Correlated projected properties of some triaxial mass models: implications for their intrinsic shapes

The projected properties of some triaxial mass models are studied. The models are flattened versions of a set of spherical models. They are constructed by addition of two spherical harmonic terms to a spherical model. The projected properties exhibit strong correlations, when a model with a given set of intrinsic parameters is viewed in all possible orientations. The correlation plots appear to carry signatures of the intrinsic shape of the mass model. Rigorous shape estimates, using Bayesian statistics, yield satisfactory results for the test cases.