long-duration bursts. However, it has become clear that duration alone is insufficient to make a distinction between the two populations in many cases, leading to a desire to find additional discriminators of burst type. GRB 060912A had a duration of 6 s and occurred only ,10 arcsec from a bright, low-redshift (z= 0.0936) elliptical galaxy, suggesting that this may have been the host, which would favour it being a short burst. However, our deep optical imaging and spectroscopy of the location of GRB 060912A using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows that GRB 060912A more likely originates in a distant star-forming galaxy at z= 0.937, and is most likely a long burst. This demonstrates the risk in identifying bright, nearby galaxies as the hosts of given gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) without further supporting evidence. Further, it implies that, in the absence of secure identifications, ,host' type, or more broadly discriminators that rely on galaxy redshifts, may not be good indicators of the true nature of any given GRB. [source] Stellar haloes and elliptical galaxy formation: origin of dynamical properties of the planetary nebula systemsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006Kenji Bekki ABSTRACT Recent spectroscopic observations of planetary nebulae (PNe) in several elliptical galaxies have revealed structural and kinematical properties of the outer stellar halo regions. In order to elucidate the origin of the properties of these planetary nebula systems (PNSs), we consider the merger scenario in which an elliptical galaxy is formed by merging of spiral galaxies. Using numerical simulations, we particularly investigate radial profiles of projected PN number densities, rotational velocities and velocity dispersions of PNSs extending to the outer halo regions of elliptical galaxies formed from major and unequal-mass merging. We find that the radial profiles of the project number densities can be fitted to the power law and the mean number density in the outer haloes of the ellipticals can be more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the original spiral's halo. The PNSs are found to show a significant amount of rotation (V/, > 0.5) in the outer halo regions (R > 5Re) of the ellipticals. Two-dimensional velocity fields of PNSs are derived from the simulations and their dependences on model parameters of galaxy merging are discussed in detail. We compare the simulated kinematics of PNSs with that of the PNS observed in NGC 5128 and thereby discuss advantages and disadvantages of the merger model in explaining the observed kinematics of the PNS. We also find that the kinematics of PNSs in elliptical galaxies are quite diverse depending on the orbital configurations of galaxy merging, the mass ratio of merger progenitor spirals and the viewing angle of the galaxies. This variation translates directly into possible biases by a factor of 2 in observational mass estimation. However, the biases in the total mass estimates can be even larger. The best case systems viewed edge-on can appear to have masses lower than their true mass by a factor of 5, which suggests that current observational studies on PN kinematics of elliptical galaxies can significantly underestimate their real masses. [source] Radial variation of optical and near-infrared colours in luminous early-type galaxies in A2199MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2004Naoyuki Tamura ABSTRACT We performed K -band surface photometry for luminous early-type galaxies in a nearby rich cluster A2199. Combining it with B - and R -band surface photometry, radial variations of B,R and R,K colours in the galaxies were investigated. It is found that the inner regions of the galaxies are redder in both B,R and R,K colours. Comparing the radial variations of both colours with predictions of simple stellar population models for a range of ages and metallicities, it is suggested that the cluster ellipticals have negative metallicity gradients, but their age gradients are consistent with zero, although our sample is small; the typical metallicity gradient is estimated to be ,0.16 ± 0.09 in d log Z/d log r, while the age gradient is estimated to be ,0.10 ± 0.14 in d log (age)/d log r. Considering that similar results have also been derived in the other recent studies using samples of ellipticals in the Coma cluster and less dense environments, it seems that there is no strong dependence on galaxy environment in the radial gradient of stellar population in an elliptical galaxy. [source] SDSS J150634.27+013331.6: the second compact elliptical galaxy in the NGC 5846 group,MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2010Igor V. Chilingarian ABSTRACT We report the discovery of the second compact elliptical (cE) galaxy SDSS J150634.27+013331.6 in the nearby NGC 5846 group by the Virtual Observatory (VO) workflow. This object (MB=,15.98 mag, Re= 0.24 kpc) becomes the fifth cE where the spatially resolved kinematics and stellar populations can be obtained. We used archival HST WFPC2 images to demonstrate that its light profile has a two-component structure, and integrated photometry from GALEX, SDSS, UKIDSS and Spitzer to build the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution to constrain the star formation history (SFH). We observed this galaxy with the PMAS IFU spectrograph at the Calar-Alto 3.5-m telescope and obtained two-dimensional maps of its kinematics and stellar population properties using the full-spectral fitting technique. Its structural, dynamical and stellar population properties suggest that it had a massive progenitor heavily tidally stripped by NGC 5846. [source] The dark halo of the main lens galaxy in QSO 0957 + 561MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2005L. J. Goicoechea ABSTRACT We present an analysis of infrared/optical/ultraviolet spectra of the two images of the first gravitationally lensed quasar Q0957 + 561A,B. The Hubble Space Telescope observations of Q0957 + 561A and Q0957 + 561B are separated in time by the known time delay in this system, so we can directly deduce the flux ratios. These flux ratios of images lead to important information on the dark halo of the main lens galaxy (a giant elliptical at redshift z= 0.36). Our measurements for the continuum are in good agreement with extinction in the elliptical galaxy and a small fraction of mass in collapsed objects (no need for gravitational microlensing). From the continuum and emission-line ratios, we also show evidence in favour of the existence of a network of compact dusty clouds. [source] | ||||||||||