Fornax3D project: Assembly history of massive early-type galaxies in the Fornax cluster from deep imaging and integral field spectroscopy

Author(s): M. Spavone, E. Iodice, G. D'Ago, G. van de Ven, L. Morelli, E. M. Corsini, M. Sarzi, L. Coccato, K. Fahrion, J. Falcón-Barroso, D. A. Gadotti, M. Lyubenova, I. Martín-Navarro, R. M. McDermid, F. Pinna, A. Pizzella, A. Poci, P. T. de Zeeuw, L. Zhu
Abstract: This work is based on high-quality integral-field spectroscopic data obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The 21 brightest (m_B ≤ 15 mag) early-type galaxies (ETGs) inside the virial radius of the Fornax cluster are observed out to distances of ∼2‒3 R_e. Deep imaging from the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is also available for the sample ETGs. We investigated the variation of the galaxy structural properties as a function of the total stellar mass and cluster environment. Moreover, we correlated the size scales of the luminous components derived from a multi-component decomposition of the VST surface-brightness radial profiles of the sample ETGs with the MUSE radial profiles of stellar kinematic and population properties. The results are compared with both theoretical predictions and previous observational studies and used to address the assembly history of the massive ETGs of the Fornax cluster. We find that galaxies in the core and north-south clump of the cluster, which have the highest accreted mass fraction, show milder metallicity gradients in their outskirts than the galaxies infalling into the cluster. We also find a segregation in both age and metallicity between the galaxies belonging to the core and north-south clump and the infalling galaxies. The new findings fit well within the general framework for the assembly history of the Fornax cluster.
Organisation(s): Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s): INAF Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte , Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, University of Padova, Osservatorio Astronomico, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, European Southern Observatory (Germany), Science and Operations Department - Science Division (SCI-SC), Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Macquarie University, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Durham University, Leiden University, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Universidad de Atacama
Journal: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume: 663
ISSN: 0004-6361
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243290
Publication date: 07-2022
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/7fcfb4a3-366d-4e05-8ce4-110698f81efa

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