Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jul 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008iaus..245..203f&link_type=abstract
Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Bulges, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, IAU Symposium, Volume 245, p. 203
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Galaxies: Elliptical And Lenticular, Cd – Galaxies: Fundamental Parameters – Galaxies: Nuclei – Galaxies: Photometry – Galaxies: Structure
Scientific paper
The core structure of early-type galaxies is revisited in light of recent results from the ACS Virgo and Fornax Cluster Surveys. These surveys are comprised of HST/ACS g, z band images for a representative sample of 143 early-type galaxies, spanning a factor 720 in B-band luminosity. The data indicates a clear transition in the core structure going from the brightest to the faintest galaxies. In contrast to previous claims, however, this transition is found to be a continuous function of galaxy magnitude. We characterize the core structure in terms of deviations of the observed surface brightness profile measured within ~ 2% of the galaxy effective radius relative to the inner extrapolation of the Sérsic law that best fits the profiles on larger scales. Virtually all galaxies fainter than MB ~ -20 mag contain distinct stellar nuclei, and are described by surface brightness profiles that lie above the Sérsic extrapolation, while the reverse is true for brighter galaxies. The latter are also known to host supermassive black holes. A relation between SBHs and stellar nuclei is suggested by the fact that both types of “central massive objects” contain the same fraction, 0.2% of the total mass of the host galaxy.
Cote' Patrick
Ferrarese Laura
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