Optical and radio survey of Southern Compact Groups of galaxies. I. Pilot study of six groups

TL;DR

This study presents initial optical and radio observations of a pilot sample of Southern Compact Groups of galaxies, aiming to understand their physical properties and evolutionary stages, which are less studied compared to their northern counterparts.

Contribution

First multi-wavelength observational analysis of Southern Compact Groups, providing insights into their structure and evolution, and filling a gap in galaxy group studies.

Findings

Southern Compact Groups are younger and more spiral-rich than northern groups.

Preliminary evidence suggests diverse evolutionary stages among the studied groups.

Optical and radio data reveal complex interactions and potential merging activity.

Abstract

Multi-wavelength observations of Hickson's Compact Groups (HCGs) have shown that many of these groups are physical bound structures and are in different stage of evolution, from spiral-dominated systems to almost merged objects. Very few studies have analysed the Southern Compact Groups (SCGs) sample, which is though to be younger that HCGs, due to an on average higher number of spiral galaxies. We present here the first results from optical and radio observations on a pilot sample of SCGs.