Galaxy pairs align with galactic filaments

Context. Gravitational collapse theory and numerical simulations suggest that the velocity field within large-scale galaxy filaments is dominated by motions along the filaments. Aims. Our aim is to check whether observational data reveal any preferred orientation of galaxy pairs with respect to the underlying filaments as a result of the expectedly anisotropic velocity field. Methods. We use galaxy pairs and galaxy filaments identified from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. For filament extraction, we use the Bisous model that is based the marked point process technique. During the filament detection, we use the centre point of each pair instead of the positions of galaxies to avoid a built-in influence of pair orientation on the filament construction. For pairs lying within filaments (3012 cases), we calculate the angle between the line connecting galaxies of each pair and their host filament. To avoid redshift-space distortions, the angle is measured in the plain of the sky. Results. The alignment analysis shows that the orientation of galaxy pairs correlates strongly with their host filaments. The alignment signal is stronger for loose pairs, with at least 25% excess of aligned pairs compared to a random distribution. The alignment of galaxy pairs and filaments measured from the observational data is in good concordance with the alignment in the Millennium simulation and thus provides support to the {Lambda}CDM formalism.

SDSS surface photometry of M 31 with absorption corrections

The objective of this work is to obtain an extinction-corrected distribution of optical surface brightness and colour indices of the large nearby galaxy M 31 using homogeneous observational data and a model for intrinsic extinction. We process the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images in ugriz passbands and construct corresponding mosaic images, taking special care of subtracting the varying sky background. We apply the galactic model developed in Tempel et al. (2010) and far-infrared imaging to correct the photometry for intrinsic dust effects. We obtain observed and dust-corrected distributions of the surface brightness of M 31 and a map of line-of-sight extinctions inside the galaxy. Our extinction model suggests that either M 31 is intrinsically non-symmetric along the minor axis or the dust properties differ from those of the Milky Way. Assuming the latter case, we present the surface brightness distributions and integral photometry for the Sloan filters as well as the standard UBVRI system. We find the following intrinsic integral colour indices for M 31: (U-B)_0=0.35; (B-V)_0=0.86; (V-R)_0=0.63; (R-I)_0=0.53; the total intrinsic absorption-corrected luminosities of M 31 in the B and the V filters are 4.10 and 3.24 mag, respectively.

Dust-corrected surface photometry of M 31 from the Spitzer far infrared observations

We create a model for recovering the intrinsic, absorption-corrected surface brightness distribution of a galaxy and apply the model to the M31. We construct a galactic model as a superposition of axially symmetric stellar components and a dust disc to analyse the intrinsic absorption efects. Dust column density is assumed to be proportional to the far-infrared flux of the galaxy. Along each line of sight, the observed far-infrared spectral energy distribution is approximated with modified black body functions considering dust components with different temperatures, allowing to determine the temperatures and relative column densities of the dust components. We apply the model to the nearby galaxy M31 using the Spitzer Space Telescope far-infrared observations for mapping dust distribution and temperature. A warm and a cold dust component are distinguished. The temperature of the warm dust in M31 varies between 56 and 60 K and is highest in the spiral arms; the temperature of the cold component is mostly 15-19 K and rises up to about 25 K at the centre of the galaxy. The intensity-weighted mean temperature of the dust decreases from T ~32 K at the centre to T ~20 K at R ~7 kpc and outwards. We also calculate the intrinsic UBVRIL surface brightness distributions and the spatial luminosity distribution. The intrinsic dust extinction in the V-colour rises from 0.25 mag at the centre to 0.4-0.5 mag at R = 6-13 kpc and decreases smoothly thereafter. The calculated total extinction-corrected luminosity of M31 is L_B = (3.64 pm 0.15) 10^10L_sun, corresponding to an absolute luminosity M_B = (-20.89 pm 0.04) mag. Of the total B-luminosity, 20% (0.24 mag) is obscured from us by the dust inside M31. The intrinsic shape of the bulge is slightly prolate in our best-fit model.

Where have all the bulges gone?

Several recent studies indicate that bulges are more complex than merely structureless relaxed stellar systems. We study the HST images of a sample of 130 nearby early type (S0-Sab) disc galaxies and detect pure structureless bulges with the Sersic index n > 2 for only 12% of the galaxies. Other galaxies show varied substructure in their inner regions (inner bars, inner spiral arms, inner rings) and sometimes contain no bulge at all. Inner substructure is more common for these galaxies, which also display structure at larger scales.

Visible and dark matter in M31 - I. Properties of stellar components

We construct a structural model of the Andromeda Galaxy, simultaneously corresponding to observed photometrical and kinematical data and chemical abundances. In this paper we present the observed surface brightness, colour and metallicity distributions, and compare them to the model galaxy. In Paper II (Tempel, Tamm & Tenjes 2007) we present similar data for the kinematics, and derive the mass distribution of the galaxy. On the basis of U, B, V, R, I and L luminosity distributions, we construct the model galaxy as a superposition of four axially symmetric stellar components: a bulge, a disc, an inner halo and an extended diffuse halo. By using far-infrared imaging data of M31 and a thin dust disc assumption, we derive dust-free surface brightness and colour distributions. We find the total absorption corrected luminosity of M31 to be L_B = (3.3+/-0.7)x10^10 L_sun, corresponding to an absolute luminosity M_B = -20.8+/-0.2 mag. Of the total luminosity, 41% (0.57 mag) is obscured from us by the dust inside M31. Using chemical evolution models, we calculate mass-to-light ratios of the components, correspoding to the colour indices and metallicities. We find the total intrinsic mass-to-light ratio of the visible matter to be M/L_B=3.1-5.8 M_sun/L_sun and the total mass of visible matter M_vis =(10-19)x10^10 M_sun. The use of the model parameters for a dynamical analysis and for determining dark matter distribution is presented in Paper II.

Visible and dark matter in M 31 - II. A dynamical model and dark matter density distribution

In the present paper we derive the density distribution of dark matter (DM) in a well-observed nearby disc galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy. From photometrical and chemical evolution models constructed in the first part of the study (Tamm, Tempel & Tenjes 2007 (arXiv:0707.4375), hereafter Paper I) we can calculate the mass distribution of visible components (the bulge, the disc, the stellar halo, the outer diffuse stellar halo). In the dynamical model we calculate stellar rotation velocities along the major axis and velocity dispersions along the major, minor and intermediate axes of the galaxy assuming triaxial velocity dispersion ellipsoid. Comparing the calculated values with the collected observational data, we find the amount of DM, which must be added to reach an agreement with the observed rotation and dispersion data. We conclude that within the uncertainties, the DM distributions by Moore, Burkert, Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) and the Einasto fit with observations nearly at all distances. The NFW and Einasto density distributions give the best fit with observations. The total mass of M 31 with the NFW DM distribution is 1.19*10^12 M_sun, the ratio of the DM mass to the visible mass is 10.0. For the Einasto DM distribution, these values are 1.28*10^12 M_sun and 10.8. The ratio of the DM mass to the visible mass inside the Holmberg radius is 1.75 for the NFW and the Einasto distributions. For different cuspy DM distributions, the virial mass is in a range 6.9-7.9*10^11 M_sun and the virial radius is ~150 kpc. The DM mean densities inside 10 pc for cusped models are 33 and 16 M_sun pc^-3 for the NFW and the Einasto profiles, respectively. For the cored Burkert profile, this value is 0.06 M_sun pc^-3.