Bibcode
Toloba, E.; Guhathakurta, P.; Boselli, A.; Peletier, R. F.; Emsellem, E.; Lisker, T.; van de Ven, G.; Simon, J. D.; Falcón-Barroso, J.; Adams, J. J.; Benson, A. J.; Boissier, S.; den Brok, M.; Gorgas, J.; Hensler, G.; Janz, J.; Laurikainen, E.; Paudel, S.; Ryś, A.; Salo, H.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 799, Issue 2, article id. 172, 12 pp. (2015).
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2
2015
Journal
Citations
58
Refereed citations
55
Description
We analyze the stellar kinematics of 39 dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs)
in the Virgo Cluster. Based on the specific stellar angular momentum
λRe and the ellipticity, we find 11 slow rotators and
28 fast rotators. The fast rotators in the outer parts of the Virgo
Cluster rotate significantly faster than fast rotators in the inner
parts of the cluster. Moreover, 10 out of the 11 slow rotators are
located in the inner 3° (D < 1 Mpc) of the cluster. The fast
rotators contain subtle disk-like structures that are visible in
high-pass filtered optical images, while the slow rotators do not
exhibit these structures. In addition, two of the dEs have kinematically
decoupled cores and four more have emission partially filling in the
Balmer absorption lines. These properties suggest that Virgo Cluster dEs
may have originated from late-type star-forming galaxies that were
transformed by the environment after their infall into the cluster. The
correlation between λRe and the clustercentric
distance can be explained by a scenario where low luminosity
star-forming galaxies fall into the cluster, their gas is rapidly
removed by ram-pressure stripping, although some of it can be retained
in their core, their star formation is quenched but their stellar
kinematics are preserved. After a long time in the cluster and several
passes through its center, the galaxies are heated up and transformed
into slow rotating dEs.
Related projects
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro