Paper detail

Small-Scale Dynamical Coherence Accompanied with Galaxy Conformity

The discovery of the coherence between galaxy rotation and neighbor motion in 1-Mpc scales has been reported recently. Following up the discovery, we investigate whether the neighbors in such dynamical coherence also present galaxy conformity, using the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey (CALIFA) data and the NASA-Sloan Atlas (NSA) catalog. We measure the correlation coefficient of g - r colors between the CALIFA galaxies and their neighbors, as a quantitative indicator of galaxy conformity. The neighbors are divided into coherently moving and anti-coherently moving ones, the correlation coefficients from which are compared with each other, in various bins of relative luminosity and projected distance. In most cases, the CALIFA galaxies and their neighbors show positive correlation coefficients in g - r color, even for the anti-coherent neighbors. However, we find statistically significant (2.6-sigma) difference between coherent and anti-coherent neighbors, when the neighbor galaxies are bright (Delta Mr <= -1.0) and close (D <= 400 kpc). That is, when they are bright and close to the CALIFA galaxies, the coherently moving neighbors show stronger conformity with the CALIFA galaxies than the anti-coherently moving neighbors. This result supports that the small-scale dynamical coherence may originate from galaxy interactions as galaxy conformity is supposed to do, which agrees with the conclusion of the previous study.