Surface [ITAL]BR[/ITAL] Photometry of Newly Discovered Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Nearby Sculptor and Centaurus A Groups

Abstract

Prompted by the recent finding of a large number of gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxies in the nearby southern galaxy groups Sculptor (Scl) and Centaurus A (Cen A) we carried out a complementary survey to search for members of the gas-poor dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxy family. In total 18 dE candidates were identified on SRC Sky Survey films covering the group regions. For five dE's in the Scl group and five in the Cen A group, membership information is available from surface brightness fluctuations distance measurements; two dEs in each group also have independent redshift measurements. The remaining eight galaxies have been associated to the groups based on their morphology. We acquired deep B- and R-band CCD images for all galaxies and determined their photometric and structural parameters. According to the magnitude range covered, -14