The dynamical influence of the nucleus on the bulge of M31

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Andromeda Galaxy, Celestial Mechanics, Galactic Nuclei, Stellar Orbits, Stellar Systems, Astronomical Photometry, Charge Coupled Devices, Dark Matter, Density Distribution, Mass To Light Ratios

Scientific paper

Massive compact structures in the centers of triaxial stellar systems may subject stars on box orbits to large-angle deflections and thereby disrupt the triaxiality of their parent galaxies. The question of whether or not the nucleus of M31 can affect the dynamics of the bulge in this way is adddressed. Photometric models of the nucleus and bulge of M31 are derived from available Stratoscope II and ground-based CCD observations. Rotation measurements at a distance of 2 arcsecs from the center are used to determine a minimum nuclear mass. If the nucleus and bulge each have a constant mass-to-light ratio, the nucleus is sufficiently massive and dense to scatter and disrupt any box orbits in the inner 500 pc of the bulge, implying that the inner bulge could not now be triaxial. The persistence of some isophotal twists in this region after the effects of dust have been removed, together with relaxation time arguments, may therefore suggest that the inferred dark matter in the nuclear region is in low-mass objects, which are less centrally concentrated than the visible nucleus.

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