Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1999-02-28
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
To appear in AJ, June 1999 issue. AAS LaTex, 17 pages + table and figures
Scientific paper
10.1086/300869
We present an I-band Tully-Fisher relation (TFR) for 18 nearby S0 galaxies using kinematics derived from long slit spectroscopy of stellar absorption lines. Our estimates of the circular velocity, V_c, at 2-3 exponential disk scale lengths account for line-of-sight projection and for the stellar random motions through an asymmetric drift correction. Uniform and accurate distance calibration for all objects is available from surface brightness fluctuation measurements of Tonry et al. (1998). Despite the care taken in estimating both V_c and M_I, the TFR shows an intrinsic scatter, $\sim 0.7$ mag in M_I, or 0.15 in log_10(V_c). This result is surprising, as S0 galaxies appear to have both the simple kinematics of disk galaxies, and the simple stellar populations of early-type galaxies. Remarkably, in this sample of overall rotation-dominated galaxies, the central stellar velocity dispersion is a better predictor of the total I-band luminosity (through the Fundamental Plane relations) than the circular speed at several exponential scale lengths. Furthermore, the TFR zeropoint, or the mean stellar I-band luminosity at a given V_c, differs by only $\sim 0.5$ mag between our sample of S0s and Mathewson et al.'s (1992) sample of late-type spirals, once both data sets are brought onto a consistent distance scale. This offset is less than expected if S0s are former spiral galaxies with prematurely truncated star-formation ($\gtorder 4$ Gyrs ago).
Maoz Dan
Neistein Eyal
Rix Hans-Walter
Tonry John L.
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