Bibcode
DOI
Borne, Kirk D.; Balcells, Marc; Hoessel, John G.; McMaster, Matthew
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 435, no. 1, p. 79-92
Advertised on:
11
1994
Journal
Citations
14
Refereed citations
14
Description
We have analyzed long-slit spectroscopic data for a sample of 12 tidally
disturbed elliptical galaxies. The spectra were obtained with the Kitt
Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 4 m RC spectrograph. Rotation curves
and velocity dispersion profiles have been measured at a variety of
position angles in these galaxies and have been used to analyze the
dynamical response and internal kinematics of stellar systems involved
in strong gravitational encounters. We have confirmed with these data
our previous observation that such galaxies often reveal U-shaped
'rotation' profiles, indicative of a strong resonant tidal effect among
those stars that are moving prograde with respect to the galactic
encounter. Additional kinematic peculiarities, including U-shaped and
W-shaped velocity dispersion profiles, are also revealed in these data.
The observed morphologies of the tidal features seen in some of the
sample galaxies are consistent with the idea that elliptical galaxies
often contain an embedded disk component. Our velocity profiles along
new position angles confirm the validity of tidal interaction models
that we previously derived for specific pairs in our sample using only a
single slit position angle per galaxy. Additional insight into possible
refinements of those collision models has also resulted from this study.