- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/770/16
- Title:
- Spectroscopic members of Segue 2 galaxy
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/770/16
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Segue 2, discovered by Belokurov et al. (2009, Cat. J/MNRAS/397/1748), is a galaxy with a luminosity of only 900L_{sun}_. We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of 25 members of Segue 2 - a threefold increase in spectroscopic sample size. The velocity dispersion is too small to be measured with our data. The upper limit with 90% (95%) confidence is {sigma}_v_<2.2(2.6)km/s, the most stringent limit for any galaxy. The corresponding limit on the mass within the three-dimensional half-light radius (46pc) is M_1/2_<1.5(2.1)x10^5^M_{sun}_. Segue 2 is the least massive galaxy known. We identify Segue 2 as a galaxy rather than a star cluster based on the wide dispersion in [Fe/H] (from -2.85 to -1.33) among the member stars. The stars' [{alpha}/Fe] ratios decline with increasing [Fe/H], indicating that Segue 2 retained Type Ia supernova ejecta despite its presently small mass and that star formation lasted for at least 100 Myr. The mean metallicity, <[Fe/H]>=-2.22+/-0.13 (about the same as the Ursa Minor galaxy, 330 times more luminous than Segue 2), is higher than expected from the luminosity-metallicity relation defined by more luminous dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way. Segue 2 may be the barest remnant of a tidally stripped, Ursa Minor-sized galaxy. If so, it is the best example of an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy that came to be ultra-faint through tidal stripping. Alternatively, Segue 2 could have been born in a very low mass dark matter subhalo (v_max_<10km/s), below the atomic hydrogen cooling limit.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/751/46
- Title:
- Spectroscopic observations in VV124 (UGC 4879)
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/751/46
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- VV124 (UGC 4879) is an isolated, dwarf irregular/dwarf spheroidal (dIrr/dSph) transition-type galaxy at a distance of 1.36 Mpc. Previous low-resolution spectroscopy yielded inconsistent radial velocities for different components of the galaxy, and photometry hinted at the presence of a stellar disk. In order to quantify the stellar dynamics, we observed individual red giants in VV124 with the Keck/Deep Extragalactic Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS). We validated members based on their positions in the color-magnitude diagram, radial velocities, and spectral features. Our sample contains 67 members. The average radial velocity is <v_r_>=-29.1+/-1.3km/s in agreement with the previous radio measurements of H I gas. The velocity distribution is Gaussian, indicating that VV124 is supported primarily by velocity dispersion inside a radius of 1.5 kpc. Outside that radius, our measurements provide only an upper limit of 8.6km/s on any rotation in the photometric disk-like feature. The velocity dispersion is {sigma}_v_=9.4+/-1.0km/s, from which we inferred a mass of M_1/2_=(2.1 +/-0.2)x10^7^M_{sun}_ and a mass-to-light ratio of (M/L_V_)_1/2_=5.2+/-1.1M_{sun}_/L_{sun}_, both measured within the half-light radius. Thus, VV124 contains dark matter. We also measured the metallicity distribution from neutral iron lines. The average metallicity, <[Fe/H]>=-1.14+/-0.06, is consistent with the mass-metallicity relation defined by dSph galaxies. The dynamics and metallicity distribution of VV124 appear similar to dSphs of similar stellar mass.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/837/176
- Title:
- Spectroscopic obs. of 2 red giant stars in omega Cen
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/837/176
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a chemical abundance analysis of a metal-poor star, ROA276, in the stellar system {omega} Centauri. We confirm that this star has an unusually high [Sr/Ba] abundance ratio. Additionally, ROA 276 exhibits remarkably high abundance ratios, [X/Fe], for all elements from Cu to Mo along with normal abundance ratios for the elements from Ba to Pb. The chemical abundance pattern of ROA 276, relative to a primordial {omega} Cen star ROA 46, is best fit by a fast-rotating low-metallicity massive stellar model of 20M_{sun}_, [Fe/H]=-1.8, and an initial rotation 0.4 times the critical value; no other nucleosynthetic source can match the neutron-capture element distribution. ROA 276 arguably offers the most definitive proof to date that fast-rotating massive stars contributed to the production of heavy elements in the early universe.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/881/104
- Title:
- Spectroscopic obs. of RR Lyrae in NGC5139
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/881/104
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a detailed spectroscopic analysis of RR Lyrae (RRL) variables in the globular cluster NGC5139 ({omega} Cen). We collected optical (4580-5330{AA}), high-resolution (R~34000), high signal-to-noise ratio (~200) spectra for 113 RRLs with the multifiber spectrograph M2FS at the Magellan/Clay Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We also analyzed high- resolution (R~26000) spectra for 122 RRLs collected with FLAMES/GIRAFFE at the Very Large Telescope, available in the ESO archive. The current sample doubles the literature abundances of cluster and field RRLs in the Milky Way based on high-resolution spectra. Equivalent-width measurements were used to estimate atmospheric parameters, iron, and abundance ratios for {alpha} (Mg, Ca, Ti), iron peak (Sc, Cr, Ni, Zn), and s-process (Y) elements. We confirm that {omega}Cen is a complex cluster, characterized by a large spread in the iron content: -2.58<~[Fe/H]<~-0.85. We estimated the average cluster abundance as <[Fe/H]>=-1.80{+/-}0.03, with {sigma}=0.33dex. Our findings also suggest that two different RRL populations coexist in the cluster. The former is more metal-poor ([Fe/H]<~-1.5), with almost solar abundance of Y. The latter is less numerous, more metal-rich, and yttrium enhanced ([Y/Fe]>~0.4). This peculiar bimodal enrichment only shows up in the s-process element, and it is not observed among lighter elements, whose [X/Fe] ratios are typical for Galactic globular clusters.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/468/4151
- Title:
- Spectroscopic properties for 107 stars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/468/4151
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report results from the high-resolution spectral analysis of the 107 metal-rich (mostly [Fe/H]>=7.67dex) target stars from the Calan-Hertfordshire Extrasolar Planet Search programme observed with HARPS. Using our procedure of finding the best fit to the absorption line profiles in the observed spectra, we measure the abundances of Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn, and then compare them with known results from different authors. Most of our abundances agree with these works at the level of +/-0.05dex or better for the stars we have in common. However, we do find systematic differences that make direct inferences difficult. Our analysis suggests that the selection of line lists and atomic line data along with the adopted continuum level influence these differences the most. At the same time, we confirm the positive trends of abundances versus metallicity for Na, Mn, Ni and, to a lesser degree, Al. A slight negative trend is observed for Ca, whereas Si and Cr tend to follow iron. Our analysis allows us to determine the positively skewed normal distribution of projected rotational velocities with a maximum peaking at 3km/s. Finally, we obtained a Gaussian distribution of microturbulent velocities that has a maximum at 1.2km/s and a full width at half-maximum {Delta}v_1/2_=0.35km/s, indicating that metal-rich dwarfs and subgiants in our sample have a very restricted range in microturbulent velocity.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/885/53
- Title:
- Spectroscopy & HST photometry of galaxy Leo V
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/885/53
- Date:
- 16 Mar 2022 09:00:29
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Leo V has shown both photometric overdensities and kinematic members at large radii, along with a tentative kinematic gradient, suggesting that it may have undergone a close encounter with the Milky Way. We investigate these signs of disruption through a combination of (I) high precision photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), (II) two epochs of stellar spectra obtained with the Hectochelle Spectrograph on the MMT, and (III) measurements from the Gaia mission. Using the HST data, we examine one of the reported stream-like overdensities at large radii, and conclude that it is not a true stellar stream, but instead a clump of foreground stars and background galaxies. Our spectroscopic analysis shows that one known member star is likely a binary, and challenges the membership status of three others, including two distant candidates that had formerly provided evidence for overall stellar mass loss. We also find evidence that the proposed kinematic gradient across Leo V might be due to small number statistics. We update the systemic proper motion of Leo V, finding ({mu}_{alpha}_/cos{delta},{mu}_{delta}_)= (0.009{+/-}0.560,-0.777{+/-}0 .314)mas/yr, which is consistent with its reported orbit that did not put Leo V at risk of being disturbed by the Milky Way. These findings remove most of the observational clues that suggested Leo V was disrupting; however, we also find new plausible member stars, two of which are located >5 half-light radii from the main body. These stars require further investigation. Therefore, the nature of Leo V still remains an open question.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/152/40
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of 341 bright A- and B-type stars
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/152/40
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Binary stars and higher-order multiple systems are a ubiquitous outcome of star formation, especially as the system mass increases. The companion mass-ratio distribution is a unique probe into the conditions of the collapsing cloud core and circumstellar disk(s) of the binary fragments. Inside a~1000AU the disks from the two forming stars can interact, and additionally companions can form directly through disk fragmentation. We should, therefore, expect the mass-ratio distribution of close companions (a<~100AU) to differ from that of wide companions. This prediction is difficult to test using traditional methods, in particular, with intermediate-mass primary stars, for a variety of observational reasons. We present the results of a survey searching for companions to A- and B-type stars using the direct spectral detection method, which is sensitive to late-type companions within ~1'' of the primary and which has no inner working angle. We estimate the temperatures and surface gravity of most of the 341 sample stars and derive their masses and ages. We additionally estimate the temperatures and masses of the 64 companions we find, 23 of which are new detections. We find that the mass-ratio distribution for our sample has a maximum near q~0.3. Our mass-ratio distribution has a very different form than in previous works, where it is usually well-described by a power law, and indicates that close companions to intermediate-mass stars experience significantly different accretion histories or formation mechanisms than wide companions.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/136/1645
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of bright QUEST RR Lyrae stars
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/136/1645
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Using a sample of 43 bright (V<16.1, distance <13kpc) RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) from the QUasar Equatorial Survey with spectroscopic radial velocities and metallicities, we find that several separate halo substructures contribute to the Virgo overdensity (VOD). While there is little evidence of a halo substructure in the spatial distribution of these stars, their distribution in radial velocity reveals two moving groups. These results are reinforced when the sample is combined with a sample of blue horizontal branch stars that were identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the combined sample provides evidence for one additional moving group.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/757/161
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of 56 exoplanet host stars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/757/161
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report homogeneous spectroscopic determinations of the effective temperature, metallicity, and projected rotational velocity for the host stars of 56 transiting planets. Our analysis is based primarily on the stellar parameter classification (SPC) technique. We investigate systematic errors by examining subsets of the data with two other methods that have often been used in previous studies (Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) and MOOG). The SPC and SME results, both based on comparisons between synthetic spectra and actual spectra, show strong correlations between T_eff_, [Fe/H], and log g when solving for all three quantities simultaneously. In contrast the MOOG results, based on a more traditional curve-of-growth approach, show no such correlations. To combat the correlations and improve the accuracy of the temperatures and metallicities, we repeat the SPC analysis with a constraint on log g based on the mean stellar density that can be derived from the analysis of the transit light curves. Previous studies that have not taken advantage of this constraint have been subject to systematic errors in the stellar masses and radii of up to 20% and 10%, respectively, which can be larger than other observational uncertainties, and which also cause systematic errors in the planetary mass and radius.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/771/107
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of faint KOI stars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/771/107
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Stellar properties are measured for a large set of Kepler mission exoplanet candidate host stars. Most of these stars are fainter than 14th magnitude, in contrast to other spectroscopic follow-up studies. This sample includes many high-priority Earth-sized candidate planets. A set of model spectra are fitted to R~3000 optical spectra of 268 stars to improve estimates of T_eff_, log(g), and [Fe/H] for the dwarfs in the range 4750<=T_eff_<=7200K. These stellar properties are used to find new stellar radii and, in turn, new radius estimates for the candidate planets. The result of improved stellar characteristics is a more accurate representation of this Kepler exoplanet sample and identification of promising candidates for more detailed study. This stellar sample, particularly among stars with T_eff_>~5200K, includes a greater number of relatively evolved stars with larger radii than assumed by the mission on the basis of multi-color broadband photometry. About 26% of the modeled stars require radii to be revised upward by a factor of 1.35 or greater, and modeling of 87% of the stars suggest some increase in radius. The sample presented here also exhibits a change in the incidence of planets larger than 3-4R_{Earth}_ as a function of metallicity. Once [Fe/H] increases to >=-0.05, large planets suddenly appear in the sample while smaller planets are found orbiting stars with a wider range of metallicity.
