Radio properties

Elliptical galaxies host a large variety of radio sources, from the high-power (FR~II) radio sources to the jetty-looking FR~I sources, and the weak nuclear sources that can be found in many of the most normal-appearing elliptical galaxies (including one radial velocity reference galaxy).

Many statistical studies of the radio properties of elliptical galaxies have been done. My contribution to that work will appear in

Birkinshaw, M. & Davies, R.L., ApJ, under construction
The radio morphological characteristics of elliptical galaxies hosting low-power radio sources

Optical structures

The optical structures of elliptical galaxies show a wide range of peculiarities, some associated with the kinematics of the galaxies, some associated with the non-thermal nuclei, and some which are just there.

A study of the properties of radio and non-radio elliptical galaxies is currently entering the final phases of production, and will appear in preprint form in the not-too-distant future as

Davies, R.L. & Birkinshaw, M., ApJ, under construction
The optical morphological characteristics of elliptical galaxies hosting low-power radio sources

X-ray structures

Diana Worrall and I have recently shown that all low-power radio galaxies (in our admittedly heterogeneous sample) display multiple X-ray components. For details, see

Birkinshaw, M. & Worrall, D.M., 1993. ApJ, 412, 568.
The X-ray structure and spectrum of NGC~6251
Worrall, D.M. & Birkinshaw, M., 1994. ApJ, in press (May 1994)
Multiple X-ray components in low-power radio galaxies

Kinematics

For information on the work that I've been doing in collaboration with Roger Davies and Ralf Bender on the stellar kinematics of radio and other galaxies, please consult the reference below, and other papers referred to within it, and watch this space for exciting new data from the MMT!

Davies, R.L. & Birkinshaw, M., ApJS, 68, 409, 1988
The orientations of the rotation axes of radio galaxies. II. Stellar rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles

Revised 27-Sep-1996 by Mark Birkinshaw