Activity in Galactic Nuclei of Compact Group Galaxies in the Local Universe

Abstract

We study the nuclear activity of galaxies in local compact groups. We use a spectroscopic sample of 238 galaxies in 58 compact groups from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 7 to estimate the fraction of AGN-host galaxies in compact groups, and to compare it with those in cluster and field regions. We use emission-line ratio diagrams to identify AGN-host galaxies, and find that the AGN fraction of compact group galaxies is 17-42% depending on the AGN classification method. The AGN fraction in compact groups is not the highest among the galaxy environments. This trend remains even if we use several subsamples segregated by galaxy morphology and optical luminosity. The AGN fraction for early-type galaxies decreases with increasing galaxy number density, but the fraction for late-type galaxies changes little. We find no mid-infrared detected AGN-host galaxies in our sample of compact groups using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer data. These results suggest that the nuclear activity of compact group galaxies (mostly early types) is not strong because of lack of gas supply even though they may experience frequent galaxy-galaxy interactions and mergers that could trigger nuclear activity.

11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (23)

• The Host Galaxies and Classification of Active Galactic Nuclei
• K-corrections and filter transformations in the ultraviolet, optical, and near infrared
• Revisiting the Scaling Relations of Black Hole Masses and Host Galaxy Properties
• Star formation efficiency in galaxy interactions and mergers: a statistical study
• Using the Bright Ultra-Hard XMM-Newton Survey to define an IR selection of luminous AGN based on WISE colours
• CIRS: Cluster Infall Regions in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I. Infall Patterns and Mass Profiles
• Ongoing Assembly of Massive Galaxies by Major Merging in Large Groups and Clusters from the SDSS
• AGNs and galaxy interactions
• Interactions, star formation and AGN activity
• The Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei in Clusters of Galaxies to Redshift 1.3
• Compact groups in theory and practice - III. Compact groups of galaxies in the Sixth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The Distribution of AGN in Clusters of Galaxies
• LoCuSS: A Dynamical Analysis of X-ray AGN in Local Clusters
• Properties of galaxies in SDSS Quasar environments at z < 0.2
• Galaxy Orbits for Galaxy Clusters in Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey
• AKARI Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
• The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. XI. Optical characterisation of nuclear activity
• Integral field spectroscopy of ionized and molecular gas in cool cluster cores: evidence for cold feedback?
• Comparing galaxy populations in compact and loose groups of galaxies
• The Group Evolution Multiwavelength Study (GEMS): the Sample and Datasets
• The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. VII. Far-infrared and radio continuum study of nuclear activity
• The Revealing Dust: Mid-Infrared Activity in Hickson Compact Group Galaxy Nuclei
• SHELS: Optical Spectral Properties of WISE 22 μm-selected Galaxies

Cited by in corpus (14)

• NoSOCS in SDSS. VI. The Environmental Dependence of AGN in Clusters and Field in the Local Universe
• Herschel observations of Hickson compact groups of galaxies: Unveiling the properties of cold dust
• Galaxy evolution in the mid-infrared green valley: a case of the A2199 supercluster
• Compact Groups of Galaxies with Complete Spectroscopic Redshifts in the Local Universe
• Catalogs of Compact Groups of Galaxies from the Enhanced SDSS DR12
• Evolution of compact and fossil groups of galaxies from semi-analytical models of galaxy formation
• Studying the evolution of galaxies in compact groups over the past 3 Gyr - II. The importance of environment in the suppression of star formation
• Emission Line Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei in WINGS clusters
• Studying the evolution of galaxies in compact groups over the past 3 Gyr. I. The nuclear activity
• The Fastest Galaxy Evolution in an Unbiased Compact Group Sample with WISE
• AGNs in Small Galaxy Systems: comparing the main properties of active objects in pairs, triplets and groups
• Compact Groups analysis using weak gravitational lensing II: CFHT Stripe 82 data
• Unravelling the orbits of cluster galaxy populations according to their dominant gas ionization source
• A Multiple Dry Merger at z=0.18: Witnessing The Assembly of a Massive Elliptical Galaxy