A complex stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution in the lenticular galaxy NGC 524

Abstract

We present a detailed study of the stellar and gaseous kinematics in the luminous early-type galaxy NGC 524, derived from the long-slit spectroscopic observations obtained with the Russian 6 m telescope and the IFU data from the SAURON survey. The stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) of NGC 524 exhibits strong asymmetry. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the LOSVD using two complementary approaches by the NBURSTS full spectral fitting technique: (a) a non-parametric LOSVD recovery and (b) a parametric recovery of two Gaussian kinematical components having different stellar populations. We discuss the origin of the complex stellar LOSVD of NGC 524.