Using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained deep far-ultraviolet images of the compact elliptical galaxy M32. When combined with earlier near-ultraviolet images of the same field, these data enable the construction of an ultraviolet color-magnitude diagram of the hot horizontal branch (HB) population and other hot stars in late phases of stellar evolution. We find few post-asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) stars in the galaxy, implying that these stars either cross the HR diagram more rapidly than expected, and/or that they spend a significant fraction of their time enshrouded in circumstellar material. The predicted luminosity gap between the hot HB and its AGB-Manque (AGBM) progeny is less pronounced than expected, especially when compared to evolutionary tracks with enhanced helium abundances, implying that the presence of hot HB stars in this metal-rich population is not due to (Delta Y)/(Delta Z) > 4. Only a small fraction (~2%) of the HB population is hot enough to produce significant UV emission, yet most of the UV emission in this galaxy comes from the hot HB and AGBM stars, implying that PAGB stars are not a significant source of UV emission even in those elliptical galaxies with a weak UV excess.
The Tully-Fisher relation for low surface brightness galaxies - implications for galaxy evolution
给出了低表面亮度星系B波段Tully-Fisher关系。这些LSB星系遵循与正常螺旋星系相同的塔利-费舍尔关系。这意味着LSB星系的质光比(M/L)通常比具有相同总光度和形态类型的正常星系大2倍。由于星系的动力学质量通过M \propto V ^2 h与自转速度和标度长度相关,因此在固定线宽下LSB星系必须是正常星系的两倍大。这是通过检查LSB和正常星系的尺度长度和线宽之间的关系得到证实。如果LSB星系是具有低质量表面密度σ的星系,那么Tully-Fisher关系的普适性就可以理解。质量面密度显然控制着星系的光度演化,例如保持乘积σM/L恒定。
The luminosities, sizes and velocity dispersions of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: Implications for formation history
早型布里渊星系团星系团(BCGs)的大小-光度关系R_e ~ L ^0.88,比早型星系团大部分的大小-光度关系R_e ~ L ^0.68陡。此外,虽然BCG几乎没有偏离由早期类型人口的大部分定义的基本面,但它们显示出相当小的分散性。BCGs的尺寸比预期的要大,并且均匀性增加,这与试图通过调用干无耗散合并来解释最大质量星系的颜色的模型在定性上是一致的,因为耗散倾向于减小星系的尺寸,而导致恒星形成的湿合并倾向于增加在固定尺寸和速度色散下的光度散射。此外,BCGs定义了相同的g-r颜色-星等关系的早期型人口的大部分。如果BCG是由干合并形成的,那么BCG的祖先一定是红色的,这表明它们拥有比典型光度更古老的恒星星族。我们的发现还有另外两个结果。首先,研究了早型星系总体的R_e-L关系(即,正常加BCG)表现出一定的曲率。这种弯曲一定是因为越来越多的最明亮的星系是BCGs。第二个结论是由这样一个事实提出的,即尽管遵循一个更陡峭的尺寸-光度关系,但BCGs倾向于在动力学质量R_e σ ^2/G和光度之间定义一个紧密的关系。因此,我们发现BCGs定义了一个浅的sigma-L关系比大部分的早期型星系人口。
The evolution of high redshift galaxies in the two Hubble Deep Fields, HDF-N and HDF-S, is investigated using a cloning technique that replicates z~ 2-3 U dropouts to higher redshifts, allowing a comparison with the observed B and V dropouts at higher redshifts (z ~ 4-5). We treat each galaxy selected for replication as a set of pixels that are k-corrected to higher redshift, accounting for resampling, shot-noise, surface-brightness dimming, and the cosmological model. We find evidence for size evolution (a 1.7x increase) from z ~ 5 to z ~ 2.7 for flat geometries (Omega_M+Omega_LAMBDA=1.0). Si…
Implications of the Lyman alpha Emission Line from a Candidate z=10 Galaxy
最近发现的z=10星系(Pello et al 2004)有一条很强的莱曼α发射线,这与令人惊讶的对称性是一致的,即使它的光谱质量相对较差。起源于高红移的莱曼α线的蓝翼应该被沿着视线的共振氢吸收强烈地抑制,这一预期被观测到的现有莱曼α发射源样品在较低红移(3< z < 6.7)的不对称形状所证实。如果星系附近的星系际介质(IGM)是高度电离的,则可以减少Pello等人的线的蓝色一侧的吸收。但我们表明,这需要不切实际的高电离发射率。相反,我们认为莱曼α发射气体相对于周围气体以>= 35 km/s的速度后退,只有当星系是一个更大的系统(星系群)的一部分时,速度色散>= 35 km/s的大速度才是合理的。我们发现,在这种速度变化的情况下,观测到的线的强度和形状仍然与星系被嵌入在完全中性的IGM中的斯特罗姆格伦球所包围的情况相一致。更一般地说,我们预测,在任何给定的红移,明亮的莱曼α发射更广泛的线将表现出更强的不对称性比暗淡的。具有对称莱曼α线的明亮星系可能是星系群和星系团的路标,在这些星系群和星系团中,它们可以获得与它们的线宽相当或更大的随机速度。