The Faint End of the Luminosity Function of Galaxies in Hickson Groups

摘要

This luminosity function for galaxies in our Hickson group sample is very similar to that found in large surveys covering a range of environments. These values are also consistent with our earlier estimates based on a photometric analysis with statistical background correction and do not support previous suggestions of an underabundance of intrinsically faint galaxies in compact groups. We confirm our earlier finding that the fainter galaxies are more diffusely distributed within individual groups than the brighter ones. This can be interpreted either as evidence for mass segregation within the groups or as the result of the selection procedure for Hickson groups.