Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies: new constituents of clusters

Details Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies: new constituents of clusters Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies: new constituents of clusters

Jan 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005hia....13..328d&link_type=abstract

In: Highlights of Astronomy, Vol. 13, as presented at the XXVth General Assembly of the IAU - 2003 [Sydney, Australia, 13 - 26 J

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Galaxy Clusters

Scientific paper

In the course of our all-object Fornax Cluster Spectroscopic Survey using the Anglo-Australian Telescope's 2dF spectrograph we discovered a new population of physically small ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) galaxies. Unresolved from the ground these objects have been overlooked by previous galaxy surveys although clearly visible on 30-year old sky survey plates.
We present high-resolution imaging (HST) and spectroscopy (VLT and Keck) of the Fornax UCDs. They are qualitatively different from both globular star clusters and all known galaxy types: we have discovered an entirely new class of galaxy. The data are consistent with our hypothesis that UCDs are the remnant nuclei of nucleated dwarf galaxies which have been tidally stripped by the central galaxy of the cluster. We suggest that that part of the huge globular clusters populations around central cluster galaxies are really UCDs and not globular clusters at all.
Based on our UCD formation hypothesis we predicted that a similar population would exist in the Virgo Cluster. In just 3 hours of 2dF service time we measured redshifts of 900 objects towards the Virgo Cluster and identified 9 UCDs. UCDs appear to be a common product of galaxy evolution in the cluster environment.

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