Abstract
We use planetary nebulae observations (Hui et al. 1995) to build dynamical models of the dust-lane elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A). The PN photometric and kinematical data extend out to 20 kpc (~ 4r e) along the major axis and 10 kpc along the minor axis. Our models are built using a Quadratic Programming technique (Dejonghe 1989). The method produces fits to the data set, which consists of the photometry field (E2, well fitted by a r ¼Maw) together with the major- and minor- axis rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles. Assuming the merger hypothesis for Cen A, we describe its kinematics in a spherical potential by two sub-systems, one rotating about the intrinsic short axis and the other about the intrinsic long axis of the galaxy.
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References
Dejonghe, H. 1989, ApJ, 343, 113
Hui, X., Ford, H.C., Freeman, K.C. & Dopita, M.A. 1995, ApJ in press
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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Mathieu, A., Dejonghe, H., Hui, X. (1996). Probing the Halo of Centaurus a: A Merger Dynamical Model for the PN Population. In: Bender, R., Davies, R.L. (eds) New Light on Galaxy Evolution. International Astronomical Union / Union Astronomique Internationale, vol 171. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0229-9_123
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0229-9_123
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-3976-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0229-9
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