Dwarf galaxies in the MATLAS Survey: Hubble Space Telescope observations of the globular cluster systems of 74 ultra-diffuse galaxies
Résumé
Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs), characterised by their low surface brightness and large physical size, constitute a subclass of dwarf galaxies that challenge our current understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. In this paper, we probe the properties of 74 UDGs, identified in the MATLAS survey, based on a comprehensive study of their globular cluster (GC) populations. We obtained high-resolution HST imaging of these galaxies using the ACS F 606 W and F 814 W filters, which allowed us to select GCs on the basis of the colour and concentration index. After a background subtraction and completeness correction, we calculated an overall total of 387 GCs. The number of GCs per galaxy ranges from 0 to 38, with the majority (64%) having low counts (0 − 2 GCs). On average, the more massive UDGs tend to host a larger number of GCs. We find that our UDGs have specific frequencies ( S N ) ranging from 0 to 91, with a small population (9%) having S N > 30. The median S N of our sample is similar to the one for the Perseus cluster UDGs, despite the fact that our UDGs are found in lower density environments. The S N measurements for individual galaxies can extend beyond those found in Perseus, but remain below the values found for UDGs in the Virgo and Coma cluster. Based on a trending analysis of the S N values with the host galaxy properties, we find trends with host galaxy size, roundness, colour, and local density. For the UDGs with sufficiently high statistics, we studied 2D density maps of the GC distributions, which display a variety of appearances: symmetric, asymmetric, off-centre, and elongated. The UDGs with disturbed density maps also show disturbed stellar light morphologies. We further quantified the distribution by modelling it with a Sérsic profile, finding R e, GC / R e, gal ∼ 1.0, which indicates that the GCs follow the stellar light of the host galaxy.
Mots clés
galaxies dwarf -galaxies evolution -galaxies formation -galaxies fundamental parameters -galaxies generalgalaxies star clusters general
galaxies
dwarf -galaxies
evolution -galaxies
formation -galaxies
fundamental parameters -galaxies
generalgalaxies
star clusters
general
galaxies dwarf -galaxies evolution -galaxies formation -galaxies fundamental parameters -galaxies generalgalaxies star clusters general
Domaines
Planète et Univers [physics]Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
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