Multicolor surface photometry of powerful radio galaxies

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5179530

Smith, E P

CCD images of 72 powerful radio galaxies have been obtained with the KPNO 2.1m, 4m and CTIO 4m telescopes utilizing B, V, and R filters to study the colors and other photometric properties of these large systems. The GASP software package was used for the data reduction and detailed 2-d surface photometry. In addition, image modeling techniques were employed to investigate the contributions to galaxy properties by point-like nuclear sources seen in some of these galaxies. It was found that powerful radio galaxies show a much higher frequency than normal bright ellipticals of having optical morphologies which deviate from elliptical symmetry. Approximately 50% of the sample exhibit non-elliptically symmetric isophotes. These prominent distortions are present at surface brightness levels of {le} 25 V mag/(arc sec){sup 2}. In addition, a large fraction ({approximately}50%) of the remaining radio galaxies without the aforementioned morphological peculiarities have large isophotal twists ({Delta}P.A. {ge} 10{degree}) or ellipticity gradients. Significantly {approximately}50% of the galaxies with strong optical emission lines in their spectra display optically peculiar structures very similar to those found by Toomre and Toomre (1972) in their simulations of interacting disk galaxies. The galaxies with weak emission lines in their spectra are less frequently ({approximately}10%) distorted from elliptical shape. Those that are exhibit features like isophote twists, double nuclei and close companion galaxies embedded in the radio galaxy optical isophotes. The (B-V) colors of many of the powerful radio galaxies with strong emission lines are blue relative to normal giant ellipticals at the same redshift.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5179530
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BRIGHTNESS
CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICES
COLOR
COMPUTER CODES
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
G CODES
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
IMAGES
LUMINOSITY
MORPHOLOGY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES
PHOTOMETRY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIO GALAXIES
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SPECTRA