Title:	Dynamical modeling of the stellar nucleus of M 31
Authors:	Sambhus, N. Sridhar, S.
Keywords:	galaxies M 31 -- galaxies kinematics and dynamics
Issue Date:	2002
Publisher:	EDP Sciences
Citation:	Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2002, Vol.388, p766
Abstract:	We present stellar dynamical models of the lopsided, double-peaked nucleus of M 31, derived from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry. A Schwarzschild-type method, in conjunction with Richardson-Lucy deconvolution, was employed to construct steadily rotating, hot, stellar disks. The stars orbit a massive dark object, on prograde and retrograde quasi-periodic loop orbits. Our results support Tremaine's eccentric disk model, extended to include a more massive disk, non zero pattern speed ( $\Omega$), and different viewing angle. Most of the disk mass populated prograde orbits, with $\simeq$3.4% on retrograde orbits. The best fits to photometric and kinematic maps were disks with $\Omega\simeq 16\mbox{\,km\, s${}^{-1}$\, pc${}^{-1}$ }$ . We speculate on the origins of the lopsidedness, invoking recent work on the linear overstability of nearly Keplerian disks, that possess even a small amount of a counter - rotating component. Accretion of material - no more massive than a globular cluster - onto a preexisting stellar disk, will account for the mass in our retrograde orbits, and could have stimulated the lopsidedness seen in the nucleus of M 31.
Description:	Restricted Access. An open-access version is available at arXiv.org (one of the alternative locations)
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/4866
ISSN:	0004-6361 1432-0746 (Online)
Alternative Location:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020298 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002A%26A...388..766S http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0110274
Copyright:	2002 European Southern Observatory
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (A&A)

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