Warm ionized gas in CALIFA early-type galaxies: 2D emission-line patterns and kinematics for 32 galaxies

• Published in: Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin) 2016-04, Vol.588, p.A68
• Main Authors: Gomes, J M, Papaderos, P, Kehrig, C, Vilchez, J M, Lehnert, M D, Sanchez, S F, Ziegler, B, Breda, I, dos Reis, S N, Iglesias-Paramo, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics; Construction; Galaxies; Heterogeneity; Interstellar matter; Kinematics; Sciences of the Universe; Two dimensional
• ISSN: 0004-6361; 1432-0746; 1432-0756
• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201525976

Context. The morphological, spectroscopic, and kinematical properties of the warm interstellar medium (wim) in early-type galaxies (ETGs) hold key observational constraints to nuclear activity and the buildup history of these massive, quiescent systems. This article centers on a 2D investigation of the wim component in 32 nearby (?150 Mpc) ETGs from CALIFA, complementing a previous 1D analysis of the same sample. The analysis presented here includes Ha intensity and equivalent width (EW) maps and radial profiles, diagnostic emission-line ratios, and ionized-gas and stellar kinematics. It is supplemented by t-ratio maps, which are a more efficient means to quantify the role of photoionization by the post-AGB stellar component than alternative mechanisms (e.g., AGN, low-level star formation). This study adds further observational evidence for a considerable heterogeneity among ETGs with regard to the physical properties and 2D kinematics of their extended wim component, and it clearly shows that a comprehensive understanding of these systems requires IFS studies over their entire optical extent.