Bibcode
DOI
Arnaboldi, Magda; Gerhard, Ortwin; Aguerri, J. Alfonso L.; Freeman, Kenneth C.; Napolitano, Nicola R.; Okamura, Sadanori; Yasuda, Naoki
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 614, Issue 1, pp. L33-L36.
Advertised on:
10
2004
Journal
Citations
101
Refereed citations
83
Description
Radial velocities of 40 intracluster planetary nebulae (ICPNs) in the
Virgo Cluster were obtained with the new multifiber FLAMES spectrograph
on UT2 at the Very Large Telescope. For the first time, the λ4959
line of the [O III] doublet is seen in a large fraction (50%) of ICPNs
spectra, and a large fraction of the photometric candidates with
m(5007)<~27.2 is spectroscopically confirmed. ICPNs with the velocity
dispersion of the Virgo Cluster are found in our CORE field 1.2d from
M87. These may have originated from tidal mass loss of smaller galaxies
in the M87 subcluster halo. In a field 0.25d from M87, we see an
extended stellar halo of M87 in approximate dynamical equilibrium but
with few ICPNs. Finally, in a field near M84/M86, the ICPN velocities
are highly correlated with the galaxy velocities, showing that any
well-mixed intracluster population is yet to form. Overall, the measured
velocity distributions confirm the nonuniform dynamical structure and
ongoing assembly of the Virgo Cluster.
Based on data collected with the FLAMES spectrograph at the UT2 of the
Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal, Chile, operated by ESO, during
observing run 71.B-0147(A).