The Dragonfly Nearby Galaxies Survey. V. HST/ACS Observations of 23 Low Surface Brightness Objects in the Fields of NGC1052, NGC1084, M96, and NGC4258

TL;DR

This study uses HST/ACS imaging to analyze 23 low surface brightness galaxies in four nearby groups, discovering new objects, measuring distances, and characterizing their properties, including ultra diffuse galaxies and a dark matter deficient galaxy.

Contribution

First detailed HST/ACS imaging and analysis of 23 low surface brightness galaxies in nearby groups, including new discoveries and distance measurements using multiple methods.

Findings

Most galaxies are consistent with group membership.

Galaxies resemble dwarf spheroidals with median size 1.0 kpc.

Identification of ultra diffuse and dark matter deficient galaxies.

Abstract

We present HST/ACS imaging of twenty-three very low surface brightness ($\mu_{e,V}$=25-27.5) galaxies detected in the fields of four nearby galaxy groups. These objects were selected from deep optical imaging obtained with the Dragonfly Telephoto Array. Seven are new discoveries, while most of the others had been identified previously in visual surveys of deep photographic plates and more recent surveys. Few have previously been studied in detail. From the ACS images, we measure distances to the galaxies using both the tip of the red giant branch method and the surface brightness fluctuations method. We demonstrate that the two methods are consistent with each other in the regime where both can be applied. The distances to 15 out of 20 galaxies with stable measurements are consistent with that of the targeted group within errors. This suggests that assuming group membership based solely on projected proximity is ~75% successful in this regime. The galaxies are nearly round, with a median axis ratio of 0.85, and visually resemble dwarf spheroidal galaxies. The objects have a range of sizes, from $R_e$=0.4 kpc to $R_e$=1.8 kpc, with a median of 1.0 kpc. They range in luminosity from $M_V$=-11.4 to $M_V$=-15.6, with a median of -12.4. Galaxies with $R_e$~1 kpc and $M_V$~-12 are fairly rare in the Local Group but we find many of them in this relatively small sample. Four of the objects fall in the class of ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs), with $R_e$>1.5 kpc and $\mu_{0,V}$>24 mag/arcsec^2, including the recently identified dark matter deficient galaxy NGC1052-DF2.