The distribution of mass for spiral galaxies in clusters and in the field

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167326· OSTI ID:5629020

Forbes, D A; Whitmore, B C

A comparison is made between the mass distributions of spiral galaxies in clusters and in the field using Burstein's mass-type methodology. Both the H-alpha emission-line rotation curves and more extended H I rotation curves are used. The fitting technique for determining mass types used by Burstein and coworkers has been replaced by an objective chi-sq method. Mass types are shown to be a function of both the Hubble type and luminosity, contrary to earlier results. The present data show a difference in the distribution of mass types for spiral galaxies in the field and in clusters, in the sense that mass type I galaxies, where the inner and outer velocity gradients are similar, are generally found in the field rather than in clusters. This can be understood in terms of the results of Whitmore, Forbes, and Rubin (1988), who find that the rotation curves of galaxies in the central region of clusters are generally failing, while the outer galaxies in a cluster and field galaxies tend to have flat or rising rotation curves. 15 refs.

• Research Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5629020
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 339
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALAXIES
MASS DISTRIBUTION
BALMER LINES
GALAXY CLUSTERS
H1 REGIONS
LUMINOSITY
MORPHOLOGY
ROTATION
SPIRAL CONFIGURATION
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DISTRIBUTION
MOTION
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies