In this work I discuss the necessary steps for deriving photometric redshifts for luminous red galaxies (LRGs) and galaxy clusters through simple empirical methods. The data used are from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). I show that with three bands only (gri) it is possible to achieve results as accurate as the ones obtained by other techniques, generally based on more filters. In particular, the use of the (g-i) colour helps improving the final redshifts (especially for clusters), as this colour monotonically increases up to z~0.8. For the LRGs I generate a catalogue of ~1.5 million objects at z<0.70. The accuracy of this catalogue is sigma=0.027 for z<=0.55 and sigma=0.049 for 0.55<z<=0.70. The photometric redshift technique employed for clusters is independent of a cluster selection algorithm. Thus, it can be applied to systems selected by any method or wavelength, as long as the proper optical photometry is available. When comparing the redshift listed in literature to the photometric estimate, the accuracy achieved for clusters is sigma=0.024 for z<=0.30 and sigma=0.037 for 0.30<z<=0.55. However, when considering the spectroscopic redshift as the mean value of SDSS galaxies on each cluster region, the accuracy is at the same level as found by other authors: sigma=0.011 for z<=0.30 and sigma=0.016 for 0.30<z<=0.55. The photometric redshift relation derived here is applied to thousands of cluster candidates selected elsewhere. I have also used galaxy photometric redshifts available in SDSS to identify groups in redshift space and then compare the redshift peak of the nearest group to each cluster redshift. This procedure provides an alternative approach for cluster selection, especially at high redshifts, as the cluster red sequence may be poorly defined.
A sample of about 3800 Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies was selected using the all-sky near-infrared (J, H and Ks-band) 2MASS survey. The selected objects have a mean central surface brightness within a 5" radius around their centre fainter than 18mag/arcsec^2^ in the Ks band, making them the lowest surface brightness galaxies detected by 2MASS. A description is given of the relevant properties of the 2MASS survey and the LSB galaxy selection procedure, as well as of basic photometric properties of the selected objects. The latter properties are compared to those of other samples of galaxies, of both LSBs and "classical'' high surface brightness (HSB) objects, which were selected in the optical. The 2MASS LSBs have a B_Tc_-K_T_ colour colour which is on average 0.9mag bluer than that of HSBs from the NGC. The 2MASS sample does not appear to contain a significant population of red objects.
A total of 367 Low Surface Brightness galaxies detected in the 2MASS all-sky near-infrared survey have been observed in the 21 cm H I line using the Arecibo telescope. All have a Ks-band mean central surface brightness, measured within a 5" radius, fainter than 18mag/arcsec^2^. We present global H I line parameters for the 107 clearly detected objects and the 21 marginal detections, as well as upper limits for the undetected objects. The 107 clear detections comprise 15 previously uncatalogued objects and 36 with a PGC entry only.
A total of 334 Low Surface Brightness galaxies detected in the 2MASS all-sky near-infrared survey have been observed in the 21 cm H I line using the Nancay telescope. All have a Ks-band mean central surface brightness, measured within a 5" radius, fainter than 18mag/arcsec^2^ and a Ks-band isophotal radius at the 20mag/arcsec^2^ level larger than 20". We present global H I line parameters for the 171 clearly detected objects and the 23 marginal detections, as well as upper limits for the undetected objects. The 171 clear detections comprise 50 previously uncatalogued objects and 41 objects with a PGC entry only.
File rawcurve contains the raw rotation curves of the low surface brightness galaxies. These data are not corrected for inclination. File procurve contains the processed rotation curves that can be directly used for mass modelling.
We have developed an automatic technique to search for low-surface-brightness (LSB) galaxies in the local Universe (v<=5000km/s) using the automated plate measuring (APM) scan data of UK Schmidt photographic plates. We optimized our technique and selection criteria by surveying the known LSB galaxies in the Fornax cluster. Plate-to-plate magnitude calibrations were carried out using independent CCD sequences. The galaxies we detected are brighter than 20Bmag, have scalesizes greater than 3arcsec and a central surface brightness fainter than 22.5mag/arcsec^2^. In total 2435 LSB galaxies were detected over a total area of 2187deg^2^. The survey covers the Fornax cluster, NGC 1400, Sculptor and Dorado groups and the field between. We detect on average 32 LSB galaxies per 5.8{deg}x5.8{deg} field. We have estimated the background (v>5000km/s) contamination in three ways: by numerical modelling, using a limited redshift sample and comparing our Fornax data with those of Ferguson. The results indicate a contamination of about 19 galaxies per field.
We present a study of the HI and optical properties of nearby (z<=0.1) Low Surface Brightness galaxies (LSBGs). We started with a literature sample of ~900 LSBGs and divided them into three morphological classes: spirals, irregulars, and dwarfs. Of these, we could use ~490 LSBGs to study their HI and stellar masses, colours, and colour-magnitude diagrams, and local environment, compare them with normal, High Surface Brightness (HSB) galaxies and determine the differences between the three morphological classes. We found that LSB and HSB galaxies span a similar range in HI and stellar masses, and have a similar M_HI_/M_{star}_-M_{star}_ relationship. Among the LSBGs, as expected, the spirals have the highest average HI and stellar masses, both of about 10^9.8^M_{sun}_. The LSGBs' (g-r) integrated colour is nearly constant as function of HI mass for all classes. In the colour-magnitude diagram, the spirals are spread over the red and blue regions whereas the irregulars and dwarfs are confined to the blue region. The spirals also exhibit a steeper slope in the M_HI_/M_{star}_-M_{star}_ plane. Within their local environment, we confirmed that LSBGs are more isolated than HSB galaxies, and LSB spirals more isolated than irregulars and dwarfs. Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical tests on the HI mass, stellar mass, and number of neighbours indicate that the spirals are a statistically different population from the dwarfs and irregulars. This suggests that the spirals may have different formation and HI evolution than the dwarfs and irregulars.
In order to estimate the contribution of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies to the local (z<=0.1) galaxy number density, we performed an optical search for LSB candidates in a 15.5{deg}^2^ part of the region covered by the 65{deg}^2^ blind Arecibo HI Strip Survey (AHISS)
We have used data from the Next Generation Virgo Survey to investigate the dwarf galaxy population of the Virgo cluster. We mask and smooth the data, and then use the object detection algorithm SExtractor to make our initial dwarf galaxy selection. All candidates are then visually inspected to remove artefacts and duplicates. We derive parameters to best select low surface brightness galaxies using central surface brightness values of 22.5<={mu}^g^_0_<=26.0{mu}g and exponential scale lengths of 3.0<=h<=10.0-arcsec to identify 443 cluster dwarf galaxies - 303 of which are new detections, with a surface density that decreases with radius from the cluster centre. We also apply our selection algorithm to 'background', non-cluster, fields and find zero detections. In combination, this leads us to believe that we have isolated a cluster dwarf galaxy population. The range of objects we detect is limited because smaller scale sized galaxies are confused with the background, while larger galaxies are split into numerous smaller objects by the detection algorithm. Combining our data with that from other surveys, we find a faint-end slope to the luminosity function of -1.35+/-0.03, which is not significantly different to what has previously been found, but is a little steeper than the slope for field galaxies. There is no evidence for a faint-end slope steep enough to correspond with galaxy formation models, unless those models invoke either strong feedback processes or use warm dark matter.
The correlation between emission-line luminosity (L) and profile-width ({sigma}) for HII galaxies provides a powerful method to measure the distances to galaxies over a wide range of redshifts. In this paper, we use SDSS spectrophotometry to explore the systematics of the correlation using the [OIII]5007 lines instead of H{alpha} or H{beta} to measure luminosities and line widths. We also examine possible systematic effects involved in measuring the profile-widths and the luminosities through different apertures. We find that the green L-{sigma} relation, defined using [OIII]5007 luminosities, is significantly more sensitive than H{beta} to the effects of age and the physical conditions of the nebulae, which more than offsets the advantage of the higher strength of the [OIII]5007 lines. We then explore the possibility of mixing [OIII]5007 profile-widths with SDSS H{beta} luminosities using the Hubble constant H_0_ to quantify the possible systematic effects. We find the mixed L(H{beta})-{sigma}_[OIII]_ relation to be at least as powerful as the canonical L-{sigma} relation as a distance estimator, and we show that evolutionary corrections do not change the slope and the scatter of the correlation and, therefore, do not bias the L-{sigma} distance indicator at high redshifts. Locally, however, the luminosities of the giant HII regions that provide the zero-point calibrators are sensitive to evolutionary corrections and may bias the Hubble constant if their mean ages, as measured by the equivalent widths of H{beta}, are significantly different from the mean age of the HII galaxies. Using a small sample of 16 ad-hoc zero point calibrators we obtain a value of H_0_=66.4^+5.0^_-4.5_km/s/Mpc for the Hubble constant, which is fully consistent with the best modern determinations, and which is not biased by evolutionary corrections.