Lodovico Coccato

ON THE RELATION BETWEEN CIRCULAR VELOCITY AND CENTRAL VELOCITY DISPERSION IN HIGH AND LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS GALAXIES

In order to investigate the correlation between the circular velocity Vc and the central velocity dispersion of the spheroidal componentc, we analyzed these quantities for a sample of 40 high surface brightness (HSB) disk galaxies, eight giant low surface brightness (LSB) spiral galaxies, and 24 elliptical galaxies characterized by flat rotation curves. Galaxieshave been selectedto have avelocity gradient � 2kms � 1 kpc � 1 forR � 0:35R25.We used these data to better define the previous Vc-� c correlation for spiral galaxies (which turned out to be HSB) and ellipticalgalaxies,especiallyatthelowerendofthecvalues.WefindthattheVc-� crelationisdescribedbyalinear law out to velocity dispersions as low asc � 50 km s � 1 , while in previous works a power law was adopted for galaxies withc > 80 km s � 1 . Elliptical galaxies with Vc based on dynamical models or directly derived from the H i rotation curves follow the same relation as the HSB galaxies in the Vc-� c plane. On the other hand, the LSB galaxies follow a different relation, since most of them show either higher Vc or lowerc with respect to the HSB galaxies.Thisarguesagainsttherelevanceofbaryoncollapsetotheradialdensityprofile ofthedarkmatterhalosof LSB galaxies. Moreover, if theVc-� c relation is equivalent to one between the mass of the dark matter halo and that of the supermassive black hole, then these results suggest that the LSB galaxies host a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a smaller mass compared to HSB galaxies with an equal dark matter halo. On the other hand, if the fundamental correlation of SMBH mass is with the halo circular velocity, then LSB galaxies should have larger black hole masses for a given bulge dispersion. Elliptical galaxies with Vc derived from H i data and LSB galaxies were not considered in previous studies.

Minor-axis velocity gradients in spirals and the case of inner polar disks

We measured the ionized-gas and stellar kinematics along the major and minor axis of a sample of 10 early-type spirals. Much to our surprise we found a remarkable gas velocity gradient along the minor axis of 8 of them. According to the kinematic features observed in their ionized-gas velocity fields, we divide our sample galaxies in three classes of objects. (i) NGC 4984, NGC 7213, and NGC 7377 show an overall velocity curve along the minor axis without zero-velocity points, out to the last measured radius, which is interpreted as due to the warped structure of the gaseous disk. (ii) NGC 3885, NGC 4224, and NGC 4586 are characterized by a velocity gradient along both major and minor axis, although non-zero velocities along the minor axis are confined to the central regions. Such gas kinematics have been explained as being due to non-circular motions induced by a triaxial potential. (iii) NGC 2855 and NGC 7049 show a change of slope of the velocity gradient measured along the major axis (which is shallower in the center and steeper away from the nucleus), as well as non-zero gas velocities in the central regions of the minor axis. This has been attributed to the presence of a kinematically-decoupled gaseous component in orthogonal rotation with respect to the galaxy disk, namely an inner polar disk. The case and origin of inner polar disks are discussed and the list of their host galaxies is presented.

Metallicity gradients in Local Universe galaxies: time evolution and effects of radial migration

Our knowledge of the shape of radial metallicity gradients in disc galaxies has recently improved. Conversely, the understanding of their time evolution is more complex, since it requires analysis of stellar populations with different ages, or systematic studies of galaxies at different redshifts. In the Local Universe, Hii regions and planetary nebulae (PNe) are important tools to investigate it. We present an in-depth study of all nearby spiral galaxies (M33, M31, NGC300, and M81) with direct-method nebular abundances of both populations. For the first time, we also evaluate the radial migration of PN populations. We analyse Hii region and PN properties to: determine whether oxygen in PNe is a reliable tracer for past interstellar medium (ISM) composition; homogenise the published datasets; estimate the migration of the oldest stellar populations; determine the overall chemical enrichment and slope evolution. We confirm that oxygen in PNe is a reliable tracer for the past ISM metallicity. We find that PN gradients are flatter than or equal to those of Hii regions. When radial motions are negligible, this result provides a direct measurement of the time evolution of the gradient. For galaxies with dominant radial motions, we provide upper limits on the gradient evolution. Finally, the total metal content increases with time in all target galaxies, with early morphological type having a larger increment Delta(O/H) than late-type galaxies. Our findings provide important constraints to discriminate among different galactic evolutionary scenarios, favouring cosmological models with enhanced feedback from supernovae. The advent of extremely large telescopes will allow us to include galaxies in a wider range of morphologies and environments, thus putting firmer constraints to galaxy formation and evolution scenarios.

Minor-axis velocity gradients in disk galaxies

We present the ionized-gas kinematics and photometry of a sample of 4 spiral galaxies which are characterized by a zero-velocity plateau along the major axis and a velocity gradient along the minor axis, respectively. By combining these new kinematical data with those available in the literature for the ionized-gas component of the S0s and spirals listed in the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies we realized that about 50% of unbarred galaxies show a remarkable gas velocity gradient along the optical minor axis. This fraction rises to about 60% if we include unbarred galaxies with an irregular velocity profile along the minor axis. This phenomenon is observed all along the Hubble sequence of disk galaxies, and it is particularly frequent in early-type spirals. Since minor-axis velocity gradients are unexpected if the gas is moving onto circular orbits in a disk coplanar to the stellar one, we conclude that non-circular and off-plane gas motions are not rare in the inner regions of disk galaxies.

Spiral galaxies with a central plateau in the gas velocity curve along the major axis

We present the minor-axis kinematics of ionized gas and stars for a sample of 5 spiral galaxies, which are characterized by either a zero or a shallow gas velocity gradient along their major axis. The asymmetric velocity profiles observed along the minor axis of NGCu20094064 and NGCu20094189 can be explained as due to the presence of a bar. This is also the case of NGCu20094178, where the innermost portion of the gaseous disk is nearly face on. In NGCu20094424 and NGCu20094941, we measured non-zero gas velocities only in the central regions along the minor axis, and gas velocities drop to zero at larger radii. This kinematic feature is suggestive of the presence of an orthogonally-rotating gaseous component, which is confined in the innermost regions (i.e. an inner polar disk) and needs to be confirmed with integral-field spectroscopy.

Mapping the inner regions of the polar disk galaxy NGC 4650A with MUSE

[abridged] The polar disk galaxy NGC4650A was observed during the commissioning of the MUSE at the ESO VLT to obtain the first 2D map of the velocity and velocity dispersion for both stars and gas. The new MUSE data allow the analysis of the structure and kinematics towards the central regions of NGC4650A, where the two components co-exist. These regions were unexplored by the previous long-slit literature data available for this galaxy. The extended view of NGC~4650A given by the MUSE data is a galaxy made of two perpendicular disks that remain distinct and drive the kinematics right into the very centre of this object. In order to match this observed structure for NGC4650A, we constructed a multicomponent mass model made by the combined projection of two disks. By comparing the observations with the 2D kinematics derived from the model, we found that the modelled mass distribution in these two disks can, on average, account for the complex kinematics revealed by the MUSE data, also in the central regions of the galaxy where the two components coexist. This result is a strong constraint on the dynamics and formation history of this galaxy; it further supports the idea that polar disk galaxies like NGC~4650A were formed through the accretion of material that has different angular momentum.

Nuclear discs as clocks for the assembly history of early-type galaxies: the case of NGC 4458

Approximately 20% of early-type galaxies host small nuclear stellar discs that are tens to a few hundred parsecs in size. Such discs are expected to be easily disrupted during major galactic encounters, hence their age serve to constrain their assembly history. We use VIMOS integral-field spectroscopic observations for the intermediate-mass E0 galaxy NGC 4458 and age-date its nuclear disc via high-resolution fitting of various model spectra. We find that the nuclear disc is at least 6 Gyr old. A clue to gain narrow limits to the stellar age is our knowledge of the nuclear disc contribution to the central surface brightness. The presence of an old nuclear disk, or the absence of disruptive encounters since z � 0.6, for a small galaxy such as NGC 4458 which belongs to the Virgo cluster, may be consistent with a hierarchical picture for galaxy formation where the smallest galaxies assembles earlier and the crowded galactic environments reduce the incidence of galaxy mergers. On the other hand, NGC 4458 displays little or no bulk rotation except for a central kpc-scale kinematically-decoupled core. Slow rotation and decoupled core are usually explained in terms of mergers. The presence and age of the nuclear disc constraint these mergers to have happened at high redshift.

Central DM density cuspiness in LSB's: a stellar kinematics approach

We present preliminary results from spectroscopic observations of a sample of 11 low surface brightness galaxies (LSB). We measured the stellar and gaseous kinematics along their major and minor axes. Such information will allow us to accurately investigate the dark matter (DM) content within their optical regions, providing further constraints on the predictions of standard CDM models. Although dynamical modeling is still in progress, our observations already show that the derived stellar kinematics is more regular than the ionized gas one, which often shows evidence for non-circular and asymmetric motions.

Supermassive black holes in spiral galaxies: HST/STIS observations for three new objects

We present long-slit HST/STIS measurements of the ionized-gas kinematics in the nucleus of three disk galaxies, namely NGC 2179, NGC 4343, NGC 4435. The sample galaxies have been selected on the basis of their ground-based spectroscopy, for displaying a strong central velocity gradient for the ionized gas, which is consistent with the presence of a circum nuclear keplerian disk (CNKD, Bertola et al. 1998; Funes et al. 2002) rotating around a super massive black hole (SMBH). For each target galaxy we obtained the Hα and [NII] 6583 A kinematics along the major axis and two 0.25 parallel offset positions. Out of three objects only NGC 4435 turned out to have a disk of ionized gas in regular motion and a regular dust-lane morphology. Preliminary modeling indicates a SMBH mass ( M [bull ] ) one order of magnitude lower than the one expected from the M [bull ] −σ c relation for galaxies (Ferrarese & Merritt 2000; Gebhardt et al. 2000). To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

The V_c-sigma_c relation in high and low surface brightness galaxies

We investigate the relation between the asymptotic circular velocity, V_c, and the central stellar velocity dispersion, sigma_c, in galaxies. We consider a new sample of high surface brightness spiral galaxies (HSB), low surface brightness spiral galaxies (LSB), and elliptical galaxies with HI-based V_c measurements. We find that: 1) elliptical galaxies with HI measurements fit well within the relation; 2) a linear law can reproduce the data as well as a power law (used in previous works) even for galaxies with sigma_c < 70 km/s; 3) LSB galaxies, considered for the first time with this respect, seem to behave differently, showing either larger V_c values or smaller sigma_c values.