Efficiency of stripping mechanisms.pdf

a r X i v : a s t r o - p h / 0 3 0 8 2 9 3 v 1 1 8 A u g 2 0 0 3 IAU Symposium 217: Recycling intergalactic and interstellar matter ASP Conference Series, Vol. XXX, 2004 P.-A. Duc et al. Efficiency of stripping mechanisms Franc?oise Combes Observatoire de Paris, 61 Av. de l’Observatoire, F-75 014, Paris, France Abstract. There are several physical processes to remove gas from galaxies in clusters, with subsequent starvation and star formation quench- ing: tidal interactions between galaxies, or tidal stripping from the clus- ter potential itself, interactions with the hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) through ram pressure, turbulent or viscous stripping, or also outflows from star formation of nuclear activity, We review the observational evi- dence for all processes, and numerical simulations of galaxies in clusters which support the respective mechanisms. This allows to compare their relative efficiencies, all along cluster formation. 1. Introduction: mechanisms to remove matter from galaxies Among the various possibilities to explain the stripping of matter (gas and stars) from galaxies in clusters, the principal actors can be classified in three groups: 1. Tidal forces: – interaction with a companion, merger: in this case, a correlation between morphological type (T) and density (Σ) should be expected, (T-Σ re- lation) – interaction with the cluster; then a correlation between type and ra- dius in the cluster is expected (T-R relation) – harassment due to numerous interactions at high velocity and density 2. ICM-ISM interactions: ram pressure stripping, but also thermal evaporation, turbulent, viscous strip- ping; these are purely hydrodynamical mechanisms, and should affect only the diffuse gas. However, they are acting simultaneously with the others, and rela- tive roles are hard to disentangle. Since they are efficient only when the cluster is formed, and the ICM gathered, have they enough time to act? Or have tides acted before? 3. Outflows due to violent