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Stellar discs in massive galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2013

D. Krajnović
Affiliation:
ESO, Garching, Germany
K. Alatalo
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley, USA
L. Blitz
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley, USA
M. Bois
Affiliation:
Observatoire de Paris, France
F. Bournaud
Affiliation:
Université Paris Diderot, France
M. Bureau
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, UK
M. Cappellari
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, UK
R. L. Davies
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, UK
T. A. Davis
Affiliation:
ESO, Garching, Germany
P. T. de Zeeuw
Affiliation:
ESO, Garching, Germany Leiden University, The Netherlands
E. Emsellem
Affiliation:
ESO, Garching, Germany Université de Lyon, France
S. Khochfar
Affiliation:
MPE, Garching, Germany
H. Kuntschner
Affiliation:
ESO, Garching, Germany
R. M. McDermid
Affiliation:
Gemini Observatory, Hilo, USA
R. Morganti
Affiliation:
ASTRON, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
T. Naab
Affiliation:
MPA, Garching, Germany
M. Sarzi
Affiliation:
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
N. Scott
Affiliation:
CAS, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
P. Serra
Affiliation:
ASTRON, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
A. Weijmans
Affiliation:
University of TorontoCanada
L. M. Young
Affiliation:
New Mexico Tech, Socorro, USA
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Excluding those unsettled systems undergoing mergers, bright galaxies come in two flavours: with and without discs. In this work we look for photometric evidence for presence of discs and compare it with kinematic results of the ATLAS3D survey (Cappellari et al. 2011). We fit a Sérsic (1968) function to azimuthally averaged light profiles of ATLAS3D galaxies to derive single component fits and, subsequently, we fit a combination of the Sérsic function (free index n) and an exponential function (n=1) with the purpose of decomposing the light profiles into “bulge” and “disc” components (B+D model) of all non-barred sample galaxies. We compare the residuals of the B+D models with those of the single Sérsic fits and select the B+D model as preferred only when the improvement is substantial and there are no correlations within residuals. We find that the high angular momentum objects (fast rotators) are disc dominated systems with bulges of typically low n (when their light profiles can be decomposed) or are best represented with a single Sérsic function with a low Sérsic index (n<3). Single component systems with large Sérsic indices are characteristic of low angular momentum objects (slow rotators).

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013 

References

Cappellari, M., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 413, 813Google Scholar
Sérsic, J. L., 1968, Atlas de galaxias australes, Observatorio Astrónomico, Córdoba, ArgentinaGoogle Scholar