A counterrotating central component in NGC 5728

Abstract

We present a detailed study of the stellar kinematics in the barred galaxy NGC 5728 based on I-band photometry and long-slit spectroscopic observations in the region of the near-IR Ca II triplet. The analysis of the stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) has revealed, in the central regions of the bar, the presence of a cold (v/sigma~2.5) prograde $S$-shaped velocity component that coexists in the central 4 kpc with a fainter and hotter (v/sigma~0.5) counterrotating component. Beyond 4 kpc from the nucleus the LOSVD shows the stellar bar kinematics. The comparison of the radial surface brightness profile of the velocity components with that obtained from an I-band image shows that the counterrotating core follows a r^(1/4) profile, while the S-shaped component does not follows the flat bar surface brightness profile. Several possible scenarios accounting for such kinematic signatures found in the center of the bar in NGC 5728 are discussed.