Michele Cappellari

Abstract:

We present parsec-scale kinematics of 11 nearby galactic nuclei, derived from adaptive-optics assisted integral-field spectroscopy at (near-infrared) CO band-head wavelengths. We focus our analysis on the balance between ordered rotation and random motions, which can provide insights into the dominant formation mechanism of nuclear star clusters (NSCs). We divide our target sample into late- and early-type galaxies, and discuss the nuclear kinematics of the two subsamples, aiming at probing any link between NSC formation and host galaxy evolution. The results suggest that the dominant formation mechanism of NSCs is indeed affected by the different evolutionary paths of their hosts across the Hubble sequence. More specifically, nuclear regions in late-type galaxies are on average more rotation dominated, and the formation of nuclear stellar structures is potentially linked to the presence of gas funneled to the center. Early-type galaxies, in contrast, tend to display slowly rotating NSCs with lower ellipticity. However, some exceptions suggest that in specific cases, early-type hosts can form NSCs in a way similar to spirals.

Abstract:

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>As part of the Measuring Black Holes in below Milky Way-mass (M⋆) galaxies (MBHBM⋆) Project, we present a dynamical measurement of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass in the nearby lenticular galaxy NGC 3593, using cold molecular gas 12CO(2-1) emission observed at an angular resolution of ≈0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$3 (≈10 pc) with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Our ALMA observations reveal a circumnuclear molecular gas disc (CND) elongated along the galaxy major axis and rotating around the SMBH. This CND has a relatively low-velocity dispersion (≲10 km s−1) and is morphologically complex, with clumps having higher integrated intensities and velocity dispersions (≲25 km s−1). These clumps are distributed along the ridges of a two-arm/bi-symmetric spiral pattern surrounded by a larger ring-like structure (radius r ≈ 10 arcsec or ≈350 pc). This pattern likely plays an important role to bridge the molecular gas reservoirs in the CND and beyond (10 ≲ r ≲ 35 arcsec or 350 pc ≲ r ≲ 1.2 kpc). Using dynamical modelling, the molecular gas kinematics allow us to infer an SMBH mass $M_{\rm BH}=2.40_{-1.05}^{+1.87}\times 10^6$ M⊙ (only statistical uncertainties at the 3σ level). We also detect a massive core of cold molecular gas (CMC) of mass MCMC = (5.4 ± 1.2) × 106 M⊙ and effective (half-mass) radius rCMC,e = 11.2 ± 2.8 pc, co-spatial with a nuclear star cluster (NSC) of mass MNSC = (1.67 ± 0.48) × 107 M⊙ and effective radius rNSC,e = 5.0 ± 1.0 pc (or 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$15 ± 0${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$03). The mass profiles of the CMC and NSC are well described by Sérsic functions with indices 1−1.4. Our MBH and MNSC estimates for NGC 3593 agree well with the recently compiled MBH–MNSC scaling relation. Although the MNSC uncertainty is twice the inferred MBH, the rapid central rise of the rotation velocities of the CND (as the radius decreases) clearly suggests an SMBH. Indeed, our dynamical models show that even if MNSC is at the upper end of its allowed range, the evidence for a BH does not vanish, but remains with a lower limit of MBH &amp;gt; 3 × 105 M⊙.</jats:p>

Abstract:

The stellar mass-to-light ratio gradient in SDSS r-band ∇(M_*/L_r) of a galaxy depends on its mass assembly history, which is imprinted in its morphology and gradients of age, metallicity, and stellar initial mass function (IMF). Taking a MaNGA sample of 2051 galaxies with stellar masses ranging from 10⁹ to 10¹²M_⊙ released in SDSS DR15, we focus on face-on galaxies, without merger and bar signatures, and investigate the dependence of the 2D ∇(M_*/L_r) on other galaxy properties, including M_*/L_r-colour relationships by assuming a fixed Salpeter IMF as the mass normalization reference. The median gradient is ∇M_*/L_r ∼ −0.1 (i.e. the M_*/L_r is larger at the centre) for massive galaxies, becomes flat around M_* ∼ 10¹⁰M_⊙ and change sign to ∇M_*/L_r ∼ 0.1 at the lowest masses. The M_*/L_r inside a half-light radius increases with increasing galaxy stellar mass; in each mass bin, early-type galaxies have the highest value, while pure-disc late-type galaxies have the smallest. Correlation analyses suggest that the mass-weighted stellar age is the dominant parameter influencing the M_*/L_r profile, since a luminosity-weighted age is easily affected by star formation when the specific star formation rate (sSFR) inside the half-light radius is higher than 10⁻³ Gyr⁻¹. With increased sSFR gradient, one can obtain a steeper negative ∇(M_*/L_r). The scatter in the slopes of M_*/L-colour relations increases with increasing sSFR, for example, the slope for post-starburst galaxies can be flattened to 0.45 from the global value 0.87 in the M_*/L versus g − r diagram. Hence converting galaxy colours to M_*/L should be done carefully, especially for those galaxies with young luminosity-weighted stellar ages, which can have quite different star formation histories.

Abstract:

We construct a dynamical model of the Milky Way disk from a data set that combines Gaia EDR3 and APOGEE data throughout galactocentric radii in the range 5.0 kpc ≤ R ≤ 19.5 kpc. We make use of the spherically aligned Jeans anisotropic method to model the stellar velocities and their velocity dispersions. Building upon our previous work, our model is now fitted to kinematic maps that have been extended to larger galactocentric radii due to the expansion of our data set, probing the outer regions of the Galactic disk. Our best-fitting dynamical model suggests a logarithmic density slope of αDM = −1.602 ± 0.079syst for the dark matter halo and a dark matter density of ρDM(R⊙) = (8.92 ± 0.56syst) × 10−3 M⊙ pc−3 (0.339 ± 0.022syst GeV cm3). We estimate a circular velocity at the solar radius of vcirc = (234.7 ± 1.7syst) km s−1 with a decline toward larger radii. The total mass density is ρtot(R⊙) = (0.0672 ± 0.0015syst) M⊙ pc−3 with a slope of αtot = −2.367 ± 0.047syst for 5 kpc ≤ R ≤ 19.5 kpc, and the total surface density is Σ(R⊙, ∣z∣ ≤ 1.1 kpc) = (55.5 ± 1.7syst) M⊙ pc−2. While the statistical errors are small, the error budget of the derived quantities is dominated by the three to seven times larger systematic uncertainties. These values are consistent with our previous determination, but the systematic uncertainties are reduced due to the extended data set covering a larger spatial extent of the Milky Way disk. Furthermore, we test the influence of nonaxisymmetric features on our resulting model and analyze how a flaring disk model would change our findings.