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Context. This is the third study of a series dedicated to the observed parallelism of properties between Galaxy Clusters and Groups(GCGs) and early-type galaxies (ETGs). Aims. Here we investigate the physical origin of the Mass-Radius Relation (MRR). Methods. Having collected literature data on masses and radii for objects going from Globular Clusters (GCs) to ETGs and GCGs, we set up the MR-plane and compare the observed distribution with the MRR predicted by theoretical models both for the monolithic and hierarchical scenarios. Results. We argue that the distributions of stellar systems in the MR-plane is due to complementary mechanisms: (i) on one hand, as shown in paper II, the relation of the virial equilibrium does intersect with a relation that provides the total luminosity as a function of the star formation history; (ii) on the other hand, the locus predicted for the collapse of systems should be convolved with the statistical expectation for the maximum mass of the halos at each comsic epoch. This second aspect provides a natural boundary limit explaining either the curved distribution observed in the MR-plane and the existence of a zone of avoidance. Conclusions. The distribution of stellar systems in the MR-plane is the result of two combined evolution, that of the stellar component and that of the halo component.
We have analyzed the parallelism between the properties of galaxy clusters and early-type galaxies (ETGs) by looking at the similarity between their light profiles. We find that the equivalent luminosity profiles of all these systems in the vfilt band, once normalized to the effective radius re and shifted in surface brightness, can be fitted by the Sersics law Sers and superposed with a small scatter ($le0.3$ mag). By grouping objects in different classes of luminosity, the average profile of each class slightly deviates from the other only in the inner and outer regions (outside $0.1leq r/R_eleq 3$), but the range of values of $n$ remains ample for the members of each class, indicating that objects with similar luminosity have quite different shapes. The Illustris simulation reproduces quite well the luminosity profiles of ETGs, with the exception of in the inner and outer regions where feedback from supernovae and active galactic nuclei, wet and dry mergers, are at work. The total mass and luminosity of galaxy clusters as well as their light profiles are not well reproduced. By exploiting simulations we have followed the variation of the effective half-light and half-mass radius of ETGs up to $z=0.8$, noting that progenitors are not necessarily smaller in size than current objects. We have also analyzed the projected dark+baryonic and dark-only mass profiles discovering that after a normalization to the half-mass radius, they can be well superposed and fitted by the Sersics law.
Context. This is the second work dedicated to the observed parallelism between galaxy clusters and early-type galaxies. The focus is on the distribution of these systems in the scaling relations (SRs) observed when effective radii, effective surface brightness, total luminosities and velocity dispersions are mutually correlated. Aims. Using the data of the Illustris simulation we try to speculate on the origin of the observed SRs. Methods. We compare the observational SRs extracted from the database of the WIde-field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey (WINGS) with the relevant parameters coming from the Illustris simulations. Then we use the simulated data at different redshift to infer the evolution of the SRs. Results. The comparison demonstrate that galaxy clusters (GCs) at z~0 follow the same log(L)-log(sigma) relation of early-type galaxies (ETGs) and that both in the log(Ie)-log(Re) and log(Re)-log(M*) planes the distribution of GCs is along the sequence defined by the brightest and massive early-type galaxies (BCGs). The Illustris simulation reproduces the tails of the massive galaxies visible both in the log(Ie)-log(Re) and log(Re)-log(M*) planes, but fail to give the correct estimate of the effective radii of the dwarf galaxies that appear too large and those of GCs that are too small. The evolution of the SRs up to z=4 permits to reveal the complex evolutionary paths of galaxies in the SRs and indicate that the line marking the Zone of Exclusion (ZoE), visible both in the log(Ie)-log(Re) and log(Re)-log(M*) planes, is the trend followed by virialized and passively evolving systems. Conclusions. We speculate that the observed SRs originate from the intersection of the virial theorem and a relation L=L_0 x sigma^beta where the luminosities depend on the star formation history.
Supermassive Black Holes (BHs) residing in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are overly massive when considering the local relationships between the BH mass and stellar bulge mass or velocity dispersion. Due to the location of these BHs within the cluster, large-scale cluster processes may aid the growth of BHs in BCGs. In this work, we study a sample of 71 galaxy clusters to explore the relationship between the BH mass, stellar bulge mass of the BCG, and the total gravitating mass of the host clusters. Due to difficulties in obtaining dynamically measured BH masses in distant galaxies, we use the Fundamental Plane relationship of BHs to infer their masses. We utilize X-ray observations taken by $Chandra$ to measure the temperature of the intra-cluster medium (ICM), which is a proxy for the total mass of the cluster. We analyze the $rm M_{BH}-kT$ and $rm M_{BH}-M_{Bulge}$ relationships and establish the best-fitting power laws:$log_{10}(M_{rm BH} /10^9 M_{odot})=-0.35+2.08 log_{10}(kT / 1 rm keV)$ and $log_{10}(rm M_{BH}/10^9M_{odot})= -1.09+ 1.92 log_{10}(M_{rm bulge}/10^{11}M_{odot})$. Both relations are comparable with that established earlier for a sample of brightest group/cluster galaxies with dynamically measured BH masses. Although both the $rm M_{BH}-kT$ and the $rm M_{BH}-M_{Bulge}$ relationships exhibit large intrinsic scatter, based on Monte Carlo simulations we conclude that dominant fraction of the scatter originates from the Fundamental Plane relationship. We split the sample into cool core and non-cool core resembling clusters, but do not find statistically significant differences in the $rm M_{BH}-kT$ relation. We speculate that the overly massive BHs in BCGs may be due to frequent mergers and cool gas inflows onto the cluster center.
Early-type galaxies obey a narrow relation traced by their stellar content between the mass and size (Mass- Radius relation). The wealth of recently acquired observational data essentially confirms the classical relations found by Burstein, Bender, Faber, and Nolthenius, i.e. log(R_1/2) propto log(Ms)simeq 0.54 for high mass galaxies and log(R_1/2) propto log(Ms) simeq 0.3 for dwarf systems (shallower slope), where R_1/2 and Ms are the half-light radius and total mass in stars, respectively. Why do galaxies follow these characteristic trends? What can they tell us about the process of galaxy formation? We investigate the mechanisms which concur to shape the Mass-Radius relation, in order to cast light on the physical origin of its slope, its tightness, and its zero point. We perform a theoretical analysis, and couple it with the results of numerical hydrodynamical (NB-TSPH) simulations of galaxy formation, and with a simulation of the Mass-Radius plane itself. We propose a novel interpretation of the Mass-Radius relation, which we claim to be the result of two complementary mechanisms: on one hand, the result of local physical processes, which fixes the ratio between masses and radii of individual objects; on the other hand, the action of cosmological global, statistical principles, which shape the distribution of objects in the plane. We reproduce the Mass-Radius relation with a simple numerical technique based on this view.
We extend our initial study of the connection between the UV colour of galaxies and both the inferred stellar mass-to-light ratio, $Upsilon_*$, and a mass-to-light ratio referenced to Salpeter initial mass function (IMF) models of the same age and metallicity, $Upsilon_*/Upsilon_{Sal}$, using new UV magnitude measurements for a much larger sample of early-type galaxies, ETGs, with dynamically determined mass-to-light ratios. We confirm the principal empirical finding of our first study, a strong correlation between the GALEX FUV-NUV colour and $Upsilon_*$. We show that this finding is not the result of spectral distortions limited to a single passband (eg. metallicity-dependent line-blanketing in the NUV band), or of the analysis methodology used to measure $Upsilon_*$, or of the inclusion or exclusion of the correction for stellar population effects as accounted for using $Upsilon_*/Upsilon_{Sal}$. The sense of the correlation is that galaxies with larger $Upsilon_*$, or larger $Upsilon_*/Upsilon_{Sal}$, are bluer in the UV. We conjecture that differences in the low mass end of the stellar initial mass function, IMF, are related to the nature of the extreme horizontal branch stars generally responsible for the UV flux in ETGs. If so, then UV color can be used to identify ETGs with particular IMF properties and to estimate $Upsilon_*$. We also demonstrate that UV colour can be used to decrease the scatter about the Fundamental Plane and Manifold, and to select peculiar galaxies for follow-up with which to further explore the cause of variations in $Upsilon_*$ and UV colour.