Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2000-08-13
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
10 pages with 2 figures; accepted by Astrophysical Journal
Scientific paper
10.1086/317770
We explore the possibly important influence of cooled interstellar gas on the fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies. Interstellar cooling is described by a parameterized sink term in the equation of continuity. Parameters that give the best fits to the X-ray observations of NGC 4472 are used as a template for the radial distribution of interstellar cooling in structurally homologous elliptical galaxies of lower mass. Gas that cools within an effective radius can contribute an additional 10 - 30 percent to the mass of the old stellar population. If the cooled gas forms into stars of very low mass, $\ll M_{\odot}$, as is commonly assumed, the cooled mass is optically dark. As a result, the mass to light ratios determined from stellar velocities systematically overestimate that of the old stellar population. Moreover, the total mass and spatial distribution of the optically dark young stellar population does not scale homologously with galactic luminosity or radius and the total stellar mass to light ratio varies with galactic radius. We investigate the non-homologous perturbations of cooled gas on the mass to light ratio for several idealized homologous elliptical galaxies and show that they appear to be incompatible with the observed thinness of the fundamental plane. If optically luminous young stars formed from the cooled gas, the disturbance of the fundamental plane would be lessened.
Brighenti Fabrizio
Mathews William G.
No associations
LandOfFree
Influence of Cooled Interstellar Gas on the Fundamental Plane for Elliptical 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 Influence of Cooled Interstellar Gas on the Fundamental Plane for Elliptical Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Influence of Cooled Interstellar Gas on the Fundamental Plane for Elliptical Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-459889