The Atlas3D project - XII. Recovery of the mass-to-light ratio of simulated early-type barred galaxies with axisymmetric dynamical models

Abstract

We investigate the accuracy in the recovery of the stellar dynamics of barred galaxies when using axisymmetric dynamical models. We do this by trying to recover the mass-to-light ratio (M/L) and the anisotropy of realistic galaxy simulations using the Jeans Anisotropic Multi-Gaussian Expansion (JAM) method. However, given that the biases we find are mostly due to an application of an axisymmetric modeling algorithm to a non-axisymmetric system and in particular to inaccuracies in the de-projected mass model, our results are relevant for general axisymmetric modelling methods. We run N-body collisionless simulations to build a library with various luminosity distribution, constructed to mimic real individual galaxies, with realistic anisotropy. The final result of our evolved library of simulations contains both barred and unbarred galaxies. The JAM method assumes an axisymmetric mass distribution, and we adopt a spatially constant M/L and anisotropy beta_z=1-sigma_z^2/sigma_R^2 distributions. The models are fitted to two-dimensional maps of the second velocity moments V_rms=sqrt(V^2+sigma^2) of the simulations for various viewing angles (position angle of the bar and inclination of the galaxy). We find that the inclination is generally well recovered by the JAM models, for both barred and unbarred simulations. For unbarred simulations the M/L is also accurately recovered, with negligible median bias and with a maximum one of just Delta(M/L)<1.5% when the galaxy is not too close to face on. At very low inclinations (i<30 deg) the M/L can be significantly overestimated (9% in our tests, but errors can be larger for very face-on views). For barred simulations the M/L is on average (when PA=45 deg) essentially unbiased, but we measure an over/under estimation of up to Delta(M/L)=15% in our tests. The sign of the M/L bias depends on the position angle of the bar as expected. [Abridged]