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R. R. Rojas, M. S. Vogeley, F. Hoyle (Drexel University)
We present a new sample of more than 1000 void galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with density contrast \delta \rho/ \rho < -0.6. Our sample of void galaxies is large enough to allow comparison of void and wall galaxies with the same color, surface brightness profile and luminosity to statistically quantify their photometric and spectroscopic differences. In addition, we study the statistical distribution and rare cases of void galaxies. We find that void galaxies are inherently bluer and fainter than wall galaxies and that the surface brightness profiles of void galaxies more closely resemble late type galaxies. Analysis of their spectroscopic properties confirm that void galaxies have a higher specific star formation rate than wall galaxies and although they have comparable metallicities to galaxies in higher density regions, there is a deficiency of metal-poor galaxies in dense environments (Hao et al. 2003). From the luminosity function of void galaxies (Hoyle et al. 2003) we infer that voids are not filled with a large population of dwarf galaxies. Our results show that void galaxies differ from wall galaxies in most of the properties under consideration with a high statistical significance. This seems to indicate that void galaxies do occupy a special region of the parameter space manifold of galaxy properties.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: rrojas@mercury.physics.drexel.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.