Kinematics and Angular Momentum in Early Type Galaxy Halos

TL;DR

This paper investigates the assembly histories of early type galaxies by analyzing the kinematics of globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and integrated starlight, revealing evidence for a two-phase formation process consistent with hierarchical merging in a lambda CDM universe.

Contribution

It combines multiple kinematic tracers from large surveys to provide new insights into galaxy assembly and hierarchical merging processes.

Findings

Evidence for 2-phase galaxy assembly

Constraints on hierarchical merging models

Kinematic analysis supports lambda CDM cosmology

Abstract

We use the kinematics of discrete tracers, primarily globular clusters (GCs) and planetary nebulae (PNe), along with measurements of the integrated starlight to explore the assembly histories of early type galaxies. Data for GCs and stars are taken from the SLUGGS wide field, 2-dimensional, chemo-dynamical survey (Brodie et al. 2014). Data for PNe are from the PN.S survey (see contributions by Gerhard and by Arnaboldi, this volume). We find widespread evidence for 2-phase galaxy assembly and intriguing constraints on hierarchical merging under a lambda CDM cosmology.