The line-of-sight velocity distributions of simulated merger remnants |
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| Authors: | George J Bendo Joshua E Barnes |
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| Institution: | Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA |
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| Abstract: | We use Gauss–Hermite functions to study the line-of-sight velocity distributions in simulated merger remnants. Our sample contains 16 remnants; eight produced by mergers between disc galaxies of equal mass, and eight produced by mergers between disc galaxies with mass ratios of 3:1. The equal-mass mergers display a wide range of kinematic features, including counterrotation at large radii, orthogonally rotating cores and misaligned rotational axes. Most of the unequal-mass remnants exhibit fairly regular disc-like kinematics, although two have kinematics more typical of the equal-mass remnants. Our results may be compared with observations of early-type objects, including ellipticals with misaligned kinematic axes, counterrotating systems and S0 galaxies. |
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| Keywords: | galaxies: elliptical and lenticular cD galaxies: interactions galaxies: kinematics and dynamics galaxies: spiral |
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