The orbital structure of the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 5846

✍ Scribed by P. Das; O. Gerhard; L. Coccato; E. Churazov; W. Forman; A. Finoguenov; H. Böhringer; M. Arnaboldi; M. Capaccioli; A. Cortesi; F. de Lorenzi; N. G. Douglas; K. C. Freeman; K. Kuijken; M. R. Merrifield; N. R. Napolitano; E. Noordermeer; A. J. Romanowsky

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 117 KB
• Volume: 329
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-6337
• DOI: 10.1002/asna.200811052

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

We use density and temperature profiles obtained from XMM‐Newton observations to derive a potential of NGC 5846 out to 11__R__~e~, thus probing the mass distribution deep into the halo. The inferred circular velocity is significantly higher than the extrapolation of dynamical models implying a halo, more massive than previously thought. Using an I ‐band surfacebrightness profile and a projected velocity dispersion profile consisting of long‐slit kinematic measurements and planetary nebulae (PNe) velocity dispersions, we solve the Jeans equations, assuming a non‐rotating spherical system. The solutions suggest a highly radially anisotropic galaxy outside 0.7__R__~e~ with β ∼ 0.75. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)