Virgo and other Late-Type Dwarfs

We attempt to solve the question of star formation triggers and star formation laws by studying samples of simple objects and defining carefully the possible external effects. Among the star formation (SF) triggers there are some that can operate only in large disk galaxies. These are shear instabilities and density waves, and we can eliminate them if we restrict the sample to diskless objects of low mass. Such galaxies, which do show star formation, are late-type dwarf galaxies (DGs). Other SF triggers are related to the neighborhood a galaxy finds itself in. Such triggers are galaxy-galaxy collisions and galaxy-intracluster matter interactions (stripping, shocks, etc.). These also can be eliminated by properly choosing the sample to study; one selects galaxies from neigh-borhoods of widely different densities (of galaxies) and compares their SF parameters. We selected our first samples in a region of relatively high galaxy density, where a complete morphological classification of objects was available, and suitable depth in brightness sampling could readily be achieved. This is the Virgo cluster, where Binggeli, Sandage and Tammann (1985, BST) provide a sample of more than 2000 DGs. Among those, some 25% are of late type and are classified by BST as blue compact dwarfs (BCDs), as Magellanic irregulars (Im) of five possible sub-classes, or as combinations of those two classifications.

Interstellar Matter in Globular Clusters

“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesThe source for intracluster matter is seen in various mass loss processes ongoing within clusters and is supported by the theoretical need for mass loss to explain the morphology of cluster colormagnitude diagrams. A variety of techniques ranging from X-ray to radio wavelengths have been employed to search for such matter but with few exceptions has not been found. The amount of material expected to collect between cleansing passages through the galactic plane has variously been estimated at between ∼ 102 and ∼ 103 M⊙. In contrast, observed upper limits for many clusters are well below these values, often > 1 M⊙. The few detections are at levels of ≲10−2 M⊙.