The effect of the environment on the gas kinematics and morphologies of distant galaxies

Abstract

With the aim of understanding which physical processes are primarily responsible for the transformation of spiral galaxies into S0s in clusters, we study the gas kinematics, morphological disturbances, and the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR) of distant galaxies in various environments. We use the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS) dataset, that spans a broad range of cluster and galaxy properties at 0.3 < z < 0.8. Our results indicate that the physical mechanism acting on cluster galaxies (with M_B < -20 mag) must be strong enough to significantly disturb the gas in cluster galaxies, but at the same time, mild enough to leave the stellar structure unaffected.