966 research outputs found
Bayesian analysis of resolved stellar spectra: application to MMT/Hectochelle Observations of the Draco dwarf spheroidal
We introduce a Bayesian method for fitting faint, resolved stellar spectra in
order to obtain simultaneous estimates of redshift and stellar-atmospheric
parameters. We apply the method to thousands of spectra---covering 5160-5280
Angs. at resolution R~20,000---that we have acquired with the MMT/Hectochelle
fibre spectrograph for red-giant and horizontal branch candidates along the
line of sight to the Milky Way's dwarf spheroidal satellite in Draco. The
observed stars subtend an area of ~4 deg^2, extending ~3 times beyond Draco's
nominal `tidal' radius. For each spectrum we tabulate the first four
moments---central value, variance, skewness and kurtosis---of posterior
probability distribution functions representing estimates of the following
physical parameters: line-of-sight velocity v_los, effective temperature
(T_eff), surface gravity (logg) and metallicity ([Fe/H]). After rejecting
low-quality measurements, we retain a new sample consisting of 2813 independent
observations of 1565 unique stars, including 1879 observations for 631 stars
with (as many as 13) repeat observations. Parameter estimates have median
random errors of sigma_{v_los}=0.88 km/s, sigma_{T_eff}=162 K, sigma_logg=0.37
dex and sigma_[Fe/H]=0.20 dex. Our estimates of physical parameters distinguish
~470 likely Draco members from interlopers in the Galactic foreground.Comment: published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, all
data are publicly available at the following address:
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/mgwalker/hectochelle
Structure of the Draco Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
This article studies the structure of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy with
an emphasis on the question of whether the spatial distribution of its stars
has been affected by the tidal interaction with the Milky Way, using R- and
V-band CCD photometry for eleven fields. The article reports coordinates for
the center, a position angle of the major axis, and the ellipticity. It also
reports the results of searches for asymmetries in the structure of Draco.
These results, and searches for a ``break'' in the radial profile and for the
presence of principal sequences of Draco in a color-magnitude diagram for
regions more than 50 arcmin from the center, yield no evidence that tidal
forces from the Milky Way have affected the structure of Draco.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in A
The Velocity Dispersion Profile of the Remote Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Leo I: A Tidal Hit and Run?
(abridged) We present kinematic results for a sample of 387 stars located
near Leo I based on spectra obtained with the MMT's Hectochelle spectrograph
near the MgI/Mgb lines. We estimate the mean velocity error of our sample to be
2.4 km/s, with a systematic error of < 1 km/s. We produce a final sample of 328
Leo I red giant members, from which we measure a mean heliocentric radial
velocity of 282.9 +/- 0.5 km/s, and a mean radial velocity dispersion of 9.2
+/- 0.4 km/s for Leo I. The dispersion profile of Leo I is flat out to beyond
its classical `tidal' radius. We fit the profile to a variety of equilibrium
dynamical models and can strongly rule out models where mass follows light.
Two-component Sersic+NFW models with tangentially anisotropic velocity
distributions fit the dispersion profile well, with isotropic models ruled out
at a 95% confidence level. The mass and V-band mass-to-light ratio of Leo I
estimated from equilibrium models are in the ranges 5-7 x 10^7 M_sun and 9-14
(solar units), respectively, out to 1 kpc from the galaxy center. Leo I members
located outside a `break radius' (about 400 arcsec = 500 pc) exhibit
significant velocity anisotropy, whereas stars interior appear to have
isotropic kinematics. We propose the break radius represents the location of
the tidal radius of Leo I at perigalacticon of a highly elliptical orbit. Our
scenario can account for the complex star formation history of Leo I, the
presence of population segregation within the galaxy, and Leo I's large outward
velocity from the Milky Way. The lack of extended tidal arms in Leo I suggests
the galaxy has experienced only one perigalactic passage with the Milky Way,
implying that Leo I may have been injected into its present orbit by a third
body a few Gyr before perigalacticon.Comment: ApJ accepted, 23 figures, access paper as a pdf file at
http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~mmateo/research.htm
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