A redshift survey of low-surface-brightness galaxies. I - The basic data

The authors present the initial results from a 21 cm redshift survey of very low-surface-brightness galaxies that are contained in the Uppsala General Catalog of Galaxies. The selection criteria and detection statistics as a function of the optical properties of this sample are fully discussed. The redshift distribution for this sample of 375 galaxies exhibits a pronounced peak at 5000 km s⁻¹, corresponding to the well-studied Perseus-Pisces supercluster. The overall detection rate was 65% and the bulk of the detections are genuine low-surface-brightness spiral galaxies, many with linewidths in excess of 300 km s⁻¹, as opposed to true dwarf galaxies. The authors argue that most of their nondetections are unlikely to be gas-poor dwarfs but instead are galaxies with velocities beyond 10000 km s⁻¹. Taken as a whole, this sample demonstrates that optical surface brightness is not necessarily a reliable indicator of intrinsic luminosity or mass.