Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): detection of low-surface-brightness galaxies from SDSS data

TL;DR

This study developed a method to detect low-surface-brightness galaxies in SDSS data, identifying 343 candidates confirmed with VIKING imaging, contributing to understanding faint galaxy populations at low redshifts.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel detection technique for LSBGs using SDSS data, combining image processing and grouping algorithms, and confirms candidates with VIKING imaging.

Findings

Identified 343 low-surface-brightness galaxy candidates.

Most galaxies are at redshifts less than 0.2.

Detected galaxies have surface brightnesses $ 25$ mag/arcsec$^2$.

Abstract

We report on a search for new low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data within the GAMA equatorial fields. The search method consisted of masking objects detected with SDSS photo, combining gri images weighted to maximise the expected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and smoothing the images. The processed images were then run through a detection algorithm that finds all pixels above a set threshold and groups them based on their proximity to one another. The list of detections was cleaned of contaminants such as diffraction spikes and the faint wings of masked objects. From these, selecting potentially the brightest in terms of total flux, a list of 343 LSBGs was produced having been confirmed using VISTA Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy Survey (VIKING) imaging. The photometry of this sample was refined using the deeper VIKING Z band as the aperture-defining band. Measuring their $g-i$ and $J-K$ colours shows that most are consistent with being at redshifts less than 0.2. The photometry is carried out using an AUTO aperture for each detection giving surface brightnesses of $\mu_{r} \ge 25 \, \mathrm{mag} \, \mathrm{arcsec}^{-2}$ and magnitudes of $r > 19.8$ mag. None of these galaxies are bright enough to be within the GAMA main survey limit but could be part of future deeper surveys to measure the low-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function.