Browsing by Subject "galaxies : bulges"

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Bars In Disk-Dominated And Bulge-Dominated Galaxies At Z Similar To 0: New Insights From Similar To 3600 SDSS Galaxies
(2008-03) Barazza, Fabio D.; Jogee, Shardha; Marinova, Irina; Barazza, Fabio D.; Jogee, Shardha; Marinova, Irina
We present a study of large-scale bars in the local universe, based on a large sample of 3692 galaxies, with 18.5 <= M(g) < -22.0 mag and redshift 0.01 <= z < 0.03, drawn from the Sloan Digitized Sky Survey. Our sample includes many galaxies that are disk-dominated and of late Hubble types. Both color cuts and Se e rsic cuts yield a similar sample of similar to 2000 disk galaxies. We characterize bars and disks by ellipse-fitting r-band images and applying quantitative criteria. After excluding highly inclined (60 degrees) systems, we find the following results. (1) The optical r-band fraction (f(opt-r)) of barred galaxies, when averaged over the whole sample, is similar to 48%-52%. (2) When galaxies are separated according to half light radius (r(e)), or normalized r(e)/R(24), which is a measure of the bulge-to-disk (B/D) ratio, a remarkable result is seen: f(opt-r) rises sharply, from similar to 40% in galaxies that have small r(e)/R(24) and visually appear to host prominent bulges, to similar to 70% for galaxies that have large r(e)/R(24) and appear disk-dominated. (3) For galaxies with bluer colors, f(opt-r) rises significantly (by similar to 30%). A weaker rise (by similar to 15%-20%) is seen for lower luminosities or lower masses. (4) While hierarchical Lambda CDM models of galaxy evolution models fail to produce galaxies without classical bulges, our study finds that similar to 20% of disk galaxies appear to be "quasi-bulgeless.'' (5) We outline how the effect of a decreasing resolution and a rising obscuration of bars by gas and dust over z = 0.2-1.0 can cause a significant artificial loss of bars, and an artificial reduction in the optical bar fraction over z = 0.2-1.0.
The Structure Of Classical Bulges And Pseudobulges: The Link Between Pseudobulges And Sersic Index
(2008-08) Fisher, David B.; Drory, Niv; Fisher, David B.
In this paper, we study the properties of pseudobulges (bulges that appear similar to disk galaxies) and classical bulges (bulges which appear similar to E-type galaxies) in bulge-disk decompositions. We show that the distribution of bulge Sersic indices, (n)b, is bimodal, and this bimodality correlates with the morphology of the bulge. Pseudobulges have n(b) less than or similar to 2 and classical bulges have n(b) less than or similar to 2 with little to no overlap. Also, pseudobulges do not follow the correlations of Sersic index with structural parameters or the photometric projections of the fundamental plane in the same way that classical bulges and elliptical galaxies do. We find that pseudobulges are systematically flatter than classical bulges and thus more disk-like in both their morphology and shape. We do not find significant differences between different bulge morphologies which we are collectively calling pseudobulges (nuclear spirals, nuclear rings, nuclear bars, and nuclear patchiness); they appear to behave similarly in all parameter correlations. In the Sersic index, flattening, and bulge-to-total ratio, the distinction appears to be between classical bulges and pseudobulges, not between different pseudobulge morphologies. The Sersic index of the pseudobulges does not correlate with B/T, in contrast to classical bulges. Also, the half-light radius of the pseudobulge correlates with the scale length of the disk; this is not the case for classical bulges. The correlation of Sersic index and scale lengths with bulge morphology suggests that secular evolution is creating pseudobulges with low-Sersic index and that other processes (e. g., major mergers) are responsible for the higher Sersic index in classical bulges and elliptical galaxies.