Abstract
We introduce a two-particle correlation function (2PCF) for the Milky Way, constructed to probe spatial correlations in the orthogonal directions of the stellar disk in the Galactic ...cylindrical coordinates of
R
,
ϕ
, and
z
. We use this new tool to probe the structure and dynamics of the Galaxy using the carefully selected set of solar neighborhood stars (
d
≲ 3 kpc) from Gaia Data Release 2 that we previously employed for studies of axial symmetry breaking in stellar number counts. We make additional, extensive tests, comparing to reference numerical simulations, to ensure our control over possibly confounding systematic effects. Supposing either axial or north–south symmetry, we divide this data set into two nominally symmetric sectors and construct the 2PCF, in the manner of the Landy–Szalay estimator, from the Gaia data. In so doing, working well away from the midplane region in which the spiral arms appear, we have discovered distinct symmetry-breaking patterns in the 2PCF in its orthogonal directions, thus establishing the existence of correlations in stellar number counts alone at subkiloparsec length scales for the very first time. In particular, we observe extensive wavelike structures of amplitude greatly in excess of what we would estimate if the system were in a steady state. We study the variations in these patterns across the Galactic disk, and with increasing ∣
z
∣, and we show how our results complement other observations of non-steady-state effects near the Sun, such as vertical asymmetries in stellar number counts and the Gaia snail.
ABSTRACT We show that in the anticenter region, between Galactic longitudes of 110° < l < 229°, there is an oscillating asymmetry in the main-sequence star counts on either side of the Galactic plane ...using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This asymmetry oscillates from more stars in the north at distances of about 2 kpc from the Sun to more stars in the south at 4-6 kpc from the Sun to more stars in the north at distances of 8-10 kpc from the Sun. We also see evidence that there are more stars in the south at distances of 12-16 kpc from the Sun. The three more distant asymmetries form roughly concentric rings around the Galactic center, opening in the direction of the Milky Way's spiral arms. The northern ring, 9 kpc from the Sun, is easily identified with the previously discovered Monoceros Ring. Parts of the southern ring at 14 kpc from the Sun (which we call the TriAnd Ring) have previously been identified as related to the Monoceros Ring, and others have been called the Triangulum Andromeda Overdensity. The two nearer oscillations are approximated by a toy model in which the disk plane is offset by the order of 100 pc up and then down at different radii. We also show that the disk is not azimuthally symmetric around the Galactic anticenter and that there could be a correspondence between our observed oscillations and the spiral structure of the Galaxy. Our observations suggest that the TriAnd and Monoceros Rings (which extend to at least 25 kpc from the Galactic center) are primarily the result of disk oscillations.
The structure and kinematics of the recognized stellar components of the Milky Way are explored, based on well-determined atmospheric parameters and kinematic quantities for 32360 'calibration stars' ...from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and its first extension, SDSS-II, which included the sub-survey Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). Full space motions for a sub-sample of 16,920 stars, exploring a local volume within 4 kpc of the Sun, are used to derive velocity ellipsoids for the inner- and outer-halo components of the Galaxy, as well as for the canonical thick-disk and proposed metal-weak thick-disk (MWTD) populations. This new sample of calibration stars represents an increase of 60% relative to the numbers used in a previous analysis. We first examine the question of whether the data require the presence of at least a two-component halo in order to account for the rotational behavior of likely halo stars in the local volume, and whether more than two components are needed. We also address the question of whether the proposed MWTD is kinematically and chemically distinct from the canonical thick disk, and point out that the Galactocentric rotational velocity inferred for the MWTD, as well as its mean metallicity, appear quite similar to the values derived previously for the Monoceros stream, suggesting a possible association between these structures. In addition, we consider the fractions of each component required to understand the nature of the observed kinematic behavior of the stellar populations of the Galaxy as a function of distance from the plane. Scale lengths and scale heights for the thick-disk and MWTD components are determined. Spatial density profiles for the inner- and outer-halo populations are inferred from a Jeans theorem analysis. The full set of calibration stars (including those outside the local volume) is used to test for the expected changes in the observed stellar metallicity distribution function with distance above the Galactic plane in situ, due to the changing contributions from the underlying stellar populations. The above issues are considered, in concert with theoretical and observational constraints from other Milky-Way-like galaxies, in light of modern cold dark matter galaxy formation models.
We describe a method for the determination of stellar C/Fe abundance ratios using low-resolution (R = 2000) stellar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and its Galactic sub-survey, the ...Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). By means of a star-by-star comparison with a set of SDSS/SEGUE spectra with available estimates of C/Fe based on published high-resolution analyses, we demonstrate that we can measure C/Fe from SDSS/SEGUE spectra with S/N > or =, slanted 15 A super(-1) to a precision better than 0.35 dex for stars with atmospheric parameters in the range T sub(eff) = 4400, 6700 K, log g = 1.0, 5.0, Fe/H = -4.0, +0.5, and C/Fe = -0.25, +3.5. We find that the differential frequency slowly rises from almost zero to about 14% at Fe/H ~ -2.4, followed by a sudden increase, by about a factor of three, to 39% from Fe/H ~ -2.4 to Fe/H ~ -3.7.
We map the stellar structure of the Galactic thick disk and halo by applying color-magnitude diagram (CMD) fitting to photometric data from the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and ...Exploration (SEGUE) survey. The SEGUE imaging scans allow, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of Milky Way structure at both high and low latitudes using uniform Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometry. Incorporating photometry of all relevant stars simultaneously, CMD fitting bypasses the need to choose single tracer populations. Using old stellar populations of differing metallicities as templates, we obtain a sparse three-dimensional map of the stellar mass distribution at |Z|>1 kpc. Fitting a smooth Milky Way model comprising exponential thin and thick disks and an axisymmetric power-law halo allows us to constrain the structural parameters of the thick disk and halo. The thick-disk scale height and length are well constrained at 0.75 {+-} 0.07 kpc and 4.1 {+-} 0.4 kpc, respectively. We find a stellar halo flattening within {approx}25 kpc of c/a = 0.88 {+-} 0.03 and a power-law index of 2.75 {+-} 0.07 (for 7 kpc {approx_lt}R{sub GC} {approx_lt} 30 kpc). The model fits yield thick-disk and stellar halo densities at the solar location of {rho}{sub thick,sun} = 10{sup -2.3{+-}0.1} M{sub sun} pc{sup -3} and {rho}{sub halo,sun} = 10{sup -4.20{+-}0.05} M{sub sun} pc{sup -3}, averaging over any substructures. Our analysis provides the first clear in situ evidence for a radial metallicity gradient in the Milky Way's stellar halo: within R {approx_lt} 15 kpc the stellar halo has a mean metallicity of Fe/H {approx_equal} -1.6, which shifts to Fe/H {approx_equal} -2.2 at larger radii, in line with the two-component halo deduced by Carollo et al. from a local kinematic analysis. Subtraction of the best-fit smooth and symmetric model from the overall density maps reveals a wealth of substructures at all latitudes, some attributable to known streams and overdensities, and some new. A simple warp cannot account for the low latitude substructure, as overdensities occur simultaneously above and below the Galactic plane.
We employ measurements of the Delta *a/Fe ratio derived from low-resolution (R ~ 2000) spectra of 17,277 G-type dwarfs from the SEGUE survey to separate them into likely thin- and thick-disk ...subsamples. Both subsamples exhibit strong gradients of orbital rotational velocity with metallicity, of opposite signs, --20 to --30 km s--1 dex--1 for the thin-disk and +40 to +50 km s--1 dex--1 for the thick-disk population. The rotational velocity is uncorrelated with Galactocentric distance for the thin-disk subsample and exhibits a small trend for the thick-disk subsample. The rotational velocity decreases with distance from the plane for both disk components, with similar slopes (--9.0 ? 1.0 km s--1 kpc--1). Thick-disk stars exhibit a strong trend of orbital eccentricity with metallicity (about --0.2 dex--1), while the eccentricity does not change with metallicity for the thin-disk subsample. The eccentricity is almost independent of Galactocentric radius for the thin-disk population, while a marginal gradient of the eccentricity with radius exists for the thick-disk population. Both subsamples possess similar positive gradients of eccentricity with distance from the Galactic plane. The shapes of the eccentricity distributions for the thin- and thick-disk populations are independent of distance from the plane, and include no significant numbers of stars with eccentricity above 0.6. Among several contemporary models of disk evolution that we consider, radial migration appears to have played an important role in the evolution of the thin-disk population, but possibly less so for the thick disk, relative to the gas-rich merger or disk heating scenarios. We emphasize that more physically realistic models and simulations need to be constructed in order to carry out the detailed quantitative comparisons that our new data enable.
We present an online catalog of distance determinations for 6036 K giants, most of which are members of the Milky Way's stellar halo. Their medium-resolution spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky ...Survey/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration are used to derive metallicities and rough gravity estimates, along with radial velocities. Distance moduli are derived from a comparison of each star's apparent magnitude with the absolute magnitude of empirically calibrated color-luminosity fiducials, at the observed (g - r) sub(0) color and spectroscopic fFe/H, We employ a probabilistic approach that makes it straightforward to properly propagate the errors in metallicities, magnitudes, and colors into distance uncertainties. We also fold in prior information about the giant-branch luminosity function and the different metallicity distributions of the SEGUE K-giant targeting sub-categories. We show that the metallicity prior plays a small role in the distance estimates, but that neglecting the luminosity prior could lead to a systematic distance modulus bias of up to 0.25 mag, compared to the case of using the luminosity prior. We find a median distance precision of 16%, with distance estimates most precise for the least metal-poor stars near the tip of the red giant branch. The precision and accuracy of our distance estimates are validated with observations of globular and open clusters. The stars in our catalog are up to 125 kpc from the Galactic center, with 283 stars beyond 50 kpc, forming the largest available spectroscopic sample of distant tracers in the Galactic halo.
We study the number density distribution of a sample of K and M dwarf stars, matched north and south of the Galactic plane within a distance of 2 kpc from the Sun, using observations from the Ninth ...Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine distances using the photometric parallax method, and in this context systematic effects exist which could potentially impact the determination of the number density profile with height from the Galactic plane-and ultimately affect a number density north-south asymmetry. They include: (1) the calibration of the various photometric parallax relations, (2) the ability to separate dwarfs from giants in our sample, (3) the role of stellar population differences such as age and metallicity, (4) the ability to determine the offset of the Sun from the Galactic plane, and (5) the correction for reddening from dust in the Galactic plane, though our stars are at high Galactic latitudes. We find the various analyzed systematic effects to have a negligible impact on our observed asymmetry, and using a new and larger sample of stars we confirm and refine the earlier discovery of Widrow et al. of a significant Galactic north-south asymmetry in the stellar number density distribution.
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