GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES OF STELLAR-SYSTEMS

The kappa-space three-dimensional parameter system was originally defi ned to examine the physical properties of dynamically hot elliptical g alaxies and bulges (DHGs. The axes of kappa-space are proportional to the logarithm of galaxy mass, mass-to-light ratio, and a third quantit y that is mainly surface brightness. In this paper we define self-cons istent kappa parameters for disk galaxies, galaxy groups and clusters, and globular clusters and use them to project an integrated view of t he major classes of self-gravitating, equilibrium stellar systems in t he universe. Each type of stellar system is found to populate its own fundamental plane in kappa-space. At least six different planes are fo und: (1) the original fundamental plane for DHGs; (2) a nearly-paralle l plane slightly offset for Sa-Sc spirals; (3) a plane with different tilt but similar zero point for Scd-Irr galaxies; (4) a plane parallel to the DHG plane but offset by a factor of 10 in mass-to-light ratio for rich galaxy clusters; (5) a plane for galaxy groups that bridges t he gap between rich clusters and galaxies; and (6) a plane for Galacti c globular clusters. We propose the term ''cosmic metaplane'' to descr ibe this ensemble of interrelated and interconnected fundamental plane s, The projection kappa(1)-kappa(3) (M/L vs M) views all planes essent ially edge-on. Planes share the common characteristic that M/L is eith er constant or increasing with mass. The kappa(1)-kappa(2) projection views all of these planes close to face-on, while kappa(2)-kappa(3) sh ows variable slopes for different groups owing to the slightly differe nt tilts of the individual planes. The Tully-Fisher relation is the co rrect compromise projection to view the spiral-irregular planes nearly edge on, analogous to the D-n-sigma relation for DHGs, No stellar sys tem yet violates the rule first found from the study of DHGs, namely, kappa(1)+kappa(2) < constant, here chosen to be 8. In physical terms: this says that the maximum global luminosity density of stellar system s varies as M-4/3. Galaxies march away from this ''zone of exclusion'' (ZOE) in kappa(1)-kappa(2) as a function of Hubble type: DHGs are clo sest, with Sm-Irr's being furthest away. The distribution of systems i n kappa-space is generally consistent with predictions of galaxy forma tion via hierarchical clustering and merging. The cosmic metaplane is simply the cosmic virial plane common to all self-gravitating stellar systems, tilted and displaced in mass-to-light ratio for various types of systems due to differences in stellar population and amount of bar yonic dissipation. Hierarchical clustering from an n= -1.8 power-law d ensity fluctuation spectrum (plus dissipation) comes close to reproduc ing the slope of the ZOE, and the progressive displacement of Hubble t ypes from this line is consistent with the formation of early-type gal axies from higher n-sigma fluctuations than late Hubble types. The M/L values for galaxy groups containing only a few, mostly spiral galaxie s, vary the strongest with M. Moreover, it is these groups that bridge the gap between the two planes defined by the brightest galaxies and the lowest mass rich clusters, giving the cosmic metaplane its strikin g appearance. Why this is so is but one of four key questions raised b y our study. The second question is why the slopes of individual Hubbl e types in the kappa(1)-kappa(2) lie plane parallel the ZOE. At face v alue, this appears to suggest less dissipation of massive galaxies wit hin their dark halos compared to lower-mass galaxies of the same Hubbl e type. The third is why we find isotropic stellar systems only within an effective mass range of 10(9.5-11.75) M-. This would seem to imply that dissipation only results in galaxy components flattened by rotat ion in a limited mass range. The fourth question, perhaps the most bas ic of all, is how dos M/L vary so smoothly with M among all stellar sy stems so as to give the individual tilts of the various fundamental pl anes, yet preserve the overall appearance of a metaplane? The answer t o this last question must await a more thorough knowledge of how galax ies relate to many parameters, including: their environment, structure , angular momentum acquisition, density, dark matter concentration, th e physics of star formation in general, and the formation of the initi al mass function in particular. The present investigation is limited b y existing data to the B passband and is strongly magnitude-limited, n ot volume-limited. Rare or hard-to-discover galaxy types, such as H II galaxies, starburst galaxies and low-surface-brightness galaxies, are missing or are under-represented, and use of the B band over-emphasiz es stellar population differences. A volume-limited kappa-space survey based on K-band photometry and complete to low surface brightness and faint magnitudes is highly desirable but requires data yet to be obta ined. (C) 1997 American Astronomical Society.