On the distribution of galaxy ellipticity in clusters

We study the distribution of projected ellipticity n( ) for galaxies in a sample of 20 rich (Richness > 2) nearby (z < 0:1) clusters of galaxies. We nd no evidence of dierences in n( ), although the nearest cluster in the sample (the Coma Cluster) is the largest outlier (P (same) < 0:05). We then study n( ) within the clusters, and nd that increases with projected cluster-centric radius R (hereafter the -R relation). This trend is preserved at xed magnitude, showing that this relation exists over and above the trend of more luminous galaxies to be both rounder and more common in the centres of clusters. The -R relation is particularly strong in the subsample of intrinsically attened galaxies (