How to form an early-type galaxy: clues from integral-field spectroscopy

Anne-Marie Weijmans (UofT - Dunlap Institute)

Early-type galaxies (ellipticals and lenticulars) may at first glance come across as simple stellar systems, but when we take a closer look at them, they show a large variety in shape, size and structure. Their morphology, kinematics and stellar population properties tell us the story of their formation. In this talk I will discuss how two-dimensional or integral-field spectroscopy can be used to study both the luminous and dark matter in early-type galaxies. I will particularly pay attention to how we can use integral-field spectrographs as 'photon-collectors' to obtain spectra of the faint outskirts of galaxies, needed to model the dark matter haloes of these systems. Finally, I'll talk about on-going and future surveys of galaxies with integral-field spectrographs, and what we can learn from these about the formation mechanisms of early-type galaxies.