Reconstructing the mass assembly history with kinematics and nuclear light profiles

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how combining imaging and spectroscopy reveals galaxy internal structures, linking stellar angular momentum to galaxy types and challenging existing formation models with new insights into mass assembly pathways.

Contribution

It introduces a method to analyze galaxy structures through combined imaging and spectroscopy, providing new evidence on galaxy rotation and nuclear light profiles.

Findings

Fast rotators have core profiles linked to angular momentum.

Slow rotators are often core-less, challenging standard models.

New pathways for galaxy mass assembly are suggested.

Abstract

In this contribution I show that by combining imaging and integral-field spectroscopy it is possible to unravel the internal structure of galaxies. In particular, I will present the photometric and kinematic evidence for discs linking them with stellar angular momentum content of early-type galaxies. Furthermore, I show that the existence of both fast rotators with core and slow rotators with core-less nuclear light profiles challenges the standard formation scenarios for fast and slow rotators and suggests new pathways of mass assembly.