55 research outputs found
Space Motions of the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies Draco and Sculptor based on HST Proper Motions with ~10-year Time Baseline
We present new proper motion (PM) measurements of the dwarf spheroidal
galaxies (dSphs) Draco and Sculptor using multi-epoch images obtained with the
Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC. Our PM results have uncertainties far lower
than previous measurements, even made with the same instrument. The PM results
for Draco and Sculptor are (mu_W,mu_N)_Dra =
(-0.0562+/-0.0099,-0.1765+/-0.0100) mas/yr and (mu_W,mu_N)_Scl =
(-0.0296+/-0.0209,-0.1358 +/-0.0214) mas/yr. The implied Galactocentric
velocity vectors for Draco and Sculptor have radial and tangential components:
(V_rad,V_tan)_Dra = (-88.6,161.4) +/- (4.4,5.6) km/s; and (V_rad,V_tan)_Scl =
(72.6,200.2) +/- (1.3,10.8) km/s. We study the detailed orbital history of both
Draco and Sculptor via numerical orbit integrations. Orbital periods of Draco
and Sculptor are found to be 1-2 and 2-5 Gyrs, respectively, accounting for
uncertainties in the MW mass. We also study the influence of the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) on the orbits of Draco and Sculptor. Overall, the
inclusion of the LMC increases the scatter in the orbital results. Based on our
calculations, Draco shows a rather wide range of orbital parameters depending
on the MW mass and inclusion/exclusion of the LMC, but Sculptor's orbit is very
well constrained with its most recent pericentric approach to the MW being
0.3-0.4 Gyr ago. Our new PMs imply that the orbital trajectories of both Draco
and Sculptor are confined within the Disk of Satellites (DoS), better so than
implied by earlier PM measurements, and likely rule out the possibility that
these two galaxies were accreted together as part of a tightly bound group.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Reddening, Distance, and Stellar Content of the Young Open Cluster Westerlund 2
We present deep photometric data of the young open cluster
Westerlund 2. An abnormal reddening law of was found for
the highly reddened early-type members (), whereas a fairly
normal reddening law of was confirmed for the foreground
early-type stars (). The distance modulus was determined from
zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) fitting to the reddening-corrected
colour-magnitude diagram of the early-type members to be
(random error) (the upper limit of systematic error) mag ( kpc). To obtain the initial mass function,
pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars were selected by identifying the optical
counterparts of Chandra X-ray sources and mid-infrared emission stars from the
Spitzer GLIMPSE source catalog. The initial mass function shows a shallow slope
of down to . The total mass of Westerlund 2
is estimated to be at least 7,400 . The age of Westerlund 2 from the
main-sequence turn-on and PMS stars is estimated to be 1.5 Myr. We
confirmed the existence of a clump of PMS stars located arcmin north of
the core of Westerlund 2, but we could not find any clear evidence for an age
difference between the core and the northern clump.Comment: 25 pages, 22 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
Astrometry with the Wide-Field InfraRed Space Telescope
The Wide-Field InfraRed Space Telescope (WFIRST) will be capable of
delivering precise astrometry for faint sources over the enormous field of view
of its main camera, the Wide-Field Imager (WFI). This unprecedented combination
will be transformative for the many scientific questions that require precise
positions, distances, and velocities of stars. We describe the expectations for
the astrometric precision of the WFIRST WFI in different scenarios, illustrate
how a broad range of science cases will see significant advances with such
data, and identify aspects of WFIRST's design where small adjustments could
greatly improve its power as an astrometric instrument.Comment: version accepted to JATI
The Proper Motion Field of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Kinematic Evidence for its Tidal Disruption
We present a new measurement of the systemic proper motion of the Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC), based on an expanded set of 30 fields containing
background quasars and spanning a 3 year baseline, using the
\textit{Hubble Space Telescope} (\textit{HST}) Wide Field Camera 3. Combining
this data with our previous 5 \textit{HST} fields, and an additional 8
measurements from the \textit{Gaia}-Tycho Astrometric Solution Catalog, brings
us to a total of 43 SMC fields. We measure a systemic motion of =
0.02 (random) 0.10 (systematic) mas yr and
= 0.01 (random) 0.03 (systematic) mas yr. After
subtraction of the systemic motion, we find little evidence for rotation, but
find an ordered mean motion radially away from the SMC in the outer regions of
the galaxy, indicating that the SMC is in the process of tidal disruption. We
model the past interactions of the Clouds with each other based on the measured
present-day relative velocity between them of km s. We find
that in 97\% of our considered cases, the Clouds experienced a direct collision
Myr ago, with a mean impact parameter of kpc.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, accepted to Ap
The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- IV. Aperture Masking Interferometry
The James Webb Space Telescope's Near Infrared Imager and Slitless
Spectrograph (JWST-NIRISS) flies a 7-hole non-redundant mask (NRM), the first
such interferometer in space, operating at 3-5 \micron~wavelengths, and a
bright limit of magnitudes in W2. We describe the NIRISS Aperture
Masking Interferometry (AMI) mode to help potential observers understand its
underlying principles, present some sample science cases, explain its
operational observing strategies, indicate how AMI proposals can be developed
with data simulations, and how AMI data can be analyzed. We also present key
results from commissioning AMI. Since the allied Kernel Phase Imaging (KPI)
technique benefits from AMI operational strategies, we also cover NIRISS KPI
methods and analysis techniques, including a new user-friendly KPI pipeline.
The NIRISS KPI bright limit is W2 magnitudes. AMI (and KPI) achieve
an inner working angle of mas that is well inside the mas
NIRCam inner working angle for its circular occulter coronagraphs at comparable
wavelengths.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure
The Hubble Space Telescope Survey of M31 Satellite Galaxies. II. The Star Formation Histories of Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxies
We present the lifetime star formation histories (SFHs) for six ultrafaint dwarf (UFD; M V > − 7.0, 4.9<log10(M*(z=0)/M⊙)<5.5 ) satellite galaxies of M31 based on deep color–magnitude diagrams constructed from Hubble Space Telescope imaging. These are the first SFHs obtained from the oldest main-sequence turnoff of UFDs outside the halo of the Milky Way (MW). We find that five UFDs formed at least 50% of their stellar mass by z = 5 (12.6 Gyr ago), similar to known UFDs around the MW, but that 10%–40% of their stellar mass formed at later times. We uncover one remarkable UFD, And xiii, which formed only 10% of its stellar mass by z = 5, and 75% in a rapid burst at z ∼ 2–3, a result that is robust to choices of underlying stellar model and is consistent with its predominantly red horizontal branch. This “young” UFD is the first of its kind and indicates that not all UFDs are necessarily quenched by reionization, which is consistent with predictions from several cosmological simulations of faint dwarf galaxies. SFHs of the combined MW and M31 samples suggest reionization did not homogeneously quench UFDs. We find that the least-massive MW UFDs (M *(z = 5) ≲ 5 × 104 M ⊙) are likely quenched by reionization, whereas more-massive M31 UFDs (M *(z = 5) ≳ 105 M ⊙) may only have their star formation suppressed by reionization and quench at a later time. We discuss these findings in the context of the evolution and quenching of UFDs
JWST-TST DREAMS: Quartz Clouds in the Atmosphere of WASP-17b
Clouds are prevalent in many of the exoplanet atmospheres that have been
observed to date. For transiting exoplanets, we know if clouds are present
because they mute spectral features and cause wavelength-dependent scattering.
While the exact composition of these clouds is largely unknown, this
information is vital to understanding the chemistry and energy budget of
planetary atmospheres. In this work, we observe one transit of the hot Jupiter
WASP-17b with JWST's MIRI LRS and generate a transmission spectrum from 5-12
m. These wavelengths allow us to probe absorption due to the
vibrational modes of various predicted cloud species. Our transmission spectrum
shows additional opacity centered at 8.6 m, and detailed atmospheric
modeling and retrievals identify this feature as SiO(s) (quartz) clouds.
The SiO(s) clouds model is preferred at 3.5-4.2 versus a cloud-free
model and at 2.6 versus a generic aerosol prescription. We find the
SiO(s) clouds are comprised of small m particles,
which extend to high altitudes in the atmosphere. The atmosphere also shows a
depletion of HO, a finding consistent with the formation of
high-temperature aerosols from oxygen-rich species. This work is part of a
series of studies by our JWST Telescope Scientist Team (JWST-TST), in which we
will use Guaranteed Time Observations to perform Deep Reconnaissance of
Exoplanet Atmospheres through Multi-instrument Spectroscopy (DREAMS).Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
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