E+A and Companion Galaxies - I : A Catalogue and Statistics

TL;DR

This study presents the first catalogue of E+A galaxies with spectroscopic companion data, showing a significant link between galaxy interactions and the E+A galaxy formation process.

Contribution

We created the first spectroscopic catalogue of E+A galaxies with confirmed companions, demonstrating a higher likelihood of interactions compared to normal galaxies.

Findings

E+A galaxies have a 54% higher probability of having companions.

Confirmed 34 E+A galaxies with spectroscopic companions.

Statistical significance at 99.7% confirms the link between interactions and E+A galaxies.

Abstract

Based on our intensive spectroscopic campaign with the GoldCam spectrograph on the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 2.1-m telescope, we have constructed the first catalogue of E+A galaxies with spectroscopic companion galaxies, and investigated a probability that an E+A galaxy have close companion galaxies. We selected 660 E+A galaxies with $4.0{\rm \AA} < {\rm H}\delta {\rm EW}$ at a redshift of $<0.167$ from the Data Release 5 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We selected their companion candidates from the SDSS imaging data, and classified them into true companions, fore/background galaxies and companion candidates using the SDSS and our KPNO spectra. We observed 26 companion candidates of E+A galaxies at the KPNO to measure their redshifts. Their spectra showed that 17 targets are true companion galaxies. The number of spectroscopically-confirmed E+A's companions are now 34. This becomes the first catalogue of E+A galaxies with spectroscopic companion systems. We found that E+A galaxies have an 54% larger probability of having companion galaxies (7.88%) compared to the comparison sample of normal galaxies (5.12%). A statistical test shows the probabilities are different with 99.7% significance. Our results based on spectroscopy tightens the connection between the dynamical merger/interaction and the origin of E+A galaxies.