Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000aas...19710707b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 197th AAS Meeting, #107.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 32, p.1582
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The brightest, or first-ranked, galaxies (BCGs) in rich clusters show a very small dispersion in luminosity, making them excellent standard candles. This small dispersion has raised questions about the nature of BCGs. Are they simply the extremes of normal galaxies formed via a stochastic process, or do they belong to a special class of atypical objects? Arguments have been proposed on both sides of the debate. Bhavsar (1989) suggested that the distribution in magnitudes can only be explained by a two-population model. Thus, a new controversy has arisen. Do first-ranked galaxies consist of one or two populations of objects? We examine an older and newer data set and present our results. Two-population models do better than do one-population models. A simple model where a random boost in the magnitude of a fraction of bright, normal galaxies forms a class of atypical galaxies best describes the observed distribution of BCG magnitudes. Moreover, the parameters that describe the model and the parameters of the boost have a strong physical basis.
Bernstein Joseph P.
Bhavsar Suketu P.
No associations
LandOfFree
Models for the Magnitude-Distribution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Models for the Magnitude-Distribution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Models for the Magnitude-Distribution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1727624