Non-circular motion evidences in the circumnuclear region of M100 (NGC 4321)

TL;DR

This study uses integral field spectroscopy and Fourier analysis to reveal a nuclear bar in NGC 4321, demonstrating its influence on galaxy kinematics and estimating its pattern speed.

Contribution

It provides the first optical detection of the nuclear bar in NGC 4321 and measures its pattern speed using the Tremaine--Weinberg method.

Findings

Detection of a nuclear bar in optical data.

Fourier analysis indicates global kinematic distortions.

Estimated pattern speed of the nuclear bar is 160±70 km/s/kpc.

Abstract

We analyse new integral field spectroscopy of the inner region (central 2.5 kpc) of the spiral galaxy NGC 4321 to study the peculiar kinematics of this region. Fourier analysis of the velocity residuals obtained by subtracting an axisymmetric rotation model from the $\rm H\alpha$ velocity field, indicates that the distortions are {\em global} features generated by an $m=2$ perturbation of the gravitational potential which can be explained by the nuclear bar. This bar has been previously observed in the near-infrared but not in the optical continuum dominated by star formation. We detect the optical counterpart of this bar in the 2D distribution of the old stellar population (inferred from the equivalent width map of the stellar absorption lines). We apply the Tremaine--Weinberg method to the stellar velocity field to calculate the pattern speed of the inner bar, obtaining a value of $\Omega_b$=160$\pm70\rm km s^{-1} kpc^{-1} $. This value is considerably la rger than the one obtained when a simple bar model is considered. However the uncertainties in the pattern speed determination prevent us to give support to alternative scenarios.