Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-12-06
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.366:182-188,2006
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
8 pages, including 1 table and 2 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Version with full resolution figures available at
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09840.x
We have identified two new galaxies with gas counter-rotation (NGC1596 and NGC3203) and have confirmed similar behaviour in another one (NGC128), this using results from separate studies of the ionized-gas and stellar kinematics of a well-defined sample of 30 edge-on disc galaxies. Gas counter-rotators thus represent 10+/-5% of our sample, but the fraction climbs to 21+/-11% when only lenticular (S0) galaxies are considered and to 27+/-13% for S0s with detected ionized-gas only. Those fractions are consistent with but slightly higher than previous studies. A compilation from well-defined studies of S0s in the literature yields fractions of 15+/-4% and 23+/-5%, respectively. Although mainly based on circumstantial evidence, we argue that the counter-rotating gas originates primarily from minor mergers and tidally-induced transfer of material from nearby objects. Assuming isotropic accretion, twice those fractions of objects must have undergone similar processes, underlining the importance of (minor) accretion for galaxy evolution. Applications of gas counter-rotators to barred galaxy dynamics are also discussed.
Bureau Martin
Chung Aeree
No associations
LandOfFree
Discovery of Counter-Rotating Gas in the Galaxies NGC1596 and NGC3203 and the Incidence of Gas Counter-Rotation in S0 Galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Discovery of Counter-Rotating Gas in the Galaxies NGC1596 and NGC3203 and the Incidence of Gas Counter-Rotation in S0 Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Discovery of Counter-Rotating Gas in the Galaxies NGC1596 and NGC3203 and the Incidence of Gas Counter-Rotation in S0 Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-697451