Showing papers by "Massimo Capaccioli published in 2004"
TL;DR: The Capodimonte Deep Field (OACDF) as discussed by the authors is a deep field covering an area of 0.5 square degrees in the B, V, R optical bands plus six medium-band filters in the wavelength range 773--913 nm.
Abstract: We present the Capodimonte Deep Field (OACDF), a deep field covering an area of 0.5 square degrees in the B, V, R optical bands plus six medium-band filters in the wavelength range 773--913 nm. The field reaches the following limiting AB magnitudes: B~25.3, V~24.8 and R~25.1 and contains about 50000 extended sources in the AB magnitude range 18 < R < 25 . Hence, it is intermediate between deep pencil beam surveys and very wide but shallow surveys. The main scientific goal of the OACDF is the identification and characterization of early-type field galaxies at different look-back times in order to study different scenarios of galaxy formation. Parallel goals include the search for groups and clusters of galaxies and the search for rare and peculiar objects (gravitational lenses, QSOs, halo White Dwarfs). In this paper we describe the OACDF data reduction, the methods adopted for the extraction of the photometric catalogs, the photometric calibration and the quality assessment of the catalogs by means of galaxy number counts, spectroscopic and photometric redshifts and star colors. We also present the first results of the search for galaxy overdensities. The depth of the OACDF and its relatively large spatial coverage with respect to pencil beam surveys make it a good tool for further studies of galaxy formation and evolution in the redshift range 0--1, as well as for stellar studies.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the near-infrared and optical properties of the peculiar galaxy ESO 235-G58, which resembles a late-type ringed barred spiral seen close to face-on.
Abstract: We present the near-infrared and optical properties of the peculiar galaxy ESO 235-G58, which resembles a late-type ringed barred spiral seen close to face-on. However, the apparent bar of ESO 235-G58 is in reality an edge-on disk galaxy of relatively low luminosity. We have analyzed the light and color distributions of ESO 235-G58 in the NIR and optical bands and compared them with the typical properties observed for other morphological galaxy types, including polar ring galaxies. Similar properties are observed for ESO 235-G58, polar ring galaxies, and spiral galaxies, which leads us to conclude that this peculiar system is a polar-ring-related galaxy, characterized by a low inclined ring/disk structure, as pointed out by Buta & Crocker in an earlier study, rather than a barred galaxy.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the data flow, the data model, and the features of the processing system under development for the VST at the ESO VLT at the Cerro Paranal Observatory.
Abstract: VST is the acronym for VLT Survey Telescope, a 2.6 m wide-field (WF) imaging telescope conceived and built by the INAF-Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory in Naples (INAF-OAC) chiefly to serve the ESO VLT at the Cerro Paranal Observatory. The VST will be equipped with a 16 K × 16K mosaic camera built by the European consortium OmegaCam. The system shall cover a corrected field of view of 1 square degree with a pixel scale of 0.21 arcsec. The expected average data rate will be about 150 GB per night; a flood of data implying suitable HW/SW facilities. ESO, operating the telescope at Paranal, will reserve about 20% of the VST observing time to INAF-OAC in return for the procurement of the instrument. The INAF-OAC core program planned for this time includes a galactic and an extragalactic survey, a SN search campaign, and an extended monitoring of the minor bodies of the Solar System. In this paper we describe the data flow, the data model, and the features of the processing system under development. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
2 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: The Planetary Nebula Spectrograph (PNS) as discussed by the authors is a dedicated instrument for measuring radial velocity of individual planetary Nebulae (PNe) in galaxies, which is used to probe the structure of dark halos in the outskirts of elliptical galaxies in particular.
Abstract: The Planetary Nebula Spectrograph is a dedicated instrument for measuring radial velocity of individual Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in galaxies. This new instrument is providing crucial data with which to probe the structure of dark halos in the outskirts of elliptical galaxies in particular, which are traditionally lacking easy interpretable kinemati- cal tracers at large distance from the center. Preliminary results on a sample of intermediate luminosity galaxies have shown little dark matter within 5 Re implying halos either not as massive or not as centrally concentrated as CDM predicts. We briefly discuss whether this is consistent with a systematic trend of the dark matter content with the luminosity as observed in an extended sample of early-type galaxies.
1 citations
01 Dec 2004
TL;DR: The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is a 2.6m aperture, wide field, UV to I facility, installed at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on the Cerro Paranal Chile as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is a 2.6m aperture, wide field, UV to I facility, to be installed at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on the Cerro Paranal Chile. VST was primarily intended to complement the observing capabilities of VLT with wide-angle imaging for detecting and pre-characterising sources for further observations with the VLT.
1 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the Tully-Fisher relation for polar ring galaxies was investigated based on near infrared, optical and H i data available for a sample of these peculiar objects, with many PRGs showing larger H i linewidths than expected for the observed K band luminosity.
Abstract: We have investigated the Tully-Fisher relation for Polar Ring Galaxies (PRGs), based on near infrared, optical and H i data available for a sample of these peculiar objects. The total K-band luminosity, which mainly comes from the central host galaxy, and the measured H i linewidth at 20% of the peak line flux density, which traces the potential in the polar plane, place most polar rings of the sample far from the Tully-Fisher relation defined for spiral galaxies, with many PRGs showing larger H i linewidths than expected for the observed K band luminosity. This result is confirmed by a larger sample of objects, based on Bband data. This observational evidence may be related to the dark halo shape and orientation in these systems, which we study by numerical modeling of PRG formation and dynamics: the larger rotation velocities observed in PRGs can be explained by a flattened polar halo, aligned with the polar ring. Subject headings: galaxies: peculiar – galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
1 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the velocities for some 2764 PNe in the disk and halo of the Andromeda galaxy were observed and measured using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph.
Abstract: Using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph, we have observed and measured the velocities for some 2764 PNe in the disk and halo of the Andromeda galaxy. Preliminary analysis using a basic ring model shows a rotation curve in good agreement with that obtained from HI data out to ~20kpc. Some substructure has also been detected within the velocity field, which can be modeled as the continuation of the tidal-remnant known as the Southern Stream, as it passes through Andromeda's disk.
TL;DR: In this article, a correlation between the M/L global gradients and the structural parameters of the luminous components of a sample of 19 early-type galaxies was found, supporting the hypothesis that there is a connection between the dark matter content and the evolution of the baryonic component in such systems.
Abstract: We have found a correlation between the M/L global gradients and the structural parameters of the luminous components of a sample of 19 early-type galaxies. Such a correlation supports the hypothesis that there is a connection between the dark matter content and the evolution of the baryonic component in such systems.
01 Jul 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used multi-object spectrographs on the WHT and the VLT to obtain hundreds of planetary nebulae velocities in a small sample of nearby galaxies.
Abstract: Planetary nebulae (PNe) may be the most promising tracers in the halos of early-type galaxies. We have used multi-object spectrographs on the WHT and the VLT, and the new Planetary Nebula Spectrograph on the WHT, to obtain hundreds of PN velocities in a small sample of nearby galaxies. These ellipticals show weak halo rotation, which may be consistent with ab initio models of galaxy formation, but not with more detailed major merger simulations. the galaxies near L * show evidence of a universal declining velocity dispersion profile, and dynamical models indicate the presence of little dark matter within 5 R eff —implying halos either not as massive or not as centrally concentrated as CDM predicts.