Dating the formation of the counter-rotating stellar disc in the spiral
  galaxy NGC 5719 by disentangling its stellar populations
  We present the results of the VLT/VIMOS integral-field spectroscopic
observations of the inner 28"x28" (3.1 kpc x 3.1 kpc) of the interacting spiral
NGC 5719, which is known to host two co-spatial counter-rotating stellar discs.
At each position in the field of view, the observed galaxy spectrum is
decomposed into the contributions of the spectra of two stellar and one
ionised-gas components. We measure the kinematics and the line strengths of the
Lick indices of the two stellar counter-rotating components. We model the data
of each stellar component with single stellar population models that account
for the alpha/Fe overabundance. We also derive the distribution and kinematics
of the ionised-gas disc, that is associated with the younger, less rich in
metals, more alpha-enhanced, and less luminous stellar component. They are both
counter-rotating with respect the main stellar body of the galaxy. These
findings prove the scenario where gas was accreted first by NGC 5719 onto a
retrograde orbit from the large reservoir available in its neighbourhoods as
the result of the interaction with its companion NGC 5713, and subsequently
fuelled the in situ formation of the counter-rotating stellar disc.
