Photometric properties of young blue compact dwarf galaxy candidates
P. Papaderos¹, Y.I. Izotov², N.G. Guseva², T.X. Thuan³, K.J. Fricke^1
1 Institut für Astrophysik, University of Göttingen, Germany
² Main Astronomical Observatory, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine
³ Astronomy Department, University of Virginia, USA

A tiny fraction of blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies exhibits a nearly galaxy-wide starburst activity and no signatures of an underlying old host galaxy. The evolutionary status and formation history of these most metal-deficient BCDs are still a subject of debate. Various lines of evidence suggest, however, that these systems do not contain a substantial population of stars older than ~ 1 Gyr and hence qualify as nearby young-galaxy candidates. Elaborated multiwavelength investigations of such systems may therefore provide crucial insights into the formation and starburst-driven evolution of low-mass galaxies in the early universe. I will discuss the morphological and photometric properties of these rare systems and emphasize the crucial importance of a correction for extended nebular emission when studying their evolutionary status.

---

File translated from T_EX by T_TH, version 3.33.
On 20 Oct 2005, 17:41.