To the Edge of M87 and Beyond: Spectroscopy of Intracluster Globular Clusters and Ultra Compact Dwarfs in the Virgo Cluster

Abstract

We present the results from a wide-field spectroscopic survey of globular clusters (GCs) in the Virgo Cluster. We obtain spectra for 201 GCs and 55 ultracompact dwarfs (UCDs) using the Hectospec on the Multiple Mirror Telescope, and derive their radial velocities. We identify 46 genuine intracluster GCs (IGCs), not associated with any Virgo galaxies, using the 3D GMM test on the spatial and radial velocity distribution.They are located at the projected distance 200 kpc $\lesssim$ R $\lesssim$ 500 kpc from the center of M87. The radial velocity distribution of these IGCs shows two peaks, one at $v_{\mathrm{r}}$ = 1023 km s${}^{-1}$ associated with the Virgo main body, and another at $v_{\mathrm{r}}$ = 36 km s${}^{-1}$ associated with the infalling structure. The velocity dispersion of the IGCs in the Virgo main body is ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{GC}}\sim$ 314 km s${}^{-1}$, which is smoothly connected to the velocity dispersion profile of M87 GCs, but much lower than that of dwarf galaxies in the same survey field, ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{dwarf}}\sim$ 608 km s${}^{-1}$. The UCDs are more centrally concentrated on massive galaxies, M87, M86, and M84. The radial velocity dispersion of the UCD system is much smaller than that of dwarf galaxies. Our results confirm the large-scale distribution of Virgo IGCs indicated by previous photometric surveys. The color distribution of the confirmed IGCs shows a bimodality similar to that of M87 GCs. This indicates that most IGCs are stripped off from dwarf galaxies and some from massive galaxies in the Virgo.

19 pages, 20 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

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Cited by in corpus (17)

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• Galaxy structure from multiple tracers: III. Radial variations in M87's IMF
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XXXIV. Ultra-Compact Dwarf (UCD) Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
• Virgo Filaments II: Catalog and First Results on the Effect of Filaments on galaxy properties
• Specific Frequencies and Luminosity Profiles of Cluster Galaxies and Intracluster Light in Abell 1689
• The PIPER Survey: I. An Initial Look at the Intergalactic Globular Cluster Population in the Perseus Cluster
• The Fornax Cluster VLT Spectroscopic Survey III -- Kinematical characterisation of globular clusters across the Fornax galaxy cluster
• Spatial distribution of dark matter in and around galaxy clusters traced by galaxies, gas and intracluster stars in a simulated universe
• Modeling globular clusters in the TNG50 simulation: predictions from dwarfs to giants
• A discrete chemo-dynamical model of M87's globular clusters: Kinematics extending to ~ 400 kpc
• Investigating the $M_{GCS}-M_h$ Relation in the Most Massive Galaxies
• Tracing Dark Matter Halos with Satellite Kinematics and the Central Stellar Velocity Dispersion of Galaxies
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XXXIII. Stellar Population Gradients in the Virgo Cluster Core Globular Cluster System
• Substructure in the Globular Cluster Populations of the Virgo Cluster Elliptical Galaxies M84 and M86
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XVII. A Search for Planetary Nebulae in Virgo Cluster Globular Clusters
• The Color Gradients of the Globular Cluster Systems in M87 and M49
• Properties of Globular Clusters in Galaxy Clusters: Sensitivity from the Formation and Evolution of Globular Clusters