Spectroscopic Determination of the Faint End of the Luminosity Function in the Nearby Galaxy Clusters A2199 and Virgo

Abstract

We report a new determination of the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function in the nearby clusters Virgo and Abell 2199 using data from SDSS and the Hectospec multifiber spectrograph on the MMT. The luminosity function of A2199 is consistent with a single Schechter function to M_r=-15.6 + 5 log h_70 with a faint-end slope of alpha=-1.13+/-0.07. The LF in Virgo extends to M_r=-13.5= M^*+8 and has a slope of alpha=-1.28+/-0.06. The red sequence of cluster members is prominent in both clusters, and almost no cluster galaxies are redder than this sequence. We show that selecting objects on the red sequence and blueward produces a steeply rising faint-end. A large fraction of photometric red-sequence galaxies lie behind the cluster. We compare our results to previous estimates and find poor agreement with estimates based on statistical background subtraction but good agreement with estimates based on photometric membership classifications (e.g., colors, morphology, surface brightness). We conclude that spectroscopic data are critical for estimating the faint end of the luminosity function in clusters. The faint-end slope we find is consistent with values found for field galaxies, weakening any argument for environmental evolution in the relative abundance of dwarf galaxies. However, dwarf galaxies in clusters are significantly redder than field galaxies of similar luminosity or mass, indicating that star formation processes in dwarfs do depend on environment.

arXiv commentto appear in AJ, includes tables of probable and spectroscopically confirmed Virgo cluster members

References in corpus (60)

• Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Main Galaxy Sample
• The Sixth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances
• The Galaxy Luminosity Function and Luminosity Density at Redshift z=0.1
• The Luminosity and Color Dependence of the Galaxy Correlation Function
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XIII. SBF Distance Catalog and the Three-Dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster
• RVSAO 2.0: Digital Redshifts and Radial Velocities
• Galaxy ecology: groups and low-density environments in the SDSS and 2dFGRS
• The properties and luminosity function of extremely low luminosity galaxies
• A Census of Baryons in Galaxy Clusters and Groups
• Diffuse Light in the Virgo Cluster
• Hectospec, the MMT's 300 Optical Fiber-Fed Spectrograph
• Galaxy Groups in the SDSS DR4: II. halo occupation statistics
• Systematic errors in weak lensing: application to SDSS galaxy-galaxy weak lensing
• The overdensities of galaxy environments as a function of luminosity and color
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. VII. Resolving the Connection Between Globular Clusters and Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxies
• The Non-Parametric Model for Linking Galaxy Luminosity with Halo/Subhalo Mass
• The central region of the Fornax cluster -- II. Spectroscopy and radial velocities of member and background galaxies
• CIRS: Cluster Infall Regions in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I. Infall Patterns and Mass Profiles
• CAIRNS: The Cluster And Infall Region Nearby Survey I. Redshifts and Mass Profiles
• The Environmental Dependence of Galaxy Properties in the Local Universe: Dependence on Luminosity, Local Density, and System Richness
• Galaxy Evolution in Abell 2390
• The faint end of the galaxy luminosity function
• Galaxy threshing and the formation of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies
• Evidence in Virgo for the Universal Dark Matter Halo
• Diffuse Optical Light in Galaxy Clusters II: Correlations with Cluster Properties
• Squelched Galaxies and Dark Halos
• Projection effects in cluster mass estimates : the case of MS2137
• Galaxy Populations and Evolution in Clusters III. The Origin of Low-Mass Galaxies in Clusters: Constraints from Stellar Populations
• Determination of the Dark Matter Profile of Abell 2199 from Integrated Starlight
• RASS-SDSS galaxy cluster survey. II. A unified picture of the Cluster Luminosity Function
• The luminosity function of the Virgo Cluster from M_B=-22 to M_B=-11
• Galaxy Luminosity Functions from Deep Spectroscopic Samples of Rich Clusters
• Mass Profiles of the Typical Relaxed Galaxy Clusters A2199 and A496
• CAIRNS: The Cluster And Infall Region Nearby Survey III. Environmental Dependence of H-alpha Properties of Galaxies
• The Effects of Photoionization on Galaxy Formation -- III: Environmental Dependence in the Luminosity Function
• Galaxy Populations and Evolution in Clusters II: Defining Cluster Populations
• Discovery of Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
• The dwarf Low Surface Brightness galaxy population of the Virgo Cluster I. The faint-end-slope of the Luminosity Function
• The NGC 5846 Group: Dynamics and the Luminosity Function to M_R=-12
• The Kinematics of Intracluster Planetary Nebulae and the On-Going Subcluster Merger in the Coma Cluster Core
• CAIRNS: The Cluster And Infall Region Nearby Survey II. Environmental Dependence of Infrared Mass-to-Light Ratios
• Using Weak Lensing Dilution to Improve Measurements of the Luminous and Dark Matter in A1689
• A Photometric and Spectroscopic Study of Dwarf and Giant Galaxies in the Coma Cluster - IV. The Luminosity Function
• Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
• SDSSJ124155.33+114003.7 -- a Missing Link Between Compact Elliptical and Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxies
• The Luminosity Function of Low-Redshift Abell Galaxy Clusters
• Evidence for Steep Luminosity Functions in Clusters of Galaxies
• Faint dwarf spheroidals in the Fornax Cluster: A flat luminosity function
• Mass Profile of the Infall Region of the Abell 2199 Supercluster
• The early-type dwarf galaxy population of the Fornax cluster
• The Dwarf LSB Galaxy Population of the Virgo Cluster II. Colours and HI line observations
• Dissecting the luminosity function of the Coma cluster of galaxies using CFHT wide field images
• V and R-band Galaxy Luminosity Functions and Low Surface Brightness Galaxies in the Century Survey
• Spatial variations of the optical galaxy luminosity functions and red sequences in the Coma cluster: clues to its assembly history
• The Faint End of the Luminosity Function in the Core of the Coma Cluster
• The Fornax Spectroscopic Survey: The Number of Unresolved Compact Galaxies
• Uncovering the Near-IR Dwarf Galaxy Population of the Coma Cluster with Spitzer IRAC
• $\mu$--PhotoZ: Photometric Redshifts by Inverting the Tolman Surface Brightness Test
• The Galaxy Luminosity Functions down to M~-10 in the Hydra I Cluster

Cited by in corpus (68)

• Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): The galaxy stellar mass function at z < 0.06
• LoCuSS: Subaru Weak Lensing Study of 30 Galaxy Clusters
• The STAGES view of red spirals and dusty red galaxies: Mass-dependent quenching of star-formation in cluster infall
• Next Generation Cosmology: Constraints from the Euclid Galaxy Cluster Survey
• The Burrell Schmidt Deep Virgo Survey: Tidal Debris, Galaxy Halos, and Diffuse Intracluster Light in the Virgo Cluster
• On the origin of the faint-end of the red sequence in high density environments
• Wide-Field Precision Kinematics of the M87 Globular Cluster System
• Cluster Mass Profiles from a Bayesian Analysis of Weak Lensing Distortion and Magnification Measurements: Applications to Subaru Data
• Comparison of Cluster Lensing Profiles with Lambda CDM Predictions
• The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). I: The UV luminosity function of the central 12 sq.deg
• Mass and Hot Baryons in Massive Galaxy Clusters from Subaru Weak Lensing and AMiBA SZE Observations
• Resonant stripping as the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies
• CLASH-VLT: Environment-driven evolution of galaxies in the z=0.209 cluster Abell 209
• Dwarf galaxy populations in present-day galaxy clusters: I. Abundances and red fractions
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XIII. The Luminosity and Mass Function of Galaxies in the Core of the Virgo Cluster and the Contribution from Disrupted Satellites
• The galaxy luminosity function in groups and clusters: the faint-end upturn and the connection to the field luminosity function
• The early-type dwarf galaxy population of the Centaurus cluster
• The Velocity Dispersion Function of Very Massive Galaxy Clusters: Abell 2029 and Coma
• XMM-Newton/SDSS: star formation efficiency in galaxy clusters and constraints on the matter density parameter
• The Red Sequence Luminosity Function in Massive Intermediate Redshift Galaxy Clusters
• Detailed Cluster Mass and Light profiles of A1703, A370 and RXJ1347-11 from Deep Subaru Imaging
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. VII. The intrinsic shapes of low-luminosity galaxies in the core of the Virgo cluster, and a comparison with the Local Group
• The Near-IR Luminosity Function and Bimodal Surface Brightness Distribution of Virgo Cluster Galaxies
• SIBELIUS-DARK: a galaxy catalogue of the Local Volume from a constrained realisation simulation
• Deep spectroscopic luminosity function of Abell 85: no evidence for a steep upturn of the faint-end slope
• 4098 galaxy clusters to z~0.6 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey equatorial Stripe 82
• Accretion of Galaxy Groups into Galaxy Clusters
• ORCA: The Overdense Red-sequence Cluster Algorithm
• The Faint End of the Luminosity Function and Low Surface Brightness Galaxies
• ACCESS: NIR Luminosity Function and Stellar Mass Function of Galaxies in the Shapley Supercluster Environment
• Galaxy evolution in the mid-infrared green valley: a case of the A2199 supercluster
• A deep view on the Virgo cluster core
• Deep spectroscopy of nearby galaxy clusters: I. Spectroscopic luminosity function of Abell 85
• An optical and X-ray study of the fossil group RX J1340.6+4018
• ACCESS II: A Complete Census of Star Formation in the Shapley Supercluster - UV and IR Luminosity Functions
• The Rising Stellar Velocity Dispersion of M87 from Integrated Starlight
• Ripping Apart at the Seams: The Network of Stripped Gas Surrounding M86
• Globular Clusters, Ultracompact Dwarfs, and Dwarf Galaxies in Abell 2744 at the Redshift of 0.308
• Fossil group origins V. The dependence of the luminosity function on the magnitude gap
• GENJI Programme: Gamma-ray Emitting Notable AGN Monitoring by Japanese VLBI
• Overdensities of galaxies at z ~ 3.7 in CDF-S
• The luminosity function of galaxies to $M_{BgVriz}\sim -14$ in $z\sim 0.3$ clusters
• Minor Mergers are not enough: The importance of Major Mergers during Brightest Cluster Galaxy assembly
• Galaxy Luminosity Functions in WINGS clusters
• Environmental effects on the bright end of the galaxy luminosity function in galaxy clusters
• Deep spectroscopy of nearby galaxy clusters: II. The Hercules cluster
• The K-band luminosity functions of cluster galaxies
• A Redshift Survey of the Nearby Galaxy Cluster Abell 2199: Comparison of the Spatial and Kinematic Distributions of Galaxies with the Intracluster Medium
• Introducing the Photometric Maximum Likelihood Method: Galaxy Luminosity Functions at z<1.2 in MUSYC-ECDFS
• A Complete Spectroscopic Census of Abell 2029: A Tale of Three Histories
• The HectoMAP Cluster Survey - II. X-ray Clusters
• Galaxy Luminosity Function of Dynamically Young Abell 119 Cluster: Probing the Cluster Assembly
• Spitzer IRAC Low Surface Brightness Observations of the Virgo Cluster
• A Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE) XV. The Halpha luminosity function of the Virgo cluster
• A Globular Cluster Toward M87 with a Radial Velocity < -1000 km/s: The First Hypervelocity Cluster
• Galaxy populations in groups and clusters: evidence for a characteristic stellar mass scale at $M_{\ast }\sim 10^{9.5}{M}_{\odot }$
• The detection of ultra-faint low surface brightness dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster: a Probe of Dark Matter and Baryonic Physics
• Luminosity Functions of XMM-LSS C1 Galaxy Clusters
• The dwarf galaxy population in nearby clusters from the KIWICS survey
• Measuring Transverse Motions for Nearby Galaxy Clusters
• The build-up of the red sequence in the Hercules cluster
• Star formation in low-redshift cluster dwarf galaxies
• The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). VI: The UV luminosity function of the Virgo cluster and its surrounding regions
• Dwarf Galaxy Clustering and Missing Satellites
• Accretion processes in the galaxy cluster Hydra A/Abell 780
• Observing the very low-surface brightness dwarfs in a deep field in the VIRGO cluster: constraints on Dark Matter scenarios
• Stellar mass measurements in Abell 133 with Magellan / IMACS
• The $-12$ mag dip in the galaxy luminosity function of Hickson Compact Groups