579 research outputs found
The Rising Stellar Velocity Dispersion of M87 from Integrated Starlight
We have measured the line-of-sight velocity distribution from integrated
stellar light at two points in the outer halo of M87 (NGC 4486), the
second-rank galaxy in the Virgo Cluster. The data were taken at R = 480" ( kpc) and R = 526" ( kpc) along the SE major axis. The second
moment for a non-parametric estimate of the full velocity distribution is km/s and km/s respectively. There is intriguing evidence
in the velocity profiles for two kinematically distinct stellar components at
the position of our pointing. Under this assumption we employ a two-Gaussian
decomposition and find the primary Gaussian having rest velocities equal to M87
(consistent with zero rotation) and second moments of km/s and
km/s respectively. The asymmetry seen in the velocity profiles
suggests that the stellar halo of M87 is not in a relaxed state and confuses a
clean dynamical interpretation. That said, either measurement (full or two
component model) shows a rising velocity dispersion at large radii, consistent
with previous integrated light measurements, yet significantly higher than
globular cluster measurements at comparable radial positions. These integrated
light measurements at large radii, and the stark contrast they make to the
measurements of other kinematic tracers, highlight the rich kinematic
complexity of environments like the center of the Virgo Cluster and the need
for caution when interpreting kinematic measurements from various dynamical
tracers.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Galaxy Kinematics With Virus-P: The Dark Matter Halo Of M87
We present two-dimensional stellar kinematics of M87 out to R = 238 '' taken with the integral field spectrograph VIRUS-P. We run a large set of axisymmetric, orbit-based dynamical models and find clear evidence for a massive dark matter halo. While a logarithmic parameterization for the dark matter halo is preferred, we do not constrain the dark matter scale radius for a Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile and therefore cannot rule it out. Our best-fit logarithmic models return an enclosed dark matter fraction of 17.2(-5.0)(+5.0)% within one effective radius (R-e congruent to 100 ''), rising to 49.4(-8.8)(+7.2)% within 2 R-e. Existing SAURON data (R <= 13 ''), and globular cluster (GC) kinematic data covering 145 '' <= R <= 554 '' complete the kinematic coverage to R = 47 kpc (similar to 5R(e)). At this radial distance, the logarithmic dark halo comprises 85.3(-2.4)(+2.5)% of the total enclosed mass of 5.7(-0.9)(+1.3) x 10(12) M-circle dot making M87 one of the most massive galaxies in the local universe. Our best-fit logarithmic dynamical models return a stellar mass-to-light ratio (M/L) of 9.1(-0.2)(+0.2) (V band), a dark halo circular velocity of 800(-25)(+75) km s(-1), and a dark halo scale radius of 36(-3)(+7) kpc. The stellar M/L, assuming an NFW dark halo, is well constrained to 8.20(-0.10)(+0.05) (V band). The stars in M87 are found to be radially anisotropic out to R congruent to 0.5 R-e, then isotropic or slightly tangentially anisotropic to our last stellar data point at R = 2.4 R-e where the anisotropy of the stars and GCs are in excellent agreement. The GCs then become radially anisotropic in the last two modeling bins at R = 3.4 R-e and R = 4.8 R-e. As one of the most massive galaxies in the local universe, constraints on both the mass distribution of M87 and anisotropy of its kinematic components strongly inform our theories of early-type galaxy formation and evolution in dense environments.Astronom
The MASSIVE Survey - I. A Volume-Limited Integral-Field Spectroscopic Study of the Most Massive Early-Type Galaxies within 108 Mpc
Massive early-type galaxies represent the modern-day remnants of the earliest
major star formation episodes in the history of the universe. These galaxies
are central to our understanding of the evolution of cosmic structure, stellar
populations, and supermassive black holes, but the details of their complex
formation histories remain uncertain. To address this situation, we have
initiated the MASSIVE Survey, a volume-limited, multi-wavelength,
integral-field spectroscopic (IFS) and photometric survey of the structure and
dynamics of the ~100 most massive early-type galaxies within a distance of 108
Mpc. This survey probes a stellar mass range M* > 10^{11.5} Msun and diverse
galaxy environments that have not been systematically studied to date. Our
wide-field IFS data cover about two effective radii of individual galaxies, and
for a subset of them, we are acquiring additional IFS observations on
sub-arcsecond scales with adaptive optics. We are also acquiring deep K-band
imaging to trace the extended halos of the galaxies and measure accurate total
magnitudes. Dynamical orbit modeling of the combined data will allow us to
simultaneously determine the stellar, black hole, and dark matter halo masses.
The primary goals of the project are to constrain the black hole scaling
relations at high masses, investigate systematically the stellar initial mass
function and dark matter distribution in massive galaxies, and probe the
late-time assembly of ellipticals through stellar population and kinematical
gradients. In this paper, we describe the MASSIVE sample selection, discuss the
distinct demographics and structural and environmental properties of the
selected galaxies, and provide an overview of our basic observational program,
science goals and early survey results.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures. ApJ (2014) vol. 795, in pres
The MASSIVE Survey II: Stellar Population Trends Out to Large Radius in Massive Early Type Galaxies
We examine stellar population gradients in ~100 massive early type galaxies
spanning 180 < sigma* < 370 km/s and M_K of -22.5 to -26.5 mag, observed as
part of the MASSIVE survey (Ma et al. 2014). Using integral-field spectroscopy
from the Mitchell Spectrograph on the 2.7m telescope at McDonald Observatory,
we create stacked spectra as a function of radius for galaxies binned by their
stellar velocity dispersion, stellar mass, and group richness. With excellent
sampling at the highest stellar mass, we examine radial trends in stellar
population properties extending to beyond twice the effective radius (~2.5
R_e). Specifically, we examine trends in age, metallicity, and abundance ratios
of Mg, C, N, and Ca, and discuss the implications for star formation histories
and elemental yields. At a fixed physical radius of 3-6 kpc (the likely size of
the galaxy cores formed at high redshift) stellar age and [alpha/Fe] increase
with increasing sigma* and depend only weakly on stellar mass, as we might
expect if denser galaxies form their central cores earlier and faster. If we
instead focus on 1-1.5 R_e, the trends in abundance and abundance ratio are
washed out, as might be expected if the stars at large radius were accreted by
smaller galaxies. Finally, we show that when controlling for \sigmastar, there
are only very subtle differences in stellar population properties or gradients
as a function of group richness; even at large radius internal properties
matter more than environment in determining star formation history.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted by ApJ; resubmitted with updated
reference
The Stellar Halos of Massive Elliptical Galaxies II: Detailed Abundance Ratios at Large Radius
We study the radial dependence in stellar populations of 33 nearby early-type
galaxies with central stellar velocity dispersions sigma* > 150 km/s. We
measure stellar population properties in composite spectra, and use ratios of
these composites to highlight the largest spectral changes as a function of
radius. Based on stellar population modeling, the typical star at 2 R_e is old
(~10 Gyr), relatively metal poor ([Fe/H] -0.5), and alpha-enhanced
([Mg/Fe]~0.3). The stars were made rapidly at z~1.5-2 in shallow potential
wells. Declining radial gradients in [C/Fe], which follow [Fe/H], also arise
from rapid star formation timescales due to declining carbon yields from
low-metallicity massive stars. In contrast, [N/Fe] remains high at large
radius. Stars at large radius have different abundance ratio patterns from
stars in the center of any present-day galaxy, but are similar to Milky Way
thick disk stars. Our observations are thus consistent with a picture in which
the stellar outskirts are built up through minor mergers with disky galaxies
whose star formation is truncated early (z~1.5-2).Comment: ApJ in press, 12 pages, 6 figure
Two-Component Fokker-Planck Models for the Evolution of Isolated Globular Clusters
Two-component (normal and degenerate stars) models are the simplest
realization of clusters with a mass spectrum because high mass stars evolve
quickly into degenerates, while low mass stars remain on the main-sequence for
the age of the universe. Here we examine the evolution of isolated globular
clusters using two-component Fokker-Planck (FP) models that include heating by
binaries formed in tidal capture and in three-body encounters. Three-body
binary heating dominates and the postcollapse expansion is self-similar, at
least in models with total mass M <= 3 x 10^5 M_\odot, initial half-mass radius
r_{h,i} >= 5 pc, component mass ratio m_2/m_1 <= 2, and number ratio N_1/N_2 <=
300 when m_2=1.4 M_\odot. We derive scaling laws for \rho_c, v_c, r_c, and r_h
as functions of m_1/m_2, N, M, and time t from simple energy-balance arguments,
and these agree well with the FP simulations. We have studied the conditions
under which gravothermal oscillations (GTOs) occur. If E_{tot} and E_c are the
energies of the cluster and of the core, respectively, and t_{rh} and t_c are
their relaxation times, then \epsilon \equiv (E_{tot}/t_{rh})/(E_c/t_{rc}) is a
good predictor of GTOs: all models with \epsilon>0.01 are stable, and all but
one with \epsilon < 0.01 oscillate. We derive a scaling law for \epsilon
against N and m_1/m_2 and compared with our numerical results. Clusters with
larger m_2/m_1 or smaller N are stabler.Comment: 15 pages (LaTeX) with 8 figures. To appear in ApJ March 10, 1998
issu
Regional seasonality of fire size and fire weather conditions across Australia's northern savanna
Australia's northern savannas have among the highest fire frequencies in the world. The climate is monsoonal, with a long, dry season of up to 9 months, during which most fires occur. The Australian Government's Emissions Reduction Fund allows land managers to generate carbon credits by abating the direct emissions of CO2 equivalent gases via prescribed burning that shifts the fire regime from predominantly large, high-intensity late dry season fires to a more benign, early dry season fire regime. However, the Australian savannas are vast and there is significant variation in weather conditions and seasonality, which is likely to result in spatial and temporal variations in the commencement and length of late dry season conditions. Here, we assess the temporal and spatial consistency of the commencement of late dry season conditions, defined as those months that maximise fire size and where the most extreme fire weather conditions exist. The results demonstrate that significant yearly, seasonal and spatial variations in fire size and fire weather conditions exist, both within and between bioregions. The effective start of late dry season conditions, as defined by those months that maximise fire size and where the most extreme fire weather variables exist, is variable across the savannas
Dwarf Galaxy Dark Matter Density Profiles Inferred from Stellar and Gas Kinematics
We present new constraints on the density profiles of dark matter (DM) halos
in seven nearby dwarf galaxies from measurements of their integrated stellar
light and gas kinematics. The gas kinematics of low mass galaxies frequently
suggest that they contain constant density DM cores, while N-body simulations
instead predict a cuspy profile. We present a data set of high resolution
integral field spectroscopy on seven galaxies and measure the stellar and gas
kinematics simultaneously. Using Jeans modeling on our full sample, we examine
whether gas kinematics in general produce shallower density profiles than are
derived from the stars. Although 2/7 galaxies show some localized differences
in their rotation curves between the two tracers, estimates of the central
logarithmic slope of the DM density profile, gamma, are generally robust. The
mean and standard deviation of the logarithmic slope for the population are
gamma=0.67+/-0.10 when measured in the stars and gamma=0.58+/-0.24 when
measured in the gas. We also find that the halos are not under concentrated at
the radii of half their maximum velocities. Finally, we search for correlations
of the DM density profile with stellar velocity anisotropy and other baryonic
properties. Two popular mechanisms to explain cored DM halos are an exotic DM
component or feedback models that strongly couple the energy of supernovae into
repeatedly driving out gas and dynamically heating the DM halos. We investigate
correlations that may eventually be used to test models. We do not find a
secondary parameter that strongly correlates with the central DM density slope,
but we do find some weak correlations. Determining the importance of these
correlations will require further model developments and larger observational
samples. (Abridged)Comment: 29 pages, 18 figures, 10 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
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