Clarification of the Nature of the Galaxy CFC97 Cen 05

The galaxy CFC97 Cen 05 has in the past been considered an HI-rich dwarf galaxy in the nearby Centaurus A group. We have used Australia Telescope Compact Array observations to show that the HI associated with CFC97 Cen 05 by Cote et al. (1997) is most likely a Galactic High Velocity Cloud that is centered ~17' from the optical image of the galaxy. At the optical location of the galaxy, which is not that tabulated by Banks et al. (1999), there is no indication of the presence of HI for velocities less than the upper limit of the HIPASS survey at ~12,500 km/s. In addition, WFPC2 images of CFC97 Cen 05 obtained from the HST Archive reveal that this galaxy is in fact not a dwarf at all, but rather is a distant background spiral not associated with the Centaurus A group.Comment: accepted for publication in the PASP (November 2004

A new red giant-based distance modulus of 13.3 Mpc to the Antennae galaxies and its consequences

The Antennae galaxies are the closest example of an ongoing major galaxy merger, and thereby represent a unique laboratory for furthering the understanding of the formation of exotic objects (e.g., tidal dwarf galaxies, ultra-luminous X-ray sources, super-stellar clusters, etc). In a previous paper HST/WFPC2 observations were used to demonstrate that the Antennae system might be at a distance considerably less than that conventionally assumed in the literature. Here we report new, much deeper HST/ACS imaging that resolves the composite stellar populations, and most importantly, reveals a well-defined red giant branch. The tip of this red giant branch (TRGB) is unambiguously detected at Io(TRGB)=26.65 +/- 0.09 mag. Adopting the most recent calibration of the luminosity of the TRGB then yields a distance modulus for the Antennae of (m-M)o= 30.62 +/- 0.17 corresponding to a distance of 13.3 +/- 1.0 Mpc. This is consistent with our earlier result, once the different calibrations for the standard candle are considered. We briefly discuss the implications of this now well determined shorter distance.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap

Gemini/GMOS photometry of intermediate-age star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present Gemini South GMOS g,i photometry of 14 intermediate-age Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) star clusters, namely: NGC 2155, 2161, 2162, 2173, 2203, 2209, 2213, 2231, 2249, Hodge 6, SL 244, 505, 674, and 769, as part of a continuing project to investigate the extended Main Sequence Turnoff (EMSTO) phenomenon. Extensive artificial star tests were made over the observed field of view. These tests reveal the observed behaviour of photometric errors with magnitude and crowding. The cluster stellar density radial profiles were traced from star counts over the extent of the observed field. We adopt clus- ter radii and build colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) with cluster features clearly identified. We used the cluster (g,g-i) CMDs to estimate ages from the matching of theoretical isochrones. The studied LMC clusters are confirmed to be intermediate-age clusters, which range in age 9.10 < log(t) < 9.60. NGC 2162 and NGC 2249 look like new EMSTO candidates, in addition to NGC 2209, on the basis of having dual red clumps.Comment: MNRAS, accepte

Detection of neutral hydrogen in early-type dwarf galaxies of the Sculptor Group

We present our results of deep 21 cm line (HI) observations of five early and mixed-type dwarf galaxies in the nearby Sculptor group using the ATNF 64m Parkes Radio Telescope. Four of these objects, ESO294-G010, ESO410-G005, ESO540-G030, and ESO540-G032, were detected in HI with neutral hydrogen masses in the range of 2-9x10^5 M_{\odot} ($M_{HI}/L_{B}$ = 0.08, 0.13, 0.16, and 0.18, respectively). These HI masses are consistent with the gas mass expected from stellar outflows over a large period of time. Higher resolution radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array were further analysed to measure more accurate positions and the distribution of the HI gas. In the cases of dwarfs ESO294-G010 and ESO540-G030, we find significant offsets of 290 pc and 460 pc, respectively, between the position of the HI peak flux and the center of the stellar component. These offsets are likely to have internal cause such as the winds from star-forming regions. The fifth object, the spatially isolated dwarf elliptical Scl-dE1, remains undetected at our 3\sigma limit of 22.5 mJy km/s and thus must contain less than 10^5 M_{\odot} of neutral hydrogen. This leaves Scl-dE1 as the only Sculptor group galaxy known where no interstellar medium has been found to date. The object joins a list of similar systems including the Local Group dwarfs Tucana and Cetus that do not fit into the global picture of the morphology-density relation where gas-rich dwarf irregulars are in relative isolation and gas-deficient dwarf ellipticals are satellites of more luminous galaxies.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, to be published in AJ (accepted

The Spectroscopic Age of 47 Tuc

High signal-to-noise integrated spectra of the metal-rich globular cluster 47 Tuc, spanning the H-gamma(HR) and Fe4668 line indices, have been obtained. The combination of these indices has been suggested (Jones & Worthey 1995, ApJ, 446, L31) as the best available mechanism for cleanly separating the age-metallicity degeneracy which hampers the dating of distant, unresolved, elliptical galaxies. For the first time, we apply this technique to a nearby spheroidal system, 47 Tuc, for which independent ages, based upon more established methods, exist. Such an independent test of the technique's suitability has not been attempted before, but is an essential one before its application to more distant, unresolved, stellar populations can be considered valid. Because of its weak series of Balmer lines, relative to model spectra, our results imply a spectroscopic ``age'' for 47 Tuc well in excess of 20 Gyr, at odds with the colour-magnitude diagram age of 14+/-1 Gyr. The derived metal abundance, however, is consistent with the known value. Emission ``fill-in'' of the H-gamma line as the source of the discrepancy cannot be entirely excluded by existing data, although the observational constraints are restrictive.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal, also available at http://casa.colorado.edu/~bgibson/publications.htm

Population gradients and photometric metallicities in early- and transition-type dwarf galaxies: Clues from the Sculptor group

Aims. We focus on the resolved stellar populations of one early-type and four transition-type dwarf galaxies in the Sculptor group, with the aim to examine the potential presence of population gradients and place constraints on their mean metallicities. Methods. We use deep Hubble Space Telescope images to construct color-magnitude diagrams, from which we select stellar populations that trace different evolutionary phases in order to constrain their range of ages and metallicities, as well as to examine their spatial distribution. In addition, we use the resolved stars in the red giant branch in order to derive photometric metallicities. Results. All studied dwarfs contain intermediate-age stars with ages of ∼1 Gyr and older as traced by the luminous asymptotic giant branch and red clump stars, while the transition-type dwarfs contain also stars younger than ∼1 Gyr as traced by a young main sequence and vertical red clump stars. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the stars that trace different evolutionary phases shows a population gradient in all transition-type dwarfs. The derived error-weighted mean metallicities, assuming purely old stellar populations, range from -1.5 dex for ESO294-G010 to -1.9 dex for Scl-dE1, and should be considered as lower limits to their true metallicities. Assuming intermediate-age stellar populations to dominate the dwarfs, we derive upper limits for the metallicities that are 0.3 to 0.2 dex higher than the metallicities derived assuming purely old populations. We discuss how photometric metallicity gradients are affected by the age-metallicity degeneracy, which prevents strong conclusions regarding their actual presence. Finally, the transition-type dwarfs lie beyond the virial radius of their closest bright galaxy, as also observed for the Local Group transition-type dwarfs. Scl-dE1 is the only dwarf spheroidal in our sample and is an outlier in a potential morphology-distance relation, similar as the two isolated dwarf spheroidals of the Local Group, Tucana, and Cetus

A chemical signature from fast-rotating low-metallicity massive stars: ROA 276 in ω Centauri

© 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present a chemical abundance analysis of a metal-poor star, ROA 276, in the stellar system ω Centauri. We confirm that this star has an unusually high [Sr/Ba] abundance ratio. Additionally, ROA 276 exhibits remarkably high abundance ratios, [X/Fe] , for all elements from Cu to Mo along with normal abundance ratios for the elements from Ba to Pb. The chemical abundance pattern of ROA 276, relative to a primordial ω Cen star ROA 46, is best fit by a fast-rotating low-metallicity massive stellar model of 20 , [Fe/H] = -1.8, and an initial rotation 0.4 times the critical value; no other nucleosynthetic source can match the neutron-capture element distribution. ROA 276 arguably offers the most definitive proof to date that fast-rotating massive stars contributed to the production of heavy elements in the early universe

Interstellar medium disruption in the Centaurus A group

We present the results of a 21 cm neutral hydrogen (HI) line detection experiment in the direction of 18 low luminosity dwarf galaxies of the Centaurus A group, using the Australia Telescope National Facility 64m Parkes Radio Telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Five dwarfs have HI masses between M_HI=4x10^5 to M_HI=2.1x10^7 Msol and 0.04<M_HI/L_B<1.81 Msol L_{sol, B}^-1. The other 13 have upper-limits between M_HI<5x10^5 and M_HI<4x10^6 Msol (M_HI}/L_B<0.24 Msol L_{sol, B}^-1). Two of the mixed-morphology dwarfs remain undetected in HI, a situation that is in contrast to that of similar Local Group and Sculptor group objects where all contain significant amounts of neutral gas. There is a discontinuity in the HI properties of Centaurus A group low luminosity dwarfs that is unobserved amongst Sculptor group dwarfs. All objects fainter than M_B=-13 have either M_HI>10^7 Msol or M_HI<10^6 Msol. This gap may be explained by the ram pressure stripping mechanism at work in this dense environment where all galaxies with M_HI<10^7 Msol have been stripped of their gas. The required intergalactic medium density to achieve this is ~10^-3 cm^-3.Comment: 7 figures, 2 table