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Terry J. Bridges

Publications and source records attributed to Terry J. Bridges.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Beyond the Brim of the Hat: Kinematics of Globular Clusters out to Large Radius in the Sombrero Galaxy

We have obtained radial velocity measurements for 51 new globular clusters around the Sombrero galaxy. These measurements were obtained using spectroscopic observations from the AAOmega spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the Hydra spectrograph at WIYN. Combined with our own past measurements and velocity measurements obtained from the literature we have constructed a large database of radial velocities that contains a total of 360 confirmed globular clusters. Previous studies' analyses of the kinematics and mass profile of the Sombrero globular cluster system have been constrained to the inner ~9' (~24 kpc or ~5 effective radii), but our new measurements have increased the radial coverage of the data, allowing us to determine the kinematic properties of M104 out to ~15' (~41 kpc or ~9 effective radii). We use our set of radial velocities to study the GC system kinematics and to determine the mass profile and V-band mass-to-light profile of the galaxy. We find that the V-band mass-to-light ratio increases from 4.5 at the center to a value of 20.9 at 41 kpc (~9 effective radii or 15'), which implies that the dark matter halo extends to the edge of our available data set. We compare our mass profile at 20 kpc (~4 effective radii or ~7.4') to the mass computed from x-ray data and find good agreement. We also use our data to look for rotation in the globular cluster system as a whole, as well as in the red and blue subpopulations. We find no evidence for significant rotation in any of these samples.

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Modelling of the Complex CASSOWARY/SLUGS Gravitational Lenses

We present the first high-resolution images of CSWA 31, a gravitational lens system observed as part of the SLUGS (Sloan Lenses Unravelled by Gemini Studies) program. These systems exhibit complex image structure with the potential to strongly constrain the mass distribution of the massive lens galaxies, as well as the complex morphology of the sources. In this paper, we describe the strategy used to reconstruct the unlensed source profile and the lens galaxy mass profiles. We introduce a prior distribution over multi-wavelength sources that is realistic as a representation of our knowledge about the surface brightness profiles of galaxies and groups of galaxies. To carry out the inference computationally, we use Diffusive Nested Sampling, an efficient variant of Nested Sampling that uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to sample the complex posterior distributions and compute the normalising constant. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach with the reconstruction of the group-group gravitational lens system CSWA 31, finding the source to be composed of five merging spiral galaxies magnified by a factor of 13.

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The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey. II. Data Description and Source Catalogs

The Coma cluster was the target of a HST-ACS Treasury program designed for deep imaging in the F475W and F814W passbands. Although our survey was interrupted by the ACS instrument failure in 2007, the partially completed survey still covers ~50% of the core high-density region in Coma. Observations were performed for 25 fields that extend over a wide range of cluster-centric radii (~1.75 Mpc) with a total coverage area of 274 arcmin^2. The majority of the fields are located near the core region of Coma (19/25 pointings) with six additional fields in the south-west region of the cluster. In this paper we present reprocessed images and SExtractor source catalogs for our survey fields, including a detailed description of the methodology used for object detection and photometry, the subtraction of bright galaxies to measure faint underlying objects, and the use of simulations to assess the photometric accuracy and completeness of our catalogs. We also use simulations to perform aperture corrections for the SExtractor Kron magnitudes based only on the measured source flux and half-light radius. We have performed photometry for ~73,000 unique objects; one-half of our detections are brighter than the 10-sigma point-source detection limit at F814W=25.8 mag (AB). The slight majority of objects (60%) are unresolved or only marginally resolved by ACS. We estimate that Coma members are 5-10% of all source detections, which consist of a large population of unresolved objects (primarily GCs but also UCDs) and a wide variety of extended galaxies from a cD galaxy to dwarf LSB galaxies. The red sequence of Coma member galaxies has a constant slope and dispersion across 9 magnitudes (-21<M_F814W<-13). The initial data release for the HST-ACS Coma Treasury program was made available to the public in 2008 August. The images and catalogs described in this study relate to our second data release.

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Abundance ratios in red-sequence galaxies over a wide mass range: The "X-planes" for magnesium, calcium, carbon and nitrogen

We analyse the abundance ratios of the light elements Mg, Ca, C and N, relative to Fe, for 147 red-sequence galaxies in the Coma cluster and the Shapley Supercluster. The sample covers a six-magnitude range in luminosity, from giant ellipticals to dwarfs at M^*+4. We exploit the wide mass range to investigate systematic trends in the abundance ratios Mg/Fe, Ca/Fe, C/Fe and N/Fe. We find that each of these ratios can be well modelled using two-parameter relations of the form [X/Fe] = a0 + a1 log sigma + a2 [Fe/H], where sigma is the velocity dispersion. Analysing these "X-planes" reveals new structure in the abundance patterns, beyond the traditional one-parameter (e.g. Mg/Fe-sigma) correlations. The X-planes for the alpha elements, Mg and Ca, indicate a positive correlation with velocity dispersion, and simultaneously an anti-correlation with Fe/H (i.e. a1>0 and a2<0). Taking both effects into account dramatically reduces the scatter, compared to the traditional X/Fe-sigma relations. For C and N, a similar correlation with velocity dispersion is recovered, but there is no additional dependence on Fe/H (i.e. a1>0 and a2~0). The explicit dependence of X/Fe on two parameters is evidence that at least two physical processes are at work in setting the abundance patterns. The Fe/H dependence of Mg/Fe and Ca/Fe, at fixed sigma, may result from different durations of star formation, from galaxy to galaxy. The absence of corresponding Fe/H dependence for C and N is consistent with these elements being generated in lower-mass stars. The increase with sigma, at fixed Fe/H, is similar for elements Mg, C and N, and slightly shallower for Ca. This pattern of trends cannot be explained solely by a systematic variation of star-formation time-scale with sigma.

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The Radio Luminosity Function and Galaxy Evolution in the Coma Cluster

We investigate the radio luminosity function (RLF) and radio source population for two fields within the Coma cluster of galaxies. Our VLA data reach down to log(L) = 20.23 W/Hz for Coma, and we associate 249 sources with optical counterparts from the SDSS. Comprehensive optical spectroscopy identifies 38 of these as members of the Coma cluster, evenly split between AGN and star-forming galaxies (SFG). The radio-detected SFG are the dominant population only for ~21 < log(L) < ~22 W/Hz, an interesting result given that star formation dominates field RLFs for log(L) < ~23. The majority of the radio-detected SFGs have characteristics of starbursts, including high specific star formation rates and optical spectra with strong emission lines. In conjunction with prior studies on post-starburst galaxies within the Coma cluster, this is consistent with a picture in which late-type galaxies entering Coma undergo a starburst prior to a rapid cessation of star formation. Optically bright elliptical galaxies (Mr <= -20.5) make the largest contribution to the radio luminosity function at both the high (log(L) >~ 22.48 W/Hz) and low (log(L) <~ 21 W/Hz) ends. Through a stacking analysis of these optically-bright ellipticals we find that they continue to harbor radio sources down to log(L) = 19.48. However, contrary to published results for the Virgo cluster we find no evidence for the existence of a population of optically faint (Mr ~ -14) dwarf ellipticals hosting strong radio AGN.

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A spectroscopic survey of dwarf galaxies in the Coma Cluster: Stellar populations, environment and downsizing

We investigate the stellar populations in a sample of 89 faint (M*+2 to M*+4) red galaxies in the Coma cluster, using high S/N spectroscopy from the MMT. Our sample is drawn from two 1-degree fields, one centred on the cluster core and the other located a degree to the south west of the cluster centre. For a comparison sample we use published high-S/N data for red-sequence galaxies in the Shapley Supercluster. We use state-of-the-art stellar population models to infer the SSP-equivalent age and metallicity (Fe/H) for each galaxy, as well as the abundances of the light elements Mg, Ca, C and N. The ages of the Coma dwarfs span a wide range from <2 Gyr to >10 Gyr, with a strong environmental dependence. The oldest galaxies are found only in the core, while most of the galaxies in the outer south-west field have ages ~3 Gyr. The galaxies have a metallicity range -1.0 < [Fe/H] < 0.0, and follow the same age-metallicity-mass plane as high-mass galaxies, but with increased intrinsic scatter. The Mg/Fe abundance ratios are on average slightly super-solar, and span a range -0.1 < [Mg/Fe] < +0.4. The highest Mg enhancements are found only in the cluster core, while solar ratios predominate in the outskirts. Depending on the assumed star-formation history (quenched versus burst-dominated), the number of dwarf galaxies on the red sequence in the Coma core has doubled since z~0.4-0.7. These estimates bracket the red-sequence growth timescales found by direct studies of distant clusters. In the south-west field, the red sequence was established only at z~0.1-0.2. Our observations confirm previous indications of very recently quenched star formation in this part of the cluster. Our results support the picture in which much of the cluster passive dwarf population was generated by environment-driven transformation of infalling late-type galaxies.

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A large population of recently-quenched red-sequence dwarf galaxies in the outskirts of the Coma Cluster

We analyse the stellar populations of 75 red-sequence dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster, based on high signal-to-noise spectroscopy from the 6.5m MMT. The sample covers a luminosity range 3-4 magnitudes below M*, in the cluster core and in a field centred 1 deg to the south-west. We find a strong dependence of the absorption line strengths with location in the cluster. Galaxies further from the cluster centre have stronger Balmer lines than inner-field galaxies of the same luminosity. The magnesium lines are weaker at large radius, while the iron lines are not correlated with radius. Converting the line strengths into estimates of stellar age, metallicity and abundance ratios, we find the gradients are driven by variations in age (>6 sigma significance) and in the iron abundance Fe/H (~2.7 sigma significance). The light element (Mg, C, N, Ca) abundances are almost independent of radius. At radius of 0.4-1.3 degree (~0.3-1.0x the virial radius), dwarf galaxies have ages ~3.8 Gyr on average, compared to ~6 Gyr near the cluster centre. The outer dwarfs are also ~50% more iron-enriched, at given luminosity. Our results confirm earlier indications that the ages of red-sequence galaxies depend on location within clusters, and in Coma in particular. The exceptionally strong trends found here suggest that dwarf galaxies are especially susceptible to environmental "quenching", and/or that the south-west part of Coma is a particularly clear example of recent quenching in an infalling subcluster.

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The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey: I - Survey Objectives and Design

We describe the HST ACS Coma cluster Treasury survey, a deep two-passband imaging survey of one of the nearest rich clusters of galaxies, the Coma cluster (Abell 1656). The survey was designed to cover an area of 740 square arcmin in regions of different density of both galaxies and intergalactic medium within the cluster. The ACS failure of January 27th 2007 leaves the survey 28% complete, with 21 ACS pointings (230 square arcmin) complete, and partial data for a further 4 pointings (44 square arcmin). Predicted survey depth for 10 sigma detections for optimal photometry of point sources is g' = 27.6 in the F475W filter, and IC=26.8 mag in F814 (AB magnitudes). Initial simulations with artificially injected point sources show 90% recovered at magnitude limits of g' = 27.55 and IC = 26.65. For extended sources, the predicted 10 sigma limits for a 1 square arcsecond region are g' = 25.8 mag/sq. arcsec and IC = 25.0 mag/sq. arcsec. We highlight several motivating science goals of the survey, including study of the faint end of the cluster galaxy luminosity function, structural parameters of dwarf galaxies, stellar populations and their effect on colors and color gradients, evolution of morphological components in a dense environment, the nature of ultra compact dwarf galaxies, and globular cluster populations of cluster galaxies of a range of luminosities and types. This survey will also provide a local rich cluster benchmark for various well known global scaling relations and explore new relations pertaining to the nuclear properties of galaxies.

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The Kinematics and Dynamics of the Globular Clusters and the Planetary Nebulae of NGC 5128

A new kinematic and dynamic study of the halo of the giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 5128, is presented. From a spectroscopically confirmed sample of 340 globular clusters and 780 planetary nebulae, the rotation amplitude, rotation axis, velocity dispersion, and the total dynamical mass are determined for the halo of NGC 5128. The globular cluster kinematics were searched for both radial dependence and metallicity dependence by subdividing the globular cluster sample into 158 metal-rich ([Fe/H] > -1.0) and 178 metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.0) globular clusters. Our results show the kinematics of the metal-rich and metal-poor subpopulations are quite similar. The kinematics are compared to the planetary nebula population where differences are apparent in the outer regions of the halo. The total mass of NGC 5128 is found using the Tracer Mass estimator (Evans et al. 2003), to determine the mass supported by internal random motions, and the spherical component of the Jeans equation to determine the mass supported by rotation. We find a total mass of (1.0+/-0.2) x 10^(12) Msun from the planetary nebulae data out to a projected radius of 90 kpc and (1.3+/-0.5) x 10^(12) Msun from the globular clusters out to a projected radius of 50 kpc. Lastly, we present a new and homogeneous catalog of known globular clusters in NGC 5128. This catalog combines all previous definitive cluster identifications from radial velocity studies and HST imaging studies, as well as 80 new globular clusters from a study of M.A. Beasley et al. (2007, in preparation).

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The 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO Survey: The Star Formation Histories of Luminous Red Galaxies

We present a detailed investigation into the recent star formation histories of 5,697 Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) based on the Hdelta (4101A) and [OII] (3727A) lines. LRGs are luminous (L>3L*), galaxies which have been selected to have photometric properties consistent with an old, passively evolving stellar population. For this study we utilise LRGs from the recently completed 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO survey (2SLAQ). Equivalent widths of the Hdelta and [OII] lines are measured and used to define three spectral types, those with only strong Hdelta absorption (k+a), those with strong [OII] in emission (em) and those with both (em+a). All other LRGs are considered to have passive star formation histories. The vast majority of LRGs are found to be passive (~80 per cent), however significant numbers of k+a (2.7 per cent), em+a (1.2 per cent) and em LRGs (8.6 per cent) are identified. An investigation into the redshift dependence of the fractions is also performed. A sample of SDSS MAIN galaxies with colours and luminosities consistent with the 2SLAQ LRGs is selected to provide a low redshift comparison. While the em and em+a fractions are consistent with the low redshift SDSS sample, the fraction of k+a LRGs is found to increase significantly with redshift. This result is interpreted as an indication of an increasing amount of recent star formation activity in LRGs with redshift. By considering the expected life time of the k+a phase, the number of LRGs which will undergo a k+a phase can be estimated. A crude comparison of this estimate with the predictions from semi-analytic models of galaxy formation shows that the predicted level of k+a and em+a activity is not sufficient to reconcile the predicted mass growth for massive early-types in a hierarchical merging scenario.

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New Light on the Formation and Evolution of M31 and its Globular Cluster System

We present spectroscopic ages, metallicities, and [alpha/Fe] ratios for 70 globular clusters in M31 that were derived from Lick line-index measurements. In addition to a population of old (>10 Gyr) globular clusters with a wide range of metallicities, from about -2.0 dex to solar values, we find evidence for a population of intermediate-age globular clusters with ages between ~5 and 8 Gyr and a mean metallicity around [Z/H]=-0.6. We also confirm the presence of young M31 globular clusters that were recently identified by Beasley et al. (2004), which have ages <1 Gyr and relatively high metallicities around -0.4 dex. The M31 globular cluster system has a clearly super-solar mean [alpha/Fe]=0.14\pm0.04 dex. Intermediate-age and young objects show roughly solar abundance ratios. We find evidence for an age-[alpha/Fe] relation in the sense that younger clusters have smaller mean [alpha/Fe] ratios. From a comparison of indices, mostly sensitive to carbon and/or nitrogen abundance, with SSP model predictions for nitrogen-enhanced stellar populations, we find a dichotomy in nitrogen enhancement between young and old M31 globular clusters. The indices of objects older than 5 Gyr are consistent with a factor of three or higher in nitrogen enhancement compared to their younger counterparts. Using kinematical data from Morrison et al. (2004) we find that the globular cluster sub-population with halo kinematics is old (>9 Gyr), has a bimodal metallicity distribution, and super-solar [alpha/Fe]. Disk globular clusters have a wider range of ages, are on average more metal-rich, and have a slightly smaller mean [alpha/Fe] ratio. (abridged)

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The relation between galactic properties and cluster structure

A satisfactory understanding of the origin of the dependence of galaxy properties on their environment has remained, so far, out of reach. In the light of numerous observational results and substantial theoretical progress obtained for clusters of galaxies in the last years, a primary goal is to understand how the star formation activity depends on cluster substructure, i.e. on the merging/accretion history of a cluster. In this contribution we present a case in which it is possible to identify the cluster environment, and in particular the intracluster medium and the recent infall history of galaxies onto the cluster, as the cause for an abrupt change in the star formation histories of a subset of galaxies in the Coma cluster.

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Substructure in the Coma Cluster: Giants vs Dwarfs

The processes that form and shape galaxy clusters, such as infall, mergers and dynamical relaxation, tend to generate distinguishable differences between the distributions of a cluster's giant and dwarf galaxies. Thus the dynamics of dwarf galaxies in a cluster can provide valuable insights into its dynamical history. With this in mind, we look for differences between the spatial and velocity distributions of giant (b<18) and dwarf (b>18) galaxies in the Coma cluster. Our redshift sample contains new measurements from the 2dF and WYFFOS spectrographs, making it more complete at faint magnitudes than any previously studied sample of Coma galaxies. It includes 745 cluster members - 452 giants and 293 dwarfs. We find that the line-of-sight velocity distribution of the giants is significantly non-Gaussian, but not that for the dwarfs. A battery of statistical tests of both the spatial and localised velocity distributions of the galaxies in our sample finds no strong evidence for differences between the giant and dwarf populations. These results rule out the cluster as a whole having moved significantly towards equipartition, and they are consistent with the cluster having formed via mergers between dynamically-relaxed subclusters.

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Tracing cosmic evolution with the Coma cluster

We summarize here the first results of a new spectroscopic survey of galaxies in the Coma cluster with -20.5 < M_B < -14. Differences between the last epoch of star formation (SF) activity in S0 and elliptical galaxies are discussed. Furthermore, we show that about half of all galaxies without present-day SF display signs of activity at z < 1-2. Systematic trends of most recent SF epoch with galaxy luminosity are presented.

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The `remarkable' M31 globular cluster 037-B327 revisited

The M31 globular cluster candidate 037-B327 has long been known to be an extremely red, non-stellar object. The first published spectrum of this object is used to confirm that it is a globular cluster belonging to M31, with rather typical values of v_r = -338 +/- 12 km/s and [Fe/H]= -1.07 +/- 0.20 dex. Using the spectroscopic metallicity to predict the intrinsic colours, we derive a reddening value of E(B-V)=1.30 +/- 0.04 in good agreement with the value obtained using reddening-free parameters. The extinction-corrected magnitude of 037-B327 is V_0=12.73 (absolute magnitude M_V = -11.74), which makes it the most luminous globular cluster in M31. We examine van den Bergh's (1968) argument regarding the brightest and most-reddened globular cluster in in M31; we find that the brightest clusters are more heavily-reddened than average, but this can be explained by selection effects rather than a different R_V in M31.

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Dynamics of the Globular Cluster System Associated with M87 (NGC 4486). I. New CFHT MOS Spectroscopy and the Composite Database

We present a comprehensive database of kinematic, photometric and positional information for 352 objects in the field of M87 (NGC 4486), the central giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo cluster; the majority of the objects are globular clusters associated with that galaxy. New kinematic information comes from multi-slit observations with the Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, an investigation which has added 96 new velocities to and confirmed many of the earlier values in a pre-existing dataset of 256 velocities published elsewhere. The photometry, consisting of magnitudes and colors in the Washington T1, C-T1 system, is based on CCD observations made at CTIO and KPNO. The composite database represents the largest compilation of pure Population II dynamical tracers yet identified in any external galaxy; moreover, it extends to larger spatial scales than have earlier investigations. The inclusion of photometric information allows independent study of the distinct red and blue sub-populations of the bimodal GCS of M87. In a companion paper (Cote et al. 2001), we use this dataset to analyse the present dynamical state of the M87 globular cluster system, and consider the question of its interaction and formation history.

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Dynamics of the Globular Cluster System Associated with M87 (NGC 4486). II. Analysis

We present a dynamical analysis of the globular cluster system associated with M87 (= NGC 4486), the cD galaxy near the dynamical center of the Virgo cluster. The analysis utilizes a new spectroscopic and photometric database which is described in a companion paper (Hanes et al. 2001). Using a sample of 278 globular clusters with measured radial velocities and metallicities, and new surface density profiles based on wide-field Washington photometry, we study the dynamics of the M87 globular cluster system both globally --- for the entire cluster sample --- and separately --- for the metal-rich and metal-poor globular cluster samples. This constitutes the largest sample of radial velocities for pure Population II tracers yet assembled for any galaxy. We discuss the implications of our findings for models for the formation of giant elliptical galaxies, globular cluster systems, and the Virgo cluster. (ABRIDGED)

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Dynamical Constraints on the Formation of NGC 4472 and Its Globular Clusters

We present new radial velocities for 87 globular clusters around the elliptical galaxy NGC 4472, and combine these with our previously published data to create a data set of velocities for 144 globular clusters around NGC 4472. We utilize this data set to analyze the kinematics of the NGC 4472 globular cluster system. The new data confirms our previous discovery that the metal-poor clusters have significantly higher velocity dispersion than the metal-rich clusters in NGC 4472. We also find very little or no rotation in the more spatially concentrated metal-rich population, with a resulting upper limit for this population of (v/sigma)_{proj} < 0.34 at a 99% confidence level. The very small angular momentum in the metal-rich population requires efficient angular momentum transport during the formation of this population which is spatially concentrated and chemically enriched. Such angular momentum transfer can be provided by galaxy mergers, but has not been achieved in other extant models of elliptical galaxy formation that include dark matter halos. We also calculate the velocity dispersion as a function of radius, and show that it is consistent with roughly isotropic orbits for the clusters and the mass distribution of NGC 4472 inferred from X-ray observations of the hot gas around the galaxy.

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