Brightest Cluster Galaxies from the SDSS Luminous Red Galaxy Sample
Yeong-Shang Loh
Princeton University
4:45-5:15 Tuesday
March 18,
2003
Abstract
We measure the luminosity function of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRG) from
SDSS Data Release One (DR1). The sample of approximately 10,000
galaxies span redshifts between 0.1 to 0.45. Using a maximum
likelihood method that takes into account the LRG selection color and
flux cuts, we compute a joint color-luminosity function that
incorporates both luminosity and density evolution. By looking at
galaxy overdensity along the color-magnitude relation of elliptical
galaxies, we select a subsample of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCG)
from the LRGs. We estimate the dominance function of the BCG by the
magnitude difference between the BCG and the second brightest, and
explore the function's evolution with redshift and its dependence on
cluster overdensity. We comment on its implications on the various
formation scenerio of Brightest Cluster Galaxies.