The Void Galaxy Survey: Morphology and Star Formation Properties of Void Galaxies

TL;DR

This study examines 59 void galaxies to understand how the low-density environment influences their morphology and star formation, revealing they are mostly disk-dominated, star-forming, with some early types, similar to dwarf irregulars and spirals.

Contribution

First detailed analysis of the structural and star formation properties of void galaxies using multi-wavelength imaging, highlighting environmental effects on galaxy evolution.

Findings

Most void galaxies are disk-dominated and actively star-forming.

Star formation rates are generally below 1 solar mass per year.

Void galaxies occupy similar parameter space as dwarf irregulars and spirals.

Abstract

We present the structural and star formation properties of 59 void galaxies as part of the Void Galaxy Survey (VGS). Our aim is to study in detail the physical properties of these void galaxies and study the effect of the void environment on galaxy properties. We use Spitzer 3.6 $\rm{\mu m}$ and B-band imaging to study the morphology and color of the VGS galaxies. For their star formation properties, we use Halpha and GALEX near-UV imaging. We compare our results to a range of galaxies of different morphologies in higher density environments. We find that the VGS galaxies are in general disk dominated and star forming galaxies. Their star formation rates are, however, often less than 1 $\rm{M_{\odot}}$ $\rm{yr^{-1}}$. There are two early-type galaxies in our sample as well. In $\rm{r_{e}}$ versus $\rm{M_{B}}$ parameter space, VGS galaxies occupy the same space as dwarf irregulars and spirals.