The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). III. A Catalog of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances and the Three-dimensional Distribution of Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
Michele Cantiello, John P. Blakeslee, Laura Ferrarese, Patrick Côté, Gabriella Raimondo, Jean‐Charles Cuillandre, Patrick R. Durrell, Stephen Gwyn, Nandini Hazra, Eric W. Peng, Joel Roediger, Rubén Sánchez-Janssen, Max Kurzner
Abstract
Abstract The surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method is a robust and efficient way of measuring distances to galaxies containing evolved stellar populations. Although many recent applications of the method have used space-based imaging, SBF remains a powerful technique for ground-based telescopes. Deep, wide-field imaging surveys with subarcsecond seeing enable SBF measurements for numerous nearby galaxies. Using a preliminary calibration, Cantiello et al. presented SBF distances for 89 bright, mainly early-type galaxies observed in the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. Here we present a refined calibration and SBF distances for 278 galaxies extending several magnitudes fainter than in previous work. The derived distances have uncertainties of 5%–12% depending on the properties of the individual galaxies, and our sample is more than 3 times larger than any previous SBF study of this region. Virgo has a famously complex structure with numerous subclusters, clouds, and groups; we associate individual galaxies with the various substructures and map their three-dimensional spatial distribution. Curiously, subcluster A, centered around M87, appears to have two peaks in distance: the main peak at ∼16.5 Mpc, and a smaller one at ∼19.4 Mpc. Subclusters B and C have distances of ∼15.8 Mpc. The W and W <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo accent="true">′</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:math> groups form a filament-like structure, extending more than 15 Mpc behind the cluster with a commensurate velocity increase of ∼1000 km s −1 along its length. These measurements are a valuable resource for future studies of the relationship between galaxy properties and local environment within a dynamic and evolving region.