Dynamics of elliptical galaxy NGC 4697 from integrated light and PNe

Niranjan Sambhus, Flavio de Lorenzi, Ortwin Gerhard
Astronomical Institute, University of Basel, Switzerland


We present results from our ongoing calculations pertaining to the dynamics of E6 elliptical galaxy NGC 4697. We construct a (self-consistent) N-body model of the galaxy by employing the deprojected photometric data and absorption line kinematics. Assuming that the PNes in the vicinity of NGC 4697 are drawn from the stellar distribution, we can use them as kinematic probes that trace the underlying mass distribution particularly in the outer regions of the galaxy. We construct a smoothed, non-parametric velocity field from the PNe radial velocities, and compare with the kinematic predictions of our model.