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The UZC-SSRS2 Group Catalog
We apply a friends-of-friends algorithm to the combined Updated ZwickyCatalog and Southern Sky Redshift Survey to construct a catalog of 1168groups of galaxies; 411 of these groups have five or more members withinthe redshift survey. The group catalog covers 4.69 sr, and all groupsexceed the number density contrast threshold, δρ/ρ=80. Wedemonstrate that the groups catalog is homogeneous across the twounderlying redshift surveys; the catalog of groups and their membersthus provides a basis for other statistical studies of the large-scaledistribution of groups and their physical properties. The medianphysical properties of the groups are similar to those for groupsderived from independent surveys, including the ESO Key Programme andthe Las Campanas Redshift Survey. We include tables of groups and theirmembers.
| Compact groups in the UZC galaxy sample
Applying an automatic neighbour search algorithm to the 3D UZC galaxycatalogue (Falco et al. \cite{Falco}) we have identified 291 compactgroups (CGs) with radial velocity between 1000 and 10 000 kms-1. The sample is analysed to investigate whether Tripletsdisplay kinematical and morphological characteristics similar to higherorder CGs (Multiplets). It is found that Triplets constitute lowvelocity dispersion structures, have a gas-rich galaxy population andare typically retrieved in sparse environments. Conversely Multipletsshow higher velocity dispersion, include few gas-rich members and aregenerally embedded structures. Evidence hence emerges indicating thatTriplets and Multiplets, though sharing a common scale, correspond todifferent galaxy systems. Triplets are typically field structures whilstMultiplets are mainly subclumps (either temporarily projected orcollapsing) within larger structures. Simulations show that selectioneffects can only partially account for differences, but significantcontamination of Triplets by field galaxy interlopers could eventuallyinduce the observed dependences on multiplicity. Tables 1 and 2 are onlyavailable in electronic at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/391/35
| X-ray luminosities of galaxies in groups
We have derived the X-ray luminosities of a sample of galaxies ingroups, making careful allowance for contaminating intragroup emission.The LX:LB and LX:LFIRrelations of spiral galaxies in groups appear to be indistinguishablefrom those in other environments, however the elliptical galaxies fallinto two distinct classes. The first class is central-dominant groupgalaxies, which are very X-ray luminous and may be the focus of groupcooling flows. All other early-type galaxies in groups belong to thesecond class, which populates an almost constant band ofLX/LB over the range9.8
| Compact Groups of Galaxies: Evolution of the Stellar Population
We present a study focusing on the nature of compact groups (CGs)through the study of their elliptical (E) galaxies. Parametersdescribing the internal dynamics and the stellar populations of thegalaxies are compared with their counterparts in other environments. Oursample has 24 bright E galaxies located in the core of Hickson CGs and11 bright `bona fide' Es, located in the field or very loose groups.Their spectra were obtained with the 2.1 m Telescope at KPNO and have a4.1 Å resolution over the wavelength range 3500-7000 Å. Wehave found that, from the dynamical point of view, E galaxies in CGs areessentially similar to those in dense clusters. Moreover, the stellarpopulations of Es in CGs seem to be older and less metal rich than thosein the field, behaviour which has also been observed by Rose et al.(1994).
| The Fundamental Plane of Elliptical Galaxies in Compact Groups
We present a study focusing on the nature of compact groups through thestudy of their elliptical galaxies. We determine velocity dispersions(σ) for 18 bright elliptical galaxies located in the core ofHickson compact groups and a control sample of 12 bright bona fideelliptical galaxies located in the field or very loose groups. Severaltests are carried out to avoid sources of systematic effects in σmeasurements. We use these velocity dispersions to compare the positionsof 11 compact group galaxies in the fundamental plane with those of alarge and homogeneous sample of elliptical galaxies. We find that littleor no significant difference exists, as far as the fundamental plane isconcerned, between elliptical galaxies in compact groups and theircounterparts in other environments.
| The Nuclear Activity of Galaxies in the Hickson Compact Groups
In order to investigate the nuclear activity of galaxies residing incompact groups of galaxies, we present results of our opticalspectroscopic program made at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. We haveperformed optical spectroscopy of 69 galaxies belonging to 31 Hicksoncompact groups (HCGs) of galaxies. Among them, three galaxies havediscordant redshifts and, moreover, spectral quality is too poor toclassify another three galaxies. Therefore, we describe our results forthe remaining 63 galaxies. Our main results are summarized as follows:(1) We have found in our sample 28 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), 16 HII nuclei, and 19 normal galaxies showing no emission line. We used thisHCG sample for statistical analyses. (2) Comparing the frequencydistributions of activity types between the HCGs and the field galaxieswhose data are taken from Ho, Filippenko, & Sargent (382 fieldgalaxies), we find that the frequency of H II nuclei in the HCGs issignificantly less than that in the field. However, this difference maybe due to selection bias to the effect that our HCG sample contains moreearly-type galaxies than the field, because it is known that H II nucleiare rarer in early-type galaxies than in later ones. (3) Applying acorrection to this morphological bias to the HCG sample, we find thatthere is no statistically significant difference in the frequency ofoccurrence of emission-line galaxies between the HCGs and the field.This implies that the dense galaxy environment in the HCGs does notaffect the triggering of either the AGN activity and the nuclearstarburst. We discuss some implications on the nuclear activity in theHCG galaxies.
| Metal Abundance of an X-Ray Emitting Gas in Two Groups of Galaxies: The NGC 5044 Group and HCG 51
We observed two groups of galaxies, the NGC 5044 group (WP 23) andHickson's compact group HCG 51, with ASCA. We detected an extendedbright soft X-ray emission, which indicates the existence of largeamounts of a hot X-ray emitting gas in both targets. The temperature ofthe hot gas is ~ 1 keV for both objects, which is equivalent to theirgalaxy velocity dispersion. The metal abundance of the gas is 0.3--0.5solar value for both objects, which is similar to that of rich clustersof galaxies. The Si to Fe abundance ratio is smaller than that of richclusters of galaxies, although the iron abundances determined by theFe-L lines are somewhat uncertain. The X-ray luminosities in the 0.5--10keV band are 1*E(43) erg s(-1) and 5*E(42) erg s(-1) for the NGC 5044group and HCG 51, respectively, which are higher by an order ofmagnitude than those of X-ray bright elliptical galaxies. This makes HCG51 one of the most X-ray luminous compact groups. Both objects have atotal gravitating mass of M_total ~ 2.0*E(13) MO , and a gas mass and agalaxy mass of M_gas ~ M_galaxy ~ 1.5*E(12) MO . The ratios among thesemass components are M_gas/M_galaxy ~ 1 and (M_gas+M_galaxy)/M_total ~0.2 within ~ 350 kpc for both objects. The latter is similar to previousROSAT results for many groups of galaxies, while the former is largerthan the average value of the ROSAT-observed groups. Moreover, the metalabundances of the present two groups are significantly higher than thoseof the NGC 2300 group and HCG 62, and are comparable to those ofclusters. These suggest that the hot-gas mass and metal abundances canscatter widely among groups, compared to the small variance found amongrich clusters.
| Morphology of early-type galaxies in compact groups, 2.
This is the second paper of a series in which we study the morphology ofearly-type galaxies in compact groups (CGGs). Here we present newgeometrical and luminosity profiles of a sample of 47 early-typegalaxies belonging to 16 Hickson Compact Groups. These new data,together with those of the previous work, confirm the indication thatboxy ellipticals are less frequent in compact groups than in differentenvironments. More generally, the data available up to now seem toindicate that early-type galaxies in compact groups show less signatures(perturbed profiles, nuclear dust lanes, boxiness of the isophotes) ofhaving yet experienced close encounters and merging events, with respectto galaxies in other environments. A weak indication exists that, amongCGG ellipticals, boxiness of the isophotes is moere frequent in the morecompact groups.
| New evidence for mergers in compact groups of galaxies
In the (logR_e_, μ_e_) plane defined by the logarithm of theeffective radius and the effective surface brightness, ellipticalgalaxies that are members of Hickson's compact groups turn out to belongto the bright family, thus suggesting that most of them have likelyexperiences subtantial secondary evolution.
| An interaction model for the formation of dwarf galaxies and 10 exp 8 solar mass clouds in spiral disks
Ten H I clouds with masses larger than 10 exp 8 solar masses in theinteracting galaxies IC 2163/NGC 2207 are identified. Twenty-eight otherinteracting pairs of galaxies with large knots or star formationstructures in their optical images are also tabulated. It is suggestedthat interactions can lead to the formation of greater than 10 solarmass clouds and young stellar regions in the outer parts of galacticdisks, and that some of these regions may become gravitationally bounddwarf galaxies if they are ejected in tidal arms. It is proposed thatthe key to the origin of clouds of greater than 10 exp 8 solar mass ininteracting systems lies in the high velocity dispersion of theinterstellar gas. Numerical N-body simulations of the interactinggalaxies suggest that the complete detachment of an unbound dwarf galaxyrequires a companion mass comparable to or larger than the galaxy mass.
| Compact groups of galaxies and large-scale structure
The relative orientation of a homogeneous sample of 92 compact groups ofgalaxies taken from Hickson's catalog is investigated. No evidence isfound for these groups of galaxies to be aligned with either theirnearest neighbors or with Abell clusters. However, a weak indication ofalignment is found for groups connected in large structures such as'chains' and/or 'filaments'. Two concentrations are found: one of 17groups extends for 93/h Mpc, the other of 15 groups for 83/h Mpc. Bothhave an average recession velocity of about 6300 km/s. The alignment ofthe groups in the concentrations may be suggestive of a real effect.This result supports the argument that group orientations reflect theirorigin in chainlike or filamentary protosuperclusters.
| Dynamical properties of compact groups of galaxies
Radial velocities are presented for 457 galaxies in the 100 Hicksoncompact groups. More than 84 percent of the galaxies measured havevelocities within 1000 km/s of the median velocity in the group.Ninety-two groups have at least three accordant members, and 69 groupshave at least four. The radial velocities of these groups range from1380 to 42,731 km/s with a median of 8889 km/s, corresponding to amedian distance of 89/h Mpc. The apparent space density of these systemsranges from 300 to as much as 10 exp 8 sq h/sq Mpc, which exceeds thedensities in the centers of rich clusters. The median projectedseparation between galaxies is 39/h kpc, comparable to the sizes of thegalaxies themselves. A significant correlation is found between crossingtime and the fraction of gas-rich galaxies in the groups, and a weakanticorrelation is found between crossing time and the luminositycontrast of the first-ranked galaxy.
| Optical colors of early-type galaxies in compact groups
UBVRI colors of a sample of 55 elliptical galaxies as well as 21 S0galaxies in Hickson compact groups are presented. Four of the ellipticalgalaxies and one of the S0 galaxies in the compact groups aresignificantly bluer than normal for early-type galaxies of theirluminosity. A population of elliptical galaxies with blue optical colorsis predicted by standard models of the evolution of galaxies in compactgroups because of the favorable conditions for interactions and mergersin these regions. The brightest of the blue elliptical galaxies has anextensive shell system; however, the other two blue elliptical galaxiesfor which there is sufficient spatial resolution show no unusualmorphological features such as tails or shells. In addition to theircolor, the primary distinguishing feature of the blue ellipticalgalaxies is their color gradient, as they tend to be bluer in the centerthan at large radii, which is contrary to the usual trend in ellipticalgalaxies.
| The luminosity function of compact groups of galaxies
An analysis of the luminosity function of 68 compact groups of galaxiescataloged by Hickson (1982) is presented. The luminosities of compactgroup galaxies are consistent with their being drawn from a Schechterluminosity function. Individual morphological-type luminosity functionsare also determined. Both the total and morphological-type specificluminosity functions of compact group galaxies are significantlydifferent from those of field, loose-group, and cluster galaxies. Inparticular, the luminosity function of HCG elliptical galaxies has amean magnitude which is significantly brighter than the mean magnitudeof Virgo cluster elliptical galaxies. The mean luminosity density ofgalaxies in compact groups is estimated. The obtained result isconsistent with the conventional scenario in which compact groups mergeto form elliptical galaxies on a relatively short time scale.
| A photometric catalog of compact groups of galaxies
The paper presents astrometry, photometry, and morphological types,derived from CCD images, for 463 galaxies in the 100 compact groupsselected by Hickson. Some minor revisions to the membership of theoriginal catalog are made, based on these new images. The completenessof the catalog is considered as a function of group magnitude andGalactic latitude. At high Galactic latitude the catalog is estimated tobe 90 percent complete for groups with total B(T) magnitude 13.0 orless. It is less complete at lower Galactic latitude because ofobscuration and high stellar density.
| The neighborhood of a compact group of galaxies
Complete and statistical samples of galaxies in well definedneighborhoods surrounding the 100 Hickson (1983) compact groups havebeen identified and structural properties estimated by visual inspectionof Palomar Sky Survey prints. Among these 100 neighborhoods, two-thirdsare statistically indistinguishable from superposed field galaxies, butone-third contain galaxies in the physical neighborhood of the compactgroup. The morphological types of the galaxies in these physicalneighborhoods are statistically later than the galaxy types in thecompact groups.
| Statistics of galaxy orientations - Morphology and large-scale structure
Using the Uppsala General Catalog of bright galaxies and the northernand southern maps of the Lick counts of galaxies, statistical evidenceof a morphology-orientation effect is found. Major axes of ellipticalgalaxies are preferentially oriented along the large-scale features ofthe Lick maps. However, the orientations of the major axes of spiral andlenticular galaxies show no clear signs of significant nonrandombehavior at a level of less than about one-fifth of the effect seen forellipticals. The angular scale of the detected alignment effect forUppsala ellipticals extends to at least theta of about 2 deg, which at aredshift of z of about 0.02 corresponds to a linear scale of about 2/hMpc.
| Neutral hydrogen in compact groups of galaxies
Integrated H I profiles were detected for 34 of 51 Hickson compactgroups (HCGs) of galaxies, and sensitive upper limits to the H I fluxdensity were measured for the other 17. About 60 percent of the galaxieswithin compact groups are spirals, and a significant tendency exists forthe fraction of elliptical galaxies to increase with group surfacebrightness. The amount of dark matter within the compact group region isnegligibly small. An HCG on average contains half as much neutralhydrogen as a loose group with a similar spectrum of galaxy luminositiesand morphological types, implying that compact groups are independentdynamical entities and not transient or projected configurations ofloose groups. The observed fraction of galaxies which are luminousenough to be possible merger products of compact groups is smallcompared with the fraction required by the theory of dynamical friction.A clear discrepancy thus exists between solid empirical evidence and astraightforward prediction of Newtonian dynamical theory in a settingwhich does not permit a dark matter explanation.
| A VLA 20 CM survey of poor groups of galaxies
The paper reports on VLA 20 cm observations of an extensive sample ofgalaxies in 139 poor groups. These groups, composed of galaxies down tothe limit of the Zwicky et al. (CGCG) catalog, were chosen using apercolation algorithm set at a high surface-density threshold.Approximately 50 percent of the groups have measured redshifts. Thesegroups were surveyed using a 'snapshot' mode of the VLA with aresolution of about 13 arcsec. Analysis of the resulting radio andoptical properties reveals that the presence of a nearby companiongalaxy has an important role in generating radio emission in a galaxy.CCD observations of two radio-loud, disturbed galaxies with companionsare presented and are used to discuss models of radio-source production.Nine tailed radio galaxies are found in the poor groups, which is muchmore than had been expected from previous work on rich clusters and fromtheoretical models. The paper discusses previous statistical biases andproposes a method for bending head-tail sources in poor groups. From theconfinement of extended radio features associated with tailed sources,the presence of a substantial intracluster medium that should radiatesignificantly at soft-X-ray energies is predicted.
| Systematic properties of compact groups of galaxies
An analysis of estimated galaxy magnitudes, morphology, and groupangular size for the case of 100 compact groups of galaxies indicatesthat (1) there is no correlation between group density and magnitudedifference between first- and second-ranked galaxies, (2) there is nopreferred morphological type for the first-ranked galaxies, many ofwhich are spiral, (3) the groups contain fewer spirals than a comparablesample of field galaxies, and (4) there seems to be a deficiency offaint galaxies, in comparison with rich cluster and field galaxies. Thisapparent deficiency is greater in groups with elliptical, first-rankedgalaxies. Implications of the above results are discussed from theviewpoint of dynamical evolution.
| Instability phenomena in systems of galaxies.
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