Integral-field Spectroscopy of Galactic Nuclei

Abstract

High-resolution imaging and long-slit spectroscopy obtained with HST, combined with ground-based integral-field spectroscopy, provides the kinematics of stars and gas in nearby galactic nuclei with sufficient accuracy to derive the intrinsic dynamical structure, and to measure the mass of the central black hole. This has revealed that many nuclei contain decoupled kinematic components and asymmetric structures, and that nuclear and global properties of galaxies are correlated. Higher spatial resolution and significantly increased sensitivity are required to cover the full range of galaxy properties and types, including the nearest powerful active radio galaxies, and to study the evolution of galactic nuclei as a function of redshift. The prospects in this area are discussed.