Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T01:43:56.064Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dynamical modelling of brightest cluster galaxies: Constraints on the IMF

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2020

S. I. Loubser Open the ORCID record for S. I. Loubser [Opens in a new window]
S. I. Loubser*
Affiliation:
Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa email: Ilani.Loubser@nwu.ac.za
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We study the stellar and dynamical masses, as well as the stellar populations, of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) located in 32 massive clusters, and for a sub-sample of these use the results to place constraints on the Initial Mass Function (IMF). We measure the spatially-resolved stellar population properties of the BCGs, such as recent star formation episodes, and use it to predict their stellar mass-to-light ratios (ϒ*POP). We find that ∼60 per cent of the BCGs have constant ϒ*POP over the radial range (<15 kpc). We also use the stellar and dynamical mass profiles to derive the stellar mass-to-light ratio from dynamics (ϒ*DYN, see Loubser, these proceedings). We directly compare ϒ*POP with ϒ*DYN, and find that for most BCGs, a Salpeter IMF is needed to explain their properties, but we also find a small subset of BCGs for which a Kroupa-like IMF is needed to explain their properties.

Keywords

galaxies: clusters: generalgalaxies: elliptical and lenticularcDgalaxies: kinematics and dynamics
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 14 , Symposium S353: Galactic Dynamics in the Era of Large Surveys , June 2019 , pp. 257 - 258
Copyright
© International Astronomical Union 2020

Footnotes

†

SIL is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.

References

Cappellari, M. 2002 MNRAS, 333, 40010.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05412.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappellari, M. 2008 MNRAS, 390, 71CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loubser, S. I., Babul, A., Hoekstra, H., Mahdavi, A., Donahue, M., Bildfell, C., & Voit, G. M. 2016, MNRAS, 456, 1565CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. J., Lucey, J. R., & Edge, A. C. 2017, MNRAS, 471, 383CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loubser, S. I., Hoekstra, H., Babul, A., & O’Sullivan, E. 2018, MNRAS, 477, 335CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vazdekis, A. et al. 2010, MNRAS, 404, 1639Google Scholar