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G. Busarello

Publications and source records attributed to G. Busarello.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Photometric Properties of Galaxy Population in the Cluster EIS 0048-2942 at z~0.64

~Deep photometric data in the V-, R-, I-, z- and K-bands for the cluster of galaxies EIS 0048-2942 are used to investigate the properties of the galaxy populations at z~0.64 in a field of 2.5x2.5 Mpc^2. The sample of candidate cluster members (N = 171) is selected by the photometric redshift technique and is complete up to I=22.5. Galaxies were classified as spheroids and disks according to the shape of the light profile in the I-band, as parametrized by the Sersic index. In both optical and NIR, spheroids define a sharp colour-magnitude sequence, whose slope and zero points are consistent with a high formation redshift (z_f > 2). The disk population occupies a different region in the colour-magnitude diagram, having bluer colours with respect to the red sequence. Interestingly, we find some level of mixing between the properties of the two classes: some disks lie on the colour-magnitude sequence or are redder, while some spheroids turn out to be bluer. The spatial distribution of cluster galaxies show a clumpy structure, with a main over-density of radius ~0.5 Mpc, and at least two other clumps distant ~1 Mpc from the center. The various sub-structures are mostly populated by the red galaxies, while the blue population has an almost uniform distribution. The fraction of blue galaxies in EIS 0048-2942 is f_B=0.11 +/-0.07. This is much lower than what expected on the basis of the Butcher-Oemler effect at lower redshifts.

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Structure and Evolution of Galaxy Clusters: Internal Dynamics of ABCG 209 at z~0.21

We study the internal dynamics of the rich galaxy cluster ABGC 209 on the basis of new spectroscopic and photometric data. The distribution in redshift shows that ABCG 209 is a well isolated peak of 112 detected member galaxies at z=0.209, characterised by a high value of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion, sigma_v=1250-1400 Km/s, on the whole observed area (1 Mpc/h from the cluster center), that leads to a virial mass of M=1.6-2.2x10^15 M_sun within the virial radius, assuming the dynamical equilibrium. The presence of a velocity gradient in the velocity field, the elongation in the spatial distribution of the colour-selected likely cluster members, the elongation of the X-ray contour levels in the Chandra image, and the elongation of cD galaxy show that ABCG 209 is characterised by a preferential NW-SE direction. We also find a significant deviation of the velocity distribution from a Gaussian, and relevant evidence of substructure and dynamical segregation. All these facts show that ABCG 209 is a strongly evolving cluster, possibly in an advanced phase of merging.

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Optical (VRI) Photometry in the Field of the Galaxy Cluster AC 118 at z=0.31

We present new photometric V-, R- and I-band data for the rich galaxy cluster AC 118 at z=0.31. The new photometry covers an area of 8.6x8.6 arcmin$^2$, corresponding to 2.9$\times$2.9 Mpc$^2$ (H$_0=50$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, q$_0=0.5$ and $Λ= 0$). The data have been collected for a project aimed at studying galaxy evolution through the color-magnitude relation and the fundamental plane. We provide a catalogue including all the sources (N = 1206) detected in the cluster field. The galaxy sample is complete to V=22.8 mag (N_gal=574), R=22.3 mag (N_gal=649) and I=20.8 mag (N_gal=419). We give aperture magnitudes within a fixed aperture of 4.4 arcsec and Kron magnitudes. We also give photometric redshifts for 459 sources for which additional U- and K-band photometry is available. We derive and discuss the V- and R-band luminosity functions. The catalogue, which is distributed in electronic form, is intended as a tool for studies in galaxy evolution.

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Optical and Near-Infrared Structural Properties of Cluster Galaxies at $z \sim 0.3$

Structural parameters (half-light radius $r_e$, mean effective surface brightness $<μ>_e$, and Sersic index n) are derived for a sample of galaxies in the rich cluster AC 118 at z=0.31: so far the largest (N=93) sample of galaxies at intermediate-redshift with structural parameters measured in the near-infrared. The parameters are obtained in two optical wavebands (V and R) and in the K-band. The distributions of $r_e$ at z=0.31 match those for the Coma cluster both in the optical and in the NIR. The similarity of the two distributions proves that the galaxies at the bright end of the luminosity function did not significantly change their sizes since $z\sim0.3$ to the present epoch. The ratio of the optical to the NIR half-light radius shows a marked trend with the Sersic index n. In galaxies with $n\gtrsim4$ (typical bright ellipticals) $r_{e,NIR}\sim 0.6 r_{e,opt}$, while the average ratio is 0.8 for galaxies with lower n (typical disk systems). Moreover, the NIR Sersic index is systematically larger than in the optical for $n\lesssim4$. These results, translated into optical and optical-NIR color gradients, imply that the optical color gradients at $z\sim$0.3 are similar to those of nearby galaxies. The optical-NIR color gradients are larger, ranging from -0.73 mag/dex for $n\lesssim4$ to -0.35 mag/dex for $n\gtrsim4$. We discuss these results in terms of 'pure age' and 'pure metallicity' gradient models. The lack of any major change in $r_{e,NIR}$ since $z\sim0.3$ suggests that merging involving bright galaxies did not play a significant role in the last $\sim$4.4 Gyr.

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NIR and Optical Structural Parameters of Galaxies in the Cluster AC118 at z=0.31

We present some preliminary results related to a project aimed at studying the evolution of the galaxy population in rich environments by means of the Color-Magnitude relation and of the Fundamental Plane. We derive the NIR and optical structural parameters for a sample of galaxies in the cluster AC118 at z=0.31. We prove that reliable structural parameters of galaxies at z$\sim$0.3 can be still derived from ground--based observations. The NIR effective radii, measured for the first time at this redshift, turn out to be significantly smaller than those derived from the optical data, providing new insight into the evolution of colour gradients in galaxies.

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The VIRMOS-VLT Deep Survey

The aim of the VIRMOS VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) is to study of the evolution of galaxies, large scale structures and AGNs from a sample of more than 150,000 galaxies with measured redshifts in the range 0<z<5+. The VVDS will rely on the VIMOS and NIRMOS wide field multi-object spectrographs, which the VIRMOS consortium is delivering to ESO. Together, they offer unprecedented multiplex capability in the wavelength range 0.37-1.8microns, allowing for large surveys to be carried out. The VVDS has several main aspects: (1) a deep multi-color imaging survey over 18deg^2 of more than one million galaxies, (2) a "wide" spectroscopic survey with more than 130,000 redshifts measured for objects brighter than IAB=22.5 over 18deg^2, (3) a "deep" survey with 50,000 redshifts measured to IAB=24, (4) ultra-deep" surveys with several thousand redshifts measured to IAB=25, (5) multi-wavelength observations with the VLA and XMM.

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Fitting planes to early-type galaxies: MIST for the determination of the Fundamental Plane

The present study deals with the problem of deriving the coefficients of the fundamental plane (FP) of early-type galaxies. We introduce statistical models of the FP and relative fitting methods: the MIST (Measurement errors and Intrinsic Scatter Three dimensional) fits. The MIST fits account for the measurement errors on the variables and their correlations as well as for the intrinsic scatter. We show that the lack of a model of the intrinsic scatter of the FP is the origin of the systematic differences between the various fitting methods. We also address the problem of estimating the uncertainties of the FP coefficients and determine a simple relation between the sample size and the expected accuracy of the coefficients. The present study leads to define a `minimum sample size' for a correct estimate of the uncertainties. For N < 30, both theoretical formulae and re-sampling techniques, like the bootstrap, do not give reliable estimates. The question of the 'universality' of the FP is addressed by applying the MIST fits to ten samples of cluster galaxies. The FP slopes are actually consistent between the different samples, but, due to the large uncertainties, they could also hide significant systematic differences. The feasibility of the measurement of the possible variations of the FP slopes as a function of redshift is also proved.

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