Intra-group diffuse light in compact groups of galaxies. HCG 79, HCG 88 and HCG 95

Abstract

Deep $B$ and $R$ images of three Hickson Compact Groups, HCG 79, HCG 88 and HCG 95, were analyzed using a new wavelet technic to measure possible intra-group diffuse light present in these systems. The method used, OV\_WAV, is a wavelet technic particularly suitable to detect low-surface brightness extended structures, down to a $S/N = 0.1$ per pixel, which corresponds to a 5-$σ$-detection level in wavelet space. The three groups studied are in different evolutionary stages, as can be judged by their very different fractions of the total light contained in their intra-group halos: $46\pm11$% for HCG 79 and $11\pm26$% for HCG 95, in the $B$ band, and HCG 88 had no component detected down to a limiting surface brightness of $29.1 B mag arcsec^{-2}$. For HCG 95 the intra-group light is red, similar to the mean colors of the group galaxies themselves, suggesting that it is formed by an old population with no significant on-going star formation. For HCG 79, however, the intra-group material has significantly bluer color than the mean color of the group galaxies, suggesting that the diffuse light may, at least in part, come from stripping of dwarf galaxies which dissolved into the group potential well.