Kinematics and shapes of galaxies in rich clusters

• Main Author: D'Eugenio, Francesco
• Published: University of Oxford 2014
• Subjects: 523.1
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.665490

In this work we have studied the relationship between the kinematics and shapes of Early Type Galaxies (ETGs) in rich clusters. In particular we were interested to extend the kinematic morphology density relation to the richest clusters. We obtained data from FLAMES/GIRAFFE to probe the stellar kinematics of a sample of 30 ETGs in the massive cluster Abell 1689 at z = 0.183, to classify them as Slow Rotators (SRs) or Fast Rotators (Frs). To date, this is the highest redshift cluster studied in this way. We simulated FLAMES/GIRAFFE observations of the local SAURON galaxies to account for the bias introduced compared to the ATLAS3D sample, which we used as a local comparison. We find that the luminosity function of SRs in Abell 1689 is the same as that in ATLAS3D, down to the faintest objects probed (MK ≈ -23). The number fraction of SRs over the ETG population in Abell 1689 is fSR = 0.15 +/- 0.03, consistent with the value found in the Virgo Cluster. However, within the cluster, fSR rises sharply with the projected number density of galaxies, rising from fSR = 0.01 in the least dense bin to fSR = 0.58 in the densest bin. We conclude that the fraction of SRs is not determined by the local number density of galaxies, but rather by the physical location within the cluster. This might be due to dynamical processes which cause SRs (on average more massive) to sink in the gravitational potential of the cluster. Next we explore the distribution of projected ellipticity ε in galaxies belonging to a sample of clusters from SDSS (z ε = 0.4 (a proxy for FRs) varies from cluster to cluster. We find some significant variations. We go on to probe the projected shape as a function of projected cluster-centric radius. In both samples we find that on average galaxies have progressively rounder projected shapes at lower cluster-centric projected distance. In the SDSS sample we show that this trend exists above and beyond the trend for brighter galaxies to be more common near the centre of clusters (bright galaxies are on average rounder). In order to disentangle the trend for SRs (which are rounder) to be more common near the centre of clusters, we isolate a subsample of FRs only, by considering only galaxies with ε > 0.4. We find that even the intrinsically flat FRs are on average rounder at lower projected cluster-centric distance. We conclude that the observed trend is due either to the dynamic heating of the stellar discs being strongest near the centre of clusters, or due to an anti-correlation of the bulge fractions with the cluster-centric distance.