THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. XIV. Shell feature early-type dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster

Abstract

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey is a deep (with a $2\sigma$ detection limit ${\mu }_g$ = 29~mag~arcsec${}^{-2}$ in the $g-$band) optical panchromatic survey targeting the Virgo cluster from its core to virial radius, for a total areal coverage of 104 square degrees. As such, the survey is well suited for the study of galaxies' outskirts, haloes and low surface brightness features that arise from dynamical interactions within the cluster environment. We report the discovery of extremely faint (${\mu }_g$ $>$ 25 mag arcsec${}^{-2}$) shells in three Virgo cluster early-type dwarf galaxies, VCC~1361, VCC~1447 and VCC~1668. Among them, VCC~1447 has an absolute magnitude M${}_g$ = -11.71 mag and is {\it the least massive galaxy with a shell system discovered to date}. We present a detailed study of these low surface brightness features. We detect between three and four shells in each of our galaxies. Within the uncertainties, we find no evidence of a color difference between the galaxy main body and shell features. The observed arcs of the shells are located upto several effective radii of the galaxies. We further explore the origin of these low surface brightness features with the help of idealized numerical simulations. We find that a near equal mass merger is best able to reproduce the main properties of the shells, including their quite symmetric appearance and their alignment along the major axis of the galaxy. The simulations provide support for a formation scenario in which a recent merger, between two near-equal mass, gas-free dwarf galaxies forms the observed shell systems.

arXiv comment14 pages, Accepted to ApJ

References in corpus (61)

• The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• Dwarf Galaxies of the Local Group
• The Optical and Near-Infrared Properties of Galaxies: I. Luminosity and Stellar Mass Functions
• Cosmological Hydrodynamics with Adaptive Mesh Refinement: a new high resolution code called RAMSES
• The observed properties of dwarf galaxies in and around the Local Group
• The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey: I. Science Goals, Survey Design and Strategy
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XIII. SBF Distance Catalog and the Three-Dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster
• The HIPASS Catalogue - I. Data Presentation
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. VI. Isophotal Analysis and the Structure of Early-Type Galaxies
• The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. V. Measurement and Recalibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuations and a Precise Value of the Fornax--Virgo Relative Distance
• The Progenitors of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
• A Stellar Mass Threshold for Quenching of Field Galaxies
• The Atlas3D project -- XXIX. The new look of early-type galaxies and surrounding fields disclosed by extremely deep optical images
• The DART imaging and CaT survey of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• Formation Histories of Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Group
• Virgo cluster early-type dwarf galaxies with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. On the possible disk nature of bright early-type dwarfs
• The Star Formation & Chemical Evolution History of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• On the origin of the faint-end of the red sequence in high density environments
• Dwarfs Gobbling Dwarfs: A Stellar Tidal Stream Around NGC 4449 and Hierarchical Galaxy Formation on Small Scales
• The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). IV: The role of the cluster environment on galaxy evolution
• TiNy Titans: The Role of Dwarf-Dwarf Interactions in the Evolution of Low Mass Galaxies
• Mergers and Mass Accretion for Infalling Halos Both End Well Outside Cluster Virial Radii
• The Sensitivity of Harassment to Orbit: Mass Loss from Early-Type Dwarfs in Galaxy Clusters
• Evolution of the mass, size, and star formation rate in high-redshift merging galaxies MIRAGE - A new sample of simulations with detailed stellar feedback
• The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). I: The UV luminosity function of the central 12 sq.deg
• The Fate of Substructures in Cold Dark Matter Haloes
• Satellite Dwarf Galaxies in a Hierarchical Universe: The Prevalence of Dwarf-Dwarf Major Mergers
• Shell Structure in the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• A Wide-Field Survey of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• The remnant of a merger between two dwarf galaxies in Andromeda II
• Discovery of a close pair of faint dwarf galaxies in the halo of Centaurus A
• A Deep Survey of the Fornax dSph I: Star Formation History
• A tidally distorted dwarf galaxy near NGC 4449
• Mergers and the outside-in formation of dwarf spheroidals
• 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 grouping, merging and survival of subhaloes in the simulated Local Group
• On the Color Magnitude Relation of Early-type Galaxies
• Tidal disruption of globular clusters in dwarf galaxies with triaxial dark matter haloes
• The formation of shell galaxies similar to NGC 7600 in the cold dark matter cosmogony
• Tidal debris in elliptical galaxies as tracers of mergers with disks
• Spatial dependence of the Star Formation History in the Central Regions of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• Evidence for an Interaction in the Nearest Starbursting Dwarf Irregular Galaxy IC 10
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. IV. NGC 4216: A Bombarded Spiral in the Virgo Cluster
• Imaging of the Shell Galaxies NGC 474 and NGC 7600, and Implications for their Formation
• 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
• Stellar Kinematics and Structural Properties of Virgo Cluster Dwarf Early-Type Galaxies from the SMAKCED Project. I. Kinematically Decoupled Cores and Implications for Infallen Groups in Clusters
• The Fornax dwarf galaxy as a remnant of recent dwarf-dwarf merging in the Local Group
• The Nature of the Density Clump in the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
• NGC 770: A Counter-Rotating Core in a Low-Luminosity Elliptical Galaxy
• Formation of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies Via Mergers of Disky Dwarfs
• LEDA 074886: A remarkable rectangular-looking galaxy
• An isolated, compact early-type galaxy with a diffuse stellar component: merger origin?
• Deep imaging of the shell elliptical galaxy NGC3923 with MegaCam
• Tidal Interaction as the origin of early-type dwarf galaxies in group environment
• The shell game: a panoramic view of Fornax
• A case study for a tidal interaction between dwarf galaxies in UGC 6741
• Determining the Nature of the Extended HI Structure Around LITTLE THINGS Dwarf Galaxy NGC 1569
• The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS) III. The Ultraviolet Source Catalogs
• Tidal interactions at the edge of the Local Group: New evidence for tidal features in the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy
• Leo IV & V - A possible dwarf galaxy pair ?
• MCG+08-22-082: A double core and boxy appearance dwarf lenticular galaxy as suspected to be a merger remnant

Cited by in corpus (24)

• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)
• Ultra-diffuse galaxies without dark matter
• A catalog of merging dwarf galaxies in the local universe
• Tidal Features at 0.05<z<0.45 in the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program: Properties and Formation Channels
• Ultra diffuse galaxies in the MATLAS low-to-moderate density fields
• Star Formation in Isolated Dwarf Galaxies Hosting Tidal Debris: Extending the Dwarf-Dwarf Merger Sequence
• Accretion of Galaxy Groups into Galaxy Clusters
• The Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy VCC848 Formed by Dwarf-Dwarf Merging
• Solo dwarfs II: The stellar structure of isolated Local Group dwarf galaxies
• The Active Assembly of the Virgo Cluster: Indications for Recent Group Infall From Early-Type Dwarf Galaxies
• An Extensive Catalog of Early-type Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Universe: Morphology and Environment
• HI observations of the MATLAS dwarf and ultra-diffuse galaxies
• Inverted metallicity gradients in two Virgo cluster star-forming dwarf galaxies: evidence of recent merging?
• Brought to Light II: Revealing the Origins of Cloaked Spiral Features in Cluster Passive Dwarf Galaxies
• Connecting traces of galaxy evolution: the missing core mass -- morphological fine structure relation
• The Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS): V. Discovery of a dwarf-dwarf galaxy pair at z=0.30 and its characterization using deep VLT/MUSE observations
• KUG 0200-096: Dwarf antennae hosting a tidal dwarf galaxy
• The curious case of the companion: evidence for cold accretion onto a dwarf satellite near the isolated elliptical NGC 7796
• Rendezvous in CAVITY: Kinematics and gas properties of an isolated dwarf-dwarf merging pair in a cosmic void region
• AVID: Formation and evolution of a coalesced major merger of late-type dwarf galaxies (VCC 479) on the outskirts of the Virgo cluster
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XL. The Morphological Classification of Virgo Cluster Galaxies
• Early-type Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Universe. Evidence of Ex-situ Growth
• Brought to Light III: Colors of Disk and Clump Substructures in Dwarf Early-Type Galaxies of the Fornax Cluster
• AVID: A Near-Major Post-Merger of Late-Type Dwarfs beneath a Regularly Rotating HI Disk (VCC 693)