We made new estimates of the Galactic escape speed at various Galactocentric radii using the latest data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE DR4). Compared to previous studies we have a ...database that is larger by a factor of 10, as well as reliable distance estimates for almost all stars. Our analysis is based on statistical analysis of a rigorously selected sample of 90 high-velocity halo stars from RAVE and a previously published data set. We calibrated and extensively tested our method using a suite of cosmological simulations of the formation of Milky Way-sized galaxies. Our best estimate of the local Galactic escape speed, which we define as the minimum speed required to reach three virial radii R340, is 533+54-41 km s-1 (90% confidence), with an additional 4% systematic uncertainty, where R340 is the Galactocentric radius encompassing a mean overdensity of 340 times the critical density for closure in the Universe. From the escape speed we further derived estimates of the mass of the Galaxy using a simple mass model with two options for the mass profile of the dark matter halo: an unaltered and an adiabatically contracted Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) sphere. If we fix the local circular velocity, the latter profile yields a significantly higher mass than the uncontracted halo, but if we instead use the statistics for halo concentration parameters in large cosmological simulations as a constraint, we find very similar masses for both models. Our best estimate for M340, the mass interiorto R340 (dark matter and baryons), is 1.3+0.4-0.3 × 1012 M⊙ (corresponds to M200 = 1.6+0.5-0.4 × 1012 M⊙). This estimate is in good agreement with recently published, independent mass estimates based on the kinematics of more distant halo stars and the satellite galaxy Leo I.
Aims. Completing the poorly known substellar census of the solar neighbourhood, especially with respect to the coolest brown dwarfs, will lead to a better understanding of failed star formation ...processes and binary statistics with different environmental conditions. Methods. Using UKIDSS data and their cross-correlation with the SDSS, we searched for high proper motion mid- to late-T dwarf candidates with extremely blue near-infrared (J–K<0) and very red optical-to-near-infrared (z–J>+2.5) colours. Results. With 11 newly found T dwarf candidates, the proper motions of which range between 100 and 800 mas/yr, we increased the number of UKIDSS T dwarf discoveries by ≈30%. Large proper motions were also measured for six of eight previously known T4.5-T9 dwarfs detected in our survey. All new candidates can be classified as T5-T9 dwarfs based on their colours. Two of these objects were found to be common proper motion companions of Hipparcos stars with accurate parallaxes. The latter allow us to determine absolute magnitudes from which we classify Hip 63510C as T7 and Hip 73786B as T6.5 dwarfs with an uncertainty of ±1 spectral subtype. The projected physical separation from their low-mass (M0.5 and K5) primaries is in both cases about 1200 AU. One of the Hipparcos stars has already a known very low-mass star or brown dwarf companion on a close astrometric orbit (Hip 63510B = Gl 494B). With distances of only 11.7 and 18.6 pc, deduced from their primaries respectively for Hip 63510C and Hip 73786B, various follow-up observations can easily be carried out to study these cool brown dwarfs in more detail and to compare their properties with those of the already well-investigated primaries.
Aims.
The
Gaia
data release 2 (DR2) contains > 6000 objects with parallaxes (
P
l
x
+ 3 ×
e
_
P
l
x
) > 50 mas, placing them within 20 pc from the Sun. Because the expected numbers based on ...extrapolating the well-known 10 pc census are much lower, nearby
Gaia
stars need a quality assessment. The 20 pc sample of white dwarfs (WDs) has been verified and completed with
Gaia
DR2. We here confirm and complete the 20 pc sample of ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) with spectral types ≳M7 and given
Gaia
DR2 parallaxes.
Methods.
Dividing the
Gaia
DR2 20 pc sample into subsamples of various astrometric and photometric quality, we studied their distribution on the sky, in the
M
G
versus
G
−
R
P
colour-magnitude diagram (CMD), and as a function of
G
magnitude and total proper motion. After excluding 139 known WDs and 263 known UCDs from the CMD, we checked all remaining ≈3500 candidates with
M
G
> 14 mag (used to define UCDs in this study) for the correctness of their
Gaia
DR2 proper motions by visual inspection of finder charts, comparison with proper motion catalogues, and comparison with our own proper motion measurements. For confirmed UCD candidates we estimated spectral types photometrically using
Gaia
and near-infrared absolute magnitudes and colours.
Results.
We failed to confirm new WDs, but found 50 new UCD candidates that are not mentioned in three previous studies using
Gaia
DR2. They have relatively small proper motions and low tangential velocities and are concentrated towards the Galactic plane. Half of them have spectral types in SIMBAD and/or previous non-
Gaia
distance estimates that placed them already within 20 pc. For 20 of the 50 objects, we estimated photometric spectral types of M6−M6.5, slightly below the classical UCD spectral type limit. However, seven L4.5−L6.5, four L0−L1, five M8.5−M9.5, and three M7−M8 dwarfs can be considered as completely new UCDs discoveries within 20 pc based on
Gaia
DR2. Four M6.5 and two L4.5 dwarfs have high membership probabilities (64%−99%) in the ARGUS, AB Doradus, or Carina Near young moving groups.
Context. Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) unbound to the Galaxy can be formed with extreme stellar interactions, for example close encounters with supermassive black holes or in massive star clusters, ...supernova explosions in binary systems, or the stripping of dwarf galaxies. Observational evidence comes from measurements of radial velocities (RVs) of objects crossing the outer Galactic halo and of tangential velocities based on high proper motions (HPMs) and distances of relatively nearby stars. Aims. I searched for new nearby HVS candidates and reviewed known objects using their Gaia astrometric measurements. Methods. Candidates were selected with significant Gaia parallaxes of >0.1mas, proper motions of >20 mas yr −1 , and computed galactocentric tangential velocities vtan_g>500 km s −1 . The DR2 and DR3 samples of several thousand HVS candidates were studied with respect to their proper motions, sky distribution, number of observations, location in crowded fields, colour-magnitude diagrams, selection effects with magnitude, and RVs in DR3. The 72 most extreme (vtan_g>700 km s −1 ) and nearest (within 4kpc) DR3 HVS candidates were investigated with respect to detected close neighbours, flags, and astrometric quality parameters of objects of similar magnitudes in DR3. The quality checks involved HPM objects in a global comparison and all objects in the vicinity of each target. Results. Spurious HPMs in the Galactic centre region led to false HVS interpretations in Gaia DR2 and are still present in DR3, although to a lesser extent. Otherwise there is good agreement between the HPMs of HVS candidates in DR2 and DR3. However, HVS candidates selected from DR2 tend to have larger parallaxes, and hence lower tangential velocities in DR3. Most DR3 RVs are much lower than the tangential velocities, indicating that the DR3 HVS candidates are still affected by underestimated parallaxes. None of the 72 extreme nearby DR3 HVS candidates, including three D 6 stars, passed all the quality checks. Their tangential velocities may turn out to be lower, but at least some of them still appear unbound to the Galaxy.
We report new constraints on the local escape speed of our Galaxy. Our analysis is based on a sample of high-velocity stars from the RAVE survey and two previously published data sets. We use ...cosmological simulations of disc galaxy formation to motivate our assumptions on the shape of the velocity distribution, allowing for a significantly more precise measurement of the escape velocity compared to previous studies. We find that the escape velocity lies within the range 498 < vesc < 608 km s−1 (90 per cent confidence), with a median likelihood of 544 km s−1. The fact that v2esc is significantly greater than 2v2circ (where vcirc= 220 km s−1 is the local circular velocity) implies that there must be a significant amount of mass exterior to the solar circle, that is, this convincingly demonstrates the presence of a dark halo in the Galaxy. We use our constraints on vesc to determine the mass of the Milky Way halo for three halo profiles. For example, an adiabatically contracted NFW halo model results in a virial mass of 1.42+1.14−0.54× 1012 M⊙ and virial radius of (90 per cent confidence). For this model the circular velocity at the virial radius is 142+31−21 km s−1. Although our halo masses are model dependent, we find that they are in good agreement with each other.
Aims. Using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data and previous optical and near-infrared sky surveys, we try to identify still missing stellar and substellar neighbours of the Sun. Methods. ...When checking the brightest red WISE sources for proper motions and colours expected for nearby M and L dwarfs, we also approached the thin Galactic plane. Astrometry (proper motion and parallax measurements) and the available photometry were used to obtain first estimates of the distance and type of nearby candidates. Results. We have discovered WISE J072003.20−084651.2, an object with moderately high proper motion (μ ≈ 120 mas/yr) that lies at low Galactic latitude (b = +2.3°), with similar brightness (J ≈ 10.6, w2 ≈ 8.9) and colours (I − J ≈ 3.2, J − Ks ≈ 1.2, w1 − w2 ≈ 0.3) as the nearest known M-type brown dwarf LP 944-20. With a photometric classification as an M9 ± 1 dwarf, its photometric distance lies in the range between about 5 and 7 pc, based on comparison with absolute magnitudes of LP 944-20 alone or of a sample of M8-L0 dwarfs. The slightly larger distance derived from our preliminary trigonometric parallax (7.0 ± 1.9 pc) may indicate a close binary nature. The new neighbour is an excellent target for planet search and low-mass star/brown dwarf studies.
Context. Although they are the main constituents of the Galactic disk population, for half of the open clusters in the Milky Way reported in the literature nothing is known except the raw position ...and an approximate size. Aims. The main goal of this study is to determine a full set of uniform spatial, structural, kinematic, and astrophysical parameters for as many known open clusters as possible. Methods. On the basis of stellar data from PPMXL and 2MASS, we used a dedicated data-processing pipeline to determine kinematic and photometric membership probabilities for stars in a cluster region. Results. For an input list of 3784 targets from the literature, we confirm that 3006 are real objects, the vast majority of them are open clusters, but associations and globular clusters are also present. For each confirmed object we determined the exact position of the cluster centre, the apparent size, proper motion, distance, colour excess, and age. For about 1500 clusters, these basic astrophysical parameters have been determined for the first time. For the bulk of the clusters we also derived the tidal radius. We estimated additionally average radial velocities for more than 30% of the confirmed clusters. The present sample (called MWSC) reaches both the central parts of the Milky Way and its outer regions. It is almost complete up to 1.8 kpc from the Sun and also covers neighbouring spiral arms. However, for a small subset of the oldest open clusters (logi a 9) we found some evidence of incompleteness within about 1 kpc from the Sun.
Context. Although they are the main constituents of the Galactic disk population, for half of the open clusters in the Milky Way reported in the literature nothing is known except the raw position ...and an approximate size. Aims. The main goal of this study is to determine a full set of uniform spatial, structural, kinematic, and astrophysical parameters for as many known open clusters as possible. Methods. On the basis of stellar data from PPMXL and 2MASS, we used a dedicated data-processing pipeline to determine kinematic and photometric membership probabilities for stars in a cluster region. Results. For an input list of 3784 targets from the literature, we confirm that 3006 are real objects, the vast majority of them are open clusters, but associations and globular clusters are also present. For each confirmed object we determined the exact position of the cluster centre, the apparent size, proper motion, distance, colour excess, and age. For about 1500 clusters, these basic astrophysical parameters have been determined for the first time. For the bulk of the clusters we also derived the tidal radius. We estimated additionally average radial velocities for more than 30% of the confirmed clusters. The present sample (called MWSC) reaches both the central parts of the Milky Way and its outer regions. It is almost complete up to 1.8 kpc from the Sun and also covers neighbouring spiral arms. However, for a small subset of the oldest open clusters (log t ≳ 9) we found some evidence of incompleteness within about 1 kpc from the Sun.
We report the discovery and initial follow-up of a double neutron star (DNS) system, PSR J1946+2052, with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. PSR J1946+2052 is a 17 ms pulsar in a ...1.88 hr, eccentric (e = 0.06) orbit with a 1.2 M companion. We have used the Jansky Very Large Array to localize PSR J1946+2052 to a precision of 0 09 using a new phase binning mode. We have searched multiwavelength catalogs for coincident sources but did not find any counterparts. The improved position enabled a measurement of the spin period derivative of the pulsar ( P ˙ = 9 2 × 10 − 19 ); the small inferred magnetic field strength at the surface (BS = 4 × 109 G) indicates that this pulsar has been recycled. This and the orbital eccentricity lead to the conclusion that PSR J1946+2052 is in a DNS system. Among all known radio pulsars in DNS systems, PSR J1946+2052 has the shortest orbital period and the shortest estimated merger timescale, 46 Myr; at that time it will display the largest spin effects on gravitational-wave waveforms of any such system discovered to date. We have measured the advance of periastron passage for this system, ˙ = 25.6 0.3 deg yr − 1 , implying a total system mass of only 2.50 0.04 M , so it is among the lowest-mass DNS systems. This total mass measurement combined with the minimum companion mass constrains the pulsar mass to 1.3 M .
We present a catalogue of astrophysical data for 520 Galactic open clusters. These are the clusters for which at least three most probable members (18 on average) could be identified in the ASCC-2.5, ...a catalogue of stars based on the Tycho-2 observations from the Hipparcos mission. We applied homogeneous methods and algorithms to determine angular sizes of cluster cores and coronae, heliocentric distances, mean proper motions, mean radial velocities, and ages. For the first time we derive distances for 200 clusters, radial velocities for 94 clusters, and ages of 196 clusters. This homogeneous new parameter set is compared with earlier determinations, where we find, in particular, that the angular sizes were systematically underestimated in the literature.
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