The Tully-Fisher relation of cluster spirals at z = 0.83

Abstract

We present the rest-frame B-band Tully-Fisher relation for a sample of 8 cluster spiral galaxies at z = 0.83 and 19 field spirals at z = 0.15-0.90 based on VLT spectroscopy and HST photometry. No strong difference is detected between the cluster and the field galaxies, but we find some evidence that the cluster spirals are ~0.5-1 mag brighter than the field ones at a fixed rotation velocity. Although only a ~1.5-2 sigma result, if confirmed with larger samples this effect could be due to the cluster spirals experiencing a period of enhanced star formation while falling into the cluster.