Multicolor surface photometry of powerful radio galaxies. II. Morphology and stellar content

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167524· OSTI ID:5642834

Smith, E P; Heckman, T M ^[1]

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1. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (USA)

Results on the morphology, photometric structure, and colors of 72 powerful radio galaxies (PRGs) are presented. It is found that galaxy interactions and mergers play an important role in the PRG phenomenon. Over 50 percent of the sample galaxies display optical morphological deviations from elliptical symmetry at high levels of surface brightness. About 20 percent of the galaxies have a second nucleus less than 10 kpc in projection from the main nucleus. The fraction of PRGs in a common envelope with neighboring galaxies is even larger. Surface brightness profiles for galaxies with weak or no emission lines are typically shallower in slope than normal radio-quiet elliptical galaxies, but similar to the brightest cluster galaxies. Surface brightness profiles for strong emission (SE) galaxies are more diverse in form. The SE PRGs have unusually blue average colors relative to giant elliptical galaxies. These colors are spatially extended and not merely due to light from a bright nucleus or extended emission-line gas. 80 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5642834
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 341; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BRIGHTNESS
COLOR
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
FLUIDS
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GASES
GRAVITATIONAL INTERACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
MORPHOLOGY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES
PHOTOMETRY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIO GALAXIES
STAR EVOLUTION