Dual Halos and Formation of Early-Type Galaxies

TL;DR

This study reveals that early-type galaxies host dual halos, blue and red, with distinct origins, structures, and kinematics, based on the analysis of globular cluster systems' shapes and alignments.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed geometric evidence supporting the existence of dual halos in early-type galaxies, linking globular cluster properties to galaxy formation processes.

Findings

Red GCS shapes correlate with stellar light and galaxy rotation.

Blue GCS shapes show less correlation with host galaxy properties.

Evidence suggests dual halos formed via different mechanisms.

Abstract

We present a determination of the two-dimensional shape parameters of the blue and red globular cluster systems (GCSs) in a large number of elliptical galaxies and lenticular galaxies (early-type galaxies, called ETGs). We use a homogeneous data set of the globular clusters in 23 ETGs obtained from the HST/ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. The position angles of both blue and red GCSs show a correlation with those of the stellar light distribution, showing that the major axes of the GCSs are well aligned with those of their host galaxies. However, the shapes of the red GCSs show a tight correlation with the stellar light distribution as well as with the rotation property of their host galaxies, while the shapes of the blue GCSs do much less. These provide clear geometric evidence that the origins of the blue and red globular clusters are distinct and that ETGs may have dual halos: a blue (metal-poor) halo and a red (metal-rich) halo. These two halos show significant differences in metallicity, structure, and kinematics, indicating that they are formed in two distinguishable ways. The red halos might have formed via dissipational processes with rotation, while the blue halos are through accretion.