Red Giant Population Research Articles

Pisces VII/Triangulum III – M33’s second dwarf satellite galaxy

ABSTRACT Pisces VII/Triangulum III (Pisc VII) was discovered in the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey and was shown to be a Local Group dwarf galaxy with follow-up imaging from the 4-m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. However, this imaging was unable to reach the horizontal branch of Pisc VII, preventing a precision distance measurement. The distance bound from the red giant branch population placed Pisc VII as either an isolated ultra-faint dwarf galaxy or the second known satellite galaxy of Triangulum (M33). Using deep imaging from Gemini GMOS-N, we have resolved the horizontal branch of Pisc VII, and measure a distance of $D=916^{+65}_{-53}$ kpc, making Pisc VII a likely satellite of M33. We also remeasure its size and luminosity from this deeper data, finding $r_{\rm half}=186^{+58}_{-32}$ pc, MV = −6.0 ± 0.3, and $L=2.2^{+0.7}_{-0.5}\times 10^4\, {\rm L}_\odot$. Given its position in the M33 halo, we argue that Pisc VII could support the theory that M33 is on its first infall to the Andromeda system. We also discuss the presence of blue plume and helium burning stars in the colour–magnitude diagram of Pisc VII that are consistent with ages of ∼1.5 Gyr. If these are truly members of the galaxy, it would transform our understanding of how reionization affects the faintest galaxies. Future deep imaging and dynamics could allow significant insight into both the stellar populations of Pisc VII and the evolution of M33.

Exploring the Structures and Substructures of the Andromeda Satellite Dwarf Galaxies Cassiopeia III, Perseus I, and Lacerta I

We present results from wide-field imaging of the resolved stellar populations of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies Cassiopeia III (And XXXII) and Perseus I (And XXXIII), two satellites in the outer stellar halo of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). Our WIYN pODI photometry traces the red giant star population in each galaxy to ∼2.5−3 half-light radii from the galaxy center. We use the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method to derive distances of (m − M)0 = 24.62 ± 0.12 mag (839 kpc, or kpc from M31) for Cas III and 24.47 ± 0.13 mag (738 kpc, or 351 kpc from M31) for Per I. These values are consistent within the errors with TRGB distances derived from a deeper Hubble Space Telescope study of the galaxies’ inner regions. For each galaxy, we derive structural parameters, total magnitude, and central surface brightness. We also place upper limits on the ratio of neutral hydrogen gas mass to optical luminosity, confirming the gas-poor nature of both galaxies. We combine our data set with corresponding data for the M31 satellite galaxy Lacerta I (And XXXI) from earlier work and search for substructure within the RGB star populations of Cas III, Per I, and Lac I. We find an overdense region on the west side of Lac I at a significance level of 2.5σ–3σ and a low-significance filament extending in the direction of M31. In Cas III, we identify two modestly significant overdensities near the center of the galaxy and another at two half-light radii. Per I shows no evidence for substructure in its RGB star population, which may reflect this galaxy’s isolated nature.

Variable star classification across the Galactic bulge and disc with the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea survey

Abstract We present VIVACE, the VIrac VAriable Classification Ensemble, a catalogue of variable stars extracted from an automated classification pipeline for the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) infrared survey of the Galactic bar/bulge and southern disc. Our procedure utilises a two-stage hierarchical classifier to first isolate likely variable sources using simple variability summary statistics and training sets of non-variable sources from the Gaia early third data release, and then classify candidate variables using more detailed light curve statistics and training labels primarily from OGLE and VSX. The methodology is applied to point-spread-function photometry for ∼490 million light curves from the VIRAC v2 astrometric and photometric catalogue resulting in a catalogue of ∼1.4 million likely variable stars, of which ∼39, 000 are high-confidence (classification probability >0.9) RR Lyrae ab stars, ∼8000 RR Lyrae c/d stars, ∼187, 000 detached/semi-detached eclipsing binaries, ∼18, 000 contact eclipsing binaries, ∼1400 classical Cepheid variables and ∼2200 Type II Cepheid variables. Comparison with OGLE-4 suggests a completeness of around 90 per cent for RRab and ≲ 60 per cent for RRc/d, and a misclassification rate for known RR Lyrae stars of around 1 per cent for the high confidence sample. We close with two science demonstrations of our new VIVACE catalogue: first, a brief investigation of the spatial and kinematic properties of the RR Lyrae stars within the disc/bulge, demonstrating the spatial elongation of bar-bulge RR Lyrae stars is in the same sense as the more metal-rich red giant population whilst having a slower rotation rate of ∼40 km s−1kpc−1; and secondly, an investigation of the Gaia EDR3 parallax zeropoint using contact eclipsing binaries across the Galactic disc plane and bulge.

Presence of red giant population in the foreground stellar substructure of the Small Magellanic Cloud

ABSTRACT The eastern region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is found to have a foreground stellar substructure, which is identified as a distance bimodality (∼12 kpc apart) in the previous studies using red clump (RC) stars. Interestingly, studies of red giant branch (RGB) stars in the eastern SMC indicate a bimodal radial velocity (RV) distribution. In this study, we investigate the connection between these two bimodal distributions to better understand the nature and origin of the foreground stellar substructure in the eastern SMC. We use the Gaia Early Data Release 3 astrometric data and archival RV data of RGB stars for this study. We find a bimodal RV distribution of RGB stars (separated by ∼35–45 km s−1) in the eastern and south-western (SW) outer regions. The observed proper motion values of the lower and higher RV RGB components in the eastern regions are similar to those of the foreground and main-body RC stars, respectively. This suggests that the two RGB populations in the eastern region are separated by a similar distance to those of the RC stars, and the RGB stars in the lower RV component are part of the foreground substructure. Based on the differences in the distance and RV of the two components, we estimate an approximate time of formation of this substructure as 307 ± 65 Myr ago. This is comparable with the values predicted by simulations for the recent epoch of tidal interaction between the Magellanic Clouds. Comparison of the observed properties of RGB stars, in the outer SW region, with N-body simulations shows that the higher RV component in the SW region is at a farther distance than the main body, indicating the presence of a stellar counter-bridge in the SW region of the SMC.

Asteroseismic fingerprints of stellar mergers

ABSTRACT Stellar mergers are important processes in stellar evolution, dynamics, and transient science. However, it is difficult to identify merger remnant stars because they cannot easily be distinguished from single stars based on their surface properties. We demonstrate that merger remnants can potentially be identified through asteroseismology of red giant stars using measurements of the gravity mode period spacing together with the asteroseismic mass. For mergers that occur after the formation of a degenerate core, remnant stars have overmassive envelopes relative to their cores, which is manifested asteroseismically by a g-mode period spacing smaller than expected for the star’s mass. Remnants of mergers that occur when the primary is still on the main sequence or whose total mass is less than $\approx \! 2 \, {\rm M}_\odot$ are much harder to distinguish from single stars. Using the red giant asteroseismic catalogues of Vrard, Mosser & Samadi and Yu et al., we identify 24 promising candidates for merger remnant stars. In some cases, merger remnants could also be detectable using only their temperature, luminosity, and asteroseismic mass, a technique that could be applied to a larger population of red giants without a reliable period spacing measurement.

Damping of Oscillations in Red Giants by Resonant Mode Coupling

Abstract Asteroseismic studies of red giants generally assume that the oscillation modes can be treated as linear perturbations to the background star. However, observations by the Kepler mission show that the oscillation amplitudes increase dramatically as stars ascend the red giant branch. The importance of nonlinear effects should therefore be assessed. In previous work, we found that mixed modes in red giants are unstable to nonlinear three-wave interactions over a broad range of stellar mass and evolutionary state. Here we solve the amplitude equations that describe the mode dynamics for large networks of nonlinearly coupled modes. The networks consist of stochastically driven parent modes coupled to resonant secondary modes (daughters, granddaughters, etc.). We find that nonlinear interactions can lower the energy of gravity-dominated mixed modes by ≳80% compared to linear theory. However, they have only a mild influence on the energy of pressure-dominated mixed modes. Expressed in terms of the dipole-mode visibility V 2, i.e., the summed amplitudes of dipole modes relative to radial modes, we find that V 2 can be suppressed by 50%–80% relative to the linear value for highly evolved red giants whose frequency of maximum power ν max ≲ 100 μ Hz . However, for less evolved red giants with 150 ≲ ν max ≲ 200 μ Hz , V 2 is suppressed by only 10%–20%. We conclude that resonant mode coupling can have a potentially detectable effect on oscillations at ν max ≲ 100 μ Hz but it cannot account for the population of red giants that exhibit dipole modes with unusually small amplitudes at high ν max .

Magnetic signatures on mixed-mode frequencies

Context. The discovery of moderate differential rotation between the core and the envelope of evolved solar-like stars could be the signature of a strong magnetic field trapped inside the radiative interior. The population of intermediate-mass red giants presenting surprisingly low-amplitude mixed modes (i.e. oscillation modes that behave as acoustic modes in their external envelope and as gravity modes in their core) could also arise from the effect of an internal magnetic field. Indeed, stars more massive than about 1.1 solar masses are known to develop a convective core during their main sequence. The field generated by the dynamo triggered by this convection could be the progenitor of a strong fossil magnetic field trapped inside the core of the star for the remainder of its evolution. Aims. Observations of mixed modes can constitute an excellent probe of the deepest layers of evolved solar-like stars, and magnetic fields in those regions can impact their propagation. The magnetic perturbation on mixed modes may therefore be visible in asteroseismic data. To unravel which constraints can be obtained from observations, we theoretically investigate the effects of a plausible mixed axisymmetric magnetic field with various amplitudes on the mixed-mode frequencies of evolved solar-like stars. Methods. First-order frequency perturbations due to an axisymmetric magnetic field were computed for dipolar and quadrupolar mixed modes. These computations were carried out for a range of stellar ages, masses, and metallicities. Conclusions. We show that typical fossil-field strengths of 0.1 − 1 MG, consistent with the presence of a dynamo in the convective core during the main sequence, provoke significant asymmetries on mixed-mode frequency multiplets during the red giant branch. We provide constraints and methods for the detectability of such magnetic signatures. We show that these signatures may be detectable in asteroseismic data for field amplitudes small enough for the amplitude of the modes not to be affected by the conversion of gravity into Alfvén waves inside the magnetised interior. Finally, we infer an upper limit for the strength of the field and the associated lower limit for the timescale of its action in order to redistribute angular momentum in stellar interiors.

Deciphering the Kinematic Structure of the Small Magellanic Cloud through Its Red Giant Population

Abstract We present a new kinematic model for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), using data from the Gaia Data Release 2 catalog. We identify a sample of astrometrically well-behaved red giant (RG) stars belonging to the SMC and cross-match with publicly available radial velocity (RV) catalogs. We create a 3D spatial model for the RGs, using RR Lyrae for distance distributions, and apply kinematic models with varying rotation properties and a novel tidal expansion prescription to generate mock proper motion (PM) catalogs. When we compare this series of mock catalogs to the observed RG data, we find that a combination of moderate rotation (with a magnitude of ∼10–20 km s−1 at 1 kpc from the SMC center, inclination between ∼50 and 80°, and a predominantly north-to-south line-of-nodes position angle of ∼180°) and tidal expansion (with a scaling of ∼10 km s−1 kpc−1) is required to explain the PM signatures. The exact best-fit parameters depend somewhat on whether we assess only the PMs or include the RVs as a qualitative check, leaving some tension remaining between the PM and RV conclusions. In either case, the parameter space preferred by our model is different from previously inferred rotational geometries, including from the SMC H i gas, and from the RG RV-only analyses and new SMC PM analyses, which conclude that a rotation signature is not detectable. Taken together this underscores the need to treat the SMC as a series of different populations with distinct kinematics.

Testing the intrinsic scatter of the asteroseismic scaling relations with Kepler red giants

ABSTRACT Asteroseismic scaling relations are often used to derive stellar masses and radii, particularly for stellar, exoplanet, and Galactic studies. It is therefore important that their precisions are known. Here we measure the intrinsic scatter of the underlying seismic scaling relations for Δν and νmax, using two sharp features that are formed in the H–R diagram (or related diagrams) by the red giant populations. These features are the edge near the zero-age core-helium-burning phase, and the strong clustering of stars at the so-called red giant branch bump. The broadening of those features is determined by factors including the intrinsic scatter of the scaling relations themselves, and therefore it is capable of imposing constraints on them. We modelled Kepler stars with a Galaxia synthetic population, upon which we applied the intrinsic scatter of the scaling relations to match the degree of sharpness seen in the observation. We found that the random errors from measuring Δν and νmax provide the dominating scatter that blurs the features. As a consequence, we conclude that the scaling relations have intrinsic scatter of $\sim 0.5$ (Δν), $\sim 1.1$ (νmax), $\sim 1.7$ (M), and $\sim 0.4{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ (R), for the SYD pipeline measured Δν and νmax. This confirms that the scaling relations are very powerful tools. In addition, we show that standard evolution models fail to predict some of the structures in the observed population of both the HeB and RGB stars. Further stellar model improvements are needed to reproduce the exact distributions.

Radial Segregation between Red Giant Populations in the Globular Cluster NGC 3201: Tentative Role of Varying Mass among the Progenitors

Abstract In the globular cluster NGC 3201, we study subpopulations (SPs) of red giants (RGs) distinguished by their characteristics. In its central part, we make use of multicolor Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry coupled with spectroscopy of RGs spread out over a larger cluster face. In the color index CI , RGs commonly referred to as first generation, SPI, are separated from the counterparts of the second generation, SPII. The latter are more concentrated than the former at a confidence level of P = 93%, within the field covered by the HST photometry. Their minor portion (∼28%, SPIIm) located in the middle of the δCI range spanned across the split RG branch relative to the splitting edge is more centrally concentrated at a higher confidence level of 96%. We found, from the [Na/Fe]−δCI plot for RGs in common between the photometry and spectroscopy, that SPI and SPII are mostly overlapped within 0.0 < [Na/Fe] < 0.3. RGs with [Na/Fe] < 0.0 (mostly SPI) keep their lower concentration to the cluster center over larger radial distance as compared to SPII RGs with [Na/Fe] > 0.3 at a confidence level of P = 88%. It is increased up to 95% if a restriction on [O/Fe] is imposed. The obtained result, particularly in the central part, is a clue that SPIIm RGs are the descendants of more massive progenitors. Of these RGs approximately one-third probably originate from recent (within the past 1.5 Gyr) blue stragglers with M BS > 1.1M ☉, and the other two-thirds could be accounted for by older collision products of primordial MS stars.

Non-parametric density reconstruction of the Galactic bulge area using red clump stars in the VVV survey

ABSTRACT Studies of the red clump giant population in the inner Milky Way suggest the Galactic bulge/bar has a boxy/peanut/X-shaped structure as predicted by its formation via a disc buckling instability. We used a non-parametric method of estimating the Galactic bulge morphology that is based on maximum entropy regularization. This enabled us to extract the 3D distribution of the red giant stars in the bulge from deep photometric catalogues of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey. Our high-resolution reconstruction confirms the well-known boxy/peanut/X-shaped structure of the bulge. We also find spiral arm structures that extend to around 3 kpc in front of and behind the bulge and are on different sides of the bulge major axis. We show that the detection of these structures is robust to the uncertainties in the luminosity function.

Calibration of the Tip of the Red Giant Branch

Abstract The tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method provides one of the most accurate and precise means of measuring the distances to nearby galaxies. Here we present a multi-wavelength, VIJHK absolute calibration of the TRGB based on observations of TRGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), grounded on a geometric distance, determined by detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs). This paper presents a more detailed description of the method first presented by Freedman et al. for measuring corrections for the total line-of-sight extinction and reddening to the LMC. In this method, we use a differential comparison of the red giant population in the LMC, first with red giants in the Local Group galaxy IC 1613, and then with those in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). As a consistency check, we derive an independent calibration of the TRGB sequence using the SMC alone, invoking its geometric distance also calibrated by DEBs. An additional consistency check comes from near-infrared observations of Galactic globular clusters covering a wide range of metallicities. In all cases we find excellent agreement in the zero-point calibration. We then examine the recent claims by Yuan et al., demonstrating that, in the case of the SMC, they corrected for extinction alone while neglecting the essential correction for reddening. In the case of IC 1613, we show that their analysis contains an incorrect treatment of (over-correction for) metallicity. Using our revised (and direct) measurement of the LMC TRGB extinction, we find a value of H 0 = 69.6 ± 0.8 (±1.1% stat) ± 1.7 (±2.4% sys) km s−1 Mpc−1.

Gamma rays from red giant wind bubbles entering the jets of elliptical host blazars

Context. Blazars in elliptical hosts have a population of red giants surrounding their jet. These stars can carry large wind-blown bubbles into the jets, leading to gamma-ray emission through bubble-jet interactions. Aims. We study the interaction dynamics and the gamma-ray emission produced when the bubbles formed by red giant winds penetrate the jet of a blazar in an elliptical galaxy. Methods. First, we characterized the masses and penetration rates of the red giant wind bubbles that enter the jet. Then, the dynamical evolution of these bubbles under the jet impact was analysed analytically and numerically, and the radiation losses of the particles accelerated in the interaction were characterised. Finally, the synchrotron and the inverse Compton contributions above ∼100 MeV were estimated under different jet magnetic fields, powers, and Lorentz factors. Results. We find that an analytical dynamical model is a reasonable approximation for the red giant wind bubble-jet interaction. The radiation produced by these wind bubbles interacting with a jet can have a duty cycle of up to ∼1. For realistic magnetic fields, gamma rays could be detectable from sources within the local universe, preferentially from those with high Lorentz factors (∼10), and this could be a relatively common phenomenon for these sources. For magnetic fields in equipartition with the jet power, and high acceleration rates, synchrotron gamma rays may be detectable even for modest Lorentz factors (∼3), but with a much lower duty cycle. Conclusions. Blazars in elliptical galaxies within the local universe can produce detectable transient or persistent gamma-ray emission from red giant wind bubbles entering their jets.

A deep narrowband survey for planetary nebulae at the outskirts of M 33

Context. Planetary nebulae (PNe) are excellent tracers of stellar populations with low surface brightness, and therefore provide a powerful method to detect and explore the rich system of substructures discovered around the main spiral galaxies of the local group. Aim. We searched the outskirts of the local group spiral galaxy M 33 (the Triangulum) for PNe to gain new insights into the extended stellar substructure on the northern side of the disc and to study the existence of a faint classical halo. Methods. The search is based on wide field imaging covering a 4.5 square degree area out to a maximum projected distance of about 40 kpc from the centre of the galaxy. The PN candidates are detected by the combination of images obtained in narrowband filters selecting the [OIII]λ5007 Å and Hα + [NII] nebular lines and in the continuum g′ and r′ broadband filters. Results. Inside the bright optical disc of M 33, eight new PN candidates were identified, three of which were spectroscopically confirmed. No PN candidates were found outside the limits of the disc. Fourteen additional sources showing [OIII] excess were also discovered. Conclusions. The absence of bright PN candidates in the area outside the galaxy disc covered by this survey sets an upper limit to the luminosity of the underlying population of ~1.6 × 107 L⊙, suggesting the lack of a massive classical halo, which is in agreement with the results obtained using the red giant branch population.

Red giants observed by CoRoT and APOGEE: The evolution of the Milky Way’s radial metallicity gradient

Using combined asteroseismic and spectroscopic observations of 418 red-giant stars close to the Galactic disc plane (6 kpc $<R_{\rm Gal}\lesssim13$ kpc, $|Z_{\rm Gal}|<0.3$ kpc), we measure the age dependence of the radial metallicity distribution in the Milky Way's thin disc over cosmic time. The slope of the radial iron gradient of the young red-giant population ($-0.058\pm0.008$ [stat.] $\pm0.003$ [syst.] dex/kpc) is consistent with recent Cepheid measurements. For stellar populations with ages of $1-4$ Gyr the gradient is slightly steeper, at a value of $-0.066\pm0.007\pm0.002$ dex/kpc, and then flattens again to reach a value of $\sim-0.03$ dex/kpc for stars with ages between 6 and 10 Gyr. Our results are in good agreement with a state-of-the-art chemo-dynamical Milky-Way model in which the evolution of the abundance gradient and its scatter can be entirely explained by a non-varying negative metallicity gradient in the interstellar medium, together with stellar radial heating and migration. We also offer an explanation for why intermediate-age open clusters in the Solar Neighbourhood can be more metal-rich, and why their radial metallicity gradient seems to be much steeper than that of the youngest clusters. Already within 2 Gyr, radial mixing can bring metal-rich clusters from the innermost regions of the disc to Galactocentric radii of 5 to 8 kpc. We suggest that these outward-migrating clusters may be less prone to tidal disruption and therefore steepen the local intermediate-age cluster metallicity gradient. Our scenario also explains why the strong steepening of the local iron gradient with age is not seen in field stars. In the near future, asteroseismic data from the K2 mission will allow for improved statistics and a better coverage of the inner-disc regions, thereby providing tighter constraints on the evolution of the central parts of the Milky Way.

DUSTiNGS. III. DISTRIBUTION OF INTERMEDIATE-AGE AND OLD STELLAR POPULATIONS IN DISKS AND OUTER EXTREMITIES OF DWARF GALAXIES

ABSTRACT We have traced the spatial distributions of intermediate-age and old stars in nine dwarf galaxies in the distant parts of the Local Group, using multi-epoch 3.6 and 4.5 μm data from the DUST in Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer (DUSTiNGS) survey. Using complementary optical imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope, we identify the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) in the 3.6 μm photometry, separating thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch stars from the larger red giant branch populations. Unlike the constant TRGB in the I band, at 3.6 μm, the TRGB magnitude varies by ∼0.7 mag, making it unreliable as a distance indicator. The intermediate-age and old stars are well mixed in two-thirds of the sample, with no evidence of a gradient in the ratio of the intermediate-age to old stellar populations outside the central ∼1′–2′. Variable AGB stars are detected in the outer extremities of the galaxies, indicating that chemical enrichment from these dust-producing stars may occur in the outer regions of galaxies with some frequency. Theories of structure formation in dwarf galaxies must account for the lack of radial gradients in intermediate-age populations and the presence of these stars in the outer extremities of dwarfs. Finally, we identify unique features in individual galaxies, such as extended tidal features in Sex A and Sag DIG and a central concentration of AGB stars in the inner regions of NGC 185 and NGC 147.

Chemodynamic subpopulations of the Carina dwarf galaxy

We study the chemodynamical properties of the Carina dwarf spheroidal by combining an intermediate spectroscopic resolution dataset of more than 900 red giant and red clump stars, with high-precision photometry to derive the atmospheric parameters, metallicities and age estimates for our targets. Within the red giant branch population, we find evidence for the presence of three distinct stellar sub-populations with different metallicities, spatial distributions, kinematics and ages. As in the Fornax and Sculptor dwarf spheroidals, the subpopulation with the lowest average metallicity is more extended and kinematically hotter than all other populations. However, we identify an inversion in the parallel ordering of metallicity, kinematics and characteristic length scale in the two most metal rich subpopulations, which therefore do not contribute to a global negative chemical gradient. Contrary to common trends in the chemical properties with radius, the metal richest population is more extended and mildly kinematically hotter than the main component of intermediate metallicity. More investigations are required to ascertain the nature of this inversion, but we comment on the mechanisms that might have caused it.

Number density distribution of near-infrared sources on a sub-degree scale in the Galactic center: Comparison with the Fe xxv Kα line at 6.7 keV

Abstract The stellar distribution derived from an H- and KS-band survey of the central region of our Galaxy is compared with the Fe xxv Kα (6.7 keV) line intensity observed with the Suzaku satellite. The survey is for the galactic coordinates |l| ≲ 3$_{.}^{\circ}$0 and |b | ≲ 1$_{.}^{\circ}$0 (equivalent to 0.8 kpc × 0.3 kpc for R⊙ = 8 kpc), and the number-density distribution N(KS,0; l, b) of stars is derived by using the extinction-corrected magnitude KS,0 = 10.5. This is deep enough to probe the old red-giant population and in turn to estimate the (l, b) distribution of faint X-ray point sources such as coronally active binaries and cataclysmic variables. In the Galactic plane (b = 0°), N(10.5; l, b) increases in the direction of the Galactic center as |l|−0.30±0.03 in the range of − 0$_{.}^{\circ}$1 ≥ l ≥ − 0$_{.}^{\circ}$7, but this increase is significantly slower than the increase (|l|−0.44±0.02) of the Fe xxv Kα line intensity. If normalized with the ratios in the outer region 1$_{.}^{\circ}$5 ≤ |l| ≤ 2$_{.}^{\circ}$8, where faint X-ray point sources are argued to dominate the diffuse Galactic X-ray ridge emission, the excess of the Fe xxv Kα line intensity over the stellar number density is at least a factor of two at |l| = 0$_{.}^{\circ}$1. This indicates that a significant part of the Galactic-center diffuse emission arises from a truly diffuse optically thin thermal plasma, and not from an unresolved collection of faint X-ray point sources related to the old stellar population.

A Comparison Between the Patterns of CN, O, and Na Inhomogeneities on the Red Giant Branch of 47 Tucanae

Data from the literature are drawn together to compare the λ4215 CN band strength of red giant stars in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae with their sodium and oxygen abundances. Most cluster giants included in this study have absolute magnitudes brighter than M V = +0.5, i.e., they are brighter than the horizontal branch. Among the majority of these cluster giants, it is possible to identify an anticorrelation between the CN band strength and the [O/Fe] abundance, along with a correlation between CN band strength and [Na/Fe], although a small number of stars seem to be exceptions to these trends. As regards the CN-weak and CN-strong populations of red giants in 47 Tuc, the former has a higher mean oxygen abundance and a lower mean sodium abundance than the later. Both populations may contain a small fraction of stars whose sodium or oxygen abundances differ by ∼0.2 dex from the mean of each population. A scenario is discussed in which 47 Tuc was the result of an early merger between a CN-poor and a CN-strong subcluster of stars that formed at different locations within the interior of a chemically evolving massive gas complex.

The shell game: a panoramic view of Fornax

We present a panoramic study of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy, using data obtained as part of the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) ATLAS Survey. The data presented here -- a subset of the full survey -- uniformly cover a region of 25 square degrees centred on the galaxy, in $g$, $r$ and $i$-bands. This large area coverage reveals two key differences to previous studies of Fornax. First, data extending beyond the nominal tidal radius of the dwarf highlight the presence of a second distinct red giant branch population. This bluer red giant branch appears to be coeval with the horizontal branch population. Second, a shell structure located approximately 1.4 degrees from the centre of Fornax is shown to be a mis-identified background overdensity of galaxies. This last result casts further doubt on the hypothesis that Fornax underwent a gas-rich merger in its relatively recent past.