Star Count Map Research Articles

SMASHing the LMC: Mapping a Ring-like Stellar Overdensity in the LMC Disk

Abstract We explore the stellar structure of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disk using data from the Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History and the Dark Energy Survey. We detect a ring-like stellar overdensity in the red clump star count map at a radius of ∼6° (∼5.2 kpc at the LMC distance) that is continuous over ∼270° in position angle and is only limited by the current data coverage. The overdensity shows an amplitude up to 2.5 times higher than that of the underlying smooth disk. This structure might be related to the multiple arms found by de Vaucouleurs. We find that the overdensity shows spatial correlation with intermediate-age star clusters, but not with young (<1 Gyr) main-sequence stars, indicating the stellar populations associated with the overdensity are intermediate in age or older. Our findings on the LMC overdensity can be explained by either of two distinct formation mechanisms of a ring-like overdensity: (1) the overdensity formed out of an asymmetric one-armed spiral wrapping around the LMC main body, which is induced by repeated encounters with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) over the last Gyr, or (2) the overdensity formed very recently as a tidal response to a direct collision with the SMC. Although the measured properties of the overdensity alone cannot distinguish between the two candidate scenarios, the consistency with both scenarios suggests that the ring-like overdensity is likely a product of tidal interaction with the SMC, but not with the Milky Way halo.

Clouds, Streams and Bridges. Redrawing the blueprint of the Magellanic System with Gaia DR1

We present the discovery of stellar tidal tails around the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds in the Gaia DR1 data. In between the Clouds, their tidal arms are stretched towards each other to form an almost continuous stellar bridge. Our analysis relies on the exquisite quality of the Gaia's photometric catalogue to build detailed star-count maps of the Clouds. We demonstrate that the Gaia DR1 data can be used to detect variable stars across the whole sky, and in particular, RR Lyrae stars in and around the LMC and the SMC. Additionally, we use a combination of Gaia and Gale to follow the distribution of Young Main Sequence stars in the Magellanic System. Viewed by Gaia, the Clouds show unmistakable signs of interaction. Around the LMC, clumps of RR Lyrae are observable as far as ~20 degrees, in agreement with the most recent map of Mira-like stars reported in Deason et al (2016). The SMC's outer stellar density contours show a characteristic S-shape, symptomatic of the on-set of tidal stripping. Beyond several degrees from the center of the dwarf, the Gaia RR Lyrae stars trace the Cloud's trailing arm, extending towards the LMC. This stellar tidal tail mapped with RR Lyrae is not aligned with the gaseous Magellanic Bridge, and is shifted by some ~5 degrees from the Young Main Sequence bridge. We use the offset between the bridges to put constraints on the density of the hot gaseous corona of the Milky Way.

LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS IMAGING OF THE MAGELLANIC SYSTEM: IMPRINTS OF TIDAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CLOUDS IN THE STELLAR PERIPHERY

ABSTRACT We present deep optical images of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) using a low cost telephoto lens with a wide field of view to explore stellar substructure in the outskirts of the stellar disk of the LMC (<10° from the LMC center). These data have higher resolution than existing star count maps, and highlight the existence of stellar arcs and multiple spiral arms in the northern periphery, with no comparable counterparts in the south. We compare these data to detailed simulations of the LMC disk outskirts, following interactions with its low mass companion, the SMC. We consider interaction in isolation and with the inclusion of the Milky Way tidal field. The simulations are used to assess the origin of the northern structures, including also the low density stellar arc recently identified in the Dark Energy Survey data by Mackey et al. at ∼15°. We conclude that repeated close interactions with the SMC are primarily responsible for the asymmetric stellar structures seen in the periphery of the LMC. The orientation and density of these arcs can be used to constrain the LMC’s interaction history with and impact parameter of the SMC. More generally, we find that such asymmetric structures should be ubiquitous about pairs of dwarfs and can persist for 1–2 Gyr even after the secondary merges entirely with the primary. As such, the lack of a companion around a Magellanic Irregular does not disprove the hypothesis that their asymmetric structures are driven by dwarf–dwarf interactions.

Stellar density profile and mass of the Milky Way bulge from VVV data

We present the first stellar density profile of the Milky Way bulge reaching latitude $b=0^\circ$. It is derived by counting red clump stars within the colour\--magnitude diagram constructed with the new PSF-fitting photometry from VISTA Variables in the V\'\i a L\'actea (VVV) survey data. The new stellar density map covers the area between $|l|\leq 10^\circ$ and $|b|\leq 4.5^\circ$ with unprecedented accuracy, allowing to establish a direct link between the stellar kinematics from the Giraffe Inner Bulge Spectroscopic Survey (GIBS) and the stellar mass density distribution. In particular, the location of the central velocity dispersion peak from GIBS matches a high overdensity in the VVV star count map. By scaling the total luminosity function (LF) obtained from all VVV fields to the LF from Zoccali et al.(2003), we obtain the first fully empirical estimate of the mass in stars and remnants of the Galactic bulge. The Milky Way bulge stellar mass within ($|b|<9.5^\circ$, $|l|<10^\circ$) is $2.0\pm0.3\times 10^{10}M_{\odot}$.

THE INNER GALACTIC BULGE: EVIDENCE FOR A NUCLEAR BAR?

Recent data from the VVV survey have strengthened evidence for a structural change in the Galactic bulge inwards of |l|<=4 deg. Here we show with an N-body barred galaxy simulation that a boxy bulge formed through the bar and buckling instabilities effortlessly matches measured bulge longitude profiles for red clump stars. The same simulation snapshot was earlier used to clarify the apparent boxy bulge - long bar dichotomy, for the same orientation and scaling. The change in the slope of the model longitude profiles in the inner few degrees is caused by a transition from highly elongated to more nearly axisymmetric isodensity contours in the inner boxy bulge. This transition is confined to a few degrees from the Galactic plane, thus the change of slope is predicted to disappear at higher Galactic latitudes. We also show that the nuclear star count map derived from this simulation snapshot displays a longitudinal asymmetry similar to that observed in the 2MASS data, but is less flattened to the Galactic plane than the 2MASS map. These results support the interpretation that the Galactic bulge originated from disk evolution, and question the evidence advanced from star count data for the existence of a secondary nuclear bar in the Milky Way.

THE SPLASH SURVEY: A SPECTROSCOPIC PORTRAIT OF ANDROMEDA’S GIANT SOUTHERN STREAM

The giant southern stream (GSS) is the most prominent tidal debris feature in M31's stellar halo. The GSS is composed of a relatively metal-rich, high surface-brightness "core" and a lower metallicity, lower surface brightness "envelope." We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of red giant stars in six fields in the vicinity of M31's GSS and one field on Stream C, an arc-like feature on M31's SE minor axis at R=60 kpc. Several GSS-related findings and measurements are presented here. We present the innermost kinematical detection of the GSS core to date (R=17 kpc). This field also contains the continuation of a second kinematically cold component originally seen in a GSS core field at R=21 kpc. The velocity gradients of the GSS and the second component in the combined data set are parallel over a radial range of 7 kpc, suggesting a possible bifurcation in the line-of-sight velocities of GSS stars. We also present the first kinematical detection of substructure in the GSS envelope. Using kinematically identified samples, we show that the envelope debris has a ~0.7 dex lower mean photometric metallicity and possibly higher intrinsic velocity dispersion than the GSS core. The GSS is also identified in the field of the M31 dSph satellite And I; the GSS in this field has a metallicity distribution identical to that of the GSS core. We confirm the presence of two kinematically cold components in Stream C, and measure intrinsic velocity dispersions of ~10 and ~4 km/s. This compilation of the kinematical (mean velocity, intrinsic velocity dispersion) and chemical properties of stars in the GSS core and envelope, coupled with published surface brightness measurements and wide-area star-count maps, will improve constraints on the orbit and internal structure of the dwarf satellite progenitor.

Kinematic and Chemical Constraints on the Formation of M31’s Inner and Outer Halo

The halo of M31 shows a wealth of substructures, some of which are consistent with assembly from satellite accretion. Here we report on kinematic and abundance results from Keck DEIMOS spectroscopy in the near-infrared calcium triplet region of over 3500 red giant star candidates along the minor axis and in off-axis spheroid fields of M31. These data reach out to large radial distances of about 160 kpc. The derived radial velocity distributions show an indication of a kinematically cold substructure around ~17 kpc, which has been reported before. We devise a new and improved method to measure spectroscopic metallicities from the calcium triplet in low signal-to-noise ratio spectra using a weighted co-addition of the individual lines. The resulting distribution (accurate to ~0.3 dex down to signal-to-noise ratios of 5) leads us to note an even stronger gradient in the abundance distribution along M31's minor axis and in particular toward the outer halo fields than previously detected. The mean metallicity in the outer fields reaches below –2 dex, with individual values as low as –2.6 dex. This is the first time such a metal-poor halo has been detected in M31. In the fields toward the inner spheroid, we find a sharp decline of ~0.5 dex in metallicity in a region at ~20 kpc, which roughly coincides with the edge of an extended disk, previously detected from star count maps. A large fraction of red giants that we detect in the most distant fields are likely members of M33's overlapping halo. A comparison of our velocities with those predicted by new N-body simulations argues that the event responsible for the Giant Stream is most likely not responsible for the full population of the inner halo. We show further that the abundance distribution of the Stream is different from that of the inner halo, from which it becomes evident, in turn, that the merger event that formed the Stream and the outer halo cannot have contributed any significant material to the inner spheroid. All these severe structure changes in the halo suggest a high degree of infall and stochastic abundance accretion governing the buildup of M31's inner and outer halo.

Improved Photometry of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Crowded-Field Images: Structure and Dark Matter Content in the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Leo I

We explore how well crowded-field point-source photometry can be accomplished with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data. For this purpose, we present a photometric pipeline based on DoPHOT and tuned for analyzing crowded-field images from the SDSS. Using Monte Carlo simulations we show that the completeness of source extraction is above 80% to an i-band AB magnitude of 21 and a stellar surface density of ~200 arcmin-2. Hence, a specialized data pipeline can be efficiently used for, e.g., nearby resolved galaxies in SDSS images, where the standard SDSS photometric package Photo, when applied in normal survey mode, gives poor results. We apply our pipeline to an area of ~3.55 deg2 around the dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) Leo I and construct a high signal-to-noise ratio star count map of Leo I via an optimized filter in color-magnitude space (g, r, i). This filter reduces the foreground contamination by ~80% and enhances the central stellar surface density contrast of the dwarf by a factor of 4, making this study the deepest wide-field study of the Leo I dSph based on accurate CCD photometry. Although the radial surface density profile deviates from the best-fit empirical King model toward outer radii, we find no evidence for tidal debris out to a stellar surface density of 4 × 10-3 of the central value. We determine the total luminosity of Leo I and model its mass using the spherical and isotropic Jeans equation. Assuming that mass follows light, we constrain a lower limit on the total mass of the dSph to be (1.7 ± 0.2) × 107 M⊙. On the other hand, if the mass in Leo I is dominated by a constant-density dark matter (DM) halo, then the mass within the central 12' is (2 ± 0.6) × 108 M⊙. This leads to a mass-to-light ratio of 6 in I-band solar units, and possibly >75 if the DM halo dominates the mass and extends further out than 12'. In summary, our results show that Leo I is a symmetric, relaxed, and bound system; this supports the idea that Leo I is a DM-dominated system.

A Canis Major Overdensity Imaging Survey. I. Stellar Content and Star-Count Maps: A Distinctly Elongated Body of Main-Sequence Stars

We present the first results from a large-area (~80° × 20°), sparsely sampled, two-filter (B and R) imaging survey toward the Canis Major stellar overdensity, which is claimed to be a disrupting Milky Way satellite galaxy. Using stellar color-magnitude diagrams reaching to B ~ 22 mag, we provide a first delineation of its surface density distribution using main-sequence stars. It is located below the Galactic midplane, and can be discerned to at least b = -15°. Its projected shape is highly elongated, nearly parallel to the Galactic plane, with an axis ratio of at least 5 : 1, substantially more so than what Martin and coworkers originally found. We also provide a first map of a prominent overdensity of blue, presumably younger main-sequence stars, which extends in latitude to b ~ -10°. We estimate an upper limit on the line-of-sight depth σlos of the old population based on the main-sequence width, obtaining σlos < 1.8 ± 0.3 kpc at an adopted D⊙ = 7.5 ± 1 kpc. For the young stellar population, we find σlos < 1.5 kpc. The overall picture presented is one of a young stellar population that is less extended, both in terms of its line-of-sight depth and angular size, than the older population. While the data provide no firm arguments against an out-of-plane spiral arm interpretation, the data provide clear implications for others: (1) We infer from the strong elongation of the overdensity in longitude, and simulations in the literature, that the CMa overdensity is unlikely to be a gravitationally bound system at the present epoch, but may well be just a recently disrupted satellite remnant. The possible flattening of the young main-sequence population may, however, be a complexity for the satellite origin. (2) Based on modeling, the line-of-sight depth of the main-sequence overdensity in old stars is clearly inconsistent with published locally axisymmetric descriptions of the warped Galactic disk, such as those considered by Momany and coworkers. Without detailed modeling, the data set itself does not allow a distinction between interpretations as substructure in the warped outer Galactic disk or a disrupted satellite.

Star count analysis of the interstellar matter in the region of L1251

We studied the ISM distribution in and around the star forming cloud L1251 with optical star counts. A careful calculation with a maximum likelihood based statistical approach resulted in B, V, R, I extinction distributions from the star count maps. A distance of 330 ± 30 pc was derived. The extinction maps revealed an elongated dense cloud with a bow shock at its eastern side. We estimated a Mach number of M ≈ 2 for the bow shock. A variation of the apparent dust properties is detected, i.e. the RV = AV /EB−V total to selective extinction ratio varies from 3 to 5.5, peaking at the densest part of L1251. The spatial structure of the head of L1251 is well modelled with a Schuster-sphere (i.e. n = 5 polytropic sphere). The observed radial distribution of mass fits the model with high accuracy out to 2.5 pc distance from the assumed center. Unexpectedly, the distribution of NH3 1.3 cm line widths is also well matched by the Schuster solution even in the tail of the cloud. Since the elongated head-tail structure of L1251 is far from the spherical symmetry the good fit of the linewidths in the tail makes it reasonable to assume that the present cloud structure has been formed by isothermal contraction.

Magellanic Cloud Structure from Near-Infrared Surveys. II. Star Count Maps and the Intrinsic Elongation of the Large Magellanic Cloud

I construct a near-IR star count map of the LMC and demonstrate, using the viewing angles derived in Paper I, that the LMC is intrinsically elongated. I argue that this is due to the tidal force from the Milky Way. The near-IR data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Deep Near-Infrared Southern Sky Survey (DENIS) are ideally suited for studies of LMC structure because of the large statistics and insensitivity to dust absorption. The survey data are used to create a star count map of red giant branch and asymptotic giant branch stars. The resulting LMC image shows the well-known bar but is otherwise quite smooth. Ellipse fitting is used for quantitative analysis. The radial number density profile is approximately exponential, with a scale length rd ≈ 1.3–1.5 kpc. However, there is an excess density at large radii that may be due to the tidal effect of the Milky Way. The position angle and ellipticity profile both show large radial variations but converge to P.A.maj = 1893 ± 14 and = 0.199 ± 0.008 for r ≳ 5°. At large radii, the image is influenced by viewing perspective (i.e., one side of the inclined LMC plane being closer to us than the other). This causes a drift of the center of the star count contours toward the near side of the plane. The observed drift is consistent with the position angle Θ = 1225 ± 83 of the list of nodes inferred in Paper I. The fact that Θ differs from P.A.maj indicates that the LMC disk is not circular. Deprojection shows that the LMC has an intrinsic ellipticity '' = 0.31 in its outer parts, considerably larger than typical for disk galaxies. The outer contours have a more or less common center, which lies ∼0.4 kpc from the center of the bar. Neither agrees with the kinematic center of the H I gas disk. The LMC is elongated in the general direction of the Galactic center and is elongated perpendicular to the Magellanic Stream and the velocity vector of the LMC center of mass. This suggests that the elongation of the LMC has been induced by the tidal force of the Milky Way. The position angle of the line of nodes differs from the position angle Θmax of the line of maximum line-of-sight velocity gradient. Results from H I gas and discrete tracers indicate that Θmax - Θ = 20°–60°. This could be due to one or more of the following: (1) streaming along noncircular orbits in the elongated disk; (2) uncertainties in the transverse motion of the LMC center of mass, which can translate into a spurious solid-body rotation component in the observed velocity field; or (3) an additional solid-body rotation component in the observed velocity field due to precession and nutation of the LMC disk as it orbits the Milky Way, which is expected on theoretical grounds.