Structure and dynamics of elliptical galaxies

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Abstract
The article reviews the modelling of elliptical galaxies, centred on the question of their overall mass distribution and intrinsic symmetry and also taking into account the three major issues of stability, dark matter and galaxy formation. The authors illustrate how some stellar dynamical descriptions can account for the observed luminosity and velocity dispersion profiles, under plausible physical assumptions suggested by observations and N-body simulations. This modelling process currently faces nontrivial difficulties when dealing with significantly non-spherical systems; on the other hand, integrable self-consistent, stellar dynamical, triaxial models constructed so far apparently do not have a realistic density profile. The present review focuses on a few physical and methodological issues, bringing out some interesting connections between the astrophysical problem that is considered and other branches of physics. Reference is given to other review articles that complement the approach taken.

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