Polar structures in late-type galaxies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the presence and characteristics of polar structures in late-type galaxies, highlighting the use of 3D spectroscopy to analyze gas kinematics and interactions in these complex systems.

Contribution

It provides a synthesis of observational results on polar rings and disks in late-type galaxies, emphasizing the role of combined optical and radio data in understanding their dynamics.

Findings

Detection of polar structures in gas-rich late-type galaxies.

Evidence of interactions between multi-spin gas components.

Detailed gas kinematics obtained from combined optical and radio observations.

Abstract

A common point of view is that stable polar structures are mainly present in the E/S0 early-type galaxies lacking dense gas in their host disks. However, nuclear, as well as external polar rings and disks also exist in the late-type hosts, including gas-rich dwarf galaxies. Using the 3D spectroscopic observations of these objects we can derive the rotation properties of the gas components separately in the main and polar planes. The most detailed picture of the gas kinematics and mass distribution properties could be obtained from the combination of optical (H II) and radio (H I) data sets. I briefly review the results of such studies, including the observations of the direct interaction between the multi-spin gas components.