arXiv subjects

R. E. Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to R. E. Griffiths.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1996

Evidence for Galaxy Interactions/Mergers from Meduim-Deep Survey WFPC2 Data

We examine the morphological and statistical properties of close galaxy pairs from two sets of 28 WFPC2 fields, acquired for the Medium Deep Survey (MDS) and the Groth/Westphal Survey (GWS) in F606W (V) and F814W (I) passbands. In the GWS sample all fields have uniform 95% completeness down to I<=24.3 mag, whereas in the MDS sample, fields have varying 95% completeness limits in the range I<=23.6--24.8 mag. In each field roughly 400 galaxies per 5 square arcminute field are detected. We exploit high resolution WFPC2 images to systematically determine morphological classifications of galaxies as disk- or bulge-dominated down to I<=23 mag (V<=24 mag), and to differentiate galaxies from stars one magnitude fainter. Down to I<=25 mag the number of galaxy pairs with separations less than 3 arcsec is consistent with a shortward extrapolation of the angular two-point correlation function w(theta) proportional to theta^-0.8 observed from the same data; the fraction of such pairs showing morphological evidence for physical association accounts for a third of the total numbers suggested by a shortward extrapolation of w(theta). The latter result may not be too surprising given the low surface brightness of the tidal tails resulting from galaxy interactions, i.e. much of the evidence for interactions may fall below our detection limit. Moreover, we find no trend between apparent physical association (on the basis of morphology) and (V--I) color or I-magnitude difference between pair members of the <3 arcsec-pair sample.

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arXiv1996

Quantitative Morphology of Moderate Redshift Galaxies : How Many Peculiars are There ?

The advent of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided images of galaxies at moderate and high redshifts and changed the scope of galaxy morphologies considerably. It is evident that the Hubble Sequence requires modifications in order to incorporate all the various morphologies one encounters at such redshifts. We investigate and compare different approaches to quantifying peculiar galaxy morphologies on images obtained from the Medium Deep Survey (MDS) and other surveys using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the HST, in the I band (filter F814W). We define criteria for peculiarity and put them to use on a sample of 978 galaxies, classifying them by eye as either normal or peculiar. Based on our criteria and on concepts borrowed from digital image processing we design a set of four purely morphological parameters, which comprise the overall texture (or ``blobbiness'') of the image; the distortion of isophotes; the filling-factor of isophotes; and the skeleta of detected structures. We also examine the parameters suggested by Abraham et al. (1995). An artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to distinguish between normal and peculiar galaxies. While the majority of peculiar galaxies are disk-dominated, we also find evidence for a significant population of bulge-dominated peculiars. Consequently, peculiar galaxies do not all form a ``natural'' continuation of the Hubble sequence beyond the late spirals and the irregulars. The trained neural network is applied to a second, larger sample of 1999 WFPC2 images and its probabilistic capabilities are used to estimate the frequency of peculiar galaxies at moderate redshifts as $35 \pm 15 %$.

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arXiv1996

Weak Gravitational Lensing around Field Galaxies in HST Survey Images

Using data from the HST Medium Deep Survey, a long-term Key Project, together with generically similar archived data, we have discovered evidence for weak gravitational `shear' of background field galaxies (I = 22 -- 26) in the vicinity of isolated, foreground galaxies ( I = 15 -- 22), especially those of early type. The statistical lensing is demonstrated by the slight preferential orientation of the major axes of the background galaxies in directions at right angles to the lines joining them to the foreground ones. The detected shear is at the level of $δϕ= 2.5^{o}\pm 1.2^{o}$ averaged over the background galaxies at about ~10 half-light radii from 400 foreground ellipticals, corresponding to a polarization of about 0.04. A positive but less significant result is also reported for foreground spirals. This result excludes the de Vaucouleurs model for the mass distribution of ellipticals, but is consistent with elliptical galaxies having total M/L ~ 100 and extensive dark halos.

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arXiv1996

Using Oblique Decision Trees for the Morphological Classification of Galaxies

We discuss the application of a class of machine learning algorithms known as decision trees to the process of galactic classification. In particular, we explore the application of oblique decision trees induced with different impurity measures to the problem of classifying galactic morphology data provided by Storrie-Lombardi et al.(1992). Our results are compared to those obtained by a neural network classifier created by Storrie-Lombardi et al, and we show that the two methodologies are comparable. We conclude with a demonstration that the original data can be easily classified into less well-defined categories.

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arXiv1995

The discovery of a high redshift type 2 QSO

We report the discovery of a high redshift, narrow emission-line galaxy identified in the optical follow-up of deep ROSAT fields. The object has a redshift of z=2.35 and its narrow emission lines together with its high optical and X-ray luminosity imply that this is a rare example of a type 2 QSO. The intrinsic X-ray absorption is either very low or we are observing scattered flux which does not come directly from the nucleus. The X-ray spectrum of this object is harder than that of normal QSOs, and it is possible that a hitherto unidentified population of similar objects at fainter X-ray fluxes could account for the missing hard component of the X-ray background.

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arXiv1994

A deep ROSAT survey - IV. The evolution of X-ray-selected QSOs

We report on a new estimate of the QSO X-ray luminosity function and its evolution with redshift based on a sample of 107 QSOs detected at faint X-ray fluxes, $S{\rm(0.5-2\,keV)}>4\times10^{-15}\,$\ergcms , with the {\it ROSAT} X-ray satellite. For $q_0=0.5$, the X-ray evolution of QSOs in this sample is consistent with strong luminosity evolution, $L_{\rm X} ^*(z) \propto (1+z)^{3.25\pm0.1}$, at low redshifts ($z<1.60$) and a constant comoving space density at higher redshifts. The derived rate of evolution at low redshifts is thus significantly higher than that obtained previously for the {\it Einstein} Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS). Indeed, most luminosity evolution models provide a very poor fit (rejected at the 99 per cent confidence level) when applied to the combined EMSS and {\it ROSAT} samples, although a polynomial evolution model, $L_{\rm X} ^*(z) \propto 10^{(1.14\,z -0.23\,z^2)}$, provides an adequate fit for $q_0=0$. For $q_0=0.5$, a simple power-law luminosity evolution model with a redshift cut-off ($L_{\rm X} ^*(z) \propto (1+z)^{2.51\pm0.1}$,

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