No Arabic abstract
In this paper we report on the discovery of 27 low-surface brightness galaxies, of which 12 are candidate ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) in the Hydra I cluster, based on deep observations taken as part of the VST Early-type Galaxy Survey (VEGAS). This first sample of UDG candidates in the Hydra I cluster represents an important step in our project that aims to enlarge the number of confirmed UDGs and, through study of statistically relevant samples, constrain the nature and formation of UDGs. This study presents the main properties of this class of galaxies in the Hydra I cluster. For all UDGs, we analyse the light and colour distribution, and provide a census of the globular cluster (GC) systems around them. Given the limitations of a reliable GC selection based on two relatively close optical bands only, we find that half of the UDG candidates have a total GC population consistent with zero. Of the other half, two galaxies have a total population larger than zero at 2$sigma$ level. We estimate the stellar mass, the total number of GCs and the GC specific frequency ($S_N$). Most of the candidates span a range of stellar masses of $10^7-10^8$~M$_{odot}$. Based on the GC population of these newly discovered UDGs, we conclude that most of these galaxies have a standard or low dark matter content, with a halo mass of $leq 10^{10}$~M$_{odot}$.
Using deep g,r,i imaging from the VEGAS survey, we have searched for ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the IC 1459 group. Assuming they are group members, we identify 9 galaxies with physical sizes and surface brightnesses that match the UDG criteria within our measurement uncertainties. They have mean colours of g--i = 0.6 and stellar masses of $sim$10$^8$ M$_{odot}$. Several galaxies appear to have associated systems of compact objects, e.g. globular clusters. Two UDGs contain a central bright nucleus, with a third UDG revealing a remarkable double nucleus. This appears to be the first reported detection of a double nucleus in a UDG - its origin is currently unclear.
Many ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs) have now been identified in clusters of galaxies. However, the number of nearby UDGs suitable for detailed follow-up remain rare. Our aim is to begin to identify UDGs in the environments of nearby bright early-type galaxies from the VEGAS survey. Here we use a deep g band image of the NGC 5846 group, taken as part of the VEGAS survey, to search for UDGs. We found one object with properties of a UDG if it associated with the NGC 5846 group, which seems likely. The galaxy, we name NGC 5846$_$UDG1, has an absolute magnitude of M$_g$ = -14.2, corresponding to a stellar mass of $sim$10$^8$ M$_{odot}$. It also reveals a system of compact sources which are likely globular clusters. Based on the number of globular clusters detected we estimate a halo mass that is greater than 8$times$10$^{10}$ M$_{odot}$ for UDG1.
We present a homogeneous catalog of 275 large (effective radius $gtrsim$ 5.3 arcsec) ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) candidates lying within an $approx$ 290 square degree region surrounding the Coma cluster. The catalog results from our automated postprocessing of data from the Legacy Surveys, a three-band imaging survey covering 14,000 square degrees of the extragalactic sky. We describe a pipeline that identifies UDGs and provides their basic parameters. The survey is as complete in these large UDGs as previously published UDG surveys of the central region of the Coma cluster. We conclude that the majority of our detections are at roughly the distance of the Coma cluster, implying effective radii $ge 2.5$ kpc, and that our sample contains a significant number of analogs of DF 44, where the effective radius exceeds 4 kpc, both within the cluster and in the surrounding field. The $g-z$ color of our UDGs spans a large range, suggesting that even large UDGs may reflect a range of formation histories. A majority of the UDGs are consistent with being lower stellar mass analogs of red sequence galaxies, but we find both red and blue UDG candidates in the vicinity of the Coma cluster and a relative overabundance of blue UDG candidates in the lower density environments and the field. Our eventual processing of the full Legacy Surveys data will produce the largest, most homogeneous sample of large UDGs.
We use Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy to confirm the cluster membership of 16 ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Coma cluster, bringing the total number of spectroscopically con- firmed UDGs to 24. We also identify a new cluster background UDG. In this pilot study of Coma UDGs in velocity phase-space, we find evidence that most present-day Coma UDGs have a recent infall epoch while a few may be ancient infalls. These recent infall UDGs have higher absolute relative line-of-sight velocities, bluer optical colors, and are smaller in size, unlike the ancient infalls. The kinematics of the spectroscopically confirmed Coma UDG sample is similar to that of the cluster late-type galaxy population. Our velocity phase-space analysis suggests that present-day cluster UDGs have a predominantly accretion origin from the field, acquire velocities corresponding to the mass of the cluster at accretion as they are accelerated towards the cluster center, and become redder and bigger as they experience the various physical processes at work within the cluster.
We performed a large spectroscopic survey of compact, unresolved objects in the core of the Hydra I galaxy cluster (Abell 1060), with the aim of identifying ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), and investigating the properties of the globular cluster (GC) system around the central cD galaxy NGC 3311. We obtained VIMOS medium resolution spectra of about 1200 candidate objects with apparent magnitudes 18.5 < V < 24.0 mag, covering both the bright end of the GC luminosity function and the luminosity range of all known UCDs. By means of spectroscopic redshift measurements, we identified 118 cluster members, from which 52 are brighter than M_V = -11.0 mag, and can therefore be termed UCDs. The brightest UCD in our sample has an absolute magnitude of M_V = -13.4 mag (corresponding to a mass of > 5 x 10^7 M_sun) and a half-light radius of 25 pc. This places it among the brightest and most massive UCDs ever discovered. Most of the GCs/UCDs are both spatially and dynamically associated to the central cD galaxy. The overall velocity dispersion of the GCs/UCDs is comparable to what is found for the cluster galaxies. However, when splitting the sample into a bright and a faint part, we observe a lower velocity dispersion for the bright UCDs/GCs than for the fainter objects. At a dividing magnitude of M_V = -10.75 mag, the dispersions differ by more than 200 km/s, and up to 300 km/s for objects within 5 arcmin around NGC 3311. We interpret these results in the context of different UCD formation channels, and conclude that interaction driven formation seems to play an important role in the centre of Hydra I.