We use Chandra observations of 13 nearby groups of galaxies to investigate the hot gas content of their member galaxies. We find that a large fraction of near-IR-bright, early-type galaxies in groups have extended X-ray emission, indicating that they retain significant hot gas halos even in these dense environments. In particular, we detect hot gas halos in similar to 80% of L-K > L* galaxies. We do not find a significant difference in the L-K-L-X relation for detected group and cluster early-type galaxies. However, we detect X-ray emission from a significantly higher fraction of galaxies brighter than L* in groups compared to clusters, indicating that a larger fraction of galaxies in clusters experience significant stripping of their hot gas. In addition, group and cluster galaxies appear to be X-ray-faint compared to field galaxies, although a Chandra-based field sample is needed to confirm this result. The near-IR-bright late-type galaxies in clusters and groups appear to follow the L-K-L-X relation for early-type galaxies, while near-IR- fainter late-type galaxies are significantly more X-ray luminous than this relation likely due to star formation. Finally, we find individual examples of ongoing gas stripping of group galaxies. One galaxy shows a 40-50 kpc X-ray tail, and two merging galaxy systems show tidal bridges/tails of X-ray emission. Therefore, stripping of hot galactic gas through both ram pressure and tidal forces does occur in groups and clusters, but the frequency or efficiency of such events must be moderate enough to allow hot gas halos in a large fraction of bright galaxies to survive even in group and cluster cores.

The most massive galaxies in the universe are also the oldest. To overturn this apparent contradiction with hierarchical growth models we focus on the group-scale halos that host most of these galaxies. Our z similar to 0.4 group sample is selected in redshift space from the CNOC2 redshift survey. A stellar mass-selected M* greater than or similar to 2 x 10(10) M-circle dot sample is constructed using IRAC observations. A sensitive mid-infrared (MIR) IRAC color is used to isolate passive galaxies. It produces a bimodal distribution, in which passive galaxies (highlighted by morphological early types) define a tight MIR color sequence (infrared passive sequence, IPS). This is due to stellar atmospheric emission from old stellar populations. Significantly offset from the IPS are galaxies where reemission by dust boosts emission at lambda(obs) 8 mu m. We term them infrared excess galaxies, whether star formation and/or AGN activity are present. They include all known morphological late types. Comparison with EW[O II] shows that MIR color is highly sensitive to low levels of activity and allows us to separate dusty active from passive galaxies at high stellar mass. The fraction of infrared excess galaxies, f (IRE), drops with M*, such that f (IRE) 0.5 at a "crossover mass" of M-cr similar to 1.3 x 10(11) M-circle dot. Within our optically defined group sample there is a strong and consistent deficit in f (IRE) at all masses, but most clearly at M-* greater than or similar to 10(11) M-circle dot. Suppression of star formation must mainly occur in groups. In particular, the observed trend of f (IRE) with M* can be explained if suppression of M* greater than or similar to 10(11) M-circle dot galaxies occurs primarily in the group environment. This is confirmed using a mock galaxy catalog derived from the millenium simulation. In this way, the mass-dependent evolution in f (IRE) (downsizing) can be driven solely by structure growth in the universe, as more galaxies are accreted into group-sized halos with cosmic time.

We present results from a systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of moderate-redshift (0.3 < z < 0.6) galaxy groups. These groups were selected not by traditional X-ray or optical search methods, but rather by an association, either physical or along the line of sight, with a strong gravitational lens. We calculate the properties of seven galaxy groups in the fields of six lens systems. Diffuse X-ray emission from the intragroup medium is detected in four of the groups. All of the detected groups have X-ray luminosities greater than 10(42) h(-2) ergs s(-1) and lie on the LX-sigma(v) relations defined by local groups and clusters. The upper limits for the nondetections are also consistent with the local LX-sigma(v) relationships. Although the sample size is small and deeper optical and X-ray data are needed, these results suggest that lens-selected groups are similar to X-ray-selected samples and thus are more massive than the typical poor-group environments of local galaxies.

The most massive galaxies in the universe are also the oldest. To overturn this apparent contradiction with hierarchical growth models we focus on the group-scale halos that host most of these galaxies. Our z similar to 0.4 group sample is selected in redshift space from the CNOC2 redshift survey. A stellar mass-selected M* greater than or similar to 2 x 10(10) M-circle dot sample is constructed using IRAC observations. A sensitive mid-infrared (MIR) IRAC color is used to isolate passive galaxies. It produces a bimodal distribution, in which passive galaxies (highlighted by morphological early types) define a tight MIR color sequence (infrared passive sequence, IPS). This is due to stellar atmospheric emission from old stellar populations. Significantly offset from the IPS are galaxies where reemission by dust boosts emission at lambda(obs) 8 mu m. We term them infrared excess galaxies, whether star formation and/or AGN activity are present. They include all known morphological late types. Comparison with EW[O II] shows that MIR color is highly sensitive to low levels of activity and allows us to separate dusty active from passive galaxies at high stellar mass. The fraction of infrared excess galaxies, f (IRE), drops with M*, such that f (IRE) 0.5 at a "crossover mass" of M-cr similar to 1.3 x 10(11) M-circle dot. Within our optically defined group sample there is a strong and consistent deficit in f (IRE) at all masses, but most clearly at M-* greater than or similar to 10(11) M-circle dot. Suppression of star formation must mainly occur in groups. In particular, the observed trend of f (IRE) with M* can be explained if suppression of M* greater than or similar to 10(11) M-circle dot galaxies occurs primarily in the group environment. This is confirmed using a mock galaxy catalog derived from the millenium simulation. In this way, the mass-dependent evolution in f (IRE) (downsizing) can be driven solely by structure growth in the universe, as more galaxies are accreted into group-sized halos with cosmic time.

We present results from a systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of moderate-redshift (0.3 < z < 0.6) galaxy groups. These groups were selected not by traditional X-ray or optical search methods, but rather by an association, either physical or along the line of sight, with a strong gravitational lens. We calculate the properties of seven galaxy groups in the fields of six lens systems. Diffuse X-ray emission from the intragroup medium is detected in four of the groups. All of the detected groups have X-ray luminosities greater than 10(42) h(-2) ergs s(-1) and lie on the LX-sigma(v) relations defined by local groups and clusters. The upper limits for the nondetections are also consistent with the local LX-sigma(v) relationships. Although the sample size is small and deeper optical and X-ray data are needed, these results suggest that lens-selected groups are similar to X-ray-selected samples and thus are more massive than the typical poor-group environments of local galaxies.

We present results from a systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of moderate-redshift (0.3 < z < 0.6) galaxy groups. These groups were selected not by traditional X-ray or optical search methods, but rather by an association, either physical or along the line of sight, with a strong gravitational lens. We calculate the properties of seven galaxy groups in the fields of six lens systems. Diffuse X-ray emission from the intragroup medium is detected in four of the groups. All of the detected groups have X-ray luminosities greater than 10(42) h(-2) ergs s(-1) and lie on the LX-sigma(v) relations defined by local groups and clusters. The upper limits for the nondetections are also consistent with the local LX-sigma(v) relationships. Although the sample size is small and deeper optical and X-ray data are needed, these results suggest that lens-selected groups are similar to X-ray-selected samples and thus are more massive than the typical poor-group environments of local galaxies.

We present results from a systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of moderate-redshift (0.3 < z < 0.6) galaxy groups. These groups were selected not by traditional X-ray or optical search methods, but rather by an association, either physical or along the line of sight, with a strong gravitational lens. We calculate the properties of seven galaxy groups in the fields of six lens systems. Diffuse X-ray emission from the intragroup medium is detected in four of the groups. All of the detected groups have X-ray luminosities greater than 10(42) h(-2) ergs s(-1) and lie on the LX-sigma(v) relations defined by local groups and clusters. The upper limits for the nondetections are also consistent with the local LX-sigma(v) relationships. Although the sample size is small and deeper optical and X-ray data are needed, these results suggest that lens-selected groups are similar to X-ray-selected samples and thus are more massive than the typical poor-group environments of local galaxies.

We present quantitative morphology measurements of a sample of optically selected group galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.55 using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the GIM2D surface brightness fitting software package. The group sample is derived from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (CNOC2) and follow-up Magellan spectroscopy. We compare these measurements to a similarly selected group sample from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC) at 0.05 < z < 0.12. We find that, at both epochs, the group and field fractional bulge luminosity (B/T) distributions differ significantly, with the dominant difference being a deficit of disc-dominated (B/T < 0.2) galaxies in the group samples. At fixed luminosity, z = 0.4 groups have similar to 5.5 +/- 2 per cent fewer disc-dominated galaxies than the field, while by z = 0.1 this difference has increased to similar to 19 +/- 6 per cent. Despite the morphological evolution we see no evidence that the group environment is actively perturbing or otherwise affecting the entire existing disc population. At both redshifts, the discs of group galaxies have similar scaling relations and show similar median asymmetries as the discs of field galaxies. We do find evidence that the fraction of highly asymmetric, bulge-dominated galaxies is 6 +/- 3 per cent higher in groups than in the field, suggesting there may be enhanced merging in group environments. We replicate our group samples at z = 0.4 and 0 using the semi-analytic galaxy catalogues of Bower et al. This model accurately reproduces the B/T distributions of the group and field at z = 0.1. However, the model does not reproduce our finding that the deficit of discs in groups has increased significantly since z = 0.4.

We present quantitative morphology measurements of a sample of optically selected group galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.55 using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the GIM2D surface brightness fitting software package. The group sample is derived from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (CNOC2) and follow-up Magellan spectroscopy. We compare these measurements to a similarly selected group sample from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC) at 0.05 < z < 0.12. We find that, at both epochs, the group and field fractional bulge luminosity (B/T) distributions differ significantly, with the dominant difference being a deficit of disc-dominated (B/T < 0.2) galaxies in the group samples. At fixed luminosity, z = 0.4 groups have similar to 5.5 +/- 2 per cent fewer disc-dominated galaxies than the field, while by z = 0.1 this difference has increased to similar to 19 +/- 6 per cent. Despite the morphological evolution we see no evidence that the group environment is actively perturbing or otherwise affecting the entire existing disc population. At both redshifts, the discs of group galaxies have similar scaling relations and show similar median asymmetries as the discs of field galaxies. We do find evidence that the fraction of highly asymmetric, bulge-dominated galaxies is 6 +/- 3 per cent higher in groups than in the field, suggesting there may be enhanced merging in group environments. We replicate our group samples at z = 0.4 and 0 using the semi-analytic galaxy catalogues of Bower et al. This model accurately reproduces the B/T distributions of the group and field at z = 0.1. However, the model does not reproduce our finding that the deficit of discs in groups has increased significantly since z = 0.4.

We present quantitative morphology measurements of a sample of optically selected group galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.55 using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the GIM2D surface brightness fitting software package. The group sample is derived from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (CNOC2) and follow-up Magellan spectroscopy. We compare these measurements to a similarly selected group sample from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC) at 0.05 < z < 0.12. We find that, at both epochs, the group and field fractional bulge luminosity (B/T) distributions differ significantly, with the dominant difference being a deficit of disc-dominated (B/T < 0.2) galaxies in the group samples. At fixed luminosity, z = 0.4 groups have similar to 5.5 +/- 2 per cent fewer disc-dominated galaxies than the field, while by z = 0.1 this difference has increased to similar to 19 +/- 6 per cent. Despite the morphological evolution we see no evidence that the group environment is actively perturbing or otherwise affecting the entire existing disc population. At both redshifts, the discs of group galaxies have similar scaling relations and show similar median asymmetries as the discs of field galaxies. We do find evidence that the fraction of highly asymmetric, bulge-dominated galaxies is 6 +/- 3 per cent higher in groups than in the field, suggesting there may be enhanced merging in group environments. We replicate our group samples at z = 0.4 and 0 using the semi-analytic galaxy catalogues of Bower et al. This model accurately reproduces the B/T distributions of the group and field at z = 0.1. However, the model does not reproduce our finding that the deficit of discs in groups has increased significantly since z = 0.4.