Near-infrared photometry and stellar populations of first-ranked galaxies in a complete sample of nearby Abell clusters

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167984· OSTI ID:7265964

Thuan, T X; Puschell, J J ^[1]

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1. Virginia Univ., Charlottesville (USA) Titan Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA (USA)

Eighty-four brightest cluster members (BCMs) in the complete sample of high Galactic latitude nearby Abell clusters of Hoessel, Gunn, and Thuan (HGT) are investigated. The stellar populations in BCMs using near-infrared and optical-near-infrared colors are studied. Brighter BCMs have redder (J-K) and (V-K) colors, suggesting a metallicity increase in brighter galaxies. The larger dispersion of their colors implies that BCMs possess more heterogeneous stellar populations than their lower luminosity counterparts, the normal elliptical galaxies. Special attention is paid to BCMs associated with cooling flows. BCMs with larger accretion rates have bluer (V-K) colors due to ultraviolet excesses and are brighter in the visual wavelength region, but not in the infrared. It is suggested that part of the X-ray emitting cooling gas is converted into high- and intermediate-mass stars emitting in the blue and visible, but not in the infrared. The properties of BCMs as standard candles in the near-infrared are examined and compared with those in the optical. 44 refs.

• OSTI ID: 7265964
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 346; 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
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CONFIGURATION
COOLING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
FLUID FLOW
GALAXIES
GALAXY CLUSTERS
GAS FLOW
INFRARED RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
NEAR INFRARED RADIATION
PHOTOMETRY
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RED SHIFT
STARS
VISIBLE RADIATION
X RADIATION