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# PGC 39556

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 HI content in galaxies in loose groupsGas deficiency in cluster spirals is well known and ram-pressurestripping is considered the main gas removal mechanism. In some compactgroups too gas deficiency is reported. However, gas deficiency in loosegroups is not yet well established. Lower dispersion of the membervelocities and the lower density of the intragroup medium in small loosegroups favour tidal stripping as the main gas removal process in them.Recent releases of data from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) andcatalogues of nearby loose groups with associated diffuse X-ray emissionhave allowed us to test this notion. In this paper, we address thefollowing questions: (i) do galaxies in groups with diffuse X-rayemission statistically have lower gas content compared to the ones ingroups without diffuse X-ray emission? (ii) does HI deficiency vary withthe X-ray luminosity, LX, of the loose group in a systematicway? We find that (i) galaxies in groups with diffuse X-ray emission, onaverage, are HI deficient, and have lost more gas compared to those ingroups without X-ray emission; the latter are found not to havesignificant HI deficiency; (ii) no systematic dependence of the HIdeficiency with LX is found. Ram-pressure-assisted tidalstripping and evaporation by thermal conduction are the two possiblemechanisms to account for this excess gas loss. H I 21 cm Observations of the PG 1216+069 Sub-damped Lyα Absorber Field at z = 0.00632The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope finds a weak 21 cm lineemission feature at the coordinates (R.A., decl., velocity) of thesub-damped Lyα (DLA) absorber observed at zabs=0.00632in the spectrum of PG 1216+069. The emission feature, WSRT J121921+0639,lies within 30" of the quasar sight line, is detected at a 99.8% (3σ) confidence level, has MHI between 5 and15×106 Msolar, and has a velocity spreadbetween 20 and 60 km s-1. Other H I emitters in the fieldinclude VCC 297 at a projected distance of 86h-175 kpc and a previously unreported H I cloud,WSRT J121919+0624, at 112 h-175 kpc withMHI~3×108 Msolar. The opticallyidentified foreground galaxy that is closest to the quasar sight lineappears to be VCC 339 (~L*/25) at 29h-175 kpc with a velocity offset of 292 kms-1. A low surface brightness galaxy with the H I mass of thesub-DLA absorber WSRT J121921+0639 would likely have mB~17,and its diffuse optical emission would need to compete with the light ofboth the background QSO and a brighter foreground star ~10" from the QSOsight line. Discovery of a Primitive Damped Lyα Absorber near an X-Ray-bright Galaxy Group in the Virgo ClusterWe present a new ultraviolet echelle spectrum of PG 1216+069, obtainedwith the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble SpaceTelescope, that reveals damped Lyα absorption, as well as O I, CII, Si II, and Fe II absorption lines, at zabs=0.00632 nearthe NGC 4261 galaxy group in the periphery of the Virgo Cluster. Theabsorber shows no evidence of highly ionized gas, which placesconstraints on warm-hot'' missing baryons in the X-ray-bright NGC 4261group. The well-developed damping wings of the Lyα line tightlyconstrain the H I column density; we find logN(HI)=19.32+/-0.03. Themetallicity of this subdamped Lyα absorber (sub-DLA) is remarkablylow, [O/H]=-1.60+0.09-0.11, comparable to manyanalogous high-redshift systems, and the iron abundance indicates thatthis absorber contains little or no dust. Nitrogen is underabundant: wedetect neither N I nor N II, and we show that the absence of nitrogen isnot due to ionization effects but rather indicates that [N/O]<=-0.28(3 σ). Despite the proximity of the sight line to the NGC 4261group, there are no bright galaxies with small impact parameters at theabsorption redshift: the nearest known galaxy is a sub-L* galaxy with aprojected distance of ρ=86h-175 kpc, while theclosest L* galaxy is NGC 4260, at ρ=246h-175kpc. The low metallicity and nitrogen underabundance indicate that thislow-z sub-DLA is a relatively primitive gas cloud. We consider thenature and origin of the sub-DLA, and we discuss several possibilities.The properties of the sub-DLA are similar to those of the interstellarmedia in blue compact dwarf galaxies and are also reminiscent of MilkyWay high-velocity clouds. The sub-DLA could also be related to a dwarfspheroidal galaxy, if the absorption arises in gas ejected or strippedfrom such an object. Finally, the object could simply be a small darkmatter halo, self-enriched by a small amount of internal star formationbut mostly undisturbed since its initial formation. In this case, thesmall halo would likely be an ancient building block of galaxy formationthat formed before the epoch of reionization.Based on observations with (1) the NASA ESA Hubble Space Telescope,obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated bythe Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., underNASA contract NAS5-26555, and (2) the NASA CNES ESA Far UltraovioletSpectroscopic Explorer mission, operated by Johns Hopkins University,supported by NASA contract NAS5-32985. The strange case of a sub-DLA with very little HIWe report a deep search for HI 21cm emission from the z= 0.00632 sub-DLAtoward PG1216+069 with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. No emissionwas detected and our 5σ upper limit on the mass of any associatedgalaxy is MHI ≲ 107 Mȯ,nearly 3 orders of magnitude less than MHIstar.The z  0.006 absorber is thus the most extreme known deviation fromthe standard paradigm in which high column density quasar absorptionlines arise in the disks of gas-rich galaxies. Completing H I observations of galaxies in the Virgo clusterHigh sensitivity (rms noise  0.5 mJy) 21-cm H I line observationswere made of 33 galaxies in the Virgo cluster, using the refurbishedArecibo telescope, which resulted in the detection of 12 objects. Thesedata, combined with the measurements available from the literature,provide the first set of H I data that is complete for all 355 late-type(Sa-Im-BCD) galaxies in the Virgo cluster with mp ≤ 18.0mag. The Virgo cluster H I mass function (HIMF) that was derived forthis optically selected galaxy sample is in agreement with the HIMFderived for the Virgo cluster from the blind HIJASS H I survey and isinconsistent with the Field HIMF. This indicates that both in this richcluster and in the general field, neutral hydrogen is primarilyassociated with late-type galaxies, with marginal contributions fromearly-type galaxies and isolated H I clouds. The inconsistency betweenthe cluster and the field HIMF derives primarily from the difference inthe optical luminosity function of late-type galaxies in the twoenvironments, combined with the HI deficiency that is known to occur ingalaxies in rich clusters.Tables \ref{t1, \ref{sample_dat} and Appendix A are only available inelectronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org The Three-dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster Region from Tully-Fisher and H I DataThe distances and H I contents of 161 spiral galaxies in the region ofthe Virgo cluster are used to gain insight into the complicatedstructure of this galaxy system. Special attention has been paid to theinvestigation of the suggestion presented in an earlier work that someperipheral Virgo groups may contain strongly gas-deficient spiralgalaxies. The three-dimensional galaxy distribution has been inferredfrom quality distance estimates obtained by averaging distance modulibased on the Tully-Fisher relationship taken from eight published datasets previously homogenized, resulting in a relation with a dispersionof 0.41 mag. Previous findings that the spiral distribution issubstantially more elongated along the line of sight than in the planeof the sky are confirmed by the current data. In addition, an importanteast-west disparity in this effect has been detected. The overallwidth-to-depth ratio of the Virgo cluster region is about 1:4, with themost distant objects concentrated in the western half. The filamentarystructure of the spiral population and its orientation are alsoreflected by the H I-deficient objects alone. The H I deficiency patternshows a central enhancement extending from ~16 to 22 Mpc inline-of-sight distance; most of this enhancement arises from galaxiesthat belong to the Virgo cluster proper. However, significant gasdeficiencies are also detected outside the main body of the cluster in aprobable group of galaxies at line-of-sight distances ~25-30 Mpc, lyingin the region dominated by the southern edge of the M49 subcluster andclouds W' and W, as well as in various foreground galaxies. In the Virgoregion, the H I content of the galaxies then is not a straightforwardindicator of cluster membership. The UZC-SSRS2 Group CatalogWe apply a friends-of-friends algorithm to the combined Updated ZwickyCatalog and Southern Sky Redshift Survey to construct a catalog of 1168groups of galaxies; 411 of these groups have five or more members withinthe redshift survey. The group catalog covers 4.69 sr, and all groupsexceed the number density contrast threshold, δρ/ρ=80. Wedemonstrate that the groups catalog is homogeneous across the twounderlying redshift surveys; the catalog of groups and their membersthus provides a basis for other statistical studies of the large-scaledistribution of groups and their physical properties. The medianphysical properties of the groups are similar to those for groupsderived from independent surveys, including the ESO Key Programme andthe Las Campanas Redshift Survey. We include tables of groups and theirmembers. Structure, mass and distance of the Virgo cluster from a Tolman-Bondi modelWe have applied a relativistic Tolman-Bondi model of the Virgo clusterto a sample of 183 galaxies with measured distances within a radius of 8degrees from M 87. We find that the sample is significantly contaminatedby background galaxies which lead to too large a cluster mean distanceif not excluded. The Tolman-Bondi model predictions, together with theHI deficiency of spiral galaxies, allows one to identify thesebackground galaxies. One such galaxy is clearly identified among the 6calibrating galaxies with Cepheid distances. As the Tolman-Bondi modelpredicts the expected distance ratio to the Virgo distance, this galaxycan still be used to estimate the Virgo distance, and the average valueover the 6 galaxies is 15.4 +/- 0.5 Mpc. Well-known background groups ofgalaxies are clearly recovered, together with filaments of galaxieswhich link these groups to the main cluster, and are falling into it. Noforeground galaxy is clearly detected in our sample. Applying the B-bandTully-Fisher method to a sample of 51 true members of the Virgo clusteraccording to our classification gives a cluster distance of 18.0 +/- 1.2Mpc, larger than the mean Cepheid distance. Finally, the same model isused to estimate the Virgo cluster mass, which is M = 1.2x1015 Msun within 8 degrees from the cluster center(2.2 Mpc radius), and amounts to 1.7 virial mass. A list of peculiar velocities of RFGC galaxiesA list of radial velocities, HI line widths and peculiar velocities of1327 galaxies from the RFGC catalogue has been compiled using actualobservations and literature data. The list can be used for studying bulkmotions of galaxies, construction of the field of peculiar velocitiesand other tasks. Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of GroupsIn this paper we describe the Nearby Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, whichis a complete, distance-limited (cz<=6000 km s-1) andmagnitude-limited (B<=14) sample of ~7000 optical galaxies. Thesample covers 2/3 (8.27 sr) of the sky (|b|>20deg) andappears to have a good completeness in redshift (97%). We select thesample on the basis of homogenized corrected total blue magnitudes inorder to minimize systematic effects in galaxy sampling. We identify thegroups in this sample by means of both the hierarchical and thepercolation friends-of-friends'' methods. The resulting catalogs ofloose groups appear to be similar and are among the largest catalogs ofgroups currently available. Most of the NOG galaxies (~60%) are found tobe members of galaxy pairs (~580 pairs for a total of ~15% of objects)or groups with at least three members (~500 groups for a total of ~45%of objects). About 40% of galaxies are left ungrouped (field galaxies).We illustrate the main features of the NOG galaxy distribution. Comparedto previous optical and IRAS galaxy samples, the NOG provides a densersampling of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe. Given itslarge sky coverage, the identification of groups, and its high-densitysampling, the NOG is suited to the analysis of the galaxy density fieldof the nearby universe, especially on small scales. The Revised Flat Galaxy Catalogue.We present a new improved and completed version of the Flat GalaxyCatalogue (FGC) named the Revised Flat Galaxy Catalogue (RFGC)containing 4236 thin edge-on spiral galaxies and covering the whole sky.The Catalogue is intended to study large-scale cosmic streamings as wellas other problems of observational cosmology. The dipole moment ofdistribution of the RFGC galaxies (l = 273 degr; b =+19 degr) lieswithin statistical errors (+/-10 degr) in the direction of the LocalGroup motion towards the Microwave Background Radiation (MBR). A Complete Redshift Survey to the Zwicky Catalog Limit in a 2^h X 15 deg Region around 3C 273We compile 1113 redshifts (648 new measurements, 465 from theliterature) for Zwicky catalog galaxies in the region (-3.5d <= delta<= 8.5d, 11h5 <= alpha <= 13h5). We include redshifts for 114component objects in 78 Zwicky catalog multiplets. The redshift surveyin this region is 99.5% complete to the Zwicky catalog limit, m_Zw =15.7. It is 99.9% complete to m_Zw = 15.5, the CfA Redshift Survey(CfA2) magnitude limit. The survey region is adjacent to the northernportion of CfA2, overlaps the northernmost slice of the Las CampanasRedshift Survey, includes the southern extent of the Virgo Cluster, andis roughly centered on the QSO 3C 273. As in other portions of theZwicky catalog, bright and faint galaxies trace the same large-scalestructure. The Virgo Cluster Distance from 21 Centimeter Line WidthsThe distance of the Virgo cluster is derived in the B band from the 21cm line width-absolute magnitude relation. This relation is calibratedusing 18 spirals with Cepheid distances, mainly from the Hubble SpaceTelescope. The calibration is applied to a complete sample ofnonpeculiar spirals with i > 45 deg lying within the optical (n = 49)or X-ray (n = 35) contour of the cluster, resulting in a mean clusterdistance of (m - M)0 = 31.58 +/- 0.24 mag (external error), or 20.7 +/-2.4 Mpc. The mean distance of subcluster A is 0.46 +/- 0.18 mag smallerthan that of subcluster B, but the individual distances of the membersof the two substructures show considerable overlap. Cluster spirals with30 deg < i < 45 deg yield distances almost as good as those ofmore inclined galaxies. H I-truncated galaxies are overluminous by 0.8mag at a given line width. The distance modulus is corrected by -0.07mag for the fact that cluster members have lower H I surface fluxes andare redder in (B-I) at a given line width than the (field) calibrators.Different sources for the B magnitudes and line widths have littleeffect on the resulting distance. Different precepts for the internalabsorption correction change the result by no more than +/-0.17 mag. Theindividual distances of the cluster members do not show any dependenceon recession velocity, inclination, Hubble type, or line width. Thedependence on apparent magnitude reflects the considerable depth effectof the cluster. The adopted distance is in good agreement withindependent distance determinations of the cluster. Combining thecluster distance with the corrected cluster velocity of 1142 +/- 61 kms-1 gives H0 = 55 +/- 7 km s-1 Mpc-1 (external error). If the Virgocluster distance is inserted into the tight Hubble diagram of clustersout to 11,000 km s-1 using relative distances to the Virgo cluster, oneobtains a global value of H0 = 57 +/- 7 km s-1 Mpc-1. Spectroscopy of Edge-On SpiralsWe present HI line observations of \Ntot edge-on spiral galaxies,extracted from the Flat Galaxy Catalog of Karachentsev \etal (1993).Fluxes, systemic velocities and line widths are given for \Ndet detectedgalaxies, as well as search parameters for \Nnod undetected systems.Widths are corrected for instrumental broadening, smoothing,signal-to-noise and profile shape, and an estimate of the error on thewidth is given. When corrected for turbulent broadening and inclinationangle of the disks, the velocity widths presented here can provide theappropriate line width parameter needed to derive distances via theTully-Fisher relation. The large-scale distribution of late-type galaxies between Virgo and the Great WallNeutral hydrogen data are presented for 88 of the Virgo Cluster Cataloggalaxies thought on morphological grounds to lie in the background ofthe cluster. We confirm that the morphological assignment of clustermembership works quite well; very few of the 'background' galaxies arein fact at cluster redshifts. The resulting sample of redshifts, alongwith optical redshifts from the literature, allow us to explore thelarge-scale distribution of galaxies in the space between the LocalSupercluster and the Great Wall. Galaxies in a larger window around theVirgo Cluster, but at redshifts between Virgo and the Great Wall, have afairly low average number density, but the distribution is far fromuniform: Some portions resemble voids, but in other portions galaxiescan be assigned to clouds or filaments of appreciable size (sometimescontaining bound groups). We investigate the luminosity function inhigh- and low-density regions of our galaxy sample, which excludes theVirgo Cluster proper. We find no significant difference. However, ourselection procedures are insensitive to galaxies of very low surfacebrightness, which have been reported to be more abundant in low-densityregions. The average probability of a line of sight intersecting theoptical disk of our sample galaxies is derived separately for the VirgoSupercluster region (redshifts below 3500 km/s) and for the regionbehind (out to 10,000 km/s). The number density ratio of Ly-alpha forestlines to galaxies is larger by a factor of order 10 in the far(low-density) region than in the near. A survey of recent literature ongalaxy redshifts uncovers a new candidate, MCG 0-32-16, for the lowestredshift absorption line. Flat galaxy catalogueA systematic search for disklike edge-on-galaxies with a diameter largerthan a = 40 arcsec and a major-to-minor axis ratio a/b greater than 7was carried out by means of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey and theESO/SERC survey. As a result, we present a new catalog of flat galaxies(FGC) containing 4455 objects and covering about 56 percent of the wholesky for the first time. The catalogue is assigned to study large-scalecosmic streamings and other problems of observational cosmology. Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II - A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area.The present catalog of 2096 galaxies within an area of about 140 sq degapproximately centered on the Virgo cluster should be an essentiallycomplete listing of all certain and possible cluster members,independent of morphological type. Cluster membership is essentiallydecided by galaxy morphology; for giants and the rare class of highsurface brightness dwarfs, membership rests on velocity data. While 1277of the catalog entries are considered members of the Virgo cluster, 574are possible members and 245 appear to be background Zwicky galaxies.Major-to-minor axis ratios are given for all galaxies brighter than B(T)= 18, as well as for many fainter ones.
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