SINFONI - Galaxy Dynamics at $0^{\prime\prime}\hspace{-0.2cm}.05$ Resolution with the VLT

Abstract.

The SINFONI integral field spectrometer for the VLT will provide nearinfrared spatially resolved spectra at spatial resolutions close to the diffraction limit of the telescope ( $0^{\prime\prime}\hspace{-0.15cm}.05$ at $2\mu$m). 1024 spectra can be simultaneously obtained, covering a 32 x 32 pixel field of view with $\sim 100$% filling factor. The spectral resolution is R $\sim 4500$, corresponding to a kinematic resolution of 67 km s^-1 .SINFONI is ideally suited to study stellar kinematics in the nuclear regions of normal spiral galaxies, using the near-infrared H and K band CO stellar absorption features. Integral field data from SINFONI will provide high-resolution two-dimensional maps of nuclear velocity dispersion and rotation, which in turn will constrain the anisotropy parameter and yield robust estimates of the central dark mass.