Peanut-shaped bulges in face-on disk galaxies
Abstract
We present high resolution absorption-line spectroscopy of 3 face-on galaxies, NGC 98, NGC 600, and NGC 1703 with the aim of searching for box/peanut (B/P)-shaped bulges. These observations test and confirm the prediction of Debattista et al. (2005) that face-on B/P-shaped bulges can be recognized by a double minimum in the profile of the fourth-order Gauss-Hermite moment h_4. In NGC 1703, which is an unbarred control galaxy, we found no evidence of a B/P bulge. In NGC 98, a clear double minimum in h_4 is present along the major axis of the bar and before the end of the bar, as predicted. In contrast, in NGC 600, which is also a barred galaxy but lacks a substantial bulge, we do not find a significant B/P shape.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1002.1103,
title = {Peanut-shaped bulges in face-on disk galaxies},
author = {J. Mendez-Abreu and E. M. Corsini and V. P. Debattista and S. De Rijcke and J. A. L. Aguerri and A. Pizzella},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.1103},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
4 pages, 1 figure. To appear in "Tumbling, twisting, and winding galaxies: Pattern speeds along the Hubble sequence", E. M. Corsini and V. P. Debattista (eds.), Memorie della Societa` Astronomica Italiana