Journal
ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL
Volume 131, Issue 2, Pages 716-735Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1086/498713
Keywords
galaxies : clusters : general; galaxies : clusters : individual (Virgo); galaxies : formation; galaxies : fundamental parameters; galaxies : spiral; galaxies : structure
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The scale lengths of the old stars and ionized gas distributions are compared for similar samples of Virgo Cluster members and field spiral galaxies via H alpha and broad R-band surface photometry. While the R-band and H alpha scale lengths are, on average, comparable for the combined sample, we find significant differences between the field and cluster samples. While the H alpha scale lengths of the field galaxies are a factor of 1:14 +/- 0:07 longer, on average, than their R-band scale lengths, the H alpha scale lengths of Virgo Cluster members are, on average, 20% smaller than their R-band scale lengths. Furthermore, in Virgo, the scale length ratios are correlated with the size of the star-forming disk: galaxies with smaller overall H alpha extents also show steeper radial falloff of star formation activity. At the same time, we find no strong trends in scale length ratio as a function of other galaxy properties, including galaxy luminosity, inclination, morphological type, central R-band light concentration, or bar type. Our results for H alpha emission are similar to other results for dust emission, suggesting that H alpha and dust have similar distributions. The environmental dependence of the H alpha scale length places additional constraints on the evolutionary process(es) that cause gas depletion and a suppression of the star formation rate in clusters of galaxies.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available