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Description
We present MMT/Megacam imaging of the Leo IV dwarf galaxy in order to investigate its structure and star formation history, and to search for signs of association with the recently discovered Leo V satellite. Based on parameterized fits, we find that Leo IV is round, with {epsilon}<0.23 (at the 68% confidence limit) and a half-light radius of r_h_~130pc. Additionally, we perform a thorough search for extended structures in the plane of the sky and along the line of sight. We derive our surface brightness detection limit by implanting fake structures into our catalog with stellar populations identical to that of Leo IV. We show that we are sensitive to stream-like structures with surface brightness {mu}_r_<~29.6mag/arcsec^2^, and at this limit we find no stellar bridge between Leo IV (out to a radius of ~0.5kpc) and the recently discovered, nearby satellite Leo V. Using the color-magnitude fitting package StarFISH, we determine that Leo IV is consistent with a single age (~14Gyr), single metallicity ([Fe/H]~-2.3) stellar population, although we cannot rule out a significant spread in these values. We derive a luminosity of M_V_=-5.5+/-0.3. Studying both the spatial distribution and frequency of Leo IV's "blue plume" stars reveals evidence for a young (~2Gyr) stellar population which makes up ~2% of its stellar mass.
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