Euclid quick data release (Q1): X. a census of dwarf galaxies across a range of distances and environments

Abstract

The Euclid Q1 fields were selected for calibration purposes in cosmology and are therefore relatively devoid of nearby galaxies. However, this is precisely what makes them interesting fields in which to search for dwarf galaxies in local density environments. We took advantage of the unprecedented depth, spatial resolution, and field of view of the Euclid Quick Release (Q1) to build a census of dwarf galaxies in these regions. We have identified dwarf galaxies in a representative sample of 25 contiguous tiles in the Euclid Deep Field North (EDF-N) covering an area of 14.25 deg2. The dwarf galaxy candidates were identified using a semi-automatic detection method based on properties measured by the Euclid pipeline and released as part of the catalogue produced by the MERge Processing Function (MER PF) pipeline. A selection cut in surface brightness and magnitude was used to produce an initial dwarf candidate catalogue, and this was followed by a cut in morphology (removing background spirals) and IE − HE colour (removing red ellipticals). This catalogue was then visually classified to produce a final sample of dwarf candidates, including their morphology, number of nuclei, globular cluster (GC) richness, and presence of a blue compact centre. We identified 2674 dwarf candidates, corresponding to 188 dwarfs per square degree. The visual classification of the dwarfs reveals a slightly uneven morphological mix of 58% ellipticals and 42% irregulars, with very few potentially GC-rich (1.0%) and nucleated (4.0%) candidates but a noticeable fraction (6.9%) of dwarfs with blue compact centres. The distance distribution of 388 (15%) of the dwarf candidates with spectroscopic redshifts peaks at about 400 Mpc. Their stellar mass distribution confirms that our selection effectively identifies dwarfs while minimising contamination. The most prominent dwarf overdensities are dominated by dwarf ellipticals, while dwarf irregulars are more evenly distributed across the field of view. This work highlights Euclid’s remarkable ability to detect and characterise dwarf galaxies across diverse masses, distances, and environments.