Browsing by Author "Collins, Michelle L. M."

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    A Rogues' Gallery of Andromeda's Dwarf Galaxies. I. A Predominance of Red Horizontal Branches
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Martin, Nicolas F.; Weisz, Daniel R.; Albers, Saundra M.; Bernard, Edouard; Collins, Michelle L. M.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Ibata, Rodrigo A.; Laevens, Benjamin; Lewis, Geraint F.; Mackey, A. Dougal; McConnachie, Alan; Rich, R. Michael; Skillman, Evan D.
    We present homogeneous, sub-horizontal branch photometry of 20 dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of M31 observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Combining our new data for 16 systems with archival data in the same filters for another four, we show that Andromeda dwarf spheroidal galaxies favor strikingly red horizontal branches or red clumps down to similar to 10(4.2) L-circle dot (M-V similar to -5.8). The age-sensitivity of horizontal branch stars implies that a large fraction of the M31 dwarf galaxies have extended star formation histories (SFHs), and appear inconsistent with early star formation episodes that were rapidly shutdown. Systems fainter than similar to 10(5.5) L-circle dot show the widest range in the ratios and morphologies of red and blue horizontal branches, indicative of both complex SFHs and a diversity in quenching timescales and/or mechanisms, which is qualitatively different from what is currently known for faint Milky Way (MW) satellites of comparable luminosities. Our findings bolster similar conclusions from recent deeper data for a handful of M31 dwarf galaxies. We discuss several sources for diversity of our data such as varying halo masses, patchy reionization, mergers/accretion, and the environmental influence of M31 and the Milky Way on the early evolution of their satellite populations. A detailed comparison between the histories of M31 and MW satellites would shed signifiant insight into the processes that drive the evolution of low-mass galaxies. Such a study will require imaging that reaches the oldest main-sequence turnoffs for a significant number of M31 companions.
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    Detailed study of the Milky Way globular cluster Laevens 3
    (2019) Longeard, Nicolas; Martin, Nicolas; Ibata, Rodrigo A.; Collins, Michelle L. M.; Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Bell, Eric; Mackey, Dougal
    We present a photometric and spectroscopic study of the Milky Way satellite Laevens 3. UsingMegaCam/Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope g and i photometry andKeck II/DEIMOS multi-object spectroscopy, we refine the structural and stellar properties of the system. The Laevens 3 colour-magnitude diagram shows that it is quite metal-poor, old (13.0 +/- 1.0Gyr), and at a distance of 61.4 +/- 1.0 kpc, partly based on two RR Lyrae stars. The system is faint (M-V = -2.8(-0.3)(+0.2) mag) and compact (r(h) = 11.4 +/- 1.0 pc). From the spectroscopy, we constrain the systemic metallicity ([Fe/H](spectro) = -1.8 +/- 0.1 dex) but the metallicity and velocity dispersions are both unresolved. Using Gaia DR2, we infer a mean proper motion of (mu(alpha)*, mu(delta)) = (0.51 +/- 0.28,-0.83 +/- 0.27) mas yr(-1), which, combined with the system's radial velocity (< v(r)> = -70.2 +/- 0.5km s(-1)), translates into a halo orbit with a pericenter and apocenter of 40.7(-14.7)(+5.6) and 85.6(-5.9)(+17.2) kpc, respectively. Overall, Laevens 3 shares the typical properties of the Milky Way's outer halo globular clusters. Furthermore, we find that this system shows signs of mass segregation that strengthens our conclusion that Laevens 3 is a globular cluster.
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    Pristine dwarf galaxy survey - I. A detailed photometric and spectroscopic study of the very metal-poor Draco II satellite
    (2018) Longeard, Nicolas; Martin, Nicolas; Starkenburg, Else; Ibata, Rodrigo A.; Collins, Michelle L. M.; Geha, Marla; Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Rich, R. Michael; Aguado, David S.; Arentsen, Anke; Carlberg, Raymond G.; Cote, Patrick; Hill, Vanessa; Jablonka, Pascale; Gonzalez Hernandez, Jonay I.; Navarro, Julio F.; Sanchez-Janssen, Ruben; Tolstoy, Eline; Venn, Kim A.; Youakim, Kris
    We present a detailed study of the faint Milky Way satellite Draco II (Dra II) from deep CFHT/MegaCam broad-band g and i photometry and narrow-band metallicity-sensitive CaliK observations, along with follow-up Keck II/DEIMOS multi-object spectroscopy. Forward modelling of the deep photometry allows us to refine the structural and photometric properties of Dra II: the distribution of stars in colour-magnitude space implies Dra II is old (13.5 +/- 0.5 Gyr), very metal-poor, very faint (L-v = 180(-72)(+124) L-circle dot), and at a distance d = 21.5 +/- 0.4 kpc. The narrow-band, metallicity-sensitive Cal-IK Pristine photometry confirms this very low metallicity ([Fe/H] = -2.7 +/- 0.1 dex). Even though our study benefits from a doubling of the spectroscopic sample size compared to previous investigations, the velocity dispersion of the system is still only marginally resolved (sigma(vr) < 5.9 km s(-1) at the 95 per cent confidence level) and confirms that Dra II is a dynamically cold stellar system with a large recessional velocity (< v(r)> = -342.5(-1.2)(+1.1)km s(-)1). We further show that the spectroscopically confirmed members of Dra II have a mean proper motion of (mu(alpha)*, mu(delta)) = (1.26 +/- 0.27, 0.94 +/- 0.28) mas/yr in the Gaia DR2 data, which translates to an orbit with a pericentre and an apocentre of 21.3(-1.0)(+0.7) and 153.8(-34.7)(+56.7) kpc, respectively. Taken altogether, these properties favour the scenario of Dra II being a potentially disrupting dwarf galaxy. The low-significance extra-tidal features we map around the satellite tentatively support this scenario.
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    The Pristine Dwarf-Galaxy survey - II. In-depth observational study of the faint Milky Way satellite Sagittarius II
    (2020) Longeard, Nicolas; Martin, Nicolas; Starkenburg, Else; Ibata, Rodrigo A.; Collins, Michelle L. M.; Laevens, Benjamin P. M.; Mackey, Dougal; Rich, R. Michael; Aguado, David S.; Arentsen, Anke; Jablonka, Pascale; Hernandez, Jonay I. Gonzalez; Navarro, Julio F.; Sanchez-Janssen, Ruben
    We present an extensive study of the Sagittarius II (Sgr II) stellar system using MegaCam g and i photometry, narrow-band, metallicity-sensitive calcium H&K doublet photometry and Keck II/DEIMOS multiobject spectroscopy. We derive and refine the Sgr II structural and stellar properties inferred at the time of its discovery. The colour-magnitude diagram implies Sgr II is old (12.0 +/- 0.5 Gyr) and metal poor. The CaHK photometry confirms the metal-poor nature of the satellite ([Fe/H](CaHK) = -2.32 +/- 0.04 dex) and suggests that Sgr II hosts more than one single stellar population (sigma(CaHK)([FeH]) = 0.11(-0.03)(+0.05) dex). Using the Ca infrared triplet measured from our highest signal-to-noise spectra, we confirm the metallicity and dispersion inferred from the Pristine photometric metallicities ([Fe/H](spectro) = -2.23 +/- 0.05 dex, sigma(spectro)([Fe/H]) = 0.10(-0.04)(+0.06) dex). The velocity dispersion of the system is found to be sigma(v) = 2.7(-1.0)(+1.3) km s(-1) after excluding two potential binary stars. Sgr II's metallicity and absolute magnitude (M-V = -5.7 +/- 0.1 mag) place the system on the luminosity-metallicity relation of the Milky Way dwarf galaxies despite its small size. The low but resolved metallicity and velocity dispersions paint the picture of a slightly dark-matter-dominated satellite (M/L = 23.0(-23.0)(+32.8) M-circle dot L-circle dot(-1)). Furthermore, using the Gaia Data Release 2, we constrain the orbit of the satellite and find an apocentre of 118.4(-23.7)(+28.4) kpc and a pericentre of 54.8(-6.1)(+3.3) kpc. The orbit of Sgr II is consistent with the trailing arm of the Sgr stream and indicates that it is possibly a satellite of the Sgr dSph that was tidally stripped from the dwarf's influence.