Adrianne Slyz

Abstract:

Although K-band images provide quite a reliable estimate of the stellar mass distribution within the disks of spiral galaxies, we discuss how performing a color correction to reduce local stellar mass-to-light ratio variations leads to shorter disk scale lengths and has a notable effect on the morphology. We use the mass maps prepared in this way to derive an accurate potential for the stellar mass and perform 2D hydrodynamical gas simulations to model the gas flow in a combined disk-halo potential. By comparison with the galaxy's measured kinematics, the simulated velocity fields allow us to constrain the contribution of a smooth dark matter component to the total mass in the inner few exponential disk scale lengths in spiral galaxies. We show for a sample of 3 galaxies that the simulations enable us to explore stellar disk and dark halo mass fractions.

Abstract:

We explore the relative importance of the stellar mass density as compared to the inner dark halo, using the observed gas kinematics throughout the disk of the spiral galaxy NGC 4254 (Messier 99). We perform hydrodynamical simulations of the gas flow for a sequence of gravitational potentials in which we vary the stellar disk contribution to the total potential. This stellar portion of the potential was derived empirically from color corrected K-band photometry reflecting the spiral arms in the stellar mass, while the halo was modelled as an isothermal sphere. The simulated gas density and the gas velocity field are then compared to the observed stellar spiral arm morphology and to the H-alpha gas kinematics. We find that this method is a powerful tool to determine the corotation radius of the spiral pattern and that it can be used to place an upper limit on the mass of the stellar disk. For the case of the galaxy NGC 4254 we find R_cr = 7.5 +/- 1.1 kpc, or R_cr = 2.1 R_exp(K'). We also demonstrate that for a maximal disk the prominent spiral arms of the stellar component over-predict the non-circular gas motions unless an axisymmetric dark halo component contributes significantly (>~ 1/3) to the total potential inside 2.2 K-band exponential disk scale lengths.