A Wide Field Survey of Satellite Galaxies around the Spiral Galaxy M106

TL;DR

This study conducts a wide field survey of satellite galaxies around M106, identifying 16 candidates, analyzing their properties, and comparing their distribution and luminosity function to those of the Milky Way and M31.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive survey of M106's satellite system, including new satellite discoveries and detailed analysis of their spatial and photometric properties.

Findings

16 satellite galaxy candidates identified, including 4 new discoveries.

Surface brightness profiles mostly fit exponential disk models.

Satellite luminosity function follows a Schechter function with slope -1.19.

Abstract

We present a wide field survey of satellite galaxies in M106 (NGC 4258) covering a $1.7\degr \times 2\degr$ field around M106 using Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/MegaCam. We find 16 satellite galaxy candidates of M106. Eight of these galaxies are found to be dwarf galaxies that are much smaller and fainter than the remaining galaxies. Four of these galaxies are new findings. Surface brightness profiles of 15 out of 16 satellite galaxies can be represented well by an exponential disk profile with varying scale length. We derive the surface number density distribution of these satellite galaxies. The central number density profile (d $<100$ kpc) is well fitted by a power-law with a power index of $-2.1\pm0.5$, similar to the expected power index of isothermal distribution. The luminosity function of these satellites is represented well by the Schechter function with a faint end slope of $-1.19^{+0.03}_{-0.06}$. Integrated photometric properties (total luminosity, total colour, and disk scale length) and the spatial distribution of these satellite galaxies are found to be roughly similar to those of the Milky Way and M31.