A MASS-POTENTIAL-ENERGY RELATIONSHIP IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES AND SOME INFERENCES CONCERNING THE FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES
Photometric results are presented for twenty-nine elliptical galaxies, with the objective of finding a general relation---if one exists---between the mass and the potential energies of elliptical galsxies. The potential energies of these galaxies are found to be proportional to the threehalves power of the masses, for galaxies from 3 x 10 to 3 x 10/sup 12/ solar masses. The form of the mass-potentialenergy relation characterizes the radiation processes that took place during the collapse of the protogalactic gas cloud into a galaxy. Evidence is present that the collapse was opacity-limited, and that radiation was controlled by this factor rather than by the time required for free collapse. Synchrotron radiation evidently did not play a dominant role during the contraction of the ellipitcal protogalaxies. The photometric results, in conjunction with velocity dispersions previously measured, provide a mean mass-to- light ratio for elliptical galaxies of 31.3. An apparent correlation of mass-to- light ratio with mass is attributed to a biased sample. Elliptical galaxies in the sample that are associated with spirals of type Sb or Sc have low mass- tolight ratios (approximately 10). The single elliptical galaxy in the sample with an Sa-spiral companion has a normal mass-to-light ratio of about 31.5. If elliptical galaxies become less luminous with time, Sb- and Sc-spirals are apparently younger than the typical elliptical galsxy, while Sa-spirals may be of comparable age. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Berkeley
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-010746
- OSTI ID:
- 4111093
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal (U.S.), Vol. Vol: 139; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-64
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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