Structure of brightest cluster galaxies

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6328623

Schombert, J M

Faint surface photometry of bright ellipticals in the cores of galaxy clusters, combined with photometry from within the literature produced a sample of 261 ellipticals in 63 clusters over a magnitude range of -18 greater than or equal to M/sub v/ greater than or equal to -25. Fitting functions, particularly the r/sup 1/4/ law and the Hubble-Oemier law, are applied to the data; however, results are ambiguous and have compelled the use of empirical quantities such as isophotal radii, characteristic surface brightnesses, and integrated magnitudes determined directly from surface brightness profiles themselves to analyze structure. There is strong evidence to show that structure is a well correlated and smooth function of luminosity, and that generalized profiles can be constructed as templates to describe the average structure of ellipticals as one parameter (luminosity) family. BCMs (brightest cluster members) have particular traits that, as a class of objects, distinguishes them structurally from normal ellipticals. These differences can be attributed to enlarged characteristic radii, and shallow profile slopes. The inner surface brightness rotations for normal ellipticals and BCMs are similar and there is no evidence that cD galaxies have low inner surface brightnesses as a class of objects. A cluster environment is a prerequisite for extended envelopes as none were found in field galaxies of this sample.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6328623
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BRIGHTNESS
CONFIGURATION
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
GALAXY CLUSTERS
LUMINOSITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHOTOMETRY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SURFACES