星系团Abell 1795的形态和动力学研究

基了SDSS和NED关于星系团Abell1795的1．5h^-1Mpc范围内154个成员星系的位置和红移信息,对该朋的动力学结构和形态进行了分析．计算出中心CD星系的本动速度为235±72km·s^-1,说明cD星系在星系团完全维里化之前就已经形成．从这些星系的空间投影分布和局域视向速度分布中,发现了正在并合之中的一个子闭,进一步说明了该星系团并未处于动力学平衡状态．该星系团中心区域早型星系的比例显著偏高,说明中心区域的恒星彤成率偏低．外围区域晚型星系所占的比例略高,可能预示着气体、尘埃等的存在,表现出恒星形成的活跃．团星系的空间延展方向和中心CD星系的方位角一致,在观测上支持了等级成团理论．     

星系团Abell 2199的动力学子结构

近年来Sloan巡天的光谱观测使近邻富星系团Abell 2199的成员星系数目增加了近两倍.基于该星系团1.5 h-1Mpc范围内的366颗成员星系的位置和红移信息,对其动力学结构进行了分析.计算出中心cD星系的本动速度为(189±45)kms-1,说明cD星系在星系团完全维力化之前就形成了.从这些星系的空间分布和局域视向速度分布中,发现了三个明显的子团.这些子团的并合现象表明,星系团Abell 2199远未达到动力学平衡状态,从而支持了星系团形成的等级模型     

Abell 2634中心区域成员星系的光度函数

我们得到了邻近星系团Abell 2634中心区域的198颗成员星系在B、V、R三个波段的光度函数，并且分别用Schechter函数和Gaussian函数及其组合进行了拟合．我们将所得到的光度函数与其它星系团的光度函数以及场星系的光度函数进行了比较，发现与Conma星系团的光度函数一致，而与场星系的光度函数存在较大的差异．我们认为这种差异可能是由星系团的环境因素引起的．     

A2199中心区域成员星系的光度函数

研究了邻近富星系团A2199中心区域一个Abell半径范围内的343颗成员星系在g、r、i 3个波段的光度函数,发现与以前研究的星系团的光度函数并不完全一致,而与场星系的光度函数不存在明显差异.通过对星系进行分类,证实星系光度函数与其颜色分布和局域数密度均密切相关.     

环境对于旋涡星系气体的影响研究

星系的演化会受到各种因素的影响,如星系团介质的压力作用、邻近星系的潮汐力作用、星系之间的碰撞等。因此处在不同环境内的星系,它们的形态、颜色以及气体含量上必然存在一定的差异。选取了位于星系群中的样本星系和空洞环境里面的空洞旋涡星系(Void spiral galaxies)、密度较低的环境内的孤立旋涡星系(Isolated spiral galaxies)以及位于室女星系团(Virgo Cluster)内的室女旋涡星系的多波段测光数据,对比研究了不同环境里旋涡星系之间的颜色差异、气体含量、星系的恒星质量等特征,并讨论了其可能的产生机制。     

A2142星系团子结构中的星系演化

系统整理了星系团A2142的光谱和测光数据．利用花树算法得到的子结构,将星系团视场中的星系分为非子结构、子结构和外围星系3类．通过研究它们的分布、产星活动、D_n4000等物理信息,发现了A2142星系团中的星系存在明显的径向演化趋势．星系从星系团外围落入团中心的过程中,其演化不仅受到星系团内介质的影响,还受到子结构自身的调制．      

一对近邻大质量早型星系的并合性质

星系并合在星系的形成与演化中具有关键作用,利用深度曝光成像观测数据,研究了一对相互作用星系的并合性质以及其中一个星系壳状结构的起源.结果表明:壳状结构的g-i颜色较星系中心处蓝,多波段能谱分布显示壳状结构的u*波段颜色较核心更蓝.这说明星族年龄更年轻或金属丰度更低,因此壳状结构来源于次并合,其所产生的壳状结构为主星系贡献了14.1%的恒星质量. 2个星系各自整体的能谱分布表明它们的星族性质十分接近,结合中性氢的观测结果可知这对星系正在进行主干并合(major dry merger).通过对并合时标的估算得出在没有新的并合事件发生的情况下,这对星系将在～1.4 Gyr后并合成为1个恒星质量为～2×1011M⊙的贫气体星系.     

星系并合与相互作用的数值模拟和观测统计

在等级成团的结构形成过程中,星系并合与相互作用是非常普遍的现象.在引力的作用下,进入主暗晕的卫星星系受到动力学摩擦的作用而落入暗晕中心与中央星系并合;星系团中的星系高速交汇给星系内部注入能量从而改变着星系的形态;来自星系团的引力场对其中的星系进行着潮汐剥离甚至将其打散.星系的并合与相互作用在星系的演化中起着重要的作用,不仅能改变星系的形态,对星系的恒星形成性质产生影响,而且与活动星系核的演化相关联.借助数值模拟的理论研究与观测研究的共同发展,促进了人们对这一领域的认识,尤其是星系的理论并合时标、观测到的星系并合统计量及演化、并合在大质量星系的质量和大小增长中的作用等.     

不同富性的星系团子样本的二维分布结构

运用团分析法分别研究了不同富性的星系团子样本二维分布的几何结构。发现富性高的星系团相对于富性低的星系团具有更为明显的大尺度“成团”特征。     

中红移BCG的X射线性质

最亮团星系(brightest cluster galaxy, BCG)的X射线起源尚不清楚. 射电喷流与径移主导吸积流(advection-dominated accretion flows, ADAF)是2种主要可能的物理起源机制. 2种模型中是否存在主导模型或模型间是否存在关系并不明确, 而且不是所有BCG都存在X射线辐射. 为探究BCG的X射线性质, 进一步了解X射线物理起源机制, 本文选取钱德拉塞卡X射线望远镜(Chandra X-ray observatory, 简称Chandra) 数据存档红移范围0.2相似文献   

A close nuclear black-hole pair in the spiral galaxy NGC 3393

The current picture of galaxy evolution advocates co-evolution of galaxies and their nuclear massive black holes, through accretion and galactic merging. Pairs of quasars, each with a massive black hole at the centre of its galaxy, have separations of 6,000 to 300,000 light years (refs 2 and 3; 1 parsec = 3.26 light years) and exemplify the first stages of this gravitational interaction. The final stages of the black-hole merging process, through binary black holes and final collapse into a single black hole with gravitational wave emission, are consistent with the sub-light-year separation inferred from the optical spectra and light-variability of two such quasars. The double active nuclei of a few nearby galaxies with disrupted morphology and intense star formation (such as NGC 6240 with a separation of about 2,600 light years and Mrk 463 with a separation of about 13,000 light years between the nuclei) demonstrate the importance of major mergers of equal-mass spiral galaxies in this evolution; such mergers lead to an elliptical galaxy, as in the case of the double-radio-nucleus elliptical galaxy 0402+379 (with a separation of about 24 light years between the nuclei). Minor mergers of a spiral galaxy with a smaller companion should be a more common occurrence, evolving into spiral galaxies with active massive black-hole pairs, but have hitherto not been seen. Here we report the presence of two active massive black holes, separated by about 490 light years, in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3393 (50 Mpc, about 160 million light years). The regular spiral morphology and predominantly old circum-nuclear stellar population of this galaxy, and the closeness of the black holes embedded in the bulge, provide a hitherto missing observational point to the study of galaxy/black hole evolution. Comparison of our observations with current theoretical models of mergers suggests that they are the result of minor merger evolution.     

Discovery of the short gamma-ray burst GRB 050709

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) fall into two classes: short-hard and long-soft bursts. The latter are now known to have X-ray and optical afterglows, to occur at cosmological distances in star-forming galaxies, and to be associated with the explosion of massive stars. In contrast, the distance scale, the energy scale and the progenitors of the short bursts have remained a mystery. Here we report the discovery of a short-hard burst whose accurate localization has led to follow-up observations that have identified the X-ray afterglow and (for the first time) the optical afterglow of a short-hard burst; this in turn led to the identification of the host galaxy of the burst as a late-type galaxy at z = 0.16 (ref. 10). These results show that at least some short-hard bursts occur at cosmological distances in the outskirts of galaxies, and are likely to be caused by the merging of compact binaries.     

An unusually brilliant transient in the galaxy M85

Historically, variable and transient sources have both surprised astronomers and provided new views of the heavens. Here we report the discovery of an optical transient in the outskirts of the lenticular galaxy Messier 85 in the Virgo cluster. With a peak absolute R magnitude of -12, this event is distinctly brighter than novae, but fainter than type Ia supernovae (which are expected in a population of old stars in lenticular galaxies). Archival images of the field do not show a luminous star at that position with an upper limit in the g filter of about -4.1 mag, so it is unlikely to be a giant eruption from a luminous blue variable star. Over a two-month period, the transient source emitted radiation energy of almost 10(47) erg and subsequently faded in the optical sky. It is similar to, but six times more luminous at peak than, an enigmatic transient in the galaxy M31 (ref. 1). A possible origin of M85 OT2006-1 is a stellar merger. If so, searches for similar events in nearby galaxies will not only allow study of the physics of hyper-Eddington sources, but also probe an important phase in the evolution of stellar binary systems.     

A massive, cooling-flow-induced starburst in the core of a luminous cluster of galaxies

In the cores of some clusters of galaxies the hot intracluster plasma is dense enough that it should cool radiatively in the cluster's lifetime, leading to continuous 'cooling flows' of gas sinking towards the cluster centre, yet no such cooling flow has been observed. The low observed star-formation rates and cool gas masses for these 'cool-core' clusters suggest that much of the cooling must be offset by feedback to prevent the formation of a runaway cooling flow. Here we report X-ray, optical and infrared observations of the galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ2344-4243 (ref. 11) at redshift z = 0.596. These observations reveal an exceptionally luminous (8.2?×?10(45)?erg?s(-1)) galaxy cluster that hosts an extremely strong cooling flow (around 3,820 solar masses a year). Further, the central galaxy in this cluster appears to be experiencing a massive starburst (formation of around 740 solar masses a year), which suggests that the feedback source responsible for preventing runaway cooling in nearby cool-core clusters may not yet be fully established in SPT-CLJ2344-4243. This large star-formation rate implies that a significant fraction of the stars in the central galaxy of this cluster may form through accretion of the intracluster medium, rather than (as is currently thought) assembling entirely via mergers.     

Energy input from quasars regulates the growth and activity of black holes and their host galaxies

In the early Universe, while galaxies were still forming, black holes as massive as a billion solar masses powered quasars. Supermassive black holes are found at the centres of most galaxies today, where their masses are related to the velocity dispersions of stars in their host galaxies and hence to the mass of the central bulge of the galaxy. This suggests a link between the growth of the black holes and their host galaxies, which has indeed been assumed for a number of years. But the origin of the observed relation between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, and its connection with the evolution of galaxies, have remained unclear. Here we report simulations that simultaneously follow star formation and the growth of black holes during galaxy-galaxy collisions. We find that, in addition to generating a burst of star formation, a merger leads to strong inflows that feed gas to the supermassive black hole and thereby power the quasar. The energy released by the quasar expels enough gas to quench both star formation and further black hole growth. This determines the lifetime of the quasar phase (approaching 100 million years) and explains the relationship between the black hole mass and the stellar velocity dispersion.     

Galaxies appear simpler than expected

Galaxies are complex systems the evolution of which apparently results from the interplay of dynamics, star formation, chemical enrichment and feedback from supernova explosions and supermassive black holes. The hierarchical theory of galaxy formation holds that galaxies are assembled from smaller pieces, through numerous mergers of cold dark matter. The properties of an individual galaxy should be controlled by six independent parameters including mass, angular momentum, baryon fraction, age and size, as well as by the accidents of its recent haphazard merger history. Here we report that a sample of galaxies that were first detected through their neutral hydrogen radio-frequency emission, and are thus free from optical selection effects, shows five independent correlations among six independent observables, despite having a wide range of properties. This implies that the structure of these galaxies must be controlled by a single parameter, although we cannot identify this parameter from our data set. Such a degree of organization appears to be at odds with hierarchical galaxy formation, a central tenet of the cold dark matter model in cosmology.     

A giant stream of metal-rich stars in the halo of the galaxy M31.

Recent observations have revealed streams of gas and stars in the halo of the Milky Way that are the debris from interactions between our Galaxy and some of its dwarf companion galaxies; the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy and the Magellanic clouds. Analysis of the material has shown that much of the halo is made up of cannibalized satellite galaxies, and that dark matter is distributed nearly spherically in the Milky Way. It remains unclear, however, whether cannibalized substructures are as common in the haloes of galaxies as predicted by galaxy-formation theory. Here we report the discovery of a giant stream of metal-rich stars within the halo of the nearest large galaxy, M31 (the Andromeda galaxy). The source of this stream could be the dwarf galaxies M32 and NGC205, which are close companions of M31 and which may have lost a substantial number of stars owing to tidal interactions. The results demonstrate that the epoch of galaxy building still continues, albeit at a modest rate, and that tidal streams may be a generic feature of galaxy haloes.     

The rapid formation of a large rotating disk galaxy three billion years after the Big Bang

Observations and theoretical simulations have established a framework for galaxy formation and evolution in the young Universe. Galaxies formed as baryonic gas cooled at the centres of collapsing dark-matter haloes; mergers of haloes and galaxies then led to the hierarchical build-up of galaxy mass. It remains unclear, however, over what timescales galaxies were assembled and when and how bulges and disks--the primary components of present-day galaxies--were formed. It is also puzzling that the most massive galaxies were more abundant and were forming stars more rapidly at early epochs than expected from models. Here we report high-angular-resolution observations of a representative luminous star-forming galaxy when the Universe was only 20% of its current age. A large and massive rotating protodisk is channelling gas towards a growing central stellar bulge hosting an accreting massive black hole. The high surface densities of gas, the high rate of star formation and the moderately young stellar ages suggest rapid assembly, fragmentation and conversion to stars of an initially very gas-rich protodisk, with no obvious evidence for a major merger.     

High velocity dispersion in a rare grand-design spiral galaxy at redshift z = 2.18

Although grand-design spiral galaxies are relatively common in the local Universe, only one has been spectroscopically confirmed to lie at redshift z?>?2 (HDFX 28; z = 2.011); and it may prove to be a major merger that simply resembles a spiral in projection. The rarity of spirals has been explained as a result of disks being dynamically 'hot' at z?>?2 (refs 2-5), which may instead favour the formation of commonly observed clumpy structures. Alternatively, current instrumentation may simply not be sensitive enough to detect spiral structures comparable to those in the modern Universe. At z?相似文献