Multi-Wavelength Properties of Barred Galaxies in the Local Universe. I: Virgo Cluster

TL;DR

This study measures the bar fraction in Virgo cluster galaxies across various properties, finding it depends mainly on galaxy morphology and not on luminosity or gas mass, with early-type spirals showing higher bar prevalence.

Contribution

It provides a detailed, statistically robust measurement of the bar fraction in local universe galaxies, emphasizing the role of morphology over other properties.

Findings

Barred fraction is 17-24% overall, 29-34% in disc galaxies.

Early-type spirals have a higher barred fraction (~45-50%) than lenticulars and late spirals.

No evidence that barred galaxies are preferentially blue.

Abstract

We study in detail how the barred galaxy fraction varies as a function of luminosity, HI gas mass, morphology and color in the Virgo cluster in order to provide a well defined, statistically robust measurement of the bar fraction in the local universe spanning a wide range in luminosity (factor of ~100) and HI gas mass. We combine multiple public data-sets (UKIDSS near-infrared imaging, ALFALFA HI gas masses, GOLDMine photometry). After excluding highly inclined systems, we define three samples where galaxies are selected by their B-band luminosity, H-band luminosity, and HI gas mass. We visually assign bars using the high resolution H-band imaging from UKIDSS. When all morphologies are included, the barred fraction is ~17-24% while for morphologically selected discs, we find that the barred fraction in Virgo is ~29-34%: it does not depend strongly on how the sample is defined and does not show variations with luminosity or HI gas mass. The barred fraction depends most strongly on the morphological composition of the sample: when the disc populations are separated into lenticulars (S0--S0/a), early-type spirals (Sa--Sb), and late-type spirals (Sbc--Sm), we find that the early-type spirals have a higher barred fraction (~45-50%) compared to the lenticulars and late-type spirals (~22-36%). This difference may be due to the higher baryon fraction of early-type discs which makes them more susceptible to bar instabilities. We do not find any evidence of barred galaxies being preferentially blue.