263 research outputs found
Multiple Chemodynamic Stellar Populations of the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
We present a Bayesian method to identify multiple (chemodynamic) stellar
populations in dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) using velocity, metallicity,
and positional stellar data without the assumption of spherical symmetry. We
apply this method to a new Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of the Ursa Minor
(UMi) dSph. We identify 892 likely members, making this the largest UMi sample
with line-of-sight velocity and metallicity measurements. Our Bayesian method
detects two distinct chemodynamic populations with high significance
(). The metal-rich () population is
kinematically colder (radial velocity dispersion of ) and more centrally concentrated than the metal-poor () and kinematically hotter population (). Furthermore, we apply the same analysis to
an independent MMT/Hectochelle data set and confirm the existence of two
chemodynamic populations in UMi. In both data sets, the metal-rich population
is significantly flattened () and the metal-poor
population is closer to spherical (). Despite
the presence of two populations, we are unable to robustly estimate the slope
of the dynamical mass profile. We found hints for prolate rotation of order
in the MMT data set, but further observations
are required to verify this. The flattened metal-rich population invalidates
assumptions built into simple dynamical mass estimators, so we computed new
astrophysical dark matter annihilation (J) and decay profiles based on the
rounder, hotter metal-poor population and inferred
for the Keck
data set. Our results paint a more complex picture of the evolution of Ursa
Minor than previously discussed.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, data included. Comments welcome. Accepted to
MNRA
Femtosecond Covariance Spectroscopy
The success of non-linear optics relies largely on pulse-to-pulse
consistency. In contrast, covariance based techniques used in photoionization
electron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry have shown that wealth of
information can be extracted from noise that is lost when averaging multiple
measurements. Here, we apply covariance based detection to nonlinear optical
spectroscopy, and show that noise in a femtosecond laser is not necessarily a
liability to be mitigated, but can act as a unique and powerful asset. As a
proof of principle we apply this approach to the process of stimulated Raman
scattering in alpha-quartz. Our results demonstrate how nonlinear processes in
the sample can encode correlations between the spectral components of
ultrashort pulses with uncorrelated stochastic fluctuations. This in turn
provides richer information compared to the standard non-linear optics
techniques that are based on averages over many repetitions with well-behaved
laser pulses. These proof-of-principle results suggest that covariance based
nonlinear spectroscopy will improve the applicability of fs non-linear
spectroscopy in wavelength ranges where stable, transform limited pulses are
not available such as, for example, x-ray free electron lasers which naturally
have spectrally noisy pulses ideally suited for this approach
Properties of satellite galaxies in the SDSS photometric survey: luminosities, colours and projected number density profiles
We analyze photometric data in SDSS-DR7 to infer statistical properties of
faint satellites associated to isolated bright galaxies (M_r<-20.5) in the
redshift range 0.03<z<0.1. The mean projected radial profile shows an excess of
companions in the photometric sample around the primaries, with approximately a
power law shape that extends up to ~700kpc. Given this overdensity signal, a
suitable background subtraction method is used to study the statistical
properties of the population of bound satellites, down to magnitude M_r=-14.5,
in the projected radial distance range 100 < r_p/kpc < 3 R_{vir}. We have also
considered a color cut consistent with the observed colors of spectroscopic
satellites in nearby galaxies so that distant redshifted galaxies do not
dominate the statistics. We have tested the implementation of this procedure
using a mock catalog. We find that the method is effective in reproducing the
true projected radial satellite number density profile and luminosity
distributions, providing confidence in the results derived from SDSS data. The
spatial extent of satellites is larger for bright, red primaries. Also, we find
a larger spatial distribution of blue satellites. For the different samples
analyzed, we derive the average number of satellites and their luminosity
distributions down to M_r=-14.5. The mean number of satellites depends very
strongly on host luminosity. Bright primaries (M_r<-21.5) host on average ~6
satellites with M_r<-14.5, while primaries with -21.5<M_r<-20.5 have less than
1 satellite per host. We provide Schechter function fits to the luminosity
distributions of satellite galaxies with faint-end slopes -1.3+/-0.2. This
shows that satellites of bright primaries lack an excess population of faint
objects, in agreement with the results in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomical
Journa
Galaxies behind the Galactic plane: First results and perspectives from the VVV Survey
Vista Variables in The Via Lactea (VVV) is an ESO variability survey that is
performing observations in near infrared bands (ZYJHKs) towards the Galactic
bulge and part of the disk with the completeness limits at least 3 mag deeper
than 2MASS. In the present work, we searched in the VVV survey data for
background galaxies near the Galactic plane using ZYJHKs photometry that covers
1.636 square degrees. We identified 204 new galaxy candidates by analyzing
colors, sizes, and visual inspection of multi-band (ZYJHKs) images. The galaxy
candidates colors were also compared with the predicted ones by star counts
models considering a more realistic extinction model at the same completeness
limits observed by VVV. A comparison of the galaxy candidates with the expected
one by Milennium simulations is also presented. Our results increase the number
density of known galaxies behind the Milky Way by more than one order of
magnitude. A catalog with galaxy properties including ellipticity, Petrosian
radii and ZYJHKs magnitudes is provided, as well as comparisons of the results
with other surveys of galaxies towards Galactic plane.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables; in press at The Astronomical Journa
A Comprehensive Archival Search for Counterparts to Ultra-Compact High Velocity Clouds: Five Local Volume Dwarf Galaxies
We report five Local Volume dwarf galaxies (two of which are presented here
for the first time) uncovered during a comprehensive archival search for
optical counterparts to ultra-compact high velocity clouds (UCHVCs). The UCHVC
population of HI clouds are thought to be candidate gas-rich, low mass halos at
the edge of the Local Group and beyond, but no comprehensive search for stellar
counterparts to these systems has been presented. Careful visual inspection of
all publicly available optical and ultraviolet imaging at the position of the
UCHVCs revealed six blue, diffuse counterparts with a morphology consistent
with a faint dwarf galaxy beyond the Local Group. Optical spectroscopy of all
six candidate dwarf counterparts show that five have an H-derived
velocity consistent with the coincident HI cloud, confirming their association,
the sixth diffuse counterpart is likely a background object. The size and
luminosity of the UCHVC dwarfs is consistent with other known Local Volume
dwarf irregular galaxies. The gas fraction () of the five
dwarfs are generally consistent with that of dwarf irregular galaxies in the
Local Volume, although ALFALFA-Dw1 (associated with ALFALFA UCHVC
HVC274.68+74.70123) has a very high 40. Despite the
heterogenous nature of our search, we demonstrate that the current dwarf
companions to UCHVCs are at the edge of detectability due to their low surface
brightness, and that deeper searches are likely to find more stellar systems.
If more sensitive searches do not reveal further stellar counterparts to
UCHVCs, then the dearth of such systems around the Local Group may be in
conflict with CDM simulations.Comment: 18 pages, 4 tables, 4 figures, ApJ Accepte
A Complete Spectroscopic Survey of the Milky Way satellite Segue 1: Dark matter content, stellar membership and binary properties from a Bayesian analysis
We introduce a comprehensive analysis of multi-epoch stellar line-of-sight
velocities to determine the intrinsic velocity dispersion of the ultrafaint
satellites of the Milky Way. Our method includes a simultaneous Bayesian
analysis of both membership probabilities and the contribution of binary
orbital motion to the observed velocity dispersion within a 14-parameter
likelihood. We apply our method to the Segue 1 dwarf galaxy and conclude that
Segue 1 is a dark-matter-dominated galaxy at high probability with an intrinsic
velocity dispersion of 3.7^{+1.4}_{-1.1} km/sec. The dark matter halo required
to produce this dispersion must have an average density of 2.5^{+4.1}_{-1.9}
solar mass/pc^3 within a sphere that encloses half the galaxy's stellar
luminosity. This is the highest measured density of dark matter in the Local
Group. Our results show that a significant fraction of the stars in Segue 1 may
be binaries with the most probable mean period close to 10 years, but also
consistent with the 180 year mean period seen in the solar vicinity at about 1
sigma. Despite this binary population, the possibility that Segue 1 is a bound
star cluster with the observed velocity dispersion arising from the orbital
motion of binary stars is disfavored by the multi-epoch stellar velocity data
at greater than 99% C.L. Finally, our treatment yields a projected
(two-dimensional) half-light radius for the stellar profile of Segue 1 of
28^{+5}_{-4} pc, in excellent agreement with photometric measurements.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figure
One Relation for All Wavelengths: The Far-Ultraviolet to Mid-Infrared Milky Way Spectroscopic R(V) Dependent Dust Extinction Relationship
Dust extinction is one of the fundamental measurements of dust grain sizes,
compositions, and shapes. Most of the wavelength dependent variations seen in
Milky Way extinction are strongly correlated with the single parameter
R(V)=A(V)/E(B-V). Existing R(V) dependent extinction relationships use a
mixture of spectroscopic and photometry observations, hence do not fully
capture all the important dust features nor continuum variations. Using four
existing samples of spectroscopically measured dust extinction curves, we
consistently measure the R(V) dependent extinction relationship
spectroscopically from the far-ultraviolet to mid-infrared for the first time.
Linear fits of A(lambda)/A(V) dependent on R(V) are done using a method that
fully accounts for their significant and correlated uncertainties. These linear
parameters are fit with analytic wavelength dependent functions to determine
the smooth R(V) (2.3-5.6) and wavelength (912 A-32 micron) dependent extinction
relationship. This relationship shows that the far-UV rise, 2175 A bump, and
the three broad optical features are dependent on R(V), but the 10 and 20
micron features are not. Existing literature relationships show significant
deviations compared to this relationship especially in the far-ultraviolet and
infrared. Extinction curves that clearly deviate from this relationship
illustrate that this relationship only describes the average behavior versus
R(V). We find tentative evidence that the relationship may not be linear with
1/R(V) especially in the ultraviolet. For the first time, this relationship
provides measurements of dust extinction that spectroscopically resolve the
continuum and features in the ultraviolet, optical, and infrared as a function
of R(V) enabling detailed studies of dust grains properties and full
spectroscopic accounting for the effects of dust extinction on astrophysical
objects.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, ApJ, in pres
Transient measurement of phononic states with covariance-based stochastic spectroscopy
We present a novel approach to transient Raman spectroscopy, which combines stochastic probe pulses and a covariance-based detection to measure stimulated Raman signals in alpha-quartz. A coherent broadband pump is used to simultaneously impulsively excite a range of different phonon modes, and the phase, amplitude, and energy of each mode are independently recovered as a function of the pump–probe delay by a noisy-probe and covariance-based analysis. Our experimental results and the associated theoretical description demonstrate the feasibility of 2D-Raman experiments based on the stochastic-probe schemes, with new capabilities not available in equivalent mean-value-based 2D-Raman techniques. This work unlocks the gate for nonlinear spectroscopies to capitalize on the information hidden within the noise and overlooked by a mean-value analysis
A Complete Spectroscopic Survey of the Milky Way Satellite Segue 1: The Darkest Galaxy
We present the results of a comprehensive Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of
the ultra-faint Milky Way satellite galaxy Segue 1. We have obtained velocity
measurements for 98.2% of the stars within 67 pc (10 arcmin, or 2.3 half-light
radii) of the center of Segue 1 that have colors and magnitudes consistent with
membership, down to a magnitude limit of r=21.7. Based on photometric,
kinematic, and metallicity information, we identify 71 stars as probable Segue
1 members, including some as far out as 87 pc. After correcting for the
influence of binary stars using repeated velocity measurements, we determine a
velocity dispersion of 3.7^{+1.4}_{-1.1} km/s, with a corresponding mass within
the half-light radius of 5.8^{+8.2}_{-3.1} x 10^5 Msun. The stellar kinematics
of Segue 1 require very high mass-to-light ratios unless the system is far from
dynamical equilibrium, even if the period distribution of unresolved binary
stars is skewed toward implausibly short periods. With a total luminosity less
than that of a single bright red giant and a V-band mass-to-light ratio of 3400
Msun/Lsun, Segue 1 is the darkest galaxy currently known. We critically
re-examine recent claims that Segue 1 is a tidally disrupting star cluster and
that kinematic samples are contaminated by the Sagittarius stream. The
extremely low metallicities ([Fe/H] < -3) of two Segue 1 stars and the large
metallicity spread among the members demonstrate conclusively that Segue 1 is a
dwarf galaxy, and we find no evidence in favor of tidal effects. We also show
that contamination by the Sagittarius stream has been overestimated. Segue 1
has the highest measured dark matter density of any known galaxy and will
therefore be a prime testing ground for dark matter physics and galaxy
formation on small scales.Comment: 24 pages, 4 tables, 11 figures (10 in color). Submitted for
publication in ApJ. V3 revised according to comments from the refere
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