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Description
We have obtained deep photometry in two 1{deg}x1{deg} fields covering the close pair of dwarf spheroidal galaxies Leo IV and Leo V and part of the area in between. From the distribution of likely red giant branch (RGB) and horizontal-branch (HB) stars in the data set, we find that both Leo IV and Leo V are significantly larger than indicated by previous measurements based on shallower data. With a half-light radius of r_h_=4.6'+/-0.8' (206+/-36pc) and r_h_=2.6'+/-0.6' (133+/-31pc), respectively, both systems are now well within the physical size bracket of typical dwarf spheroidal Milky Way satellites. Both are also found to be significantly elongated with an ellipticity of {epsilon}~0.5, a characteristic shared by many of the fainter (M_V_>-8) Milky Way dwarf spheroidals. The large spatial extent of our survey allows us to search for extra-tidal features in the area between the two dwarf galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity. The spatial distribution of candidate RGB and HB stars in this region is found to be non-uniform at the ~3{sigma} level. We investigate different scenarios to explain the close proximity of Leo IV and Leo V, and the possible tidal bridge between them.
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