Probing the Galactic Halo with RR Lyrae Stars. I. The Catalog

Abstract

Abstract We present a catalog of 5290 RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) with metallicities estimated from spectra of the LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE) and the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) surveys. Nearly 70% of them (3642 objects) also have systemic radial velocities measured. Given the pulsating nature of RRLs, metallicity estimates are based on spectra of individual exposures that have been matched with their synthetic templates. The systemic radial velocities are measured by fitting the observed velocity as a function of phase assuming an empirical pulsating velocity template curve. Various tests show that our analyses yield metallicities with a typical precision of 0.20 dex and systemic radial velocities with uncertainties ranging from 5 to 21 km s−1 (depending on the number of radial-velocity measurements available for a given star). Based on the well-calibrated near-infrared PM W1 Z or , and M V –[Fe/H] relations, precise distances are derived for these RRLs. Finally, we include Gaia DR2 proper motions in our catalog. The catalog should be very useful for various Galactic studies, especially of the Galactic halo.