Open AccessA new algorithm for the detection of intercluster galaxy filaments using galaxy orientation alignments
Author(s) -
Pimbblet Kevin A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08780.x
Subject(s) - physics , protein filament , galaxy , astrophysics , cluster (spacecraft) , galaxy cluster , redshift , orientation (vector space) , brightest cluster galaxy , galaxy formation and evolution , isotropy , interacting galaxy , algorithm , astronomy , geometry , biology , computer science , optics , genetics , mathematics , programming language
We present a new algorithm for detecting intercluster galaxy filaments based upon the assumption that the orientations of constituent galaxies along such filaments are non‐isotropic. We apply the algorithm to the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey catalogue and find that it readily detects many straight filaments between close cluster pairs. At large intercluster separations (≫15 h −1 Mpc) , we find that the detection efficiency falls quickly, as it also does with more complex filament morphologies. We explore the underlying assumptions and suggest that it is only in the case of close cluster pairs that we can expect galaxy orientations to be significantly correlated with filament direction.