DETAILED DECOMPOSITION OF GALAXY IMAGES. II. BEYOND AXISYMMETRIC MODELS

被引:1439
作者
Peng, Chien Y. [1 ]
Ho, Luis C. [2 ]
Impey, Chris D. [3 ]
Rix, Hans-Walter [4 ]
机构
[1] Natl Res Council Canada, Herzberg Inst Astrophys, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
[2] Observ Carnegie Inst Sci, Pasadena, CA 91101 USA
[3] Univ Arizona, Steward Observ, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
[4] Max Planck Inst Astron, D-61117 Heidelberg, Germany
关键词
galaxies: bulges; galaxies: fundamental parameters; galaxies: structure; techniques: image processing; techniques: photometric; HUBBLE-SPACE-TELESCOPE; SUPERMASSIVE BLACK-HOLES; DISK-DOMINATED GALAXIES; TULLY-FISHER RELATION; QUASAR HOST GALAXIES; VIRGO-CLUSTER SURVEY; ON SPIRAL GALAXIES; SURFACE PHOTOMETRY; ELLIPTIC GALAXIES; QUANTITATIVE MORPHOLOGY;
D O I
10.1088/0004-6256/139/6/2097
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
We present a two-dimensional (2D) fitting algorithm (GALFIT, ver. 3) with new capabilities to study the structural components of galaxies and other astronomical objects in digital images. Our technique improves on previous 2D fitting algorithms by allowing for irregular, curved, logarithmic and power-law spirals, ring, and truncated shapes in otherwise traditional parametric functions like the Sersic, Moffat, King, Ferrer, etc., profiles. One can mix and match these new shape features freely, with or without constraints, and apply them to an arbitrary number of model components of numerous profile types, so as to produce realistic-looking galaxy model images. Yet, despite the potential for extreme complexity, the meaning of the key parameters like the Sersic index, effective radius, or luminosity remains intuitive and essentially unchanged. The new features have an interesting potential for use to quantify the degree of asymmetry of galaxies, to quantify low surface brightness tidal features beneath and beyond luminous galaxies, to allow more realistic decompositions of galaxy subcomponents in the presence of strong rings and spiral arms, and to enable ways to gauge the uncertainties when decomposing galaxy subcomponents. We illustrate these new features by way of several case studies that display various levels of complexity.
引用
收藏
页码:2097 / 2129
页数:33
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