Emission Line Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei in WINGS clusters
  We present the analysis of the emission line galaxies members of 46 low
redshift (0.04 < z < 0.07) clusters observed by WINGS (WIde-field Nearby Galaxy
cluster Survey, Fasano et al. 2006). Emission line galaxies were identified
following criteria that are meant to minimize biases against non-star forming
galaxies and classified employing diagnostic diagrams. We have examined the
emission line properties and frequencies of star forming galaxies, transition
objects and active galactic nuclei (AGNs: LINERs and Seyferts), unclassified
galaxies with emission lines, and quiescent galaxies with no detectable line
emission. A deficit of emission line galaxies in the cluster environment is
indicated by both a lower frequency with respect to control samples, and by a
systematically lower Balmer emission line equivalent width and luminosity (up
to one order of magnitude in equivalent width with respect to control samples
for transition objects) that implies a lower amount of ionised gas per unit
mass and a lower star formation rate if the source is classified as Hii region.
A sizable population of transition objects and of low-luminosity LINERs
(approx. 10 - 20% of all emission line galaxies) is detected among WINGS
cluster galaxies. With respect to Hii sources they are a factor of approx. 1.5
more frequent than (or at least as frequent as) in control samples. Transition
objects and LINERs in cluster are most affected in terms of line equivalent
width by the environment and appear predominantly consistent with "retired"
galaxies. Shock heating can be a possible gas excitation mechanism able to
account for observed line ratios. Specific to the cluster environment, we
suggest interaction between atomic and molecular gas and the intracluster
medium as a possible physical cause of line-emitting shocks.
