The surface brightness profiles of elliptical and supergiant galaxies

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dc.creator English, Darlene A.
dc.date.accessioned 2022-04-05T15:27:28Z
dc.date.available 2022-04-05T15:27:28Z
dc.date.issued 1979
dc.identifier.uri http://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/30868
dc.description 1 online resource (v, 103 pages) : graphs
dc.description Includes abstract and appendices.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-79).
dc.description.abstract The surface brightness profiles of a sample of supergiant and elliptical galaxies were studied. The original data were gathered by Dr. G.A. Welch, who also wrote the program (PROFIL) for the data reduction. <br> This study was undertaken at the suggestion of Dr. Welch, to investigate the shape of the brightness profiles of several supergiant galaxies, and to determine if they fit the relation recently suggested for cD galaxies by Bahcall (1977). Data from a number of elliptical galaxies was also processed using the same methods as a check on the reduction procedures. The cD galaxies were calibrated directly using photoelectric photometry, while the profiles of the elliptical galaxies were put on an absolute scale utilizing a photographic transfer method. <br> Based on comparisons with published profiles for several of the galaxies, the resulting brightness profiles were found not to contain any significant errors due to calibration or reduction procedures. The elliptical galaxies (with one exception) all fit the de Vaucouleurs (1953) relation for ellipticals, as expected. The exception, a galaxy identified as A-29/52 AC, appears to have a brightness profile which shows an extended halo, and also fits very well the relation suggested by Bahcall for the profiles of cD galaxies. AC does not appear to be located in a cluster. <br> Three of the four cD galaxies studied show good agreement with the Bahcall relation. The fourth, the cD galaxy in Abell 401, displays a much shallower decline in brightness than the other program cD galaxies, and with respect to the Bahcall relation. It is thus concluded that all supergiant galaxies do not fit the Bahcall relation, and that there are other objects, not classified as cD galaxies, whose light distributions do seem to fit the Bahcall relation. <br>This finding holds important implications for the investigation of the dynamical history of supergiant galaxies, as the evolutionary paths of galaxies whose brightness profiles obey a particular empirical relation may be different from those galaxies whose profiles do not. en_CA
dc.description.provenance Submitted by Greg Hilliard (greg.hilliard@smu.ca) on 2022-04-05T15:27:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 English_Darlene_MASTERS_1979.pdf: 2058214 bytes, checksum: 62e940600c28d9ece0130f1994559f47 (MD5) en
dc.description.provenance Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-05T15:27:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 English_Darlene_MASTERS_1979.pdf: 2058214 bytes, checksum: 62e940600c28d9ece0130f1994559f47 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1979-04-01 en
dc.language.iso en_CA en_CA
dc.publisher Halifax, N.S. : Saint Mary's University
dc.subject.lcsh Galaxies -- Observations
dc.title The surface brightness profiles of elliptical and supergiant galaxies en_CA
dc.type Text en_CA
thesis.degree.name Master of Science in Astronomy
thesis.degree.level Masters
thesis.degree.discipline Department of Astronomy
thesis.degree.grantor Saint Mary's University (Halifax, N.S.)
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