Are polar rings indeed polar?

We have considered polar ring galaxy candidates, the images of which can be found in the SDSS. The sample of 78 galaxies includes the most reliable candidates from the SPRC and PRC catalogs, some of which already have kinematic confirmations. We analyze the distributions of studied objects by the angle between the polar ring and the central disk, and by the optical diameter of the outer ring structures. In the vast majority of cases, the outer structures lie in the plane close to polar (within 10-20 deg) which indicates the stability of the corresponding orbits in the gravitational potential of the halo. Moderately inclined outer structures are observed only in about 6% of objects which probably indicates their short lifetime. In such an unstable configuration, the polar ring would often cross the disk of the galaxy, being smaller than it in the diameter. We show that the inner polar structures and outer large-scale polar rings form a single family in the distribution of diameters normalized to the optical size of the galaxy. At the same time, this distribution is bimodal, as the number of objects with d_ring= (0.4-0.7)*d_disk is negligible. Such a shape of size distribution is most likely due to the fact that the stability of polar orbits in the inner regions of galaxies is maintained by the bulge or the bar, while in the outer regions it is provided by the spheroidal (or triaxial) halo.Comment: Corrected version accepted in Astrophysical Bulletin, 8 pages, 5 EPS figure

Stellar kinematics of X-ray bright massive elliptical galaxies

We discuss a simple and fast method for estimating masses of early-type galaxies from optical data and compare the results with X-ray derived masses. The optical method relies only on the most basic observables such as the surface brightness $I(R)$ and the line-of-sight velocity dispersion $\sigma_p(R)$ profiles and provides an anisotropy-independent estimate of the galaxy circular speed $V_c$. The mass-anisotropy degeneracy is effectively overcome by evaluating $V_c$ at a characteristic radius $R_{\rm sweet}$ defined from {\it local} properties of observed profiles. The sweet radius $R_{\rm sweet}$ is expected to lie close to $R_2$, where $I(R) \propto R^{-2}$, and not far from the effective radius $R_{\rm eff}$. We apply the method to a sample of five X-ray bright elliptical galaxies observed with the 6-m telescope BTA-6 in Russia. We then compare the optical $V_c$-estimate with the X-ray derived value, and discuss possible constraints on the non-thermal pressure in the hot gas and configuration of stellar orbits. We find that the average ratio of the optical $V_c$-estimate to the X-ray one is equal to $\approx 0.98$ with $11 \%$ scatter, i.e. there is no evidence for the large non-thermal pressure contribution in the gas at $\sim R_{\rm sweet}$. From analysis of the Lick indices H$\beta$, Mgb, Fe5270 and Fe5335, we calculate the mass of the stellar component within the sweet radius. We conclude that a typical dark matter fraction inside $R_{\rm sweet}$ in the sample galaxies is $\sim 60\%$ for the Salpeter IMF and $\sim 75 \%$ for the Kroupa IMF.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA

Star formation in outer rings of S0 galaxies. II. NGC 4513 -- a multi-spin ringed S0 galaxy

Though S0 galaxies are usually thought to be `red and dead', they demonstrate often star formation organized in ring structures. We try to clarify the nature of this phenomenon and its difference from star formation in spiral galaxies. The moderate-luminosity nearby S0 galaxy, NGC 4513, is studied here. By applying long-slit spectroscopy along the major axis of NGC 4513, we have measured gas and star kinematics, Lick indices for the main body of the galaxy, and strong emission-line flux ratios in the ring. After inspecting the gas excitation in the ring using the line ratios diagnostic diagrams and have assured that it is ionized by young stars, we have determined the gas oxygen abundance by using popular strong-line calibration methods. We have estimated star formation rate (SFR) in the outer ring by using the archival Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) ultraviolet images of the galaxy. The ionized gas counterrotates the stars over the whole extension of NGC 4513 so being accreted from outside. The gas metallicity in the ring is slightly subsolar, [O/H]=-0.2 dex, matching the metallicity of the stellar component of the main galactic disc. However the stellar component of the ring is much more massive than can be explained by the current star formation level in the ring. We conclude that probably the ring of NGC 4513 is a result of tidal disruption of a massive gas-rich satellite, or it may be a consequence of a long star-formation event provoked by a gas accretion from a cosmological filament having started some 3 Gyr ago.Comment: 8 paged, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&