Intragroup diffuse light in compact groups of galaxies - II. HCG 15, 35 and 51

Abstract

This continuing study of intragroup light in compact groups of galaxies aims to establish new constraints to models of formation and evolution of galaxy groups, specially of compact groups, which are a key part in the evolution of larger structures, such as clusters. In this paper we present three additional groups (HCG 15, 35 and 51) using deep wide-field B- and R-band images observed with the LAICA camera at the 3.5-m telescope at the Calar Alto observatory (CAHA). This instrument provides us with very stable flat-fielding, a mandatory condition for reliably measuring intragroup diffuse light. The images were analysed with the ov_wav package, a wavelet technique that allows us to uncover the intragroup component in an unprecedented way. We have detected that 19, 15 and 26 per cent of the total light of HCG 15, 35 and 51, respectively, are in the diffuse component, with colours that are compatible with old stellar populations and with mean surface brightness that can be as low as 28.4 B mag arcsec-2. Dynamical masses, crossing times and mass-to-light ratios were recalculated using the new group parameters. Also tidal features were analysed using the wavelet technique. © 2008 RAS.