Microlensing of stars places significant constraints on subplanetary-mass compact objects, including primordial black holes, as dark matter candidates. As the lens' Einstein radius in the source ...plane becomes comparable to the size of the light source, however, source amplification is strongly suppressed, making it challenging to constrain lenses with a mass at or below 10−10 solar masses, i.e., asteroid-mass objects. Current constraints, using Subaru Hyper Suprime Cam (HSC) observations of M31, assume a fixed source size of one solar radius. However, the actual stars in M31 bright enough to be used for microlensing are typically much larger. We correct the HSC constraints by constructing a source size distribution based on the M31 PHAT survey and on a synthetic stellar catalog and by correspondingly weighting the finite-size source effects. We find that the actual HSC constraints are weaker by up to almost 3 orders of magnitude in some cases, broadening the range of masses for which primordial black holes can be the totality of the cosmological dark matter by almost 1 order of magnitude.
We present spectroscopic metallicities of individual stars in seven gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxies (dIrrs), and we show that dIrrs obey the same mass-metallicity relation as the dwarf spheroidal ...(dSph) satellites of both the Milky Way and M31: Z sub(*) is proportional to M super(0.30+ or -0.02) sub(*). The uniformity of the relation is in contradiction to previous estimates of metallicity based on photometry. This relationship is roughly continuous with the stellar mass-stellar metallicity relation for galaxies as massive as M sub(*) = 10 super(12) M sub(middot in circle). Although the average metallicities of dwarf galaxies depend only on stellar mass, the shapes of their metallicity distributions depend on galaxy type. The metallicity distributions of dIrrs resemble simple, leaky box chemical evolution models, whereas dSphs require an additional parameter, such as gas accretion, to explain the shapes of their metallicity distributions. Furthermore, the metallicity distributions of the more luminous dSphs have sharp, metal-rich cut-offs that are consistent with the sudden truncation of star formation due to ram pressure stripping.
We present new constraints on the star formation histories of six ultra-faint dwarf galaxies: Bootes I, Canes Venatici II, Coma Berenices, Hercules, Leo IV, and Ursa Major I. Our analysis employs a ...combination of high-precision photometry obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope, medium-resolution spectroscopy obtained with the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph on the W. M. Keck Observatory, and updated Victoria-Regina isochrones tailored to the abundance patterns appropriate for these galaxies. The data for five of these Milky Way satellites are best fit by a star formation history where at least 75% of the stars formed by z ~ 10 (13.3 Gyr ago). All of the galaxies are consistent with 80% of the stars forming by z ~ 6 (12.8 Gyr ago) and 100% of the stars forming by z ~ 3 (11.6 Gyr ago). The similarly ancient populations of these galaxies support the hypothesis that star formation in the smallest dark-matter sub-halos was suppressed by a global outside influence, such as the reionization of the universe.
We describe the design and data analysis of the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey, the densest and largest high-precision redshift survey of galaxies at z approx. 1 completed to date. The survey was ...designed to conduct a comprehensive census of massive galaxies, their properties, environments, and large-scale structure down to absolute magnitude MB = −20 at z approx. 1 via approx.90 nights of observation on the Keck telescope. The survey covers an area of 2.8 Sq. deg divided into four separate fields observed to a limiting apparent magnitude of R(sub AB) = 24.1. Objects with z approx. < 0.7 are readily identifiable using BRI photometry and rejected in three of the four DEEP2 fields, allowing galaxies with z > 0.7 to be targeted approx. 2.5 times more efficiently than in a purely magnitude-limited sample. Approximately 60% of eligible targets are chosen for spectroscopy, yielding nearly 53,000 spectra and more than 38,000 reliable redshift measurements. Most of the targets that fail to yield secure redshifts are blue objects that lie beyond z approx. 1.45, where the O ii 3727 Ang. doublet lies in the infrared. The DEIMOS 1200 line mm(exp −1) grating used for the survey delivers high spectral resolution (R approx. 6000), accurate and secure redshifts, and unique internal kinematic information. Extensive ancillary data are available in the DEEP2 fields, particularly in the Extended Groth Strip, which has evolved into one of the richest multiwavelength regions on the sky. This paper is intended as a handbook for users of the DEEP2 Data Release 4, which includes all DEEP2 spectra and redshifts, as well as for the DEEP2 DEIMOS data reduction pipelines. Extensive details are provided on object selection, mask design, biases in target selection and redshift measurements, the spec2d two-dimensional data-reduction pipeline, the spec1d automated redshift pipeline, and the zspec visual redshift verification process, along with examples of instrumental signatures or other artifacts that in some cases remain after data reduction. Redshift errors and catastrophic failure rates are assessed through more than 2000 objects with duplicate observations. Sky subtraction is essentially photon-limited even under bright OH sky lines; we describe the strategies that permitted this, based on high image stability, accurate wavelength solutions, and powerful B-spline modeling methods. We also investigate the impact of targets that appear to be single objects in ground-based targeting imaging but prove to be composite in Hubble Space Telescope data; they constitute several percent of targets at z approx. 1, approaching approx. 5%-10% at z > 1.5. Summary data are given that demonstrate the superiority of DEEP2 over other deep high-precision redshift surveys at z approx. 1 in terms of redshift accuracy, sample number density, and amount of spectral information. We also provide an overview of the scientific highlights of the DEEP2 survey thus far.
We present metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) for the central regions of eight dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way: Fornax, Leo I and II, Sculptor, Sextans, Draco, Canes Venatici I, and ...Ursa Minor. We use the published catalog of abundance measurements from the previous paper in this series. The measurements are based on spectral synthesis of iron absorption lines. For each MDF, we determine maximum likelihood fits for Leaky Box, Pre-Enriched, and Extra Gas (wherein the gas supply available for star formation increases before it decreases to zero) analytic models of chemical evolution. Although the models are too simplistic to describe any MDF in detail, a Leaky Box starting from zero metallicity gas fits none of the galaxies except Canes Venatici I well. The MDFs of some galaxies, particularly the more luminous ones, strongly prefer the Extra Gas Model to the other models. Only for Canes Venatici I does the Pre-Enriched Model fit significantly better than the Extra Gas Model. The best-fit effective yields of the less luminous half of our galaxy sample do not exceed 0.02 Z , indicating that gas outflow is important in the chemical evolution of the less luminous galaxies. We surmise that the ratio of the importance of gas infall to gas outflow increases with galaxy luminosity. Strong correlations of average Fe/H and metallicity spread with luminosity support this hypothesis.
We determine the velocity vector of M31 with respect to the Milky Way and use this to constrain the mass of the Local Group, based on Hubble Space Telescope proper-motion measurements of three fields ...presented in Paper I. We construct N-body models for M31 to correct the measurements for the contributions from stellar-motions internal to M31. This yields an unbiased estimate for the M31 center-of-mass motion. We also estimate the center-of-mass motion independently, using the kinematics of satellite galaxies of M31 and the Local Group, following previous work but with an expanded satellite sample. Summing known estimates for the individual masses of M31 and the Milky Way obtained from other dynamical methods yields smaller uncertainties. The velocity and mass results at 95% confidence imply that M33 is bound to M31, consistent with expectation from observed tidal deformations.
Abstract
Using deep observations obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
, we demonstrate that the sub-solar stellar initial mass function (IMF) ...of six ultra-faint dwarf Milky Way satellites (UFDs) is more bottom light than the IMF of the Milky Way disk. Our data have a lower-mass limit of ∼0.45
M
⊙
, while the upper limit is ∼0.8
M
⊙
, set by the turnoff mass of these old, metal-poor systems. If formulated as a single power law, we obtain a shallower IMF slope than the Salpeter value of −2.3, ranging from −1.01 for Leo IV to −1.87 for Boötes I. The significance of these deviations depends on the galaxy and is typically 95% or more. When modeled as a log-normal, the IMF fit results in a higher peak mass than in the Milky Way disk, but a Milky Way disk value for the characteristic system mass (∼0.22
M
⊙
) is excluded at only 68% significance, and only for some UFDs in the sample. We find that the IMF slope correlates well with the galaxy mean metallicity, and to a lesser degree, with the velocity dispersion and the total mass. The strength of the observed correlations is limited by shot noise in the number of observed stars, but future space-based missions like the
James Webb Space Telescope
(JWST
) and the
Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (
WFIRST)
will enhance both the number of dwarf Milky Way satellites that can be studied in such detail and the observation depth for individual galaxies.
LITHIUM-RICH GIANTS IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS Kirby, Evan N; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Zhang, Andrew J ...
The Astrophysical journal,
03/2016, Volume:
819, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Although red giants deplete lithium on their surfaces, some giants are Li-rich. Intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can generate Li through the Cameron-Fowler conveyor, but the ...existence of Li-rich, low-mass red giant branch (RGB) stars is puzzling. Globular clusters are the best sites to examine this phenomenon because it is straightforward to determine membership in the cluster and to identify the evolutionary state of each star. In 72 hours of Keck/DEIMOS exposures in 25 clusters, we found four Li-rich RGB and two Li-rich AGB stars. There were 1696 RGB and 125 AGB stars with measurements or upper limits consistent with normal abundances of Li. Hence, the frequency of Li-richness in globular clusters is (0.2 + or - 0.1)% for the RGB, (1.6 + or - 1.1)% for the AGB, and (0.3 + or - 0.1)% for all giants. Because the Li-rich RGB stars are on the lower RGB, Li self-generation mechanisms proposed to occur at the luminosity function bump or He core flash cannot explain these four lower RGB stars. We propose the following origin for Li enrichment: (1) All luminous giants experience a brief phase of Li enrichment at the He core flash. (2) All post-RGB stars with binary companions on the lower RGB will engage in mass transfer. This scenario predicts that 0.1% of lower RGB stars will appear Li-rich due to mass transfer from a recently Li-enhanced companion. This frequency is at the lower end of our confidence interval.
Abstract
We present deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging of five faint dwarf galaxies associated with the nearby spiral NGC 253 (D ≈ 3.5 Mpc). Three of these are newly discovered dwarf galaxies, ...while all five were found in the Panoramic Imaging Survey of Centaurus and Sculptor, a Magellan+Megacam survey to identify faint dwarfs and other substructures in resolved stellar light around massive galaxies outside of the Local Group. Our HST data reach ≳3 magnitudes below the tip of the red giant branch for each dwarf, allowing us to derive their distances, structural parameters, and luminosities. All five systems contain mostly old, metal-poor stellar populations (age ∼12 Gyr, M/H ≲ −1.5) and have sizes (
r
h
∼ 110–3000 pc) and luminosities (
M
V
∼ −7 to −12 mag) largely consistent with Local Group dwarfs. The three new NGC 253 satellites are among the faintest systems discovered beyond the Local Group. We also use archival H
i
data to place limits on the gas content of our discoveries. Deep imaging surveys such as our program around NGC 253 promise to elucidate the faint end of the satellite luminosity function and its scatter across a range of galaxy masses, morphologies, and environments in the decade to come.
Abstract Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) may be the link between stellar mass holes and the supermassive variety in the nuclei of galaxies, and globular clusters (GCs) may be one of the most ...promising environments for their formation. Here, we carry out a pilot study of the observability of tidal disruption events (TDEs) from 10 3 M ⊙ < M • < 10 5 M ⊙ IMBHs embedded in stellar cusps at the center of GCs. We model the long super-Eddington accretion phase and ensuing optical flare, and derive the disruption rate of main-sequence stars as a function of black hole mass and GC properties with the help of a 1D Fokker–Planck approach. The photospheric emission of the adiabatically expanding outflow dominates the observable radiation and peaks in the near-ultraviolet/optical bands, outshining the brightness of the (old) stellar population of GCs in Virgo for a period of months to years. A search for TDE events in a sample of nearly 4000 GCs observed at multiple epochs by the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey yields null results. Given our model predictions, this sample is too small to set stringent constraints on the present-day occupation fraction of GCs hosting IMBHs. Naturally, better simulations of the properties of the cluster central stellar distribution, TDE light curves, and rates, together with larger surveys of GCs are all needed to gain deeper insights into the presence of IMBHs in GCs.
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