Resolved Stellar Halos of M87 and NGC 5128: Metallicities from the Red-Giant Branch

Abstract

AbstractWe have searched halo fields of two giant elliptical galaxies: M87, using HST images at 10 kpc from the galactic center, and NGC 5128 (Cen A), using VIMOS VLT images at 65 kpc from the center and archival HST data from 8 to 38 kpc from the center. We have resolved thousands of red-giant-branch (RGB) stars in these stellar halo fields using V and I filters, and, in addition, measured the metallicity using stellar isochrones. The metallicity distribution function (MDF) of the inner stellar halo of M87 is similar to that of NGC 5128's stellar halo.