Infrared Properties of Star Forming Dwarf Galaxies

Dwarf galaxies are the most common galaxies in the Universe. They are systems believed to consist of matter in a near-primordial state, from which giant galaxies probably form. As such, they are important probes for studying matter in its near-primordial state.

In an effort to study the main physical and chemical properties of dwarfs, in my work two classes of star forming dwarf galaxies are considered: dwarf irregulars (dIs), and blue compact dwarfs (BCDs). A third class, dwarf ellipticals (dEs), is studied based on its structural properties and compared with dIs.

Some evolutionary connections are spotted between dIs and BCDs. To measure their luminosity, deep imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) was considered. Two observing samples of star-forming dwarf galaxies are studied, the first including 34 dIs in the Local Volume, and the second includes 16 BCDs in the Virgo Cluster. We observed six runs, both NIR imaging at the CFHT in Hawaii and OAN-SPM in Mexico, and spectrocopy at Gemini-North. We completed the observed samples with spectroscopic data from the literature and photometry from the 2MASS survey and galaxy databases.

 

Fecha: 
11/05/2006 - 14:00
Conferenciante: 
Ovidiu Vaduvescu
Filiación: 
York University, Toronto Canada & ACRU & SAAO, South Africa


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