Simulations of shell galaxies with GADGET-2: Multi-generation shell systems

As the missing complement to existing studies of shell galaxies, we carried out a set of self-consistent N-body simulations of a minor merger forming a stellar shell system within a giant elliptical galaxy. We discuss the effect of a phenomenon possibly associated with the galaxy merger simulations --- a presence of multiple generations of shells.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings of JENAM 2010, Symposium 2: "Environment and the formation of galaxies: 30 years later

Quadruple-peaked spectral line profiles as a tool to constrain gravitational potential of shell galaxies

Stellar shells observed in many giant elliptical and lenticular as well as a few spiral and dwarf galaxies, presumably result from galaxy mergers. Line-of-sight velocity distributions of the shells could, in principle, if measured with a sufficiently high S/N, constitute one of methods to constrain the gravitational potential of the host galaxy. Merrifield & Kuijken (1998) predicted a double-peaked line profile for stationary shells resulting from a nearly radial minor merger. In this paper, we aim at extending their analysis to a more realistic case of expanding shells, inherent to the merging process, whereas we assume the same type of merger and the same orbital geometry. We use analytical approach as well as test particle simulations to predict the line-of-sight velocity profile across the shell structure. Simulated line profiles are convolved with spectral PSFs to estimate the peak detectability. The resulting line-of-sight velocity distributions are more complex than previously predicted due to non-zero phase velocity of the shells. In principle, each of the Merrifield & Kuijken (1998) peaks splits into two, giving a quadruple-peaked line profile, which allows more precise determination of the potential of the host galaxy and, moreover, contains additional information. We find simple analytical expressions that connect the positions of the four peaks of the line profile and the mass distribution of the galaxy, namely the circular velocity at the given shell radius and the propagation velocity of the shell. The analytical expressions were applied to a test-particle simulation of a radial minor merger and the potential of the simulated host galaxy was successfully recovered. The shell kinematics can thus become an independent tool to determine the content and distribution of the dark matter in shell galaxies, up to ~100 kpc from the center of the host galaxy.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures | v2: accepted for publication in A&A, minor language correction

NGC 4993, the shell galaxy host of GW170817: constraints on the recent galactic merger

International audienceContext. NGC 4993 is the shell galaxy host of the GRB170817A short gamma-ray burst and the GW170817 gravitational-wave event produced during a binary-neutron-star coalescence.Aims. The galaxy shows signs, including the stellar shells, that it has recently accreted a smaller, late-type galaxy. The accreted galaxy might be the original host of the binary neutron star.Methods. We measured the positions of the stellar shells of NGC 4993 in an HST/ACS archival image and use the shell positions to constrain the time of the galactic merger.Results. According to the analytical model of the evolution of the shell structure in the expected gravitational potential of NGC 4993, the galactic merger happened at least 200 Myr ago, with a probable time roughly around 400 Myr, and the estimates higher than 600 Myr being improbable. This constitutes the lower limit on the age of the binary neutron star, because the host galaxy was probably quenched even before the galactic merger, and the merger has likely shut down the star formation in the accreted galaxy. We roughly estimate the probability that the binary neutron star originates in the accreted galaxy to be around 30%.Key words: galaxies: interactions / galaxies: peculiar / galaxies: individual: NGC 4993 / gravitational waves / stars: neutron / gamma-ray burst: individual: GRB 170817

MOND prediction of a new giant shell in the elliptical galaxy NGC 3923

Context. Stellar shells, which form axially symmetric systems of arcs in some elliptical galaxies, are most likely remnants of radial minor mergers. They are observed up a radius of ~100 kpc. The stars in them oscillate in radial orbits. The radius of a shell depends on the free-fall time at the position of the shell and on the time since the merger. We previously verified the consistency of shell radii in the elliptical galaxy NGC 3923 with its most probable MOND potential. Our results implied that an as yet undiscovered shell exists at the outskirts of the galaxy. Aims. We here extend our study by assuming more general models for the gravitational potential to verify the prediction of the new shell and to estimate its position. Methods. We tested the consistency of the shell radial distribution observed in NGC 3923 with a wide variety of MOND potentials of the galaxy. The potentials differed in the mass-to-light ratio and in distance to the galaxy. We considered different MOND interpolation functions, values of the acceleration constant a0, and density profiles of the galaxy. We verified the functionality of our code on a Newtonian self-consistent simulation of the formation of a shell galaxy. Results. Our method reliably predicts that exactly one new outermost shell exists at a galactocentric radius of about 1900′′ (~210 kpc) on the southwestern side of the galaxy. Its estimated surface brightness is about 28 mag arcsec-2 in B – a value accessible by current instruments. This prediction enables a rare test of MOND in an elliptical down to an acceleration of a0/ 10. The predictive power of our method is verified by reconstructing the position of the largest known shell from the distribution of the remaining shells