Palomar/Las Campanas Imaging Atlas of Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies. I. Images and Integrated Photometry

Abstract

We present B, R, and Hα images for a total of 114 nearby galaxies (vhelio<4000 km s-1) that, with exception of nine objects, are classified as blue compact dwarfs (BCDs). BR integrated magnitudes, Hα fluxes and Hα equivalent widths for all the objects in the sample are presented. A new set of quantitative, observational criteria for a galaxy to be classified as a BCD is proposed. These criteria include a limit on the K-band luminosity (i.e., stellar mass; MK>-21 mag), peak surface brightness (μB,peak<22 mag arcsec-2), and color at the peak surface brightness (μB,peak-μR,peak