The polar ring galaxy AM 2040-620 and its possible companion
  Polar ring galaxies (PRGs) are peculiar systems where a gas-rich, nearly
polar ring surrounds a host galaxy. They are the result of galaxy interactions
that form mainly by tidal accretion of material from a gas rich donor galaxy.
There is a number of formation mechanisms for PRGs: minor or major mergers,
tidal accretion events, or direct cold gas accretion from filaments of the
cosmic web. These objects can be used to probe the three-dimensional shape of
dark matter haloes, provided that the ring is in equilibrium with the
gravitational potential of the host galaxy. The polar ring galaxy, AM 2040-620,
which has not yet been well studied, is the subject of this work. This galaxy
contains an almost perpendicular warped ring and one possible companion galaxy
to the NW. The radial velocity of this object is 3301\pm65 km/s and is part of
a group of fifteen possible polar ring galaxies, according to the literature.
In order to better understand this system, images and long slit spectra were
observed with the 1.60 m OPD/LNA telescope. In the I band image, the outer
parts of the ring are not symmetrical. A disturbance in the Eastern side and a
faint plume were detected. Two small satellites are located to the north. The
bulge is elliptical but not perfectly symmetrical in this image. The B-band
image shows material that extends beyond the ring in the western and eastern
directions. After processing, the B-image shows that the possible companion
galaxy 2MASX J20441668-6158092 has a tidally disturbed disk. Its radial
velocity is unknown, but the spectroscopy, which is still under analysis, will
furnish this information.
