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S.J. Kannappan (Harvard), D.G. Fabricant (CfA), M. Franx (Leiden), R.A. Jansen (Kapteyn)
Studies of galaxy evolution depend upon our knowledge of the present-day universe, yet no statistically representative survey of nearby galaxy kinematics has been available. Such a data set is needed to estimate the nearby galaxy mass distribution function and to calibrate studies of evolution in the Tully-Fisher relation and the Fundamental Plane. It is also necessary for an understanding of the internal structure of galaxies and their merger history. We have measured rotation curves and stellar velocity dispersions for 196 low-redshift galaxies that represent the local galaxy population. The sample was selected from the CfA 1 survey to include all morphological types in their natural abundance down to luminosities as faint as MB=-14. The distribution of luminosities was chosen to approximately follow the local galaxy luminosity function. Here we describe the kinematic properties of the sample. We present measured rotation curves at an instrumental resolution of 30 km s-1 out to ~2-4 effective radii for the emission line galaxies in the sample, and central velocity dispersions at a resolution of 60 km s-1 for the elliptical galaxies and spiral bulges. We combine the kinematic data with high-quality spectrophotometric data to offer a first appraisal of the survey's implications for studies of galaxy structure and evolution.
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