The galaxy population within the virial radius of the Perseus cluster

TL;DR

This study catalogs and analyzes the galaxy population within the Perseus cluster's virial radius, examining their properties, distribution, and peculiarities to understand cluster dynamics and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive galaxy catalog with morphological, spectroscopic, and positional data, and analyzes cluster properties and galaxy characteristics for the first time in this region.

Findings

Identification of sub-structure within the cluster

Estimation of virial mass and radius

Diversity in galaxy morphological types and activity levels

Abstract

We investigate the galaxy population in a field of the Perseus cluster that roughly covers the virial radius of the cluster. The galaxies were selected on Schmidt CCD images in B and H alpha in combination with SDSS images. We present a catalogue of 1294 galaxies. Morphological information was obtained for 90% of the galaxies from the `eyeball' inspection, partly supported by the surface brightness profile analysis. Redshifts were taken from SDSS, literature sources, and own spectroscopic observations and are available for 24% of the catalogues galaxies. The galaxy catalogue is used to derive cluster properties, such as radial profiles, indications of sub-structure, virial mass, and viral radius and to study the cluster galaxy population with regard to morphological types and peculiarities, star formation rates and active galactic nuclei. In addition to the statistical approach, we present brief individual descriptions of 18 cluster galaxies with conspicuous morphological peculiarities. (Abstract modified to match the arXiv format.)