No Arabic abstract
We report on the discovery of a rapidly co-rotating stellar and gas component in the nucleus of the shell elliptical NGC2865. The stellar component extends ~ 0.51/h100 kpc along the major axis, and shows depressed velocity dispersion and absorption line profiles skewed in the opposite sense to the mean velocity. Associated with it is a young stellar population with enhanced hbeta, lowered Mg and same Fe indices relative to the underlying elliptical. Its recent star formation history is constrained by considering ``bulge+burst models under 4 physically motivated scenarios, using evolutionary population synthesis. Scenarios in which the nuclear component is formed over a Hubble time or recently from continuous gas inflow are ruled out. Our results argue for a gas-rich accretion or merger origin for the shells and kinematic subcomponent in NGC2865. Arguments based on stellar populations and gas dynamics suggest that one of the progenitors is likely a Sb or Sc spiral. We demonstrate that despite the age and metallicity degeneracy of the underlying elliptical, the age and metallicity of the kinematic subcomponent can be constrained. This work strengthens the link between KDCs and shells, and demonstrates that a KDC can be formed from a late merger.
Aims. Interacting galaxies show unique irregularities in their kinematic structure. By investigating the spatially resolved kinematics and stellar population properties of galaxies that show irregularities, we can paint a detailed picture of the formation and evolutionary processes that took place during its lifetimes. Methods. In this work, we focus on galaxies with a specific kinematic irregularity, a kinematically distinct stellar core (KDC), in particular, counter-rotating galaxies where the core and main body of the galaxy are rotating in opposite directions. We visually identify eleven MaNGA galaxies with a KDC from their stellar kinematics, and investigate their spatially resolved stellar and gaseous kinematic properties, namely the two-dimensional stellar and gaseous velocity and velocity dispersion ({sigma}) maps. Additionally, we examine the stellar population properties, as well as spatially resolved recent star formation histories using the Dn4000 and H{delta} gradients. Results. The galaxies display multiple off-centred, symmetrical peaks in the stellar {sigma} maps. The gaseous velocity and {sigma} maps display regular properties. The stellar population properties and their respective gradients show differing properties depending on the results of the spatially resolved emission line diagnostics of the galaxies, with some galaxies showing inside-out quenching but others not. The star formation histories also largely differ based on the spatially resolved emission line diagnostics, but most galaxies show indications of recent star formation either in their outskirts or core. Conclusions. We find a distinct difference in kinematic and stellar population properties in galaxies with a counter-rotating stellar core, depending on its classification using spatially resolved emission line diagnostics.
We analyze the velocity residuals of 551 carbon stars relative to a rotating-disk model of the inner $sim 70 rm deg^2$ of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We find that the great majority of the stars in this sample are best fit as being due to two different populations, a young disk population containing 20% of the stars with a velocity dispersion of $8 kms$, and an old disk containing the remaining stars with a velocity dispersion of $22 kms$. The young disk population has a metallicity $sim 0.25$ dex higher than the old disk. With less certainty, the data also suggest at the $2sigma$ level that there may be a third kinematically distinct population that is moving towards us at 30 km/sec relative to the LMC, consistent with measurements of 21 cm velocities. If real, this population contains about 7% of the carbon stars in the sample. It could be a feature in the disk of the LMC or it could be tidal debris in the foreground or background. If it is tidal debris, this population could account for some or all of the microlensing events observed towards the LMC.
We present evidence for the presence of a low-amplitude kinematically distinct component in the giant early-type galaxy M87, via datasets obtained with the SAURON and MUSE integral-field spectroscopic units. The MUSE velocity field reveals a strong twist of ~140 deg within the central 30 arcsec connecting outwards such a kinematically distinct core to a prolate-like rotation around the large-scale photometric major-axis of the galaxy. The existence of these kinematic features within the apparently round central regions of M87 implies a non-axisymmetric and complex shape for this galaxy, which could be further constrained using the presented kinematics. The associated orbital structure should be interpreted together with other tracers of the gravitational potential probed at larger scales (e.g., Globular Clusters, Ultra Compact Dwarfs, Planetary Nebulae): it would offer an insight in the assembly history of one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. These data also demonstrate the potential of the MUSE spectrograph to uncover low-amplitude spectral signatures.
MUSE observations of NGC5813 reveal a complex structure in the velocity dispersion map, previously hinted by SAURON observations. The structure is reminiscent of velocity dispersion maps of galaxies comprising two counter-rotating discs, and may explain the existence of the kinematically distinct core (KDC). Further evidence for two counter-rotating components comes from the analysis of the higher moments of the stellar line-of-sight velocity distributions and fitting MUSE spectra with two separate Gaussian line-of-sight velocity distributions. The emission-line kinematics show evidence of being linked to the present cooling flows and the buoyant cavities seen in X-rays. We detect ionised gas in a nuclear disc-like structure, oriented like the KDC, which is, however, not directly related to the KDC. We build an axisymmetric Schwarzschild dynamical model, which shows that the MUSE kinematics can be reproduced well with two counter-rotating orbit families, characterised by relatively low angular momentum components, but clearly separated in integral phase space and with radially varying contributions. The model indicates that the counter-rotating components in NGC5813 are not thin discs, but dynamically hot structures. Our findings give further evidence that KDCs in massive galaxies should not necessarily be considered as structurally or dynamically decoupled regions, but as the outcomes of the mixing of different orbital families, where the balance in the distribution of mass of the orbital families is crucial. We discuss the formation of the KDC in NGC5813 within the framework of gas accretion, binary mergers and formation of turbulent thick discs from cold streams at high redshift.
I review the basic concepts for the spectrophotometric and chemical evolution of galaxies, contrast various approaches and discuss their respective advantages and shortcomings, both for the interpretation of nearby and high redshift galaxies. Focus is on recent attempts to include gas and dust into galaxy evolution models and to account for the links among stars, gas and dust. Chemically consistent models are described that try to cope with extended stellar metallicity distributions observed in local galaxies and with subsolar abundances in young galaxies.