Dark Matter in Elliptical Galaxies
Abstract
We present measurements of the shape of the stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution out to two effective radii along the major axes of the four elliptical galaxies NGC 2434,2663,3706, and 5018. The velocity dispersion profiles are flat or decline gently with radius. We compare the data to the predictions of f = f(E, L_z_) axisymmetric models with and without dark matter. Strong tangential anisotropy is ruled out at large radii. We conclude from our measurements that massive dark halos must be present in three of the four galaxies, while for the fourth galaxy (NGC 2663) the case is inconclusive.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- March 1995
- DOI:
- 10.1086/187780
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/9501046
- Bibcode:
- 1995ApJ...441L..25C
- Keywords:
-
- Astronomical Models;
- Dark Matter;
- Elliptical Galaxies;
- Galactic Structure;
- Planetary Nebulae;
- Velocity Distribution;
- Visible Spectrum;
- Anisotropy;
- Astronomical Spectroscopy;
- Ellipticity;
- Signal To Noise Ratios;
- Spectroscopic Telescopes;
- Stellar Luminosity;
- Astrophysics;
- COSMOLOGY: DARK MATTER;
- GALAXIES: ELLIPTICAL AND LENTICULAR;
- CD;
- GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL NGC NUMBER: NGC 2434;
- GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL NGC NUMBER: NGC 2663;
- GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL NGC NUMBER: NGC 3706;
- GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL NGC NUMBER: NGC 5018;
- GALAXIES: KINEMATICS AND DYNAMICS;
- GALAXIES: STRUCTURE;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 15 pages, uuencoded compressed PostScript, includes 3 figures