Speaker
Description
Using high resolution RSS longslit data recently obtained from SALT, we have obtained the mass distribution in a nearby gas-rich dwarf galaxy - UGCA 014. In this talk, I will present the first rotation curve for this galaxy derived from its Hβ ionized gas component. I will show that the rotation curve exhibits a steep rise in the inner kiloparsec, reaching a velocity of ∼42 km/s, and remains flat out to the radial extent of our data at 1.88 kpc. I will provide evidence that there is a substantial dark matter component starting from the inner regions of the galaxy by comparing the observed circular velocity curve with an exponential, stellar-only model which accounts for the stellar velocity dispersion. Lastly, I will show that at a fiducial radius of 1.5 kpc, half of the total mass in UGCA 014 is made up of dark matter.