Determining mass-to-light ratios in elliptical galaxies

Details Determining mass-to-light ratios in elliptical galaxies Determining mass-to-light ratios in elliptical galaxies

Publishing date

Apr 1988

URL

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1988aj.....95.1047m&link_type=abstract

Journals

Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 95, April 1988, p. 1047-1056. Research supported by the University of California.

Science

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field

Astronomy

Additional info 2

22

Additional info 3

Elliptical Galaxies, Galactic Rotation, Mass To Light Ratios, Stellar Mass, Stellar Systems, Astronomical Models, Line Of Sight

Type

Scientific paper

Abstract

If the endstate of cooling hot gas in elliptical galaxies is a population of optically dark, low-mass stars near the galactic cores, the mass-to-light ratio could be expected to vary significantly with projected radius. No strong variation in M/L is observed. To investigate the sensitivity and reliability of observational mass-to-light determinations for a variety of galactic parameters, model galaxies having de Vaucouleurs profiles (but with central cores and outer cutoffs), variable velocity ellipsoid structure, and extended dark halos are constructed. Spurious radial variations in M/L can occur when none are present if the properties of the galactic models are processed similar to observational data. Conversely, when a population of diffuse dark stellar matter is added near the galactic cores, large gradients in M/L can escape detection. However, the magnitude of the central velocity dispersion and its variation with projected radius within the effective radius both suggest that a component of dark stars is unlikely to be more massive than about 30 times the core mass of luminous stars. This restriction is important in establishing the initial mass function of stars in elliptical galaxies and the history of winds and cooling inflows in the interstellar medium.

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