The GALAH survey: scientific motivation De Silva, G. M; Freeman, K. C; Bland-Hawthorn, J ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
05/2015, Letnik:
449, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The Galactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH) survey is a large high-resolution spectroscopic survey using the newly commissioned High Efficiency and Resolution Multi-Element Spectrograph (HERMES) on ...the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The HERMES spectrograph provides high-resolution (R ∼ 28 000) spectra in four passbands for 392 stars simultaneously over a 2 deg field of view. The goal of the survey is to unravel the formation and evolutionary history of the Milky Way, using fossil remnants of ancient star formation events which have been disrupted and are now dispersed throughout the Galaxy. Chemical tagging seeks to identify such dispersed remnants solely from their common and unique chemical signatures; these groups are unidentifiable from their spatial, photometric or kinematic properties. To carry out chemical tagging, the GALAH survey will acquire spectra for a million stars down to V ∼ 14. The HERMES spectra of FGK stars contain absorption lines from 29 elements including light proton-capture elements, α-elements, odd-Z elements, iron-peak elements and n-capture elements from the light and heavy s-process and the r-process. This paper describes the motivation and planned execution of the GALAH survey, and presents some results on the first-light performance of HERMES.
We present the metallicity results from the ARGOS spectroscopic survey of the Galactic bulge. Our aim is to understand the formation of the Galactic bulge: did it form via mergers, as expected from Λ ...cold dark matter theory, or from disc instabilities, as suggested by its boxy/peanut shape, or both? Our stars are mostly red clump giants, which have a well-defined absolute magnitude from which distances can be determined. We have obtained spectra for 28 000 stars at a spectral resolution of R = 11 000. From these spectra, we have determined stellar parameters and distances to an accuracy of <1.5 kpc. The stars in the inner Galaxy span a large range in Fe/H, −2.8 ≤ Fe/H ≤ +0.6. From the spatial distribution of the red clump stars as a function of Fe/H, we propose that the stars with Fe/H > −0.5 are part of the boxy/peanut bar/bulge. We associate the lower metallicity stars (Fe/H < −0.5) with the thick disc, which may be puffed up in the inner region, and with the inner regions of the metal-weak thick disc and inner halo. For the bulge stars with Fe/H > −0.5, we find two discrete populations: (i) stars with Fe/H −0.25 which provide a roughly constant fraction of the stars in the latitude interval b = −5° to −10°, and (ii) a kinematically colder, more metal-rich population with mean Fe/H +0.15 which is more prominent closer to the plane. The changing ratio of these components with latitude appears as a vertical abundance gradient of the bulge. We attribute both of these bulge components to instability-driven bar/bulge formation from the thin disc. We associate the thicker component with the stars of the early less metal-rich thin disc, and associate the more metal-rich population concentrated to the plane with the colder more metal-rich stars of the early thin disc, similar to the colder and younger more metal-rich stars seen in the thin disc in the solar neighbourhood today. We do not exclude a weak underlying classical merger-generated bulge component, but see no obvious kinematic association of any of our bulge stars with such a classical bulge component. The clear spatial and kinematic separation of the two bulge populations (i) and (ii) makes it unlikely that any significant merger event could have affected the inner regions of the Galaxy since the time when the bulge-forming instabilities occurred.
We present the stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, overall metallicity), radial velocities, individual abundances, and distances determined for 425,561 stars, ...which constitute the fourth public data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE). The stellar atmospheric parameters are computed using a new pipeline, based on the algorithms of MATISSE and DEGAS. The spectral degeneracies and the Two Micron All Sky Survey photometric information are now better taken into consideration, improving the parameter determination compared to the previous RAVE data releases. The individual abundances for six elements (magnesium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, iron, and nickel) are also given, based on a special-purpose pipeline that is also improved compared to that available for the RAVE DR3 and Chemical DR1 data releases. Together with photometric information and proper motions, these data can be retrieved from the RAVE collaboration Web site and the Vizier database.
We present the kinematic results from our ARGOS spectroscopic survey of the Galactic bulge of the Milky Way. Our aim is to understand the formation of the Galactic bulge. We examine the kinematics of ...about 17 400 stars in the bulge located within 3.5 kpc of the Galactic Centre, identified from the 28 000 star ARGOS survey. We aim to determine if the formation of the bulge has been internally driven from disc instabilities as suggested by its boxy shape, or if mergers have played a significant role as expected from lambda cold dark matter simulations. From our velocity measurements across latitudes b = −5°, − 7
5 and −10° we find the bulge to be a cylindrically rotating system that transitions smoothly out into the disc. From observations of 3 fields at b = +10, the kinematics of the bulge show North-South symmetry about the major axis. Within the bulge, we find a kinematically distinct metal-poor population (Fe/H < −1.0) that is not rotating cylindrically. The 5 per cent of our stars with Fe/H < −1.0 are a slowly rotating spheroidal population, which we believe are stars of the metal-weak thick disc and halo which presently lie in the inner Galaxy. The kinematics of the two bulge components that we identified in ARGOS Paper III (mean Fe/H −0.25 and Fe/H +0.15, respectively) demonstrate that they are likely to share a common formation origin and are distinct from the more metal-poor populations of the thick disc and halo which are co-located inside the bulge. We do not exclude an underlying merger generated bulge component but our results favour bulge formation from instabilities in the early thin disc.
Near the minor axis of the Galactic bulge, at latitudes b < -5degrees, the red giant clump stars are split into two components along the line of sight. We investigate this split using the three ...fields from the ARGOS survey that lie on the minor axis at (l, b) = (0degrees, -5degrees), (0degrees, -7degrees5), (0degrees, -10degrees). The separation is evident for stars with Fe/H > -0.5 in the two higher-latitude fields, but not in the field at b = -5degrees. Stars with Fe/H < -0.5 do not show the split. We compare the spatial distribution and kinematics of the clump stars with predictions from an evolutionary N-body model of a bulge that grew from a disk via bar-related instabilities. The density distribution of the peanut-shaped model is depressed near its minor axis. This produces a bimodal distribution of stars along the line of sight through the bulge near its minor axis, very much as seen in our observations. The observed and modeled kinematics of the two groups of stars are also similar. We conclude that the split red clump of the bulge is probably a generic feature of boxy/peanut bulges that grew from disks, and that the disk from which the bulge grew had relatively few stars with Fe/H < -0.5.
ARGOS - II. The Galactic bulge survey Freeman, K; Ness, M; Wylie-de-Boer, E ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
02/2013, Letnik:
428, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We describe the motivation, field locations and stellar selection for the Abundances and Radial velocity Galactic Origins Survey (ARGOS) spectroscopic survey of 28 000 stars in the bulge and inner ...disc of the Milky Way galaxy across latitudes of b = −5° to −10°. The primary goal of this survey is to constrain the formation processes of the bulge and establish whether it is predominantly a merger or instability remnant. From the spectra (R = 11 000), we have measured radial velocities and determined stellar parameters, including metallicities and α/Fe ratios. Distances were estimated from the derived stellar parameters and about 14 000 stars are red giants within 3.5 kpc of the Galactic Centre. In this paper, we present the observations and analysis methods. Subsequent papers (III and IV) will discuss the stellar metallicity distribution and kinematics of the Galactic bulge and inner disc, and the implications for the formation of the bulge.
We present the third data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) which is the first milestone of the RAVE project, releasing the full pilot survey. The catalog contains 83,072 radial ...velocity measurements for 77,461 stars in the southern celestial hemisphere, as well as stellar parameters for 39,833 stars. This paper describes the content of the new release, the new processing pipeline, as well as an updated calibration for the metallicity based upon the observation of additional standard stars. Spectra will be made available in a future release. The data release can be accessed via the RAVE Web site.
This study resolves a discrepancy in the abundance of Zr in the 47 Tucanæ asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star Lee 2525. This star was observed using the echelle spectrograph on the 2.3-m telescope at ...Siding Spring Observatory. The analysis was undertaken by calibrating Lee 2525 with respect to the standard giant star Arcturus. This work emphasizes the importance of using a standard star with stellar parameters comparable to the star under analysis rather than a calibration with respect to the Sun as in Koch & McWilliam. Systematic errors in the analysis process are then minimized due to the similarity in atmospheric structure between the standard and programme stars. The abundances derived for Lee 2525 were found to be in general agreement with the Brown & Wallerstein values except for Zr. In this study Zr has a similar enhancement (Zr/Fe=+0.51 dex) to another light s-process element, Y (Y/Fe=+0.53 dex), which reflects current theory regarding the enrichment of s-process elements by nuclear processes within AGB stars. This is contrary to the results of Brown & Wallerstein where Zr was underabundant (Zr/Fe=−0.51 dex) and Y was overabundant (Y/Fe=+0.50 dex) with respect to Fe.
The Galactic globular cluster NGC 1851 has raised much interest since Hubble Space Telescope photometry revealed that it hosts a double subgiant branch. Here we report on our homogeneous study into ...the cyanogen (CN) band strengths in the red giant branch (RGB) population (17 stars) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) population (21 stars) using AAOmega/2dF spectra with R ~ 3000. We discover that NGC 1851 hosts a quadrimodal distribution of CN band strengths in its RGB and AGB populations. This result supports the merger formation scenario proposed for this cluster, such that the CN quadrimodality could be explained by the superposition of two "normal" bimodal populations. A small sample overlap with an abundance catalog allowed us to tentatively explore the relationship between our CN populations and a range of elemental abundances. We found a striking correlation between CN and O/Na. We also found that the four CN peaks may be paired-the two CN-weaker populations being associated with low Ba and the two CN-stronger populations with high Ba. If true, then s-process abundances would be a good diagnostic for disentangling the two original clusters in the merger scenario. More observations are needed to confirm the quadrimodality and also the relationship between the subpopulations. We also report CN results for NGC 288 as a comparison. Our relatively large samples of AGB stars show that both clusters have a bias toward CN-weak AGB populations.
The results of a study of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase of stellar evolution are presented. Abundances have been determined for Fe, C, O, the light s-process elements, Y and Zr, the heavy ...s-process elements, La and Nd, and the r-process element, Eu. The expected relationship between enhanced C, increasing C/O ratio, and enhanced s-process elements has been quantified. Results are presented to provide observational data with which to compare theoretical predictions. The results in this paper confirm previously suggested relationships between C, C/O, and s-process element enhancements. It is seen that AGB stars show C/O ratios from C/O ~ 0.4 to 1.0, while C enhancements lie between C/Fe = 0.1-0.9 dex. Enhancements of s-process elements are as much as s/Fe ~ 1.0 dex for the stars in which C is also greatly enhanced.
PDF
