NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2001B-0334
|
NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2001B-0334 |
|
PI: Rob Swaters, Carnegie Institution of Washington, swaters@dtm.ciw.edu
Address: 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA
CoI: Matthew Bershady, University of Wisconsin
CoI: David Andersen, Penn State University
Title: The Central Mass Distribution of Low Surface Brightness Galaxies
Abstract:
The inner slopes of the mass distributions of low surface brightness
galaxies (LSBGs) are poorly constrained observationally. Recent studies
find conflicting results, some concluding that the inner slopes of the
mass distributions in LSBGs are steep, others that they are shallow. It
is critical to resolve this controversy, as the inner slopes of LSBGs
provide a key means to constrain theories of galaxy formation and the
nature of dark matter. The controversy may well be the result of a
combination of uncertainties due to slit alignment errors, which are
particularly acute for LSBGs, and non-circular motions, both of which
may lead to an underestimate of the inner slope. To break the existing
controversy we propose to use DensePak on WIYN to obtain high-
resolution, two-dimensional velocity fields of LSBGs. The proposed
observations eliminate the major uncertainties of long-slit
observations: galaxy centers can be determined directly from the
proposed observations, and non-circular motions can be mapped and
modeled. This makes an accurate measurement of the inner slope
possible. We will confront our measured slopes with predictions made by
theories of galaxy formation, which in turn will shed light on the
nature of dark matter. In addition, we will use these observations to
measure the intrinsic disk ellipticity.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
|
NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2001B-0334 |
|