Disk mass and disk heating in the spiral galaxy NGC 3223

Journal article

Authors/Editors

Angus, Garry

Research Areas

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Publication Details

Author list: Gentile G, Tydtgat C, Baes M, De Geyter G, Koleva M, Angus GW, de Blok WJG, Saftly W, Viaene S

Publisher: EDP Sciences

Place: LES ULIS CEDEX A

Publication year: 2015

Journal: Astronomy & Astrophysics (0004-6361)

Journal acronym: ASTRON ASTROPHYS

Volume number: 576

Number of pages: 8

ISSN: 0004-6361

eISSN: 1432-0746

Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)

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Abstract

We present the stellar and gaseous kinematics of an Sb galaxy, NGC 3223, with the aim of determining the vertical and radial stellar velocity dispersion as a function of radius, which can help to constrain disk heating theories. Together with the observed NIR photometry, the vertical velocity dispersion is also used to determine the stellar mass-to-light (M/L) ratio, typically one of the largest uncertainties when deriving the dark matter distribution from the observed rotation curve. We find a vertical-to-radial velocity dispersion ratio of sigma(z)/sigma(R) = 1.21 +/- 0.14, significantly higher than expectations from known correlations, and a weakly-constrained Ks-band stellar M/L ratio in the range 0.5-1.7, which is at the high end of (but consistent with) the predictions of stellar population synthesis models. Such a weak constraint on the stellar M/L ratio, however, does not allow us to securely determine the dark matter density distribution. To achieve this, either a statistical approach or additional data (e.g. integral-field unit) are needed.

Keywords

galaxies: individual: NGC 3223, galaxies: kinematics and dynamics, galaxies: structure

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