We present Magellan/M2FS, Very Large Telescope/GIRAFFE, and Gemini South/GMOS spectroscopy of the newly discovered Milky Way satellite Reticulum II. Based on the spectra of 25 Ret II member stars selected from Dark Energy Survey imaging, we measure a mean heliocentric velocity of 62.8+/-0.5km/s and a velocity dispersion of 3.3+/-0.7km/s. The mass-to-light ratio of Ret II within its half-light radius is 470+/-210M_{sun}_/L_{sun}_, demonstrating that it is a strongly dark matter-dominated system. Despite its spatial proximity to the Magellanic Clouds, the radial velocity of Ret II differs from that of the LMC and SMC by 199 and 83km/s, respectively, suggesting that it is not gravitationally bound to the Magellanic system. The likely member stars of Ret II span 1.3dex in metallicity, with a dispersion of 0.28+/-0.09dex, and we identify several extremely metal-poor stars with [Fe/H]<-3. In combination with its luminosity, size, and ellipticity, these results confirm that Ret II is an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy. With a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-2.65+/-0.07, Ret II matches Segue 1 as the most metal-poor galaxy known. Although Ret II is the third-closest dwarf galaxy to the Milky Way, the line-of-sight integral of the dark matter density squared is log_10_(J)=18.8+/-0.6GeV^2^/cm^5^ within 0.2{deg}, indicating that the predicted gamma-ray flux from dark matter annihilation in Ret II is lower than that of several other dwarf galaxies.
Omega Centauri is no longer the only globular cluster known to contain multiple stellar populations, yet it remains the most puzzling. Due to the extreme way in which the multiple stellar population phenomenon manifests in this cluster, it has been suggested that it may be the remnant of a larger stellar system. In this work, we present a spectroscopic investigation of the stellar populations hosted in the globular cluster {omega} Centauri to shed light on its still puzzling chemical enrichment history. With this aim, we used FLAMES+GIRAFFE@VLT to observe 300 stars distributed along the multimodal red giant branch of this cluster, sampling with good statistics the stellar populations of different metallicities. We determined chemical abundances for Fe, Na, O, and n-capture elements Ba and La. We confirm that {omega} Centauri exhibits large star-to-star variations in iron with [Fe/H] ranging from ~-2.0 to ~-0.7dex. Barium and lanthanum abundances of metal-poor stars are correlated with iron, up to [Fe/H]~-1.5, while they are almost constant (or at least have only a moderate increase) in the more metal-rich populations. There is an extended Na-O anticorrelation for stars with [Fe/H]<~-1.3 while more metal-rich stars are almost all Na-rich. Sodium was found to mildly increase with iron over the entire metallicity range.
Measuring the frequency of binary stars in dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) requires data taken over long time intervals. We combine radial velocity measurements from five literature sources taken over the course of ~30 years to yield the largest multi-epoch kinematic sample for stars in the dSphs Draco and Ursa Minor. With this data set, we are able to implement an improved version of the Bayesian technique described in Spencer et al. (2017, J/AJ/153/254) to evaluate the binary fraction of red giant stars in these dwarf galaxies. Assuming Duquennoy & Mayor (1991A&A...248..485D) period and mass ratio distributions, the binary fractions in Draco and Ursa Minor are 0.50_-0.06_^+0.04^ and 0.78_-0.08_^+0.09^, respectively. We find that a normal mass ratio distribution is preferred over a flat distribution, and that log-normal period distributions centered on long periods ({mu}_logP_>3.5) are preferred over distributions centered on short ones. We reanalyzed the binary fractions in Leo II, Carina, Fornax, Sculptor, and Sextans, and find that there is <1% chance that binary fraction is a constant quantity across all seven dwarfs, unless the period distribution varies greatly. This indicates that the binary populations in Milky Way dSphs are not identical in regard to their binary fractions, period distributions, or both. We consider many different properties of the dwarfs (e.g., mass, radius, luminosity, etc.) and find that binary fraction might be larger in dwarfs that formed their stars quickly and/or have high velocity dispersions.
We present a detailed chemical tagging of individual stellar populations in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) NGC 1851. Abundances are derived from FLAMES spectra for the largest sample of giants (124) and the widest number of elements ever analysed in this peculiar GC. The chemistry is characterised using homogeneous abundances of proton-capture (O, Na, Mg, Al, Si), {alpha}-capture (Ca, Ti), Fe-peak (Sc, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu), and neutron-capture elements (Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Dy). We confirm the presence of an [Fe/H] spread larger than the observational errors in this cluster, but too small to clearly separate different sub-populations. We instead propose a classification scheme using a combination of Fe and Ba (which is much more abundant in the more metal-rich group) by means of a cluster analysis. With this approach, we separated stars into two components of a metal-rich (MR) and a metal-poor (MP) population. Each component displays a Na-O anticorrelation, which is a signature of a genuine GC, but has different ratios of primordial (FG) to polluted (SG) stars. Moreover, clear (anti)correlations of Mg and Si with Na and O are found for each component. The level of [{alpha}/H] tracks iron and is higher in the MR population, which might therefore have received an additional contribution from core-collapse supernovae. When considering all s-process elements, the MR population shows a larger enrichment than the MP one. This is probably due to the contribution of intermediate-low mass stars, because we find that the level of heavy s-process elements is higher than that of light s-process nuclei in the MR stars; however, a large contribution from low mass stars is unlikely, because it would likely cancel the O-Na anticorrelation. Finally, we confirm the presence of correlations between the amount of proton-capture elements and the level of s-process elements previously found by other investigations, at least for the MR population. This finding apparently requires a quite long delay for the second generation of the MR component. Scenarios for the formation of NGC 1851 appear complex, and are not yet well understood. A merger of two distinct GCs in a parent dwarf galaxy, each cluster with a different Ba level and an age difference of ~1Gyr, might explain (i) the double subgiant branch, (ii) a possible difference in C content between the two original GCs, and (iii) the Stromgren photometry of this peculiar cluster. However, the correlation existing between p-capture and n-capture elements within the MR population requires the additional assumption of a long delay for its second generation. More observations are required to fully understand the formation of this GC.
We present [Fe/H] and [Ca/Fe] of ~600 red giant branch (RGB) members of the globular cluster Omega Centauri ({omega} Cen). We collect medium-resolution (R~2000) spectra using the Blanco 4 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory equipped with Hydra, the fiber-fed multi-object spectrograph. We demonstrate that blending of stellar light in optical fibers severely limits the accuracy of spectroscopic parameters in the crowded central region of the cluster. When photometric temperatures are taken in the spectroscopic analysis, our kinematically selected cluster members, excluding those that are strongly affected by flux from neighboring stars, include relatively fewer stars at intermediate metallicity ([Fe/H]~-1.5) than seen in the previous high-resolution survey for brighter giants in Johnson & Pilachowski (2010, J/ApJ/722/1373). As opposed to the trend of increasing [Ca/Fe] with [Fe/H] found by those authors, our [Ca/Fe] estimates, based on Ca II H & K measurements, show essentially the same mean [Ca/Fe] for most of the metal-poor and metal-intermediate populations in this cluster, suggesting that mass- or metallicity-dependent SN II yields may not be necessary in their proposed chemical evolution scenario. Metal-rich cluster members in our sample show a large spread in [Ca/Fe], and do not exhibit a clear bimodal distribution in [Ca/Fe]. We also do not find convincing evidence for a radial metallicity gradient among RGB stars in {omega} Cen.
The most metal-poor stars in dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) can show the nucleosynthetic patterns of one or a few supernovae (SNe). These SNe could have zero metallicity, making metal-poor dSph stars the closest surviving links to Population III stars. Metal-poor dSph stars also help to reveal the formation mechanism of the Milky Way (MW) halo. We present the detailed abundances from Keck/HIRES spectroscopy for two very metal-poor stars in two MW dSphs. One star, in the Sculptor dSph, has [FeI/H]=-2.40. The other star, in the Ursa Minor dSph, has [FeI/H]=-3.16. Both stars fall in the previously discovered low-metallicity, high-[{alpha}/Fe] plateau. Most abundance ratios of very metal-poor stars in these two dSphs are largely consistent with very metal-poor halo stars. However, the abundances of Na and some r-process elements lie at the lower end of the envelope defined by inner halo stars of similar metallicity. We propose that the metallicity dependence of SN yields is the cause. The earliest SNe in low-mass dSphs have less gas to pollute than the earliest SNe in massive halo progenitors. As a result, dSph stars at -3<[Fe/H]<-2 sample SNe with [Fe/H]{Lt}-3, whereas halo stars in the same metallicity range sample SNe with [Fe/H]~-3. Consequently, enhancements in [Na/Fe] and [r/Fe] were deferred to higher metallicity in dSphs than in the progenitors of the inner halo.
We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of Segue 1, an ultra-low-luminosity (M_V_=-1.5^+0.6^_-0.8_) Milky Way satellite companion. While the combined size and luminosity of Segue 1 are consistent with either a globular cluster or a dwarf galaxy, we present spectroscopic evidence that this object is a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy. We identify 24 stars as members of Segue 1 with a mean heliocentric recession velocity of 206+/-1.3km/s. Although Segue 1 spatially overlaps the leading arm of the Sagittarius stream, its velocity is 100km/s different from that predicted for recent Sagittarius tidal debris at this position. Using spectral synthesis modeling, we derive a metallicity for the single red giant branch star in our sample of [Fe/H]=-3.3+/-0.2dex. We conclude that Segue 1 is the least luminous of the ultra-faint galaxies recently discovered around the Milky Way, and is thus the least-luminous known galaxy.
The ESC-RTN optical spectroscopy data set for SN 2005cf is presented and analyzed. The observations range from -11.6 and +77.3 days with respect to B-band maximum light. The evolution of the spectral energy distribution of SN 2005cf is characterized by the presence of high velocity Si II and Ca II features. SYNOW synthetic spectra are used to investigate the ejecta geometry of silicon. ************************************************************************** * * * Sorry, but the author(s) never supplied the tabular material * * announced in the paper * * * **************************************************************************
Using the largest spectroscopic data set of stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae (stripped SNe), we present a systematic investigation of spectral properties of Type IIb SNe (SNe IIb), Type Ib SNe (SNe Ib), and Type Ic SNe (SNe Ic). Prior studies have been based on individual objects or small samples. Here, we analyze 242 spectra of 14 SNe IIb, 262 spectra of 21 SNe Ib, and 207 spectra of 17 SNe Ic based on the stripped SN data set of Modjaz et al. (2016ApJ...832..108M) and other published spectra of individual SNe. Each SN in our sample has a secure spectroscopic ID, a date of V-band maximum light, and most have multiple spectra at different phases. We analyze these spectra as a function of subtype and phase in order to improve the SN identification scheme and constrain the progenitors of different kinds of stripped SNe. By comparing spectra of SNe IIb with those of SNe Ib, we find that the strength of H{alpha} can be used to quantitatively differentiate between these two subtypes at all epochs. Moreover, we find a continuum in observational properties between SNe IIb and Ib. We address the question of hidden He in SNe Ic by comparing our observations with predictions from various models that either include hidden He or in which He has been burnt. Our results favor the He-free progenitor models for SNe Ic. Finally, we construct continuum-divided average spectra as a function of subtype and phase to quantify the spectral diversity of the different types of stripped SNe.
Many large stellar surveys have been and are still being carried out, providing huge amounts of data, for which stellar physical parameters will be derived. Solar twins and analogues provide a means to test the calibration of these stellar catalogues because the Sun is the best-studied star and provides precise fundamental parameters. Solar twins should be centred on the solar values. This spectroscopic study of solar analogues selected from the Geneva-Copenhagen Survey (GCS) at a resolution of 48000 provides effective temperatures and metallicities for these stars. We test whether our spectroscopic parameters, as well as the previous photometric calibrations, are properly centred on the Sun. In addition, we search for more solar twins in our sample. The methods used in this work are based on literature methods for solar twin searches and on methods we developed in previous work to distinguish the metallicity-temperature degeneracies in the differential comparison of spectra of solar analogues versus a reference solar reflection spectrum.