Density-potential pairs for spherical stellar systems with Sersic light-profiles and (optional) power-law cores

Abstract

Popular models for describing the luminosity-density profiles of dynamically hot stellar systems (e.g., Jaffe, Hernquist, Dehnen) were constructed with the desire to match the deprojected form of an R^{1/4} light-profile. Real galaxies, however, are now known to have a range of different light-profile shapes that scale with mass. Consequently, although highly useful, the above models have implicit limitations, and this is illustrated here through their application to a number of real galaxy density profiles. On the other hand, the analytical density profile given by Prugniel & Simien (1997) closely matches the deprojected form of Sersic R^{1/n} light-profiles - including deprojected exponential light-profiles. It is thus applicable for describing bulges in spiral galaxies, dwarf elliptical galaxies, and both ordinary and giant elliptical galaxies. Here we provide simple equations, in terms of elementary and special functions, for the gravitational potential and force associated with this density profile. Furthermore, to match galaxies with partially depleted cores, and better explore the supermassive black hole / galaxy connection, we have added a power-law core to this density profile and derived similar expressions for the potential and force of this hybrid profile. Expressions for the mass and velocity dispersion, assuming isotropy, are also given. These models may also prove appropriate for describing the dark matter distribution in halos formed from LCDM cosmological simulations.

To appear in MNRAS. (24 pages, inc. 12 figures)

References in corpus (6)

• A concise reference to (projected) Sersic R^{1/n} quantities, including Concentration, Profile Slopes, Petrosian indices, and Kron Magnitudes
• A Universal Density Profile for Dark and Luminous Matter?
• Core depletion from coalescing supermassive black holes
• Spherical galaxy models with power law logarithmic slope
• The dynamical structure of isotropic spherical galaxies with a central black hole
• A family of models of partially relaxed stellar systems I. Dynamical properties

Cited by in corpus (84)

• Empirical models for Dark Matter Halos. I. Nonparametric Construction of Density Profiles and Comparison with Parametric Models
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XII. The Luminosity Function of Globular Clusters in Early Type Galaxies
• Inclination- and dust-corrected galaxy parameters: Bulge-to-disc ratios and size-luminosity relations
• Ejection of Supermassive Black Holes from Galaxy Cores
• A log-quadratic relation for predicting supermassive black hole masses from the host bulge Sersic index
• Dynamical Blueprints for Galaxies
• Dissipationless Formation and Evolution of the Milky Way Nuclear Star Cluster
• A dynamically cold disk galaxy in the early Universe
• Empirical Models for Dark Matter Halos. II. Inner profile slopes, dynamical profiles, and rho/sigma^3
• Analytic models of plausible gravitational lens potentials
• The Distribution of Stars and Stellar Remnants at the Galactic Center
• Origin and growth of nuclear star clusters around massive black holes
• Size Evolution of Spheroids in a Hierarchical Universe
• Dynamical properties of z $\sim 4.5$ dusty star-forming galaxies and their connection with local early type galaxies
• The effects of baryon physics, black holes and AGN feedback on the mass distribution in clusters of galaxies
• Ultra compact dwarf galaxy formation by tidal stripping of nucleated dwarf galaxies
• Gravitational Waves and Intermediate-mass Black Hole Retention in Globular Clusters
• Long-term evolution of massive black hole binaries. IV. Mergers of galaxies with collisionally relaxed nuclei
• Galaxy bulges and their massive black holes: a review
• The Dynamical Fingerprint of Core Scouring in Massive Elliptical Galaxies
• A review of elliptical and disc galaxy structure, and modern scaling laws
• Submillimeter Interferometry of the Luminous Infrared Galaxy NGC 4418: A Hidden Hot Nucleus with an Inflow and an Outflow
• The Highest Resolution Mass Map of Galaxy Cluster Substructure To Date Without Assuming Light Traces Mass: LensPerfect Analysis of Abell 1689
• Gemini Near Infrared Field Spectrograph Observations of the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 573: In Situ Acceleration of Ionized and Molecular Gas Off Fueling Flows
• Massive black hole evolution models confronting the n-Hz amplitude of the stochastic gravitational wave background
• Tidal Disruption Events and Gravitational Waves from Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Evolving Globular Clusters Across Space and Time
• The Sagittarius Stream and Halo Triaxiality
• Empirical Models for Dark Matter Halos. III. The Kormendy relation and the log(rho_e)-log(R_e) relation
• The SLUGGS Survey: Dark matter fractions at large radii and assembly epochs of early-type galaxies from globular cluster kinematics
• The SLUGGS Survey: The mass distribution in early-type galaxies within five effective radii and beyond
• Effects of post-Newtonian Spin Alignment on the Distribution of Black-Hole Recoils
• Jets blowing bubbles in the young radio galaxy 4C 31.04
• Missing black holes in brightest cluster galaxies as evidence for the occurrence of superkicks in nature
• ALMA hints at the presence of turbulent disk galaxies at z > 5
• Formation of the largest galactic cores through binary scouring and gravitational wave recoil
• Implications for the origin of early-type dwarf galaxies --- the discovery of rotation in isolated, low-mass early-type galaxies
• AGN Feedback and Multi-phase Gas in Giant Elliptical Galaxies
• Spontaneous generation of bending waves in isolated Milky Way-like discs
• Defining the (Black Hole)-Spheroid Connection with the Discovery of Morphology-Dependent Substructure in the $M_{\mathrm{BH}}$--${\mathrm{n}}_{\mathrm{sph}}$ and $M_{\mathrm{BH}}$--${\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{e},\mathrm{sph}}$ Diagrams: New Tests for Advanced Theories and Realistic Simulations
• The effect of bars on the M-sigma relation: offset, scatter and residuals correlations
• The lifetime of binary black holes in Sérsic galaxy models
• $R_{\mathrm{e}}$. I. Understanding galaxy sizes, associated luminosity densities, and the artificial division of the early-type galaxy population
• Revisiting dynamical friction: the role of global modes and local wakes
• The interstellar medium distribution, gas kinematics, and system dynamics of the far-infrared luminous quasar SDSS J2310+1855 at $z=6.0$
• Orbits of selected globular clusters in the Galactic bulge
• Colors of Ellipticals from GALEX to Spitzer
• Gravitational Stability of Circumnuclear Disks in Elliptical Galaxies
• Radiative Driving of the AGN Outflows in the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4051
• Extremely efficient mergers of intermediate mass black hole binaries in nucleated dwarf galaxies
• Investigating the Narrow Line Region Dynamics in Nearby Active Galaxies
• Illuminating Dark Matter Halo Density Profiles Without Subhaloes
• Pulsar timing arrays and the challenge of massive black hole binary astrophysics
• Incorporating Streams into Milky Way Models
• A Dissection of Spatially Resolved AGN Feedback across the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Self-consistent bulge/disk/halo galaxy dynamical modeling using integral field kinematics
• Invoking the virial theorem to understand the impact of (dry) mergers on the $M_{\mathrm{bh}}$-$\sigma$ relation
• An accurate analytic mass model for lensing galaxies
• Unveiling the hosts of parsec-scale massive black hole binaries: morphology and electromagnetic signatures
• Searching for signs of jet-driven negative feedback in the nearby radio galaxy UGC 05771
• The (Black Hole Mass)-(Spheroid Stellar Density) Relations: $M_{\mathrm{BH}}$--$\mu$ (and $M_{\mathrm{BH}}$--$\Sigma$) and $M_{\mathrm{BH}}$--$\rho$
• Merging of a massive black hole binary II
• Dynamical modelling and origin of gas turbulence in z $\sim$ 4.5 galaxies
• Potential Black Hole Seeding of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 4424 via an Infalling Star Cluster
• Realistic triaxial density--potential--force profiles for stellar systems and dark matter halos
• Dynamical Models for Disk Galaxies with Triaxial Halos
• Surface Brightness and Intrinsic Luminosity of Ellipticals
• Order and chaos in a new 3D dynamical model describing motion in non axially symmetric galaxies
• A new method to constrain the origins of dark matter-free galaxies and their unusual globular clusters
• Hubble Space Telescope [O III] Emission-Line Kinematics in Two Nearby QSO2s: A Case for X-ray Feedback
• Dynamical signature of a stellar bulge in a quasar host galaxy at $z\simeq 6$
• Recoiling Supermassive Black Holes in Spin-flip Radio Galaxies
• Central X-ray point-sources found to be abundant in low-mass, late-type galaxies predicted to contain an intermediate-mass black hole
• Power-law Sersic profiles in hydrostatic stellar galaxy discs
• Millisecond Pulsars in Dense Star Clusters: Evolution, Scaling Relations, and the Galactic-Center Gamma-ray Excess
• Mass Reconstruction of Galaxy-scale Strong Gravitational Lenses Using a Broken Power-law Model
• Simulating non-axisymmetric flows in disc galaxies
• Order and chaos in a three dimensional galaxy model
• Total mass distributions of Sersic galaxies from photometry $&$ cent\ ral velocity dispersion
• The secular evolution of a uniform density star cluster immersed in a compressible galactic tidal field
• Gas dynamics in an AGN-host galaxy at $z\simeq 2.6$: regular rotation, non-circular motions, and mass models
• An accurate and simple, asymptotically matched deprojection of the Sersic law
• The Shape of AGN-Driven Winds in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3516
• Time delay measurements with Broken Power Law model
• An Extended, Physically Calibrated FP for Elliptical Galaxies