Environmental effects in dense concentration of galaxies

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Project objective

Interactions in the densest isolated galaxy systems in the universe, Hickson compact groups (HCGs) are not well understood. A high fraction of the galaxies in HCGs have morphological and kinematical peculiarities in the optical light, HI and molecular gas, but not with the expected intensity. We have developed an evolution scenario for the compact groups. We propose here a comprehensive project that combines the multi wavelength analysis of their interstellar medium (ISM) and the study of their environment. Different parts of this project are already being performed independently by the applicant and the host institution. A step forward would be provided by their merging. The ISM will be covered by the high-resolution CO data studied through density waves analysis plus optical and high-resolution HI data.Those will be correlated with properties of the environments of HCGs, using the large dataset of galaxies gathered by the IAA group, the observations (VLT) of globular clusters (GCs) made by the applicant. We will study the dynamical shaping of the GC population by the HCGs and the dark matter content. The pluri-component approach of combining ISM and GC study will constrain the sequence evolution proposed for compact groups and will bring a dynamical and physical picture of the evolution of the galaxy building blocks in dense environments and their connection with the Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRG) for which we got new high-resolution data.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MADRIDCoordinatorSpain

Links

• View on CORDIS