• Nombre : THE DARK HALOS OF ISOLATED ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES
• Número/Código : G/2011B/14
• Nombre Concurso : CONCURSO PROPUESTAS DE OBSERVACIÓN ASTRONÓMICA PARA TIEMPO CHILENO EN EL OBSERVATORIO GEMINI SUR 2011B
• Año Concurso : 2011
• Tiempo Asignado : 13.85 horas

The nature of dark matter is one of the deepest mysteries in modern astrophysics. The cold dark matter paradigm has its successess in cosmology down to the galaxy cluster scale, although recent observations cast doubts on the predicted cuspy nature of cluster dark halos. Alternative concepts like Modified Newtonian Dynamics have their successes in disk galaxies, modeling disk rotation curves and the tight baryonic Tully-Fisher relation. Elliptical galaxies, due to their missing disk symmetry and the associated model uncertainties, are until not claimed by either side. Elliptical isolated field galaxies, not being exposed to external fields and without interactions, are key objects in this respect. Simulations predict individually different dark halo properties. Finding one isolated elliptical with a dark mass definitely higher than predicted by MOND would put the entire concept in jeopardy. We propose to investigate the dark halos of the isolated ellipticals NGC1162 and NGC7796 out to 3 effective radii by the technique of ultradeep mask spectroscopy of its diffuse light.