Vela-Carina is the fourth in a series of large area projects to map selected regions of the Galactic plane using the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). The Vela-Carina project (PID=40791) (Majewski et al. 2007, Zasowski et al. 2009) extended GLIMPSE-style coverage (two 1.2 second integrations at each position) to Galactic longitudes 255◦< l < 295◦ covering 86 square degrees of the Carina and Vela regions of the Galactic plane.
The Vela-Carina Catalog (VelaCarC, or the “Catalog”), consists of the highest reliability point sources. To be in the Catalog, sources must be detected at least twice in one IRAC band and at least once in an adjacent band, which we call a “2+1” criterion, where the “1” can include the 2MASS Ks band. This yields a Vela-Carina Catalog with a reliability greater than 99.5%; that is, only five sources in a thousand are expected to be spurious. For each IRAC band the Catalog provides fluxes (with uncertainties), positions (with uncer- tainties), the areal density of local point sources, the local sky brightness, and a flag that provides information on source quality and known anomalies present in the data.
We study {gamma}-ray emission from the shell-type supernova remnant (SNR) RX J0852.0-4622 to better characterize its spectral properties and its distribution over the SNR. The analysis of an extended High Energy Spectroscopic System (H.E.S.S.) data set at very high energies (E>100GeV) permits detailed studies, as well as spatially resolved spectroscopy, of the morphology and spectrum of the whole RX J0852.0-4622 region. The H.E.S.S. data are combined with archival data from other wavebands and interpreted in the framework of leptonic and hadronic models. The joint Fermi-LAT-H.E.S.S. spectrum allows the direct determination of the spectral characteristics of the parent particle population in leptonic and hadronic scenarios using only GeV-TeV data. An updated analysis of the H.E.S.S. data shows that the spectrum of the entire SNR connects smoothly to the high-energy spectrum measured by Fermi-LAT. The increased data set makes it possible to demonstrate that the H.E.S.S. spectrum deviates significantly from a power law and is well described by both a curved power law and a power law with an exponential cutoff at an energy of E_cut_=(6.7+/-1.2_stat_+/-1.2_syst_)TeV. The joint Fermi-LAT-H.E.S.S. spectrum allows the unambiguous identification of the spectral shape as a power law with an exponential cutoff. No significant evidence is found for a variation of the spectral parameters across the SNR, suggesting similar conditions of particle acceleration across the remnant. A simple modeling using one particle population to model the SNR emission demonstrates that both leptonic and hadronic emission scenarios remain plausible. It is also shown that at least a part of the shell emission is likely due to the presence of a pulsar wind nebula around PSR J0855-4644.
The Vela OB2 association is a group of 10Myr stars exhibiting a complex spatial and kinematic substructure. The all-sky Gaia DR2 catalogue contains proper motions, parallaxes (a proxy for distance) and photometry that allow us to separate the various components of Vela OB2. We characterise the distribution of the Vela OB2 stars on a large spatial scale, and study its internal kinematics and dynamic history. We make use of Gaia DR2 astrometry and published Gaia-ESO Survey data. We apply an unsupervised classification algorithm to determine groups of stars with common proper motions and parallaxes. We find that the association is made up of a number of small groups, with a total current mass over 2330M_{sun}_. The three-dimensional distribution of these young stars trace the edge of the gas and dust structure known as the IRAS Vela Shell across 180 pc and shows clear signs of expansion. We propose a common history for Vela OB2 and the IRAS Vela Shell. The event that caused the expansion of the shell happened before the Vela OB2 stars formed, imprinted the expansion in the gas the stars formed from, and most likely triggered star formation.
The shape of the line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) is measured for a sample of 14 elliptical galaxies, predominantly low-luminosity ellipticals. The sample is dominated by galaxies in the Virgo cluster but also contains ellipticals in nearby groups and low density environments. The parameterization of the LOSVD due to Gerhard and van der Marel & Franx is adopted, which measures the asymmetrical and symmetrical deviations of the LOSVD from a Gaussian by the amplitudes h3 and h4 of the Gauss-Hermite series. Rotation, velocity dispersion, h3 and h4 are determined as a function of radius for both major and minor axes using the Fourier Correlation Quotient method of Bender (1990). Galaxy spectra are rebinned in the direction of the spectroscopic slit to a minimum signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 60 per angstrom. Rotation and velocity dispersion are determined separately for S/N = 30 per angstrom.
We present the results of a large spectroscopic survey of the LMC, consisting of more than 1300 radial velocities measured accurately with the 2dF instrument during three observing compaigns 1999-2002. In this sample, no evidence is found for any extraneous, kinematically distinct population over the expected LMC and Galactic components. We discuss the significance of this finding for the LMC self-lensing models. The sample was randomly selected from three APM photographic plates with 16<=R<=18mag and -1.0<=Bj-R<=2.5mag. The fields were centered on previous microlensing events. The 1200V grating was used with 1.1{AA} per pixel resolution over 4625-5765{AA}. The zero point of the velocity of LMC K-type stars is set by cross-correlating with a K-type standard star. For sample stars of other spectral type we assume no systematic change of the peak of velocity distribution with spectral type.
Abell 1995 is a puzzling galaxy cluster hosting a powerful radio halo, but it has not yet been recognized as a obvious cluster merger, as usually expected for clusters with diffuse radio emission. We aim at an exhaustive analysis of the internal structure of Abell 1995 to verify that this cluster is really dynamically relaxed, as reported in previous studies. We base our analysis on new and archival spectroscopic and photometric data for 126 galaxies in the field of Abell 1995. The study of the hot intracluster medium was performed on X-ray archival data.
We report the determination of high-accuracy radial velocities for 306 members of the globular cluster M92 using the Hydra multiobject spectrograph on the WIYN telescope. We have concentrated on stars outside of the central region of the cluster, located up to 14.4' from the cluster center. Candidate members were selected for spectroscopy based on a photometric metallicity index determined from three-band Washington photometry, also obtained with the WIYN telescope.
We present new radial and rotational velocities for 595 nearby early F dwarfs, based on digital spectra cross-correlated with individually optimised synthetic template spectra. The selection of optimum templates, the determination of rotational velocities, and the extraction of velocities from the blended spectra of double-lined spectroscopic binaries are discussed in some detail. We find 170 spectroscopic binaries in the sample and determine orbits for 18 double-lined and 2 single-lined binaries, including some spectroscopic triples. 73 stars are listed with too rapid rotation to yield useful radial velocities (i.e. vsini>120km/s). We discuss the binary frequency in the sample, and the influence of unrecognised binaries on the definition of clean metallicity groups of young F dwarfs and the determination of their kinematical properties.
We present an investigation of the optical spectra of 264 low-redshift (z<0.2) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory, an untargeted transient survey. We focus on velocity and pseudo-equivalent width measurements of the SiII 4130, 5972, and 6355{AA} lines, as well those of the CaII near-infrared (NIR) triplet, up to +5days relative to the SN B-band maximum light. We find that a high-velocity component of the CaII NIR triplet is needed to explain the spectrum in ~95% of SNe Ia observed before -5days, decreasing to ~80% at maximum. The average velocity of the CaII high-velocity component is ~8500km/s higher than the photospheric component. We confirm previous results that SNe Ia around maximum light with a larger contribution from the high-velocity component relative to the photospheric component in their CaII NIR feature have, on average, broader light curves and lower CaII NIR photospheric velocities. We find that these relations are driven by both a stronger high-velocity component and a weaker contribution from the photospheric CaII NIR component in broader light curve SNe Ia. We identify the presence of CII in very-early-time SN Ia spectra (before -10days), finding that >40% of SNe Ia observed at these phases show signs of unburnt material in their spectra, and that CII features are more likely to be found in SNe Ia having narrower light curves.
We report on a new, wide-field (20x20arcmin^2^), multicolour (UBVI), photometric campaign in the area of the nearby old open cluster NGC 2112. At the same time, we provide medium-resolution spectroscopy of 35 (and high-resolution of additional 5) red giant and turn-off stars. This material is analysed with the aim to update the fundamental parameters of this traditionally difficult cluster, which is very sparse and suffers from heavy field star contamination. Among the 40 stars with spectra, we identified 21 bona fide radial velocity members which allow us to put more solid constraints on the cluster's metal abundance, long suggested to be as low as the metallicity of globulars. As indicated earlier by us on a purely photometric basis, the cluster [Fe/H] abundance is slightly supersolar ([Fe/H]=0.16+/-0.03) and close to the Hyades value, as inferred from a detailed abundance analysis of three of the five stars with higher resolution spectra. Abundance ratios are also marginally supersolar. Based on this result, we revise the properties of NGC 2112 using stellar models from the Padova and Yale-Yonsei groups.