The Dissipationless Evolution of Elliptical Galaxies

Details The Dissipationless Evolution of Elliptical Galaxies The Dissipationless Evolution of Elliptical Galaxies

Nov 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990mnras.247..152b&link_type=abstract

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 247, NO. 1/NOV1, P. 152, 1990

Statistics

14

Scientific paper

The collionless evolution of spherical stellar systems with different initial density gradients nrho_ and initial virial coefficients η_vir_ is studied in detail, with a high central resolution (200 radial, logarithmically spaced grid cells) and good statistics (100 test particles per grid cell). It is shown that kinematically separated cores can form, due to the degeneracy of the stellar system, if the initial density gradient is small. These cores are embedded in an anisotropic envelope which, independent of the initial conditions, shows a de Vaucouleurs' density profile. The stars of the envelope are loosely bound, with an exponential energy distribution N(E)~exp(βE), and β>=0. Whereas in systems with nrho_, independent of η_vir_, nearly no stars are lost, systems with small initial density gradients can lose up to 50 per cent of their total mass. In general, the mass-loss rate correlates with the final mass fraction of the degenerated core. In systems which collapse from initial conditions with very small nrho_ and η_vir_, the degenerate region contains most of the mass. These systems resemble S0 galaxies. Whereas nrho_ determines the formation of degenerated cores, the kinematical properties of the equilibrium state and the effective radius of the envelope depend rather on η_vir_.

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