A 3D Voronoi+Gapper Galaxy Cluster Finder in Redshift Space to z ∼ 0.2. II. An Abundant Cluster Population Dominated by Late-type Galaxies Unveiled

Abstract

We identify 1901 galaxy clusters (N-g >= 2) with the VoML+G algorithm (Paper I) on the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey. We present the 341 clusters with at least 10 galaxies that are within 0.009 < z < 0.14 (the Catalog), of which 254 (similar to 75%) have counterparts in the literature (NED), with the remainder (87) plausibly "new" because of incompleteness of previous searches or unusual galaxy contents. The 207 clusters within z = 0.04-0.09 are used to study the properties of the galaxy systems in the nearby universe, including their galaxy contents parameterized by the late-type galaxy fractions (f(L)). For this nearly complete cluster subsample, we find the following: (i) 63% are dominated by early-type galaxies (i.e., the late-type-poor clusters, f(L) < 0.5) with corresponding mean multiplicity and logarithmic virial mass (in units of M-circle dot) of 22 +/- 1 and 12.91 +/- 0.04, respectively; and (ii) 37% are dominated by late-type galaxies (i.e., the late-type-rich clusters, f(L) >= 0.5) with corresponding mean multiplicity and logarithmic virial mass (in units of M-circle dot) of 15.7 +/- 0.9 and 12.66 +/- 0.07, respectively. The statistical analysis of the late-type fraction distribution supports, with a 3 sigma confidence level, the presence of two population components. It is suggested that the late-type-poor galaxy systems reflect and extend the class of Abell-APM-EDCC clusters and that the late-type-rich systems (similar to one-third of the total) belong to a new, previously unappreciated class. The late-type-rich clusters, on average high mass-to-light ratio systems, appear to be more clustered on large scales than the late-type-poor clusters. A class of late-type-rich clusters is not predicted by current theory.