arXiv subjects

Margaret J. Geller

Publications and source records attributed to Margaret J. Geller.

137 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

Tidally-Triggered Star Formation in Close Pairs of Galaxies

We analyze new optical spectra of a sample of 502 galaxies in close pairs and n-tuples, separated by <= 50/h kpc. We extracted the sample objectively from the CfA2 redshift survey, without regard to the surroundings of the tight systems. We probe the relationship between star formation and the dynamics of the systems of galaxies. The equivalent widths of Hα(EW(Hα) and other emission lines anti-correlate strongly with pair spatial separation (ΔD) and velocity separation. We use the measured EW(Hα) and the starburst models of Leitherer et al. to estimate the time since the most recent burst of star for- mation began for each galaxy. In the absence of a large contribution from an old stellar population to the continuum around Hα, the observed ΔD -- EW(Hα) correlation signifies that starbursts with larger separations on the sky are, on average, older. By matching the dynamical timescale to the burst timescale, we show that the data support a simple picture in which a close pass initiates a starburst; EW(Hα) decreases with time as the pair separation increases, accounting for the anti-correlation. This picture leads to a method for measuring the duration and the initial mass function of interaction-induced starbursts: our data are compatible with the starburst and orbit models in many respects, as long as the starburst lasts longer than \sim10^8 years and the delay between the close pass and the initiation of the starburst is less than a few \times 10^7 years. If there is no large contribution from an old stellar population to the continuum around Hαthe Miller-Scalo and cutoff (M <= 30 M_\sun) Salpeter initial mass functions fit the data much better than a standard Salpeter IMF. (Abridged.)

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arXiv1999

The Updated Zwicky Catalog (UZC)

The Zwicky Catalog of galaxies (ZC), with m_Zw<=15.5mag, has been the basis for the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) redshift surveys. To date, analyses of the ZC and redshift surveys based on it have relied on heterogeneous sets of galaxy coordinates and redshifts. Here we correct some of the inadequacies of previous catalogs by providing: (1) coordinates with <~2 arcsec errors for all of the Nuzc catalog galaxies, (2) homogeneously estimated redshifts for the majority (98%) of the data taken at the CfA (14,632 spectra), and (3) an estimate of the remaining "blunder" rate for both the CfA redshifts and for those compiled from the literature. For the reanalyzed CfA data we include a calibrated, uniformly determined error and an indication of the presence of emission lines in each spectrum. We provide redshifts for 7,257 galaxies in the CfA2 redshift survey not previously published; for another 5,625 CfA redshifts we list the remeasured or uniformly re-reduced value. Among our new measurements, Nmul are members of UZC "multiplets" associated with the original Zwicky catalog position in the coordinate range where the catalog is 98% complete. These multiplets provide new candidates for examination of tidal interactions among galaxies. All of the new redshifts correspond to UZC galaxies with properties recorded in the CfA redshift compilation known as ZCAT. About 1,000 of our new measurements were motivated either by inadequate signal-to-noise in the original spectrum or by an ambiguous identification of the galaxy associated with a ZCAT redshift. The redshift catalog we include here is ~96% complete to m_Zw<=15.5, and ~98% complete (12,925 galaxies out of a total of 13,150) for the RA(1950) ranges [20h--4h] and [8h--17h] and DEC(1950) range [-2.5d--50d]. (abridged)

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arXiv1998

Kinematic Effects of Tidal Interaction on Galaxy Rotation Curves

We use self-consistent N-body models, in conjunction with models of test particles moving in galaxy potentials, to explore the initial effects of interactions on the rotation curves of spiral galaxies. Using nearly self-consistent disk/bulge/halo galaxy models (Kuijken & Dubinski 1995), we simulate the first pass of galaxies on nearly parabolic orbits; we vary orbit inclinations, galaxy halo masses and impact parameters. For each simulation, we mimic observed rotation curves of the model galaxies. Transient interaction-induced features of the curves include distinctly rising or falling profiles at large radii and pronounced bumps in the central regions. Remarkably similar features occur in our statistical sample of optical emission-line rotation curves of spiral galaxies in tight pairs and n-tuples.

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arXiv1998

A Photometric and Kinematic Study of AWM 7

We have measured redshifts and Kron-Cousins R-band magnitudes for a sample of galaxies in the poor cluster AWM 7. We have measured redshifts for 172 galaxies; 106 of these are cluster members. We determine the luminosity function from a photometric survey of the central 1.2 h^{-1} x 1.2 h^{-1} Mpc. The LF has a bump at the bright end and a faint-end slope of α= -1.37+-0.16, populated almost exclusively by absorption-line galaxies. The cluster velocity dispersion is lower in the core (\sim 530 km/s) than at the outskirts (\sim 680 km/s), consistent with the cooling flow seen in the X-ray. The cold core extends \sim 150 h^{-1} kpc from the cluster center. The Kron-Cousins R-band mass-to-light ratio of the system is 650+-170 h M_\odot/L_\odot, substantially lower than previous optical determinations, but consistent with most previous X-ray determinations. We adopt H_0 = 100 h km/s/Mpc throughout this paper; at the mean cluster redshift, (5247+-76 km/s), 1 h^{-1} Mpc subtends 65$\farcm$5.

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arXiv1998

A Complete Redshift Survey to the Zwicky Catalog Limit in a 2-hour by 15-degree Region Around 3C 273

We compile 1113 redshifts (648 new measurements, 465 from the literature) for Zwicky catalogue galaxies in the region (-3.5deg < δ< 8.5deg, 11.5h < α< 13.5h). We include redshifts for 114 component objects in 78 Zwicky catalogue multiplets. The redshift survey in this region is 99.5% complete to the Zwicky catalogue limit, m_Zw=15.7. It is 99.9% complete to m_Zw = 15.5, the CfA Redshift Survey (CfA2) magnitude limit. The survey region is adjacent to the northern portion of CfA2, overlaps the northernmost slice of the Las Campanas Redshift Survey, includes the southern extent of the Virgo Cluster, and is roughly centered on the QSO 3C 273. As in other portions of the Zwicky catalogue, bright and faint galaxies trace the same large-scale structure.

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arXiv1998

Lyman-Alpha Absorption Systems and the Nearby Galaxy Distribution

We study the galaxy number density (smoothed on a 5h^{-1} Mpc scale) around 18 low-redshift Lyman-alpha absorbers previously observed with HST. The absorbers lie in the foregrounds of Mrk 335, Mrk 421, Mrk 501, I Zw 1, and 3C 273, all within regions where there are now complete redshift surveys to m_{Zw}=15.5. We construct a smoothed galaxy number density field from the redshift survey data and determine the distribution of densities at the Lyman-alpha absorber locations. We also find the distribution of galaxy number density for a variety of test samples: all galaxy locations within the Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey (CfA2), CfA2 galaxy locations along randomly selected lines of sight (LOS), and randomly chosen redshifts along random LOS. The Lyman-alpha absorbers are present in dense regions of the survey, but occur far more frequently in underdense regions than do typical luminous galaxies. The distribution of smoothed galaxy density around the Lyman-alpha absorbers is inconsistent at the 4-sigma level with the density distribution around survey galaxies. It is highly consistent with a density distribution at randomly chosen redshifts along random LOS. This supports earlier evidence that the nearby, low column density (log N_{HI} < 14) Lyman-alpha forest systems are spatially distributed at random; they are not well correlated with the local large-scale structure.

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arXiv1997

The Century Survey: A Deeper Slice of the Universe

The ``Century Survey'' (CS hereafter) is a complete redshift survey of a 1$^\circ$-wide strip. It covers 0.03 steradians to a limiting m$_R$ = 16.13. The survey is 98.4% complete and contains 1762 galaxies. Large-scale features in the survey are qualitatively similar to those in other surveys: there are large voids surrounded or nearly surrounded by thin dense regions which are sections of structures like (and including) the Great Wall. The survey crosses the classical Corona Borealis supercluster. The galaxy density enhancement associated with this system extends for $\simgreat 100 h^{-1}$ Mpc (the Hubble constant is H$_0 = 100h$ km s$^{-1}$Mpc$^{-1}$). The Schechter (1976) luminosity function parameters for the CS are: $M^*_{CS} = -20.73 ^{+0.17}_{-0.18}$, $α_{CS} = -1.17 ^{+0.19}_{-0.19}$, and $ϕ^*_{CS} = 0.0250\pm0.0061$ Mpc$^{-3}$mag$^{-1}$. In concert with the ESO Key Program (\cite{vet97}; \cite{zuc97}) and the AUTOFIB (\cite{ell96}) surveys, the CS indicates that the absolute normalization of the luminosity function exceeds estimates based on shallower and/or sparser surveys.

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arXiv1997

Infall Regions of Galaxy Clusters

In hierarchical clustering, galaxy clusters accrete mass through the aggregation of smaller systems. Thus, the velocity field of the infall regions of clusters contains significant random motion superimposed on radial infall. Because the purely spherical infall model does not predict the amplitude of the velocity field correctly, methods estimating the cosmological density parameter Omega_0 based on this model yield unreliable biased results. In fact, the amplitude of the velocity field depends on local dynamics and only very weakly on the global properties of the universe. We use N-body simulations of flat and open universes to show that the amplitude of the velocity field of the infall regions of dark matter halos is a direct measure of the escape velocity within these regions. We can use this amplitude to estimate the mass of dark matter halos within a few megaparsecs from the halo center. In this region dynamical equilibrium assumptions do not hold. The method yields a mass estimate with better than 30% accuracy. If galaxies trace the velocity field of the infall regions of clusters reliably, this method provides a straightforward way to estimate the amount of mass surrounding rich galaxy clusters from redshift data alone.

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arXiv1996

Compact Group Selection From Redshift Surveys

For the first time, we construct a catalog of compact groups selected from a complete, magnitude-limited redshift survey. We select groups with $N \geq 3$ members based on projected separation and association in redshift space alone. We evaluate the characteristics of the Redshift Survey Compact Groups (RSCG's). Their physical properties (membership frequency, velocity dispersion, density) are similar to those of the Hickson [ApJ, 255, 382 (1982)] Compact Groups. Hickson's isolation criterion is a strong function of the physical and angular group radii and is a poor predictor of the group environment. In fact, most RSCG's are embedded in dense environments. The luminosity function for RSCG's is mildly inconsistent with the survey luminosity function --- the characteristic luminosity is brighter and the faint end shallower for the RSCG galaxies. We construct a model of the selection function of compact groups. Using this selection function, we estimate the abundance of RSCG's; for groups with $N \geq 4$ members the abundance is $3.8 \times 10^{-5} h^3 Mpc^{-3}$. For all RSCG's ($N \geq 3$) the abundance is $1.4 \times 10^{-4} h^3 Mpc^{-3}$.

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arXiv1996

The Rotation Velocity - Density Relation

We have assembled 21-cm linewidths for 376 of the 732 galaxies in a magnitude-limited redshift survey of the the Perseus-Pisces region. We analyze a distance limited subset of 271 galaxies (131 widths) to examine the relationship between linewidth and local density. The sample indicates that galaxies with linewidths $\gtrsim 480$ km/s are absent from regions where the galaxy density is $\lesssim 0.03$ galaxies Mpc$^{-3}$ ($M_{B(0)}< -18.3$). This effect is in the direction predicted by standard CDM models. Galaxies with linewidths $\lesssim$ 480 km/s appear throughout the sample. The observational constraints could be substantially improved with a larger sample, IR photometry, and more uniform 21-cm data.

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arXiv1996

Galaxy Pairwise Velocity Distributions on Non-Linear Scales

The redshift-space correlation function $ξ_s$ for projected galaxy separations $\simless 1h^{-1}$ Mpc can be expressed as the convolution of the real-space correlation function with the galaxy pairwise velocity distribution function (PVDF). An exponential PVDF yields the best fit to the $ξ_s$ measured from galaxy samples of different redshift surveys. We show that this exponential PVDF is not merely a fitting function but arises from well defined gravitational processes. Two ingredients conspire to yield a PVDF with a nearly exponential shape: (i) the number density $n(σ)$ of systems with velocity dispersion $σ$; (ii) the unrelaxed dynamical state of most galaxy systems. The former ingredient determines the exponential tail and the latter the central peak of the PVDF. We compare the $ξ_s$ measured on non-linear scales from galaxy samples of the CfA redshift surveys with different models of the PVDF convolved with the measured real-space correlation function. This preliminary comparison indicates that the agreement between model and observations depends strongly on both the underlying cosmological model and the internal dynamics of galaxy systems. Neither parameter dominates. Moreover, the agreement depends sensitively on the accuracy of the galaxy position and velocity measurements.

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