The DPOSS II distant compact group survey: the EMMI-NTT spectroscopic
  sample
  This paper presents the results of the redshift survey of 138 candidate
compact groups from the DPOSS II catalog (Iovino et al., 2003; de Carvalho et
al. 2005), which extends the available redshift range of spectroscopically
confirmed compact groups of galaxies to z~0.2. The aims of the survey are to
confirm group membership via spectroscopic redshift information, to measure the
characteristic parameters of the confirmed groups, namely mass, radius,
luminosity, velocity dispersion and crossing time, and to compare them with
those of nearby compact groups. Using available information from the
literature, we also studied the surrounding group environment and searched for
additional, previously unknown, group members, or larger scale structures to
whom the group might be associated. Of the 138 observed groups, 96 had three or
more concordant galaxies, i.e. a 70% success rate. Of these 96, 62 are isolated
on the sky, while the other 34 are close on the sky to a larger scale
structure. The remaining objects turned out to be couple of pairs or chance
projection of galaxies on the sky. Group environment and the characteristics
parameters (mass, crossing time, velocity dispersion) are evaluated and
discussed.
