Environmental enhancement of loose groups around rich clusters of galaxies (original) (raw)

The Evolution of Galaxies in Clusters

Symposium - International Astronomical Union, 2003

We report on recent numerical investigations of the dynamical evolution of galaxies in clusters. Simulations of spiral galaxies falling into forming clusters show the development of the morphology-density relationship and the formation of regular and giant elliptical galaxies. The regular elliptical merger remnants end up in a fundamental plane very similar to the observed relation. The giant ellipticals have much in common with their real counterparts but their central velocity dispersions are too high. We also quantify the amount and distribution of diffuse light in clusters.

Galaxy interactions II: High density environments

2011

With the aim to assess the role of dense environments in galaxy interactions, properties we present an analysis of close galaxy pairs in groups and clusters, obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS-DR7). We identified pairs that reside in groups by cross-correlating the total galaxy pair catalogue with the SDSS-DR7 group catalogue from Zapata et al. (2009). We classify pair galaxies according to the intensity of interaction. We analysed the effect of high density environments on different classes of galaxy-galaxy interactions and we have also studied the impact of the group global environment on pair galaxies. We find that galaxy pairs are more concentrated towards the group centres with respect to the other group galaxy members, and disturbed pairs show a preference to contain the brightest galaxy in the groups. The color-magnitude relation exhibits significant differences between pair galaxies and the control sample, consisting in color tails with a clear excess of extremely blue and red galaxies for merging systems. In addition, pair galaxies show a significant excess of young stellar populations with respect to galaxies in the control sample; this finding suggests that, in dense environments, strong interactions produce an important effect in modifying galaxy properties. We find that the fraction of star forming galaxies decreases toward the group centre; however, galaxy pairs show a more efficient star formation activity than galaxies without a close companion. We have also found that pair galaxies prefer groups with low density global environments with respect to galaxies of the corresponding control sample. Blue, young stellar population galaxies prefer groups within low density global environments.