ISO observations of dust in elliptical galaxies

M. Fich ^1,2, G.R. Knapp ³, M.P. Rupen ⁴, D.A. Harper ⁵, & C.G. Wynn-Williams ⁶

¹ Observatoire de Paris ² University of Waterloo ³ Princeton University ⁴ National Radio Astronomy Observatory ⁵ University of Chicago ⁶ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii

We have mapped 15 elliptical galaxies with ISO with ISOCAM and ISOPHOT at wavelengths from 4.5 to 200 microns. In this poster we will highlight results from CAM (4.5, 6.75 and 15 microns) and PHT-04 (21 microns). These observations should enable us to discern if the dust in the centers of these galaxies is distributed in the same way as the stars or is in discrete clumps at the nucleus. This is crucial to understanding the origin of the 12 and 25 micron IRAS emission and deciding if it is associated with stellar or circumstellar dust as opposed to truly interstellar dust