The VIRUS-dE Survey I: Stars in dwarf elliptical galaxies - 3D dynamics and radially resolved stellar initial mass functions

Mathias Lipka; Jens Thomas; Roberto Saglia; Ralf Bender; Maximilian Fabricius; Gary J. Hill; Matthias Kluge; Martin Landriau; Ximena Mazzalay; Eva Noyola; Taniya Parikh; Jan Snigula

arXiv · 2409.10518

The VIRUS-dE Survey I: Stars in dwarf elliptical galaxies - 3D dynamics and radially resolved stellar initial mass functions

Mathias Lipka·Jens Thomas·Roberto Saglia·Ralf Bender·Maximilian Fabricius·Gary J. Hill·Matthias Kluge·Martin Landriau·Ximena Mazzalay·Eva Noyola·Taniya Parikh·Jan Snigula

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Abstract

We analyse the stellar structure of a sample of dwarf ellipticals (dE) inhabiting various environments within the Virgo cluster. Integral-field observations with a high spectral resolution allow us to robustly determine their low velocity dispersions ($\sim25$ km s$^{-1}$) and higher-order kinematic moments out to the half-light radius. We find the dEs exhibit a diversity in ages with the younger dEs being less enhanced than the older, suggesting a complex star formation history for those dEs that recently entered Virgo while others have been quenched shortly after reionization. Orbit-superposition modeling allowed us to recover viewing angles, stellar mass-to-light ratios (with gradients), as well as the intrinsic orbit structure. We find that the angular momentum of the dEs is strongly suppressed compared to ordinary early-type galaxies and correlates with the environment. Flattened dEs are so because of a suppressed kinetic energy perpendicular to their equatorial plane. Combining population and dynamical modeling results, we find an age-dependent stellar initial mass function (IMF) or, alternatively, evidence for a more extended star formation history for those galaxies that have had higher initial mass and/or inhabited lower density environments. dEs appear to have a spatially homogeneous stellar structure but the state they were `frozen' in as they stopped forming stars varies dramatically according to their initial conditions.

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Mathias Lipka, Jens Thomas, Roberto Saglia, Ralf Bender, Maximilian Fabricius, Gary J. Hill, Matthias Kluge, Martin Landriau, Ximena Mazzalay, Eva Noyola, Taniya Parikh, Jan Snigula. 2024-09-16. The VIRUS-dE Survey I: Stars in dwarf elliptical galaxies - 3D dynamics and radially resolved stellar initial mass functions. https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.10518

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