KINEMATICS OF 12 ELLIPTIC GALAXIES

Long-slit spectroscopic data for a sample of 12 elliptical galaxies have been analyzed to derive velocity dispersion and rotational velocity profiles. Minor axis profiles are also given for two galaxies, NGC 2768 and IC 1459. These data clearly demonstrate the large range of rotational properties known to exist in luminous elliptical galaxies (M(B) less-than-or-equal-to -20 for H-0 = 50 km s-1 Mpc-1). The spectroscopic data typically have quite high S/N and can be used to derive velocity dispersion and rotation velocity profiles out to radii r approximately r(e). The mean logarithmic gradient of the velocity dispersion profiles is small; sigma decreases by only 20% for an order of magnitude change in radius from approximately 0.1r(e) to approximately r(e). The ellipticals in this sample are also found to have a very small range in their logarithmic gradients. Even though rotation is energetically unimportant, the rotation curves in ellipticals are typically ''flat'' at radii larger than 0.2r(e) and often at radii beyond 0.1r(e). A spectrum offset from the nucleus of the E6/SO galaxy NGC 2768 is used to characterize the form of the velocity distribution in this quite flattened galaxy (it decreases rapidly with z). Observations of the gas (from 0[II]) show that there exists a polar gas disk in the inner regions of NGC 2768.