Low surface brightness dwarf galaxies and their globular cluster populations around the low-density environment of our closest S0 NGC 3115
ABSTRACT Understanding faint dwarf galaxies is fundamental to the development of a robust theory of galaxy formation on small scales. Since the discovery of a population of ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs) rich in globular clusters (GCs) in Coma, an increasing number of studies on low surface brightness dwarf galaxies (LSBds) have been published in recent years. The most massive LSBds have been observed predominantly in groups and clusters, with properties displaying dependence on the environment. In this work, we use deep DECam imaging to systematically identify LSBds and their GC populations around the low-density environment of NGC 3115. We carefully analyse the structure and morphology of 24 candidates, 18 of which are reported for the first time. Most candidates exhibit red colours suggesting a connection between their colour and distance to NGC 3115. We followed up with Gemini GMOS imaging 9 LSBds to properly identify their GC populations. We derive lower limits for the number of GCs associated with each galaxy. Our analysis reveals that they occur around of the same loci of Fornax LSB dwarf GC systems. The relationship between the number of GCs and total mass provides a tool in which, by counting the GCs in these galaxies, we estimate an upper limit for the total mass of these LSB dwarfs, obtaining the mean value of $\sim 3.3\times 10^{10}$ M$_{\odot }$. Our results align with expectations for dwarf-sized galaxies, particularly regarding the distribution and specific frequency of their GC systems.
Authors
- E. Zanatta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5918-5263)
- A. Pieres
- Ana L. Chies-Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3220-0165)
- W. Schoenell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4064-7234)
- Marco A. Canossa-Gosteinski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1261-1015)
- Michael A. Beasley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4694-2250)
- Karla Álamo-Martínez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5897-7813)
- A. B. A. Queiroz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9209-7599)
- Roderik Overzier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8214-7617)
- Cristina Furlanetto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6838-431X)
- Rodrigo Flores-Freitas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1275-864X)
- Alan Alves-Brito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5579-2138)
- E. Balbinot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1322-3153)
- C. Bonatto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4102-1751)
- B. X. Santiago (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7692-8495)
Institutions
- Leiden University (NL)
- Universidad de Guanajuato (MX)
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Universidad de La Laguna (ES)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- TMT Observatory (US)
- Valongo Observatory (BR)
- Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (BR)
- National Observatory (BR)
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES)
- Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia (BR)
- Swinburne University of Technology (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2024-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2161
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.66
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- Michigan State University
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
- College of Engineering, Michigan State University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill