Related papers: Constraining Galaxy Formation Models with Dwarf El…
We consider the hypothesis that the formation of elliptical galaxies includes a phase in which star formation is mostly restricted to massive stars, with the bias towards high mass stars increasing with elliptical galaxy mass. The mass…
We present optical VLT spectroscopy of 16 dwarf elliptical galaxies (or dEs) comparable in mass to NGC 205, and belonging to the Fornax cluster and to nearby groups of galaxies. Using ULySS and STECKMAP, we derive radial profiles of the…
I review recent and less recent work on globular cluster systems in early-type galaxies. Explaining their properties and possible assembly scenarios, touches on a variety of astrophysical topics from cluster formation itself to galaxy…
We analyze the dark matter (DM) halos of a sample of dwarf Ellitpicals (dE) and discuss cosmological and evolutionary implications. Using orbit modeling we recover their density slopes and, for the first time, the halo flattening. We find…
The smallest dwarf galaxies are the most straight forward objects in which to study star formation processes on a galactic scale. They are typically single cell star forming entities, and as small potentials in orbit around a much larger…
Since 2015 there has been a great deal of interest in a supposed new class of galaxy called Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs). These are large systems with sizes $> 1.5$ kpc and have surface brightness values which are $\mu > 25$ mag…
The origin of metal-rich, highly flattened, and rapidly rotating disk globular cluster system in the Galaxy is one of longstanding issues in the context of the Galaxy formation. Our numerical simulations suggest a new ``two-fold'' scenario…
The globular cluster luminosity function, specific globular cluster frequency, S_N, specific globular cluster mass, T_MP, and globular cluster mass fraction in dwarf elliptical galaxies are explored using the full 69 galaxy sample of the…
Observations of early-type dwarf galaxies in clusters often show that cluster dwarf members have significantly higher velocities and less symmetric distributions than cluster giant ellipticals, suggesting that these dwarfs are recently…
We apply a simple, one-equation, galaxy formation model on top of the halos and subhalos of a high-resolution dark matter cosmological simulation to study how dwarf galaxies acquire their mass and, for better mass resolution, on over 10^5…
The galaxy correlation function serves as a fundamental tool for studying cosmology, galaxy formation, and the nature of dark matter. It is well established that more massive, redder and more compact galaxies tend to have stronger…
Dynamically hot stellar systems, whether star clusters or early-type galaxies, follow well-defined scaling relations over many orders of magnitudes in mass. These fundamental plane relations have been subject of several studies, which have…
A review of the present observational and theoretical status of elliptical galaxies is presented with the aim to clarify whether the monolithic or the hierarchical, is a more viable scenario for the origin of these structures. We describe…
Besides giant elliptical galaxies, a number of low-mass stellar systems inhabit the cores of galaxy clusters, such as dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs/dSphs), ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), and globular clusters. The detailed…
We numerically investigate dynamical evolution of non-nucleated dwarf elliptical/spiral galaxies (dE) and nucleated ones (dE,Ns) in clusters of galaxies in order to understand the origin of intracluster stellar objects, such as intracluster…
We study the dwarf galaxy population in the central ~700 arcmin^2 of the Coma cluster, the majority of which are early-type dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies. Analysis of the statistically-decontaminated dE galaxy sequence in the…
Globular cluster (GC) systems have now been studied in galaxies ranging from dwarfs to giants and spanning the full Hubble sequence of morphological types. Imaging and spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope and large ground-based…
Recent observations suggest that dwarf galaxies pervade the universe, for they have been encountered in large numbers in all the environments. However, we present evidence that suggests dwarf galaxies may be subject to strong dynamical…
We present a statistical analysis of the properties of a large sample of dynamically hot old stellar systems, from globular clusters to giant ellipticals, which was performed in order to investigate the origin of ultra-compact dwarf…
We present narrow band photometry of 91 dwarf ellipticals in the Coma and Fornax clusters taken through the Stromgren (uvby) filter system. Dividing the sample by dwarf morphology into nucleated (dEN) and non-nucleated (dE) dwarfs reveals…