Dissecting halo components in IFU data
While most astronomers are now familiar with tools to decompose images into multiple components such as disks, bulges, and halos, the equivalent techniques for spectral data cubes are still in their infancy. This is unfortunate, as integral field unit (IFU) spectral surveys are now producing a mass...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47760/ |
| _version_ | 1848797623435132928 |
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| author | Merrifield, Michael Johnston, Evelyn Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso |
| author_facet | Merrifield, Michael Johnston, Evelyn Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso |
| author_sort | Merrifield, Michael |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | While most astronomers are now familiar with tools to decompose images into multiple components such as disks, bulges, and halos, the equivalent techniques for spectral data cubes are still in their infancy. This is unfortunate, as integral field unit (IFU) spectral surveys are now producing a mass of data in this format, which we are ill-prepared to analyze effectively. We have therefore been developing new tools to separate out components using this full spectral data. The results of such analyses will prove invaluable in determining not only whether such decompositions have an astrophysical significance, but, where they do, also in determining the relationship between the various elements of a galaxy. Application to a pilot study of IFU data from the cD galaxy NGC 3311 confirms that the technique can separate the stellar halo from the underlying galaxy in such systems, and indicates that, in this case, the halo is older and more metal poor than the galaxy, consistent with it forming from the cannibalism of smaller satellite galaxies. The success of the method bodes well for its application to studying the larger samples of cD galaxies that IFU surveys are currently producing. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:06:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-47760 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:06:49Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-477602020-05-04T18:47:05Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47760/ Dissecting halo components in IFU data Merrifield, Michael Johnston, Evelyn Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso While most astronomers are now familiar with tools to decompose images into multiple components such as disks, bulges, and halos, the equivalent techniques for spectral data cubes are still in their infancy. This is unfortunate, as integral field unit (IFU) spectral surveys are now producing a mass of data in this format, which we are ill-prepared to analyze effectively. We have therefore been developing new tools to separate out components using this full spectral data. The results of such analyses will prove invaluable in determining not only whether such decompositions have an astrophysical significance, but, where they do, also in determining the relationship between the various elements of a galaxy. Application to a pilot study of IFU data from the cD galaxy NGC 3311 confirms that the technique can separate the stellar halo from the underlying galaxy in such systems, and indicates that, in this case, the halo is older and more metal poor than the galaxy, consistent with it forming from the cannibalism of smaller satellite galaxies. The success of the method bodes well for its application to studying the larger samples of cD galaxies that IFU surveys are currently producing. MDPI 2017-05-25 Article PeerReviewed Merrifield, Michael, Johnston, Evelyn and Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso (2017) Dissecting halo components in IFU data. Galaxies, 5 (2). p. 24. ISSN 2075-4434 http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/5/2/24 doi:10.3390/galaxies5020024 doi:10.3390/galaxies5020024 |
| spellingShingle | Merrifield, Michael Johnston, Evelyn Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title | Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title_full | Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title_fullStr | Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title_short | Dissecting halo components in IFU data |
| title_sort | dissecting halo components in ifu data |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47760/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47760/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47760/ |