# Fabry-Perot Absorption-Line Spectroscopy of NGC 7079

## 1. Introduction

Bar pattern speeds, $`\mathrm{\Omega }_p`$, constrain the dark matter content of barred galaxies (Debattista & Sellwood 1997). The measurement of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_p`$ in a statistically significant number of galaxies is, therefore, very desireable. Tremaine & Weinberg (1984) derived a model-independent equation for $`\mathrm{\Omega }_p`$ of systems satisfying the continuity equation. Using this method with slit spectra, Merrifield & Kuijken (1995) and Gerssen et al. (1998) found fast bars (i.e. corotation radius/bar semi-major axis $`1.2\pm 0.2`$) in NGC 936 and NGC 4596 respectively.

## 2. Observations

NGC 7079 was selected for observation because it has a suitably placed disk and bar, has several bright stars within $`80^{\prime \prime }`$ of the galaxy center (for normalizations), lacks spirals, dust and large companions, is large and bright, has a known recession velocity and the CaII 8542.14 Å line is redshifted to wavelengths outside the bright sky-emission forests. This galaxy, classified as (L)SB(r)0<sup>0</sup>, is the brightest member of a group of seven galaxies (Garcia 1993). The slit spectra of Bettoni & Galletta (1996) through the center of NGC 7079 showed a small amount of counter-rotating gas in the inner $`15^{\prime \prime }`$.

We used the CTIO 0.9m telescope to obtain multiple $`U`$, $`B`$, $`V`$, $`R`$ and $`I`$ exposures of 300 $`s`$ each, with seeing $`1.5^{\prime \prime }`$. After processing in the standard way, the exposures in each filter were combined. Ellipse fits at large radii ($`R51.5^{\prime \prime }`$) gave a disk inclination, $`i`$, of $`50.3_{0.4}^{+0.3}`$, which compares well with the results of Bettoni & Galletta ($`i=51^{}`$). The $`B`$-$`I`$ map shows that the disk and the bulge each have a constant color, indicating uniform (or zero) internal extinction. Thus the Tremaine-Weinberg method can be used for this galaxy.

We observed NGC 7079 with the Rutgers Fabry-Perot imaging interferometer on the CTIO 4m telescope, with variable seeing of $`1.4^{\prime \prime }2.4^{\prime \prime }`$. We used the CaII 8542.14 Å absorption line, redshifted to 8618 Å, scanning the spectrum from $`8608`$ Å to $`8631`$ Å, in steps of $`1`$ Å, for a total of 25 exposures of 900 seconds each. After flattening, zero subtraction and cosmic ray removal in the usual way, sky and sky-emission rings were subtracted by radial sampling in the half of the frame which excluded the galaxy. The frames were normalized using bright field stars and then Voigt profiles were fitted to the spectrum at each pixel, giving maps of the velocity and dispersion. In Figure 1 we compare our velocity and dispersion data with those of Bettoni & Galletta along their major-axis slit; our data compare well inside $`r=20^{\prime \prime }`$ from the galaxy center. Figure 1 shows peaks in the velocity dispersion away from the galaxy center. We are still trying to understand their cause; perhaps they are related to the infalling material found by Bettoni & Galletta.

## 3. Discussion

With the velocity and photometric data, we can now calculate $`\mathrm{\Omega }_p`$ for NGC 7079. Since we have 2D data, we will take full advantage of the freedom in the Tremaine-Weinberg method to reduce the uncertainty in the measurement of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_p`$.

## References

Bettoni, D. & Galletta, G. 1997, A&A, 124, 61

Debattista, V.P. & Sellwood, J.A. 1997, ApJ, 493, L5

Garcia, A.M. 1993, A&AS, 100, 47

Gerssen, J., Kuijken, K. & Merrifield, M.R. 1999, MNRAS, 306, 926

Merrifield, M.R. & Kuijken, K. 1995, MNRAS, 274, 933

Tremaine, S. & Weinberg, M.D. 1984, MNRAS, 209, 729