Title: Molecular Gas in Early-type Galaxies. I. Kinematics  

Speaker: Martin Bureau（University of Oxford）  

Time & place: Thursday, 3:00pm, January 8, lecture Hall, 3rd floor  

Abstract: I will demonstrate that, contrary to expectations, early-types galaxies contain a significant amount of cold molecular gas, and that the spatially-resolved kinematics of this gas can be used to establish its origin. More importantly, the molecular gas turns out to be an excellent, arguably the best tracer of the circular velocity in early-type galaxies, thus allowing accurate total/dynamical mass measurements. I will exploit this principally in two ways. First, to show that an accurate CO Tully-Fisher (luminosity-rotation velocity) relation can easily be derived for early-type galaxies. This opens the way to probe the mass growth of galaxies of all types to significant redshits, with a unique and simple method. Second, to show that CO can be used to accurately measure the mass of the supermassive black holes lurking at galaxy centres. This opens the way for literaly hundreds of measurements across the Hubble sequence, potentially revolutionising our understanding of the co-evolution of galaxies and black holes.  

Biog: TBC