Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Structural Investigation of Galaxies via Model Analysis

We present single-Sersic two-dimensional (2D) model fits to 167 600 galaxies modelled independently in the ugrizYJHK bandpasses using reprocessed Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven (SDSS DR7) and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Large Area Survey imaging data available from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) data base. In order to facilitate this study we developed Structural Investigation of Galaxies via Model Analysis (sigma), an r wrapper around several contemporary astronomy software packages including source extractor, psf extractor and galfit 3. sigma produces realistic 2D model fits to galaxies, employing automatic adaptive background subtraction and empirical point spread function measurements on the fly for each galaxy in GAMA. Using these results, we define a common coverage area across the three GAMA regions containing 138 269 galaxies. We provide Sersic magnitudes truncated at 10re which show good agreement with SDSS Petrosian and GAMA photometry for low Sersic index systems (n 4), recovering as much as Δm= 0.5 mag in the r band. We employ a K-band Sersic index/u−r colour relation to delineate the massive (n > ∼2) early-type galaxies (ETGs) from the late-type galaxies (LTGs). The mean Sersic index of these ETGs shows a smooth variation with wavelength, increasing by 30 per cent from g through K. LTGs exhibit a more extreme change in Sersic index, increasing by 52 per cent across the same range. In addition, ETGs and LTGs exhibit a 38 and 25 per cent decrease, respectively, in half-light radius from g through K. These trends are shown to arise due to the effects of dust attenuation and stellar population/metallicity gradients within galaxy populations.

[1]  I. Trujillo,et al.  Stellar Disk Truncations at High z: Probing Inside-Out Galaxy Formation , 2005, astro-ph/0507533.

[2]  J. Peñarrubia,et al.  UNVEILING THE NATURE OF M94's (NGC4736) OUTER REGION: A PANCHROMATIC PERSPECTIVE , 2009, 0907.4884.

[3]  C. Conselice,et al.  INSIGHTS ON THE FORMATION, EVOLUTION, AND ACTIVITY OF MASSIVE GALAXIES FROM ULTRACOMPACT AND DISKY GALAXIES AT z = 2–3 , 2011, 1107.2591.

[4]  S. Driver,et al.  The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: the B-band attenuation of bulge and disc light and the implied cosmic dust and stellar mass densities , 2007, 0704.2140.

[5]  The structure of galactic disks - Studying late-type spiral galaxies using SDSS , 2006, astro-ph/0603682.

[6]  Jing Wang,et al.  The GALEX Arecibo SDSS survey – III. Evidence for the inside‐out formation of Galactic discs , 2010, 1011.0829.

[7]  R. Tuffs,et al.  Modeling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies. II. Disk opacity and star formation in 5 edge-on spirals , 2001, astro-ph/0104346.

[8]  J. Papaloizou,et al.  The excitation of spiral density waves through turbulent fluctuations in accretion discs – II. Numerical simulations with MRI-driven turbulence , 2008, 0812.2471.

[9]  R. Evans The variation of the scalelengths of galaxies at different wavelengths , 1994 .

[10]  The Evolution of Early-Type Red Galaxies with the GEMS Survey: Luminosity-Size and Stellar Mass-Size Relations Since z = 1* , 2004, astro-ph/0411772.

[11]  Morphological evolution of z ~ 1 galaxies from deep K-band AO imaging in the COSMOS deep field , 2007 .

[12]  Cambridge,et al.  The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey ZY JHK photometric system: passbands and synthetic colours , 2006, astro-ph/0601592.

[13]  Luc Simard,et al.  A CATALOG OF BULGE+DISK DECOMPOSITIONS AND UPDATED PHOTOMETRY FOR 1.12 MILLION GALAXIES IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2011, 1107.1518.

[14]  Robert C. Nichol,et al.  Galaxy and Mass Assembly: FUV, NUV, ugrizYJHK Petrosian, Kron and Sérsic photometry , 2010, 1009.0615.

[15]  A. Graham,et al.  HST Photometry of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in Coma, and an Explanation for the Alleged Structural Dichotomy between Dwarf and Bright Elliptical Galaxies , 2003, astro-ph/0303391.

[16]  Daniel Durand,et al.  Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XI , 2009 .

[17]  Shude Mao,et al.  The formation of galactic discs , 1997 .

[18]  P. Lopes,et al.  Spheroid's Panchromatic Investigation in Different Environmental Regions (SPIDER) - I. Sample and galaxy parameters in the grizYJHK wavebands , 2009, 0912.4547.

[19]  D. Block,et al.  Cosmic Masks Still Dance , 1999 .

[20]  S. Phillipps,et al.  Selection effects in the bivariate brightness distribution for spiral galaxies , 1986 .

[21]  Alexander S. Szalay,et al.  Galaxy Zoo: the dependence of morphology and colour on environment , 2008, 0805.2612.

[22]  S. dos Anjos,et al.  BUDDA: A New Two-dimensional Bulge/Disk Decomposition Code for Detailed Structural Analysis of Galaxies , 2004, astro-ph/0404103.

[23]  Marijn Franx,et al.  THE SIZE EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES SINCE Z ∼ 3: COMBINING SDSS, GEMS AND FIRES 1 , 2006 .

[24]  B. Cunow Disc scalelengths of non‐active and active spiral galaxies , 2001 .

[25]  D. Spergel,et al.  The Formation of Disk Galaxies , 1996, astro-ph/9611226.

[26]  Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal. Preprint typeset using L ATEX style emulateapj v. 10/09/06 A NEAR-INFRARED STUDY OF 2MASS BARS IN LOCAL GALAXIES: AN ANCHOR FOR HIGH REDSHIFT STUDIES , 2022 .

[27]  T. Lauer,et al.  Brightest Cluster Galaxy Profile Shapes , 1996, astro-ph/9603006.

[28]  John E. Davis,et al.  Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Early Data Release , 2002 .

[29]  STRUCTURE OF DISK-DOMINATED GALAXIES. I. BULGE/DISK PARAMETERS, SIMULATIONS, AND SECULAR EVOLUTION , 2002, astro-ph/0208404.

[30]  M. Irwin,et al.  The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) , 2006, astro-ph/0604426.

[31]  S. Driver,et al.  A Log-Quadratic Relation for Predicting Supermassive Black Hole Masses from the Host Bulge Sérsic Index , 2006, astro-ph/0607378.

[32]  M. G. Rawlings,et al.  The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey First Data Release , 2007 .

[33]  The Contribution of Late-Type/Irregulars to the Faint Galaxy Counts from Hubble Space Telescope Medium-Deep Survey Images , 1995, astro-ph/9511123.

[34]  S. Bamford,et al.  GAMA: towards a physical understanding of galaxy formation , 2009, 0910.5123.

[35]  A. Graham,et al.  Inclination- and dust-corrected galaxy parameters: bulge-to-disc ratios and size–luminosity relations , 2008, 0805.3565.

[36]  S. Faber,et al.  On the Correlations of Massive Black Holes with Their Host Galaxies , 2005, astro-ph/0510102.

[37]  Simon P. Driver,et al.  A Concise Reference to (Projected) Sérsic R 1/n Quantities, Including Concentration, Profile Slopes, Petrosian Indices, and Kron Magnitudes , 2005, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

[38]  M. Dopita,et al.  Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies - V. The dust and PAH emission SEDs of disk galaxies , 2010, 1011.2942.

[39]  S. Driver The Contribution of Normal, Dim, and Dwarf Galaxies to the Local Luminosity Density , 1999, The Astrophysical journal.

[40]  S. Driver,et al.  The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: the space density and surface-brightness distribution(s) of galaxies , 2005, astro-ph/0503228.

[41]  D. Gadotti Structural properties of pseudo-bulges, classical bulges and elliptical galaxies: a Sloan Digital Sky Survey perspective , 2008, 0810.1953.

[42]  Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies. IV. Correcting apparent disk scalelengths and central surface brightnesses for the effect of dust at optical and near-infrared wavelengths , 2006, astro-ph/0606562.

[43]  G. Lake,et al.  Galaxy harassment and the evolution of clusters of galaxies , 1995, Nature.

[44]  M. Irwin,et al.  RESOLVING THE STELLAR OUTSKIRTS OF M81: EVIDENCE FOR A FAINT, EXTENDED STRUCTURAL COMPONENT , 2009, 0909.1430.

[45]  C. Brook,et al.  Forming a large disc galaxy from a z < 1 major merger , 2008, 0812.0379.

[46]  E. Greisen,et al.  Representations of celestial coordinates in FITS , 2002, astro-ph/0207413.

[47]  Hans-Walter Rix,et al.  On the Black Hole Mass-Bulge Mass Relation , 2004, astro-ph/0402376.

[48]  K. Freeman,et al.  THE STRUCTURE AND METALLICITY GRADIENT IN THE EXTREME OUTER DISK OF NGC 7793 , 2011, 1101.0607.

[49]  Sergey E. Koposov,et al.  GEMS: Galaxy Fitting Catalogs and Testing Parametric Galaxy Fitting Codes: GALFIT and GIM2D , 2007, 0704.2601.

[50]  C. Conselice,et al.  Strong size evolution of the most massive galaxies since z~2 , 2007, 0709.0621.

[51]  Chien Y. Peng,et al.  DETAILED DECOMPOSITION OF GALAXY IMAGES. II. BEYOND AXISYMMETRIC MODELS , 2009, 0912.0731.

[52]  The Dependence of Galaxy Morphology and Structure on Environment and Stellar Mass , 2008, 0801.1995.

[53]  M. Pohlen,et al.  Antitruncation of Disks in Early-Type Barred Galaxies , 2005, astro-ph/0505216.

[54]  Simon P. Driver,et al.  Galaxy evolution by color-log(n) type since redshift unity in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field , 2008, 0811.1043.

[55]  H. Ferguson,et al.  The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey – III. Structural parameters of galaxies using single Sérsic fits , 2010, 1010.2352.

[56]  L. Ho,et al.  MID-INFRARED GALAXY MORPHOLOGY FROM THE SPITZER SURVEY OF STELLAR STRUCTURE IN GALAXIES (S4G): THE IMPRINT OF THE DE VAUCOULEURS REVISED HUBBLE–SANDAGE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM AT 3.6 μm , 2010, 1008.0805.

[57]  R. F. Jameson,et al.  The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Early Data Release , 2006 .

[58]  A. Connolly,et al.  SPATIALLY RESOLVED GALAXY STAR FORMATION AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE. II. EFFECT OF THE MORPHOLOGY–DENSITY RELATION , 2007, 0711.1171.

[59]  G. Kauffmann,et al.  The formation and evolution of galaxies within merging dark matter haloes , 1993 .

[60]  G. Kauffmann,et al.  The spatial and kinematic distributions of cluster galaxies in a ΩCDM universe: comparison with observations , 2000, astro-ph/0005485.

[61]  A. Dressler Galaxy morphology in rich clusters: Implications for the formation and evolution of galaxies , 1980 .

[62]  T. Tal,et al.  THE FAINT STELLAR HALOS OF MASSIVE RED GALAXIES FROM STACKS OF MORE THAN 42,000 SDSS LRG IMAGES , 2011, 1102.4330.

[63]  S. Driver,et al.  The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue : morphological classification and bimodality in the colour-concentration plane , 2006, astro-ph/0602240.

[64]  R. Teyssier,et al.  The formation of disc galaxies in a ΛCDM universe , 2010, 1004.0005.

[65]  Heidelberg,et al.  Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies. III. Attenuation of stellar light in spiral galaxies , 2004, astro-ph/0401630.

[66]  Ajit K. Kembhavi,et al.  PyMorph: Automated Galaxy Structural Parameter Estimation using Python , 2010, 1007.4965.

[67]  Alister W. Graham An Investigation into the Prominence of Spiral Galaxy Bulges , 2001 .

[68]  D. Thilker,et al.  SPIRAL-INDUCED STAR FORMATION IN THE OUTER DISKS OF GALAXIES , 2010, 1003.5672.

[69]  The secular evolution of disk structural parameters , 2005, astro-ph/0509310.

[70]  B. Tinsley,et al.  The evolution of disk galaxies and the origin of S0 galaxies , 1980 .

[71]  G. Fasano,et al.  GASPHOT: a tool for Galaxy Automatic Surface PHOTometry , 2001 .

[72]  Changbom Park,et al.  Transformation of Morphology and Luminosity Classes of the SDSS Galaxies , 2007, 0708.4118.

[73]  Taylor S. Chonis,et al.  STELLAR TIDAL STREAMS IN SPIRAL GALAXIES OF THE LOCAL VOLUME: A PILOT SURVEY WITH MODEST APERTURE TELESCOPES , 2010, 1003.4860.

[74]  G. Stinson,et al.  Riding the Spiral Waves: Implications of Stellar Migration for the Properties of Galactic Disks , 2008, 0808.0206.

[75]  S. Bamford,et al.  Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): survey diagnostics and core data release , 2010, 1009.0614.

[76]  S. White,et al.  Quantitative morphology of galaxies from the SDSS - I. Luminosity in bulges and discs , 2005, astro-ph/0507249.

[77]  S. Bamford,et al.  Galaxy bimodality versus stellar mass and environment , 2006, astro-ph/0607648.

[78]  M. Irwin,et al.  The remnants of galaxy formation from a panoramic survey of the region around M31 , 2009, Nature.

[79]  Timothy A. Davis,et al.  The Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies , 2012 .

[80]  Simon P. Driver,et al.  THE MILLENNIUM GALAXY CATALOGUE: EXPLORING THE COLOR–CONCENTRATION BIMODALITY VIA BULGE–DISK DECOMPOSITION , 2009, 0904.3096.

[81]  The ACS Virgo Cluster survey. VI. Isophotal analysis and the structure of early-type galaxies , 2006, astro-ph/0602297.

[82]  A. Ramos,et al.  Evidence for a New Elliptical-Galaxy Paradigm: Sérsic and Core Galaxies , 2004, astro-ph/0403659.

[83]  C. Brook,et al.  Misaligned angular momentum in hydrodynamic cosmological simulations: warps, outer discs and thick discs , 2010, 1006.1659.

[84]  E. Bertin,et al.  SExtractor: Software for source extraction , 1996 .

[85]  I. Trujillo,et al.  Color Profiles of Spiral Galaxies: Clues on Outer-Disk Formation Scenarios , 2008, 0807.2776.

[86]  S. M. Fall,et al.  Formation and rotation of disc galaxies with haloes , 1980 .

[87]  S. T. Hodgkin,et al.  The UKIRT wide field camera ZYJHK photometric system: calibration from 2MASS , 2008, 0812.3081.

[88]  S. Bamford,et al.  Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): Optimal Tiling of Dense Surveys with a Multi-Object Spectrograph , 2009, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

[89]  K. Freeman,et al.  NGC 300: An Extremely Faint, Outer Stellar Disk Observed to 10 Scale Lengths , 2005, astro-ph/0503488.

[90]  Simon P. Driver,et al.  The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: bulge–disc decomposition of 10 095 nearby galaxies , 2006, astro-ph/0605699.

[91]  K. Freeman,et al.  THE ABUNDANCE GRADIENT IN THE EXTREMELY FAINT OUTER DISK OF NGC 300 , 2009, 0903.1855.

[92]  Matthias Steinmetz,et al.  The Effects of a Photoionizing Ultraviolet Background on the Formation of Disk Galaxies , 1996, astro-ph/9605043.

[93]  S. Bamford,et al.  Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): the GAMA galaxy group catalogue (G3Cv1) , 2011, 1106.1994.

[94]  Fabio Governato,et al.  Forming disc galaxies in ΛCDM simulations , 2006 .

[95]  On the Shape of the Light Profiles of Early Type Galaxies - Part Two - the - Diagram , 1993, astro-ph/9309013.

[96]  K. Abazajian,et al.  THE SEVENTH DATA RELEASE OF THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY , 2008, 0812.0649.

[97]  J. Moustakas,et al.  AEGIS: THE MORPHOLOGIES OF GREEN GALAXIES AT 0.4 < z < 1.2 , 2011, 1101.3353.

[98]  Chien Y. Peng,et al.  GEMS: The Surface Brightness and Surface Mass Density Evolution of Disk Galaxies , 2005 .

[99]  S. Dye,et al.  The WFCAM Science Archive , 2006, 0711.3593.

[100]  S. Bamford,et al.  Herschel★‐ATLAS/GAMA: dusty early‐type galaxies and passive spirals , 2012 .

[101]  P. Hopkins,et al.  How do massive black holes get their gas , 2009, 0912.3257.

[102]  J. Gunn,et al.  On the Infall of Matter into Clusters of Galaxies and Some Effects on Their Evolution , 1972 .

[103]  N. Vogt,et al.  The DEEP Groth Strip Survey. II. Hubble Space Telescope Structural Parameters of Galaxies in the Groth Strip , 2002, astro-ph/0205025.

[104]  Jose Luis. Sersic,et al.  Atlas de Galaxias Australes , 1968 .

[105]  S. Dye,et al.  Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): the input catalogue and star–galaxy separation , 2009, 0910.5120.