Issue |
Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser.
Volume 145, Number 1, July 2000
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 71 - 82 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/aas:2000232 | |
Published online | 15 July 2000 |
Line-of-sight velocity distributions of 53 early-type galaxies*
Institut für Astronomie der Universität Wien, Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Wien, Austria
Send offprint request to: W. Koprolin
Received:
1
December
1999
Accepted:
20
April
2000
55 long-slit spectra of 53 early-type galaxies were observed at La Silla/ESO
and reduced using standard methods. The line-of-sight velocity
distributions (LOSVDs) were measured using the fourier
quotient method and the fourier fitting method as described by
van der Marel et al. (1993). 32% of the examined galaxies
contain kinematically decoupled stellar omponents, the size of these cores was
0.40 ± 0.28 kpc, in each case the core was smaller than 1 kpc. Analysis of
the kinematics reveals in 49% of the sample galaxies the signature of a
stellar disk component, in 15% this is uncertain. There is evidence that the
phenomenon of kinematically decoupled components is present in the whole class
of early-type galaxies. Several correlations between photometric and kinematic
parameters like the vs. ϵ diagram, the anisotropy –
luminosity correlation or κ-space were as well examined using
measurement results for spectroscopic data and photometric data out of
literature. It is also shown that those sample galaxies with kinematically
decoupled components are more likely to be found in groups of high density,
strengthening the assumption that such components are remnants of merging
events.
Key words: galaxies: elliptical and lenticular / galaxies: fundamental parameters / galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
© European Southern Observatory (ESO), 2000