Nuclear structure & merger-starburst relation in the ultraluminous IR galaxy NGC 6240: II. Kinematics

Details Nuclear structure & merger-starburst relation in the ultraluminous IR galaxy NGC 6240: II. Kinematics Nuclear structure & merger-starburst relation in the ultraluminous IR galaxy NGC 6240: II. Kinematics

Jul 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999hst..prop.8261v&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #8261

Computer Science

Hst Proposal Id #8261 Galaxy Populations And Interactions

Scientific paper

The ultraluminous infra-red galaxy NGC 6240 has tidal tails and a double nucleus, suggesting an ongoing merger. We are imaging NGC 6240 with WFPC2 in Cycle 6, to study the nuclear distributions of stars, dust and ionized gas. Here we do follow-up STIS spectroscopy, to determine the stellar and gaseous kinematics. Our study is aimed at addressing several issues. {a} The velocity field of the ionized gas reveals a steep velocity gradient at 12 arcsec from the double nucleus. STIS will establish whether this is due to rotation around a suggested 1010.5 M_sun black hole or to tidal forces in the interaction. {b} The far-IR luminosity of NGC 6240 is generally attributed to dust-heating by a starburst, but a ground-based measurement of the central stellar velocity dispersion indicates too high an M/L for a starburst. STIS absorption line spectra will determine whether the stellar motions are in fact relaxed, and can be used to infer M/L. {c} An improved measurement of the stellar kinematics will allow placement of NGC 6240 on the fundamental plane, to address whether it is consistent with being an elliptical galaxy in formation. {d} STIS H_alpha+[NII] spectra will allow us to search for an AGN component which may contribute to the dust heating in NGC 6240.

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