Abstract
We present the preliminary results of a study of how small stellar systems merge to form larger ones. As we display the families of galaxies in the μe - Re plane (effective surface brightness versus effective radius) we realize that different morphological types occupy different loci, evidencing the different physical mechanisms operating in each family. As proposed by Capaccioli et al. (1992) this diagram is the logical equivalent of the HR diagram for stars. Here we take some initial steps in understanding of how we can establish the evolutionary tracks, solely due to dynamical processes, in the μe - Re plane, ultimately making a dwarf elliptical to turn into a normal elliptical galaxy.
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Evstigneeva, E., de Carvalho, R., Ribeiro, A. et al. Merging of low-mass systems and the origin of the fundamental plane. Astrophysics and Space Science 284, 487–490 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024052110179
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024052110179