We present deep GMOS long-slit spectroscopy of 15 Coma cluster S0 galaxies, and extract kinematic properties along the major axis to several times the disc scale-length. Supplementing our dataset with previously published data, we create a combined s
ample of 29 Coma S0s, as well as a comparison sample of 38 Coma spirals. Using photometry from SDSS and 2MASS, we construct the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR; luminosity versus maximum rotational velocity) for S0 galaxies. At fixed rotational velocity, the Coma S0 galaxies are on average fainter than Coma spirals by 1.10$pm$0.18, 0.86$pm$0.19 and 0.83$pm$0.19 mag in the g, i and Ks bands respectively. The typical S0 offsets remain unchanged when calculated relative to large field-galaxy spiral samples. The observed offsets are consistent with a simple star formation model in which S0s are identical to spirals until abrupt quenching occurs at some intermediate redshift. The offsets form a continuous distribution tracing the time since the cessation of star formation, and exhibit a strong correlation (>6{sigma}) with residuals from the optical colour-magnitude relation. Typically, S0s which are fainter than average for their rotational velocity are also redder than average for their luminosity. The S0 TFR offset is also correlated with both the projected cluster-centric radius and the {Sigma} (projected) local density parameter. Since current local environment is correlated with time of accretion into the cluster, our results support a scenario in which transformation of spirals to S0s is triggered by cluster infall.
The origins of the bulge and disc components of galaxies are of primary importance to understanding galaxy formation. Here bulge-disc decomposition is performed simultaneously in B- and R-bands for 922 bright galaxies in 8 nearby (z < 0.06) clusters
with deep redshift coverage using photometry from the NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey. The total galaxy colours follow a universal colour-magnitude relation (CMR). The discs of L_* galaxies are 0.24 magnitudes bluer in $B-R$ than bulges. Bulges have a significant CMR slope while the CMR slope of discs is flat. Thus the slope of the CMR of the total light is driven primarily (60%) by the bulge-CMR, and to a lesser extent (40%) by the change in the bulge-to-total ratio as a function of magnitude. The colours of the bulge and disc components do not depend on the bulge-to-total ratio, for galaxies with bulge-to-total ratios greater than 0.2. While the colours of the bulge components do not depend significantly on environment, the median colours of discs vary significantly, with discs in the cluster centre redder by 0.10 magnitudes than those at the virial radius. Thus while star formation in bulges appears to be regulated primarily by mass-dependent, and hence presumably internal, processes, that of discs is affected by the cluster environment.
We have used new deep observations of the Coma cluster from GALEX to identify 13 star-forming galaxies with asymmetric morphologies in the ultraviolet. Aided by optical broad-band and H-alpha imaging, we interpret the asymmetric features as being due
to star formation within gas stripped from the galaxies by interaction with the cluster environment. The selected objects display a range of structures from broad fan-shaped systems of filaments and knots (`jellyfish) to narrower and smoother tails extending up to 100 kpc in length. Some of the features have been discussed previously in the literature, while others are newly identified here. As an ensemble, the candidate stripping events are located closer to the cluster centre than other star-forming galaxies; their radial distribution is similar to that of all cluster members, dominated by passive galaxies. The fraction of blue galaxies which are undergoing stripping falls from 40% in the central 500 kpc, to less than 5% beyond 1 Mpc. We find that tails pointing away from (i.e. galaxies moving towards) the cluster centre are strongly favoured (11/13 cases). From the small number of `outgoing galaxies with stripping signatures we conclude that the stripping events occur primarily on first passage towards the cluster centre, and are short-lived compared to the cluster crossing time. Using infall trajectories from simulations, the observed fraction of blue galaxies undergoing stripping can be reproduced if the events are triggered at a threshold radius of ~1 Mpc and detectable for ~500 Myr. HST images are available for two galaxies from our sample and reveal compact blue knots coincident with UV and H-alpha emission, apparently forming stars within the stripped material. Our results confirm that stripping of gas from infalling galaxies, and associated star formation in the stripped material, is a widespread phenomenon in rich clusters.
This paper addresses the challenge of understanding the typical star formation histories of red sequence galaxies, using linestrength indices and mass-to-light ratios as complementary constraints on their stellar age distribution. We construct simple
parametric models of the star formation history that bracket a range of scenarios, and fit these models to the linestrength indices of low-redshift cluster red-sequence galaxies. For giant galaxies, we confirm the downsizing trend. We find, however, that this trend flattens or reverses at sigma < 70 km/s. We then compare predicted stellar mass-to-light ratios with dynamical mass-to-light ratios derived from the Fundamental Plane (FP), or by the SAURON group. For galaxies with sigma ~ 70 km/s, models with a frosting of young stars and models with exponential star formation histories have stellar mass-to-light ratios that are larger than observed dynamical mass-to-light ratios by factors of 1.7 and 1.4, respectively, and so are rejected. The SSP model is consistent with the FP, and requires a modest amount of dark matter (20-30%) to account for the difference between stellar and dynamical mass-to-light ratios. A model in which star formation was quenched at intermediate ages is also consistent with the observations. We find that the contribution of stellar populations to the tilt of the FP is highly dependent on the assumed star-formation history: for the SSP model, the tilt of the FP is driven primarily by stellar-population effects. For a quenched model, two-thirds of the tilt is due to stellar populations and only one third is due to dark matter or non-homology.
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 dw
arfs 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.
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 loca
ted 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.
We present results from a pilot study of radial stellar population trends in early-type galaxies using the VLT VIMOS integral field unit (IFU). We observe twelve galaxies in the cluster Abell 3389 (z~0.027). For each galaxy, we measure 22 line-streng
th indices in multiple radial bins out to at least the effective radius. We derive stellar population parameters using a grid inversion technique, and calculate the radial gradients in age, metallcity and alpha-abundance. Generally, the galaxies in our sample have flat radial trends in age and [alpha/Fe], but negative gradients in [Z/H] (-0.20 +/- 0.05 dex). Combining our targets with two similar, long-slit studies to increase sample size, we find that the gradients are not correlated with the central velocity dispersion or K-band luminosity (both proxies for galaxy mass). However, we find that the age and metallicity gradients are both anti-correlated with their respective central values (to > 4 sigma), such that galaxies with young cores have steeper positive age gradients, and those with metal-rich centres have strong negative [Z/H] gradients.
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 c
entred 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.
We present GALEX near-UV (NUV) and 2MASS J band photometry for red sequence galaxies in local clusters. We define quiescent samples according to a strict emission threshold, removing galaxies with very recent star formation. We analyse the NUV-J colo
ur-magnitude relation (CMR) and find that the intrinsic scatter is an order of magnitude larger than for the analogous optical CMR (~0.35 rather than 0.05 mag), in agreement with previous studies. Comparing the NUV-J colours with spectroscopically-derived stellar population parameters, we find a strong (> 5.5sigma) correlation with metallicity, only a marginal trend with age, and no correlation with the alpha/Fe ratio. We explore the origin of the large scatter and conclude that neither aperture effects nor the UV upturn phenomenon contribute significantly. We show that the scatter could be attributed to simple `frosting by either a young or a low metallicity subpopulation.
We present new optical spectroscopy for 342 R<18 galaxies in the Shapley Supercluster obtained with the AAOmega facility at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We describe the observations and measurements of central velocity dispersion, emission line eq
uivalent widths and absorption line indices. The distinguishing characteristic of the survey is its coverage of a very wide baseline in velocity dispersion (30-300 km/s), while achieving high signal-to-noise ratio throughout (median 60 per Ang). Significant emission at H-alpha was detected in ~20 per cent of red-sequence Shapley members. Using line-ratio diagnostics, we find that the emission is LINER-like at high luminosity, but driven by star-formation in low-luminosity galaxies. We use Lick indices to characterise the absorption spectra. We define a subset of galaxies with very low emission contamination, and fit the index-sigma relations for this subset. Comparing the index-sigma slopes against predictions from single-burst stellar population models, we infer the scaling relations of age, total metallicity, [Z/H], and alpha-element abundance ratio, [a/Fe]. To reproduce the observed index-sigma slopes, all three parameters must increase with increasing velocity dispersion. Specifically, we recover: Age propto sigma^0.52+/-0.10, Z/H propto sigma^0.34+/-0.07, and a/Fe propto sigma^0.23+/-0.06 (error reflects systematic effects), derived over a decade baseline in velocity dispersion. The recovered age-sigma relation is shown to be consistent with the observed evolution in the giant-to-dwarf galaxy ratio in clusters at redshifts z=0.4-0.8. A companion paper will analyse the distribution of age, [Z/H] and [a/Fe] for individual galaxies. (Abridged.)
