Abstract. We have analyzed the total HI contents of 72 Hickson compact groups of galaxies (HCGs) and the detailed spatial distributions and kinematics of HI within a subset of 16 groups using the high angular resolution observations obtained with the VLA in order to investigate a possible evolutionary scenario for these densest systems in the present day galaxy hierarchy. For the more homogeneous subsample of 48 groups, we found a mean HI deficiency of DefHI = 0.40 ± 0.07, which corresponds to 40% of the expected HI for the optical luminosities and morphological types of the member galaxies. The individual galaxies show larger degrees of deficiency than the groups globally, DefHI = 0.62 ± 0.09 (24% of the expected HI), due in most cases to efficient gas stripping from individual galaxies into the group environment visible in the VLA maps. The degree of deficiency is found to be similar to the central galaxies of Virgo and Coma cluster, and Coma I group, in spite of the significantly different characteristics (number of galaxies, velocity dispersion) of these environments. It does not seem plausible that a significant amount of extended HI has been missed by the observations. Hence phase transformation of the atomic gas should explain the HI deficiency. The groups richer in early type galaxies or more compact with larger velocity dispersions show a weak tendency to be more HI deficient. The detection rate of HCGs at X-ray wavelengths is larger for HI deficient groups, although the hot gas distribution and hence its origin is only known for a few cases. In the evolutionary scenario we propose, the amount of detected HI would decrease further with evolution, by continuous tidal stripping and/or heating. The H2 content also tends to be lower than expected for the galaxies in HI deficient groups, this may suggest that the HI stripping by frequent tidal interaction breaks the balance between the disruption of molecular clouds by star formation and the replenishment from the ambient HI.

The ALHAMBRA (Advance Large Homogeneous Area Medium Band Redshift Astronomical) survey has observed 8 different regions of the sky, including sections of the COSMOS, DEEP2, ELAIS, GOODS-N, SDSS and Groth fields using a new photometric system with 20 optical, contiguous ∼300Å filters plus the JHKs bands. The filter system is designed to optimize the effective photometric redshift depth of the survey, while having enough wavelength resolution for the identification of faint emission lines. The observations, carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the wide field optical camera LAICA and the NIR instrument Omega-2000, represent a total of ∼700hrs of on-target science images. Here we present multicolor PSF-corrected photometry and photometric redshifts for ∼438,000 galaxies, detected in synthetic F 814W images. The catalogs are complete down to a magnitude I∼24.5AB and cover an effective area of 2.79 deg 2 . Photometric zeropoints were calibrated using stellar transformation equations and refined internally, using a new technique based on the highly robust photometric redshifts measured for emission line galaxies. We calculate Bayesian photometric redshifts with the BPZ2.0 code, obtaining a precision of δ z /(1+z s )=1% for I<22.5 and δ z /(1+z s )=1.4% for 22.5=0.56 for I<22.5 AB and =0.86 for I<24.5 AB. Given its depth and small cosmic variance, ALHAMBRA is a unique dataset for galaxy evolution studies.

Abstract. We present the catalogue resulting from the ESO Nearby Abell Cluster Survey (the ENACS), which contains redshifts and magnitudes for 5634 galaxies in the directions of 107 rich, nearby southern Abell cluster candidates. We describe the contents of the catalogue and discuss the results of a comparison between the ENACS catalogue and the COSMOS Galaxy Catalogue.When cross-correlating the two catalogues we find that, at least in the areas of the ENACS clusters, the completeness of the COSMOS catalogue is somewhat lower than was estimated previously for the carefully analyzed and well-calibrated part of the COSMOS catalogue known as the Edinburgh-Durham Southern Galaxy Survey (EDSGC).The galaxy positions in the COSMOS and ENACS catalogues are found to be on the same system to within about one arcsecond.For the clusters for which the photometry in the ENACS and COSMOS catalogues is based on the same survey plates, the two magnitude scales agree very well. We confirm that the photometric calibration in the EDSGC subset of the COSMOS catalogue is of higher quality than in the EDSGC complement.The ENACS galaxy samples are unbiased subsets of the COSMOS catalogue as far as the projected galaxy distribution is concerned, except in only a few cases. We summarize how the ENACS galaxy samples are subsets of the COSMOS catalogues in the ENACS apertures, with reSend offprint requests to: P. Katgert Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile).http://www.astrsp-mrs.fr/www/enacs.html Tables 2 and 5, as well as the full ENACS catalogue are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.ustrasbg.fr/Abstract.html spect to magnitude. For the ENACS catalogue as a whole, we describe the apparent incompleteness at faint magnitudes and towards higher redshifts. Finally, we provide some detailed information about the ENACS catalogue that is essential for its proper statistical use and we summarize some facts that must be remembered when selecting subsets of galaxies from it.

Here we describe the first results of the ALHAMBRA survey which provides cosmic tomography of the evolution of the contents of the Universe over most of Cosmic history. Our novel approach employs 20 contiguous, equal-width, medium-band filters covering from 3500Å to 9700Å, plus the standard JHK s near-infrared bands, to observe a total area of 4 square degrees on the sky. The -2optical photometric system has been designed to maximize the number of objects with accurate classification by Spectral Energy Distribution type and redshift, and to be sensitive to relatively faint emission features in the spectrum. The observations are being carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the wide field cameras in the optical, LAICA, and in the NIR, Omega-2000. The first data confirm that we are reaching the expected magnitude limits (for a total of 100 ksec integration time per pointing) of AB ≤ 25 mag (for an unresolved object, S/N = 5) in the optical filters from the blue to 8300Å, and from AB = 24.7 to 23.4 for the redder ones. The limit in the NIR, for a total of 15 ks exposure time per pointing, is (in the Vega system) K s ≈ 20 mag, H ≈ 21 mag, J≈ 22 mag. Some preliminary results are presented here to illustrate the capabilities of the ongoing survey. We expect to obtain accurate redshift values, ∆z/(1 + z) ≤ 0.03 for about 5 ×10 5 galaxies with I≤ 25 (60% completeness level), and z med = 0.74. This accuracy, together with the homogeneity of the selection function, will allow for the study of the redshift evolution of the large scale structure, the galaxy population and its evolution with redshift, the identification of clusters of galaxies, and many other studies, without the need for any further followup. It will also provide targets for detailed studies with 10m-class telescopes. Given its area, spectral coverage and its depth, apart from those main goals, the ALHAMBRA-Survey will also produce valuable data for galactic studies.

Broad emission lines in quasars enable us to "resolve" structure and kinematics of the broad line emitting region (BLR) thought to involve an accretion disk feeding a supermassive black hole. Interpretation of broad line measures within the 4DE1 formalism simplifies the apparent confusion among such data by contrasting and unifying properties of so-called high and low accreting Population A and B sources. Hβ serves as an estimator of black hole mass, Eddington ratio and source rest frame, the latter a valuable input for Civλ1549 studies which allow us to isolate the blueshifted wind component. Optical and HST-UV spectra yield Hβ and Civλ1549 spectra for low-luminosity sources while VLT-ISAAC and FORS and TNG-LRS provide spectra for high Luminosity sources. New high S/N data for Civ in high-luminosity quasars are presented here for comparison with the other previously published data. Comparison of Hβ and Civλ1549 profile widths/shifts indicates that much of the emission from the two lines arise in regions with different structure and kinematics. Covering a wide range of luminosity and redshift shows evidence for a correlation between Civλ1549 blueshift and source Eddington ratio, with a weaker trend with source luminosity (similar amplitude outflows are seen over 4 of the 5 dex luminosity range in our combined samples). At low luminosity (z 0.7) only Population A sources show evidence for a significant outflow while at high luminosity the outflow signature begins to appear in Population B quasars as well.