Utilizing Voronoi Tessellations to Determine Radial Density Profiles

Abstract

We have developed a novel method of determining 2D radial density profiles for astronomical systems of discrete objects using Voronoi tessellations. This Voronoi-based method was tested against the standard annulus-based method on 5 simulated systems of objects, following known Hubble density profiles of varying parameters and sizes. It was found that the Voronoi-based method returned radial density fits with lower uncertainties on the fitting parameters across all 5 systems compared to the annulus-based method. The Voronoi-based method also consistently returned more accurate estimates of the total number of objects in each system than the annulus-based method, and this accuracy increased with increasing system size. Finally, the Voronoi-based method was applied to two observed globular cluster systems around brightest cluster galaxies ESO 444-G046 and 2MASX J13272961-3123237 and the results were compared to previous results for these galaxies obtained with the annulus-based method. Again, it was found that the Voronoi-based method returned fits with lower uncertainties on the fitting parameters, and the total number of globular clusters returned are within errors of the annulus-based method estimates, however also with lower uncertainties.

arXiv comment14 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables

References in corpus (17)

• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey XV. The Formation Efficiencies of Globular Clusters in Early-Type Galaxies: The Effects of Mass and Environment
• The Density Profiles of Massive, Relaxed Galaxy Clusters. I. The Total Density Over Three Decades in Radius
• The Radial Distribution of Galaxies in LCDM clusters
• Finding Galaxy Clusters using Voronoi Tessellations
• Star count density profiles and structural parameters of 26 Galactic globular clusters
• The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey IV. Intergalactic Globular Clusters and the Massive Globular Cluster System at the Core of the Coma Galaxy Cluster
• Dark Matter Halos in Galaxies and Globular Cluster Populations. II: Metallicity and Morphology
• RASS-SDSS Galaxy Cluster Survey. VII. On the Cluster Mass to Light ratio and the Halo Occupation Distribution
• Globular Cluster Systems in Brightest Cluster Galaxies. II: NGC 6166
• No evidence of mass segregation in the low mass Galactic globular cluster NGC 6101
• Galaxy population properties of the massive X-ray luminous galaxy cluster XDCP J0044.0-2033 at z=1.58: red-sequence formation, massive galaxy assembly, and central star formation activity
• A Photometric Survey of Globular Cluster Systems in Brightest Cluster Galaxies
• ESO452-SC11: The lowest mass globular cluster with a potential chemical inhomogeneity
• A Gaia astrometric view of the open clusters Pleiades, Praesepe and Blanco 1
• Investigating the $M_{GCS}-M_h$ Relation in the Most Massive Galaxies
• Detection of a dense group of hyper-compact radio sources in the central parsec of the Galaxy
• Detection of the Stellar Intracluster Medium in Perseus (Abell 426)

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Major Mergers Mean Major Offset: Drivers of Intrinsic Scatter in The $M_{GCS}-M_h$ Scaling Relation for Massive Elliptical Galaxies
• Evidence for Environmental Stripping in the Coma Cluster