Chain Galaxies in the Tadpole ACS Field


Abstract in English

Colors and magnitudes were determined for 69 chain galaxies, 58 other linear structures, 32 normal edge-on galaxies, and all of their large star formation clumps in the HST ACS field of the Tadpole galaxy. Redshifts of 0.5 to 2 are inferred from comparisons with published color-evolution models. The linear galaxies have no red nuclear bulges like the normal disk galaxies in our field, but the star formation clumps in each have about the same colors and magnitudes. Light profiles along the linear galaxies tend to be flat, unlike the exponential profiles of normal galaxies. Although the most extreme of the linear objects look like beaded filaments, they are all probably edge-on disks that will evolve to late Hubble type galaxies. The lack of an exponential profile is either the result of a dust scale height that is comparable to the stellar scale height, or an intrinsically irregular structure. Examples of galaxies that could be face-

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