| Issue |
EAS Publications Series
Volume 48, 2011
CRAL-2010 A Universe of Dwarf Galaxies
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 189 - 195 | |
| Section | Dwarf Ellipticals | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/eas/1148042 | |
| Published online | 11 July 2011 | |
M. Koleva, Ph. Prugniel and I. Vauglin (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 48 (2011) 189–195
The Origin of Dwarf Early-Type Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
1 Departamento de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
2 Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 6110 CNRS, 38 rue F. Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille, France
3 Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Postbus 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
We present new medium resolution kinematic data for a sample of 21 dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs) mainly in the Virgo cluster. These data are used to study the origin of the dE population inhabiting rich clusters. Within them we detect two different subpopulations: half of the sample (52%) are rotationally supported and the other half are pressure supported. We also find that the rotationally supported dEs are located in the outer parts of the cluster, present disky morphological shapes and are younger than those pressure supported that are concentrated in the core of the cluster without any underlying structures. Our analysis reveals that the rotationally supported objects have rotation curves similarly shaped to those of star forming galaxies of similar luminosities and follow the Tully-Fisher relation. This is expected if dE galaxies are the descendant of low luminosity star forming systems which recently entered the cluster and lost their gas due to a ram pressure stripping event, quenching their star formation activity and transforming them into quiescent systems, but conserving their angular momentum.
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2011