New axes for the stellar mass fundamental plane
Abstract
We argue that the stellar velocity dispersion observed in an elliptical galaxy is a good proxy for the halo velocity dispersion. As dark matter halos are almost completely characterized by a single scale parameter, the stellar velocity dispersion tells us the virial radius of the halo and the mass contained within. This permits non-dimensionalizing of the stellar mass and effective radius axes of the stellar mass fundamental plane by the virial radius and halo mass, respectively.
- Publication:
-
The General Assembly of Galaxy Halos: Structure, Origin and Evolution
- Pub Date:
- August 2016
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921315007267
- Bibcode:
- 2016IAUS..317...35S
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: elliptical;
- scaling relations