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The Dynamics of Poor Systems of Galaxies

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Andisheh Mahdavi1, Margaret J. Geller1, Hans Böhringer2, Michael J. Kurtz3 and Massimo Ramella4

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We assemble and observe a sample of poor galaxy systems that is suitable for testing N-body simulations of hierarchical clustering and other dynamical halo models. We (1) determine the parameters of the density profile ρ(r) and the velocity dispersion profile σp(R), (2) separate emission-line galaxies from absorption-line galaxies, examining the model parameters and as a function of spectroscopic type, and (3) for the best-behaved subsample, constrain the velocity anisotropy parameter, β, which determines the shapes of the galaxy orbits. Our sample consists of 20 systems, 12 of which have extended X-ray emission in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. We measure the 877 optical spectra of galaxies brighter than mR≈15.4 within 1.5 h-1 Mpc of the system centers (we take H0=100 h km s-1 Mpc-1). Thus, we sample the system membership to a radius typically three times larger than other recent optical group surveys. The average system population is 30 galaxies, and the average line-of-sight velocity dispersion is ≈300 km s-1. The Navarro, Frenk, & White universal profile and the Hernquist model both provide good descriptions of the spatial data. In most cases an isothermal sphere is ruled out. Systems with declining σp(R) are well-matched by theoretical profiles in which the star-forming galaxies have predominantly radial orbits (β>0); many of these galaxies are probably falling in for the first time. There is significant evidence for spatial segregation of the spectroscopic classes regardless of σp(R).


Subject headings

galaxies: clusters: general; galaxies: fundamental parameters; X-rays: galaxies


Dates

Issue 1 (1999 June 10)

Received 1998 October 2, accepted for publication 1999 January 15



  1. The Dynamics of Poor Systems of Galaxies

    Andisheh Mahdavi et al. 1999 ApJ 518 69

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