The orientation of spin vectors of galaxies in the Ursa Major filament

Abstract

Spin vectors of 60 galaxies in the "Ursa Major filament" are obtained from CCD images and spectroscopic determinations of the directions of rotation. These data are used to remove the fourfold degeneracy introduced by the projected images of galaxies, making possible the complete reconstruction of the galaxy spin vectors. Several possible organizations of spin vectors are investigated by means of statistical analyses of the three-dimensional spin vector maps. The results indicate that there exists no significant alignment of galaxy spin vectors with respect to the supergalactic plane, the supergalactic axis, or the cylindrical axis of the filament itself. No tendency for linear alignment of spin vectors toward any specific direction was detected. We also obtain a statistically negative result for azimuthal, radial, and circular-helical orientation of spin vectors. Show more