Unequal-mass galaxy merger remnants: spiral-like morphology but elliptical-like kinematics

Frederic Bournaud; Francoise Combes; Chanda J. Jog

doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20040114

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arXiv · astro-ph/0403307

Unequal-mass galaxy merger remnants: spiral-like morphology but elliptical-like kinematics

Frederic Bournaud·Francoise Combes·Chanda J. Jog

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Abstract

It is generally believed that major galaxy mergers with mass ratios in the range 1:1-3:1 result in remnants that have properties similar to elliptical galaxies, and minor mergers below 10:1 result in disturbed spiral galaxies. The intermediate range of mass ratios 4:1-10:1 has not been studied so far. Using N-body simulations, we show that such mergers can result in very peculiar systems, that have the morphology of a disk galaxy with an exponential profile, but whose kinematics is closer to that of elliptical systems. These objects are similar to those recently observed by Jog & Chitre (2002). We present two cases with mass ratios 4.5:1 and 7:1, and show that the merging causes major heating and results in the appearance of elliptical-type kinematics, while surprisingly the initial spiral-like mass profile is conserved.

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Frederic Bournaud, Francoise Combes, Chanda J. Jog. 2004-03-12. Unequal-mass galaxy merger remnants: spiral-like morphology but elliptical-like kinematics. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%3A20040114

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