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Low-mass early-type galaxies, including dwarf spheroidals (dSph) and brighter dwarf ellipticals (dE), dominate the galaxy population in groups and clusters. Recently, an additional early-type population of more extended ultradiffuse galaxies (UDGs) has been identified, sparking a discussion on the potential morphological and evolutionary connections between the three classifications. Here, we present the first measurements of spatially resolved stellar kinematics from deep integrated-light spectra of KDG 64 (UGC 5442), a large dSph galaxy in the M 81 group. From these data, we infer stellar population properties and dark matter halo parameters using Jeans dynamical modelling. We find an old, metal-poor stellar population with no young stars and a dark matter mass fraction of ∼90 per cent within the half-light radius. These properties and the position of KDG 64 on the Fundamental Plane indicate that it is a local analogue of smaller UDGs in the Coma and Virgo clusters and is probably a transitional dSph-UDG object. Its evolutionary path cannot be uniquely established from the existing data, but we argue that supernovae feedback and tidal heating played key roles in shaping KDG 64. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare giant low surface brightness galaxies (gLSBGs) act as a stress test for the current galaxy formation paradigm. To answer the question 'How rare are they?', we estimate their volume density in the local Universe. A visual inspection of 120 deg2 covered by deep Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam data was performed independently by four team members. We detected 42 giant disky systems (30 of them isolated) at z ≤ 0.1 with either g -band 27.7 mag arcsec−2 isophotal radius or four disc scale lengths 4 h ≥ 50 kpc, 37 of which (including 25 isolated) had low central surface brightness (μ0, g ≥ 22.7 mag arcsec−2). This corresponds to volume densities of 4.70 × 10−5 Mpc−3 for all galaxies with giant extended discs and 4.04 × 10−5 Mpc−3 for gLSBGs, which converts to ∼12 700 such galaxies in the entire sky out to z < 0.1. These estimates agree well with the result of the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) cosmological hydrodynamical simulation. Giant disky galaxies represent the large-sized end of the volume density distribution of normal-sized spirals, suggesting the non-exceptional nature of giant discs. We observe a high active galactic nucleus fraction among the newly found gLSBGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-mass low-surface brightness (LSB) disc galaxy Arakelian 18 (Ark 18) resides in the Eridanus void and because of its isolation represents an ideal case to study the formation and evolution mechanisms of such a galaxy type. Its complex structure consists of an extended blue LSB disc and a bright central elliptically shaped part hosting a massive off-centred star-forming clump. We present the in-depth study of Ark 18 based on observations with the SCORPIO-2 long-slit spectrograph and a scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer at the Russian 6-m telescope complemented by archival multiwavelength images and SDSS spectra. Ark 18 appears to be a dark matter dominated gas-rich galaxy without a radial metallicity gradient. The observed velocity field of the ionized gas is well described by two circularly rotating components moderately inclined with respect to each other and a possible warp in the outer disc. We estimated the age of young stellar population in the galaxy centre to be ∼140 Myr, while the brightest star-forming clump appears to be much younger. We conclude that the LSB disc is likely the result of a dwarf–dwarf merger with a stellar mass ratio of the components at least ∼5:1 that occurred earlier than 300 Myr ago. The brightest star-forming clump was likely formed later by accretion of a gas cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant low surface brightness galaxies (gLSBGs) with dynamically cold stellar discs reaching the radius of 130 kpc challenge currently considered galaxy formation mechanisms. We analyse new deep long-slit optical spectroscopic observations, archival optical images, and published Hi and optical spectroscopic data for a sample of seven gLSBGs, for which we performed mass modelling and estimated the parameters of dark matter haloes assuming the Burkert dark matter density profile. Our sample is not homogeneous by morphology, parameters of stellar populations, and total mass, however, six of seven galaxies sit on the high-mass extension of the baryonic Tully–Fisher relation. In UGC 1382, we detected a global counterrotation of the stellar high surface brightness (HSB) disc with respect to the extended LSB disc. In UGC 1922 with signatures of a possible merger, the gas counterrotation is seen in the inner disc. Six galaxies host active galactic nuclei, three of which have the estimated black hole masses substantially below those expected for their (pseudo-)bulge properties suggesting poor merger histories. Overall, the morphology, internal dynamics, and low star formation efficiency in the outer discs indicate that the three formation scenarios shape gLSBGs: (i) a two-stage formation when an HSB galaxy is formed first and then grows an LSB disc by accreting gas from an external supply; (ii) an unusual shallow and extended dark matter halo; (iii) a major merger with fine-tuned orbital parameters and morphologies of the merging galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galactic discs are known to have a complex multilayer structure. An in-depth study of the stellar population properties of the thin and thick components can elucidate the formation and evolution of disc galaxies. Even though thick discs are ubiquitous, their origin is still debated. Here we probe the thick disc formation scenarios by investigating NGC 7572, an enormous edge-on galaxy having R 25 ≈ 25 kpc and V rot ≈ 370 km s−1, which substantially exceeds the Milky Way size and mass. We analysed DECaLS archival imaging and found that the disc of NGC 7572 contains two flaring stellar discs (a thin and a thick disc) with similar radial scales. We collected deep long-slit spectroscopic data using the 6 m Russian BTA telescope and analysed them with a novel technique. We first reconstructed a non-parametric stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution along the radius of the galaxy and then fitted it with two kinematic components accounting for the orbital distribution of stars in thin and thick discs. The old thick disc turned out to be 2.7 times as massive as the intermediate-age thin component, 1.6 × 1011 M⊙ versus 5.9 × 1010 M⊙, which is very unusual. The different duration of the formation epochs evidenced by the [Mg/Fe] values of +0.3 and +0.15 dex for the thick and thin discs respectively, their kinematics, and the mass ratio suggest that in NGC 7572 we observe a rapidly formed very massive thick disc and an underdeveloped thin disc, whose growth ended prematurely due to the exhaustion of the cold gas likely because of environmental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant physical processes responsible for the formation and longevity of giant gaseous and stellar discs in galaxies remain controversial. Although they are rare (less than 10 confirmed as of now), giant low-surface brightness (gLSB) discy galaxies provide interesting insights given their extreme nature. We describe observations of UGC 1378 including deep spectroscopy with the Russian 6-m telescope and multiband imaging with Binospec at the MMT. Galaxy UGC 1378 has both high surface brightness and an extended low surface brightness discs. Our stellar velocity dispersion data for the high surface brightness, Milky Way sized, disc appears inconsistent with a recent major merger, a widely discussed formation scenario for the very extended low surface brightness disc. We estimate the star formation rates (SFRs) from archival Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer data. The SFR surface density in the LSB disc is low relative to its gas density, consistent with recent gas accretion. We argue that the unusually large size of UGC 1378's disc may be the product of a rich gas reservoir (e.g. a cosmic filament) and an isolated environment that has preserved the giant disc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation scenario for giant low surface brightness (gLSB) galaxies with discs as large as 100 kpc still remains unclear. These stellar systems are rare and very hard to observe, therefore a detailed insight on every additional object helps to understand their nature. Here we present a detailed observational study of the gLSB UGC 1922 performed using deep optical imaging and spectroscopic observations combined with archival ultraviolet data. We derived spatially resolved properties of stellar and ionized gas kinematics and characteristics of stellar populations and interstellar medium. We reveal the presence of a kinematically decoupled central component, which counter rotates with respect to the main disc of UGC 1922. The radial metallicity gradient of the ionized gas is in agreement with that found for moderate-size LSB galaxies. At the same time, a slowly rotating and dynamically hot central region of the galaxy hosts a large number of old metal-rich stars, which creates an appearance of a giant elliptical galaxy, that grew an enormous star forming disc. We reproduce most of the observed features of UGC 1922 in N -body/hydrodynamical simulations of an in-plane merger of giant Sa and Sd galaxies. We also discuss alternative formation scenarios of this unusual system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of ultracompact dwarfs (UCDs), a class of compact stellar systems discovered two decades ago, still remains a matter of debate. Recent discoveries of central supermassive black holes in UCDs likely inherited from their massive progenitor galaxies provide support for the tidal stripping hypothesis. At the same time, on statistical grounds, some massive UCDs might be representatives of the high luminosity tail of the globular cluster luminosity function. Here we present a detection of a 3.3+1.4-1.2 x 106 M... black hole (1σ uncertainty) in the centre of the UCD3 galaxy in the Fornax cluster, which corresponds to 4 per cent of its stellar mass. We performed isotropic Jeans dynamical modelling of UCD3 using internal kinematics derived from adaptive optics-assisted observations with the SINFONI spectrograph and seeing limited data collected with the FLAMES spectrograph at the ESO VLT. We rule out the zero black hole mass at the 3σ confidence level when adopting a mass-to-light ratio inferred from stellar populations. This is the fourth supermassive black hole found in a UCD and the first one in the Fornax cluster. Similarly to other known UCDs that harbour black holes, UCD3 hosts metal rich stars enhanced in α-elements that support the tidal stripping of a massive progenitor as its likely formation scenario. We estimate that up to 80 per cent of luminous UCDs in galaxy clusters host central black holes. This fraction should be lower for UCDs in groups, because their progenitors are more likely to be dwarf galaxies, which do not usually host black holes massive enough to be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The counter-rotation phenomenon in disc galaxies directly indicates a complex galaxy assembly history which is crucial for our understanding of galaxy physics. Here, we present the complex data analysis for a lenticular galaxy NGC 448, which has been recently suspected to host a counter-rotating stellar component. We collected deep long-slit spectroscopic observations using the Russian 6-m telescope and performed the photometric decomposition of Sloan Digital Sky Survey archival images. We exploited (i) a non-parametric approach in order to recover stellar line-of-sight velocity distributions and (ii) a parametric spectral decomposition technique in order to disentangle stellar population properties of both main and counter-rotating stellar discs. Our spectral decomposition stays in perfect agreement with the photometric analysis. The counter-rotating component contributes ≈30 per cent to the total galaxy light. We estimated its stellar mass to be 9.0+2.7-1.8 × 109M⊙. The radial scalelength of counter-rotating disc is ≈3 times smaller than that of the main disc. Both discs harbour old stars but the counter-rotating components reveal a detectable negative age gradient that might suggest an extended inside-out formation during 3. . . 4 Gyr. The counter-rotating disc hosts more metal-rich stars and possesses a shallower metallicity gradient with respect to the main disc. Our findings rule out cosmological filaments as a source of external accretion which is considered as a potential mechanism of the counter-rotating component formation in NGC 448, and favour the satellite merger event with the consequent slow gas accretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present spectroscopic observations of ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies in the Fornax and Virgo clusters made to measure and compare their stellar populations. The spectra were obtained on the Gemini-North (Virgo) and Gemini-South (Fornax) telescopes using the respective Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs. We estimated the ages, metallicities and abundances of the objects from measurements of Lick line-strength indices in the spectra; we also estimated the ages and metallicities independently using a direct spectral fitting technique. Both methods revealed that the UCDs are old (mean age 10.8 ± 0.7 Gyr) and (generally) metal rich (mean [Fe/H] = −0.8 ± 0.1). The α-element abundances of the objects measured from the Lick indices are super-solar. We used these measurements to test the hypothesis that UCDs are formed by the tidal disruption of present-day nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxies. The data are not consistent with this hypothesis because both the ages and abundances are significantly higher than those of observed dwarf galaxy nuclei (this does not exclude disruption of an earlier generation of dwarf galaxies). They are more consistent with the properties of globular star clusters, although at higher mean metallicity. The UCDs display a very wide range of metallicity (−1.7 < [Fe/H] < 0.0), spanning the full range of both globular clusters and dwarf galaxy nuclei. We confirm previous reports that most UCDs have high metalliticities for their luminosities, lying significantly above the canonical metallicitiy-luminosity relation followed by early-type galaxies. In contrast to previous work, we find that there is no significant difference in either the mean ages or the mean metallicities of the Virgo and Fornax UCD populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The bimodal galaxy distribution in the optical colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) comprises a narrow 'red sequence' populated mostly by early-type galaxies and a broad 'blue cloud' dominated by star-forming systems. Although the optical CMD allows one to select red sequence objects, neither can it be used for galaxy classification without additional observational data such as spectra or high-resolution images, nor to identify blue galaxies at unknown redshifts. We show that adding the near ultraviolet (NUV) colour [ Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) NUV λeff= 227 nm] to the optical ( g − r versus M r) CMD reveals a tight relation in the 3D colour-colour-magnitude space smoothly continuing from the 'blue cloud' to the 'red sequence'. We found that 98 per cent of 225 000 low-redshift ( Z < 0.27) galaxies follow a smooth surface with a standard deviation of 0.03-0.07 mag making it the tightest known galaxy photometric relation, given the ∼0.9 mag range of k-corrected g − r colours. Similar relations exist in other NUV-optical colours. There is a strong correlation between morphological types and integrated colours of galaxies, while the connection with g − r is ambiguous. Rare galaxy classes such as E+A or tidally stripped systems become outliers that occupy distinct regions in the 3D parameter space. Using stellar population models for galaxies with different star formation histories, we show that (a) the () distribution at a given luminosity is formed by objects having constant and exponentially declining star formation rates with different characteristic time-scales with the red sequence part consistent also with simple stellar population; (b) colour evolution for exponentially declining models goes along the relation suggesting a weak evolution of its shape up to a redshift of 0.9; (c) galaxies with truncated star formation histories have very short transition phase offset from the relation thus explaining the rareness of E+A galaxies. This relation can be used as a powerful galaxy classification tool when morphology remains unresolved. Its mathematical consequence is the possibility of precise and simple redshift estimates from only three broad-band photometric points. We show that this simple approach being applied to Sloan Digital Sky Survey and GALEX data works better than most existing photometric redshift techniques applied to multicolour data sets. Therefore, the relation can be used as an efficient search technique for galaxies at intermediate redshifts (0.3 < Z < 0.8) using optical imaging surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies, compact extragalactic stellar systems, is still a puzzle for present galaxy formation models. We present the comprehensive analysis of high-resolution multi-object spectroscopic data for a sample of 24 Fornax cluster UCDs obtained with VLT with Fibre Large Array Multi Element Spectrograph (FLAMES). It comprises previously published data for 19 objects which we re-analysed, including 13 with available Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) photometric data. Using Virtual Observatory technologies we found archival HST images for two more UCDs and then determined their structural properties. For all objects we derived internal velocity dispersions, stellar population parameters and stellar mass-to-light ratios by fitting individual simple stellar population (SSP) synthetic spectra convolved with a Gaussian against the observed spectra using the NB full spectral fitting technique. For 14 objects we estimated dynamical masses suggesting no dark matter (DM) in 12 of them and no more than 40 per cent DM mass fraction in the remaining two, in contrast to findings for several UCDs in the Virgo cluster. Some Fornax UCDs even have too high values of estimated using the Kroupa stellar initial mass function (IMF) resulting in negative formally computed DM mass fractions. The objects with too high ratios compared to the dynamical ones have relatively short dynamical relaxation time-scales, close to the Hubble time or below. We therefore suggest that their lower dynamical ratios are caused by low-mass star depletion due to dynamical evolution. Overall, the observed UCD characteristics suggest at least two formation channels: tidal threshing of nucleated dwarf galaxies for massive UCDs (), and a classical scenario of red globular cluster formation for lower-mass UCDs (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare photometric properties of galaxies at different redshifts, the fluxes need to be corrected for the changes of effective rest-frame wavelengths of filter bandpasses, called -corrections. Usual approaches to compute them are based on the template fitting of observed spectral energy distributions (SED) and, thus, require multicolour photometry. Here, we demonstrate that, in cases of widely used optical and near-infrared (NIR) filters, -corrections can be precisely approximated as two-dimensional low-order polynomials of only two parameters: redshift and one observed colour. With this minimalist approach, we present the polynomial fitting functions for -corrections in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) , United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) Wide Field Camera , Johnson–Cousins and Two Micron All Sky Survey bands for galaxies at redshifts based on empirically computed values obtained by fitting combined optical–NIR SEDs of a set of 10 galaxies constructed from SDSS Data Release 7 (DR7) and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey DR5 photometry using the Virtual Observatory. For luminous red galaxies we provide -corrections as functions of their redshifts only. In two filters, and , we validate our solutions by computing -corrections directly from SDSS DR7 spectra. We also present a -corrections calculator, a web-based service for computing -corrections online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of the second compact elliptical (cE) galaxy SDSS in the nearby NGC 5846 group by the Virtual Observatory (VO) workflow. This object ( mag, ) becomes the fifth cE where the spatially resolved kinematics and stellar populations can be obtained. We used archival HST WFPC2 images to demonstrate that its light profile has a two-component structure, and integrated photometry from GALEX, SDSS, UKIDSS and Spitzer to build the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution to constrain the star formation history (SFH). We observed this galaxy with the PMAS IFU spectrograph at the Calar-Alto 3.5-m telescope and obtained two-dimensional maps of its kinematics and stellar population properties using the full-spectral fitting technique. Its structural, dynamical and stellar population properties suggest that it had a massive progenitor heavily tidally stripped by NGC 5846. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the origin and evolution of dwarf early-type galaxies remains an important open issue in modern astrophysics. Internal kinematics of a galaxy contains signatures of violent phenomena which may have occurred, e.g. mergers or tidal interactions, while stellar population keeps a fossil record of the star formation history; therefore studying connection between them becomes crucial for understanding galaxy evolution. Here, in the first paper of the series, we present the data on spatially resolved stellar populations and internal kinematics for a large sample of dwarf elliptical (dE) and lenticular (dS0) galaxies in the Virgo cluster. We obtained radial velocities, velocity dispersions, stellar ages and metallicities out to 1–2 half-light radii by reanalysing already published long-slit and integral-field spectroscopic data sets using thenbursts full spectral fitting technique. Surprisingly, bright representatives of the dE/dS0 class ( to −16.0 mag) look very similar to intermediate-mass and giant lenticulars and ellipticals: (1) their nuclear regions often harbour young metal-rich stellar populations always associated with the drops in the velocity dispersion profiles; (2) metallicity gradients in the main discs/spheroids vary significantly from nearly flat profiles to −0.9 dex , i.e. somewhat three times steeper than for typical bulges; (3) kinematically decoupled cores were discovered in four galaxies, including two with very little, if any, large-scale rotation. These results suggest similarities in the evolutionary paths of dwarf and giant early-type galaxies and call for reconsidering the role of major mergers in the dE/dS0 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse intermediate-resolution Very Large Telescope (VLT) FLAMES/Giraffe spectra of six ultra-compact dwarf (UCD) galaxies in the Fornax cluster. We obtained velocity dispersions and stellar population properties by full spectral fitting againstpegase.hr models. Objects span a large range of metallicities (−0.95 to −0.23 dex), four of them are older than 8 Gyr. Comparison of the stellar and dynamical masses suggests that UCDs have little dark matter at best. For one object, UCD3, the Salpeter initial mass function (IMF) results in the stellar mass significantly exceeding the dynamical one, whereas for the Kroupa IMF the values coincide. Although, this object may have peculiar dynamics or/and stellar populations, the Kroupa IMF seems more realistic. We find that UCDs lie well above the metallicity–luminosity relation of early-type galaxies. The same behaviour is demonstrated by some of the massive Milky Way globular clusters, known to contain composite stellar populations. Our results support the two following UCD formation scenario: (i) tidal stripping of nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxies and (ii) formation of tidal superclusters in galaxy mergers. We also discuss some of the alternative channels of the UCD formation binding them to globular clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of a compact object at a projected distance of 9 kpc from Messier 59, a giant elliptical in the Virgo cluster. Using HST imaging and SDSS spectroscopy, both available in the Virtual Observatory, we find that this object has a blue core containing one-quarter of the light, and a redder Sérsic envelope, as well as luminosity-weighted age of , a metallicity of dex and a velocity dispersion of . While ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in the face-on view of the Fundamental Plane are found to form a sequence connecting the highest-luminosity globular clusters with the lowest-luminosity dwarf ellipticals, the compact object near M59 lies in between this UCD sequence and the positions of compact ellipticals. Its stellar age, metallicity, and effective surface brightness are similar to low-luminosity ellipticals and lenticulars, suggesting that SDSS J124155.33+114003.7 is a result of the tidal stripping of such an object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first 3D observations of a diffuse elliptical galaxy (dE). The good quality data (S/N up to 40) reveal the kinematical signature of an embedded stellar disc, reminiscent of what is commonly observed in elliptical galaxies, though similarity of their origins is questionable. Colour map built from Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) images confirms the presence of this disc. Its characteristic scale (about 3 arcsec =250 pc) is about a half of galaxy's effective radius, and its metallicity is 0.1–0.2 dex larger than the underlying population. Fitting the spectra with synthetic single stellar populations (SSP), we found an SSP-equivalent age of 5 Gyr and nearly solar metallicity [Fe/H] dex. We checked that these determinations are consistent with those based on Lick indices, but have smaller error bars. The kinematical discovery of a stellar disc in dE gives additional support to an evolutionary link from dwarf irregular galaxies due to stripping of the gas against the intracluster medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]