155 research outputs found
The Metal-Poor Halo of the Andromeda Spiral Galaxy (M31)
We present spectroscopic observations of red giant branch (RGB) stars over a
large expanse in the halo of the Andromeda spiral galaxy (M31), acquired with
the DEIMOS instrument on the Keck II 10-m telescope. Using a combination of
five photometric/spectroscopic diagnostics -- (1) radial velocity, (2)
intermediate-width DDO51 photometry, (3) Na I equivalent width (surface gravity
sensitive), (4) position in the color-magnitude diagram, and (5) comparison
between photometric and spectroscopic [Fe/H] estimates -- we isolate over 250
bona fide M31 bulge and halo RGB stars located in twelve fields ranging from R
= 12-165kpc from the center of M31 (47 of these stars are halo members with R >
60 kpc). We derive the photometric and spectroscopic metallicity distribution
function of M31 RGB stars in each of these fields. The mean of the resulting
M31 spheroid (bulge and halo) metallicity distribution is found to be
systematically more metal-poor with increasing radius, shifting from =
-0.47+/-0.03 (sigma = 0.39) at R = -0.94+/-0.06 (sigma =
0.60) at R ~ 30 kpc to = -1.26+/-0.10 (sigma = 0.72) at R > 60 kpc,
assuming [alpha/Fe] = 0.0. These results indicate the presence of a metal-poor
RGB population at large radial distances out to at least R = 160 kpc, thereby
supporting our recent discovery of a stellar halo in M31: its halo and bulge
(defined as the structural components with R^{-2} power law and de Vaucouleurs
R^{1/4} law surface brightness profiles, respectively) are shown to have
distinct metallicity distributions. If we assume an alpha-enhancement of
[alpha/Fe] = +0.3 for M31's halo, we derive = -1.5+/-0.1 (sigma =
0.7). Therefore, the mean metallicity and metallicity spread of this newly
found remote M31 RGB population are similar to those of the Milky Way halo.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ on May 4th, 2006 (submitted on Jan
30, 2006). 16 pages, 13 figures, 3 table
The Extended Shapes of Galactic Satellites
We are exploring the extended stellar distributions of Galactic satellite
galaxies and globular clusters. For seven objects studied thus far, the
observed profile departs from a King function at large r, revealing a ``break
population'' of stars. In our sample, the relative density of the ``break''
correlates to the inferred M/L of these objects. We discuss opposing hypotheses
for this trend: (1) Higher M/L objects harbor more extended dark matter halos
that support secondary, bound, stellar ``halos''. (2) The extended populations
around dwarf spheroidals (and some clusters) consist of unbound, extratidal
debris from their parent objects, which are undergoing various degrees of tidal
disruption. In this scenario, higher M/L ratios reflect higher degrees of
virial non-equilibrium in the parent objects, thus invalidating a precept
underlying the use of core radial velocities to obtain masses.Comment: 8 pages, including 2 figures Yale Cosmology Workshop: The Shapes of
Galaxies and Their Halo
Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars IV: The Extended Structure of the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal
We present a large area photometric survey of the Ursa Minor dSph. We
identify UMi giant star candidates extending to ~3 deg from the center of the
dSph. Comparison to previous catalogues of stars within the tidal radius of UMi
suggests that our photometric luminosity classification is 100% accurate. Over
a large fraction of the survey area, blue horizontal branch stars associated
with UMi can also be identified. The spatial distribution of both the UMi giant
stars and the BHB stars are remarkably similar, and a large fraction of both
samples of stars are found outside the tidal radius of UMi. An isodensity
contour map of the stars within the tidal radius of UMi reveals two
morphological peculiarities: (1) The highest density of dSph stars is offset
from the center of symmetry of the outer isodensity contours. (2) The overall
shape of the outer contours appear S-shaped. We find that previously determined
King profiles with ~50' tidal radii do not fit well the distribution of our UMi
stars. A King profile with a larger tidal radius produces a reasonable fit,
however a power law with index -3 provides a better fit for radii > 20'. The
existence of UMi stars at large distances from the core of the galaxy, the
peculiar morphology of the dSph within its tidal radius, and the shape of its
surface density profile all suggest that UMi is evolving significantly due to
the tidal influence of the Milky Way. However, the photometric data on UMi
stars alone does not allow us to determine if the candidate extratidal stars
are now unbound or if they remain bound to the dSph within an extended dark
matter halo. (Abridged)Comment: accepted by AJ, 32 pages, 15 figures, emulateapj5 styl
On the Mechanism of Time--Delayed Feedback Control
The Pyragas method for controlling chaos is investigated in detail from the
experimental as well as theoretical point of view. We show by an analytical
stability analysis that the revolution around an unstable periodic orbit
governs the success of the control scheme. Our predictions concerning the
transient behaviour of the control signal are confirmed by numerical
simulations and an electronic circuit experiment.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX, 4 eps-figures included Phys. Rev. Lett., in press
also available at
http://athene.fkp.physik.th-darmstadt.de/public/wolfram.htm
Stellar Kinematics in the Complicated Inner Spheroid of M31: Discovery of Substructure Along the Southeastern Minor Axis and its Relationship to the Giant Southern Stream
We present the discovery of a kinematically-cold stellar population along the
SE minor axis of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) that is likely the forward
continuation of M31's giant southern stream. This discovery was made in the
course of an on-going spectroscopic survey of red giant branch (RGB) stars in
M31 using the DEIMOS instrument on the Keck II 10-m telescope. Stellar
kinematics are investigated in eight fields located 9-30 kpc from M31's center
(in projection). A likelihood method based on photometric and spectroscopic
diagnostics is used to isolate confirmed M31 RGB stars from foreground Milky
Way dwarf stars: for the first time, this is done without using radial velocity
as a selection criterion, allowing an unbiased study of M31's stellar
kinematics. The radial velocity distribution of the 1013 M31 RGB stars shows
evidence for the presence of two components. The broad (hot) component has a
velocity dispersion of 129 km/s and presumably represents M31's virialized
spheroid. A significant fraction (19%) of the population is in a narrow (cold)
component centered near M31's systemic velocity with a velocity dispersion that
decreases with increasing radial distance, from 55.5 km/s at R_proj=12 kpc to
10.6 km/s at R_proj=18 kpc. The spatial and velocity distribution of the cold
component matches that of the "Southeast shelf" predicted by the Fardal et al.
(2007) orbital model of the progenitor of the giant southern stream. The
metallicity distribution of the cold component matches that of the giant
southern stream, but is about 0.2 dex more metal rich on average than that of
the hot spheroidal component. We discuss the implications of our discovery on
the interpretation of the intermediate-age spheroid population found in this
region in recent ultra-deep HST imaging studies.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal. Changes from previous version: expanded discussion in
sections 4.2 and 7.2, removal of section 7.1.4 and associated figure
(discussion moved to section 7.1.2
Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars. VI. Extended Distributions of Giant Stars Around the Carina Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy -- How Reliable Are They?
The question of the existence of active tidal disruption around various dSph
galaxies remains controversial. That debate often centers on the nature (bound
vs. unbound) of extended populations of stars. However, the more fundamental
issue of the very existence of the extended populations is still contentious.
We present an evaluation of the debate centering on one particular dSph,
Carina, for which claims both for and against the existence of stars beyond the
King radius have been made. Our review includes an examination of all previous
studies bearing on the Carina radial profile and shows that the survey method
which achieves the highest detected dSph signal-to-background in the outer
parts of the galaxy is the Washington M, T2 + DDO51 (MTD) filter approach from
Paper II in this series. We then address statistical methods used to evaluate
the reliability of MTD surveys in the presence of photometric errors and for
which a new, a posteriori statistical analysis methodology is provided.
Finally, these statistical methods are tested by new spectroscopy of stars in
the MTD-selected Carina candidate sample. Of 74 candidate giants with follow-up
spectroscopy, the MTD technique identified 61 new Carina members, including 8
stars outside the King radius. From a sample of 29 stars not initially
identified as candidate Carina giants but that lie just outside of our
selection criteria, 12 have radial velocities consistent with membership,
including 5 extratidal stars. Carina is shown to have an extended population of
giant stars extending to a major axis radius of 40' (1.44x the nominal King
radius).Comment: 56 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to the Astronomical Journal, 2004 Sep
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