J/A+A/617/A113ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/617/A113doi:10.26093/cds/vizier.36170113CDSEliche-Moral M.C.Rodriguez-Perez C.Borlaff A.Querejeta M.Tapia T.2018-11-05T10:52:51Z2018-10-01T08:25:27ZCDS support team

CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France

cds-question@unistra.frgalaxiesvisible-astronomyastronomical-modelsstellar-evolutionary-modelsgalaxy-classification-systemsMajor mergers are popularly considered too destructive to produce the relaxed regular structures and the morphological inner components (ICs) usually observed in lenticular (S0) galaxies. We have tested if major mergers can produce remnants with realistic S0 morphologies. We have selected a sample of relaxed discy remnants resulting from the dissipative merger simulations of the GalMer database and derived their morphological properties mimicking the typical conditions of current observational data. Only ~1-2Gyr after the full merger, we find that: 1) many remnants (67 major and 29 minor events) present relaxed structures and typical S0 or E/S0 morphologies, for a wide variety of orbits and even in gas-poor cases. 2) Most of them do not exhibit any morphological traces of their past merger origin under typical observing conditions and at distances as nearby as 30Mpc. 3) The merger relics are more persistent in minor mergers than in major ones for similar relaxing time periods. 4) No major-merger S0-like remnant develops a significant bar. 5) Nearly 58% of the major-merger S0 remnants host visually detectable ICs, such as embedded inner discs, rings, pseudo-rings, inner spirals, nuclear bars, and compact sources, very frequent in real S0s too. 6) All remnants contain a lens or oval, identically ubiquitous in local S0s. 7) These lenses and ovals do not come from bar dilution in major-merger cases, but are associated with stellar halos or embedded inner discs instead (thick or thin). We conclude that the relaxed morphologies, lenses, ovals, and other ICs of real S0s do not necessarily come from internal secular evolution, gas infall, or environmental mechanisms, as traditionally assumed, but they can result from major mergers as well.2018A&A...617A.113Ehttps://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/617/A113CatalogResearchIsServedByTAP VizieR generic servicehttps://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.htmlhttps://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/617/A113https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/617/A113http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/617/A113https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/617/A113https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/617/A113http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/votable?-source=J/A+A/617/A113GETtext/xml+votablehttps://tapvizier.cds.unistra.fr/TAPVizieR/tapOpticaldefaultJ/A+A/617/A113/tablea2Dynamical status of the 287 pre-selected models with apparently relaxed remnants hosting disc components from GalMerNoOrdering number (1)meta.idintrecnoRecord number assigned by the VizieR team. Should Not be used for identification.meta.recordintModelModel identifier in GalMer databasemeta.id;meta.maincharCriter1[Y/N] Whether the model obeys the first criterion to be considered fully merged and structurally relaxed commented in Sect. 3meta.codecharCriter2[Y/N] Whether the model obeys the second criterionmeta.codecharCriter3[Y/N] Whether the model obeys the third criterionmeta.codecharMergStatMerging status on the basis of the three criteria (2)meta.codecharDynStatDynamical status of the structurally relaxed remnants (3)meta.codecharJ/A+A/617/A113/tablea3Orbital times and visual morphological types of the 204 fully merged and structurally relaxed remnants with discs from GalMerrecnoRecord number assigned by the VizieR team. Should Not be used for identification.meta.recordintNoOrdering number (1)meta.idintModelModel identifier in GalMer databasemeta.id;meta.maincharTypeVisual morphological typesrc.morph.typecharD0Initial distance between the mass centroids of the progenitorskpcpos.distancefloatTper1Time of the 1st pericentre passage in orbitGyrtime.epochfloatDper1Distance between the mass centroids of the two progenitors in the 1st pericentre passagekpcpos.distancefloatTper2Time of the 2nd pericentre passage in orbitGyrtime.epochfloatDper2Distance between the mass centroids of the two progenitors in the 2nd pericentre passagekpcpos.distancefloatTfullTime for the full merger of both galaxiesGyrtime.epochfloatDfullDistance between mass centroids of the two progenitors in full mergerkpcpos.distancefloatTfinalTotal time computed in the modelGyrtime.epoch;meta.modelledfloatDfinalDistance between the centroids of the two progenitors in the final remnantkpcpos.distancefloatTrelaxTotal relaxation time experienced by the remnant after full mergerGyrtime.relaxfloatJ/A+A/617/A113/tablea4Visual morphological features detected in mock photometric images of the 96 dynamically relaxed remnants of GalMer with S0 and E/S0 morphologyrecnoRecord number assigned by the VizieR team. Should Not be used for identification.meta.recordintNoOrdering number (1)meta.idintModelModel identifier in GalMer databasemeta.id;meta.maincharTypeVisual morphological typesrc.morph.typecharMergerMorphological features visually detected in the photometric images of the remnant indicating past merger activity (2) (3)meta.notecharBar[Y/N?] Whether the final remnant is barred or not (2)meta.codecharMorphRelevant morphological features detected in the photometric images of the remnant, not necessarily linked to a merger origin (2) (4)meta.notecharTidSat[Y/N] Are there any tidal satellites? (2) (5)meta.codechar