Abstract

Poster - Plenary

Kinematic Characterisation of Stars and Globular Clusters in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1374 in Fornax Cluster

Rakesh Ramesh Chitra, Avinash Chaturvedi
University Of Potsdam, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP)

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are among the most massive systems in the universe and are considered the end products of galaxy evolution. Characterized by old stellar populations, low gas content, and little to no star formation, they serve as crucial probes of galaxy assembly and dynamics. In the ΛCDM framework, their growth through hierarchical merging leads to complex formation histories, yet a unified picture of their evolution remains incomplete. Observational tracers such as stars and globular clusters (GCs) are essential for uncovering their structural and dynamical properties. We present a detailed kinematic study of the elliptical galaxy NGC 1374 in the Fornax cluster, using MUSE integral field spectroscopy for stellar kinematics and FORS2 multi-object spectroscopy for GCs, both from the VLT. GCs are particularly valuable for tracing galaxy halos due to their brightness and extended spatial distribution. In this ongoing project, we have spectroscopically identified a few new GCs and analyzed their kinematics in comparison with the stellar kinematics. Our results explore the correlation between the stellar and GC kinematics, offering new insights into the intrinsic structure and global properties of NGC 1374. Such studies are vital for constraining galaxy formation models and understanding the assembly of massive elliptical galaxies.