scholarly journals The dual nature of the Milky Way stellar halo

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S271) ◽  
pp. 145-152
Author(s):  
Anna Curir ◽  
Giuseppe Murante ◽  
Eva Poglio ◽  
Álvaro Villalobos
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Rotation Velocity ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Satellite Galaxy ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
Minor Mergers ◽  
The Universe

AbstractThe theory of the Milky Way formation, in the framework of the ΛCDM model, predicts galactic stellar halos to be built from multiple accretion events starting from the first structure to collapse in the Universe.Evidences in the past few decades have indicated that the Galactic halo consists of two overlapping structural components, an inner and an outer halo. We provide a set of numerical N-body simulations aimed to study the formation of the outer Milky Way (MW) stellar halo through accretion events between a (bulgeless) MW-like system and a satellite galaxy. After these minor mergers take place, in several orbital configurations, we analyze the signal left by satellite stars in the rotation velocity distribution. The aim is to explore the orbital conditions of the mergers where a signal of retrograde rotation in the outer part of the halo can be obtained, in order to give a possible explanation of the observed rotational properties of the MW stellar halo.Our results show that the dynamical friction has a fundamental role in assembling the final velocity distributions originated by different orbits and that retrograde satellites moving on low inclination orbits deposit more stars in the outer halo regions and therefore can produce the counter-rotating behavior observed in the outer MW halo.

The Long View of Planetary Systems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karel Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Giant Planets ◽  
Milky Way Galaxy ◽  
Population Statistics ◽  
The Past ◽  
General Terms ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
The Universe

How many planetary systems formed before our’s did, and how many will form after? How old is the average exoplanet in the Galaxy? When did the earliest planets start forming? How different are the ages of terrestrial and giant planets? And, ultimately, what will the fate be of our Solar System, of the Milky Way Galaxy, and of the Universe around us? We cannot know the fate of individual exoplanets with great certainty, but based on population statistics this chapter sketches the past, present, and future of exoworlds and of our Earth in general terms.

scholarly journals Weighing the stellar constituents of the galactic halo with APOGEE red giant stars

2020 ◽  
Vol 492 (3) ◽  
pp. 3631-3646 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Ted Mackereth ◽  
Jo Bovy
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Power Laws ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Giant Star ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
Tentative Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Red Giant

ABSTRACT The stellar mass in the halo of the Milky Way is notoriously difficult to determine, owing to the paucity of its stars in the solar neighbourhood. With tentative evidence from Gaia that the nearby stellar halo is dominated by a massive accretion event – referred to as Gaia-Enceladus or Sausage – these constraints are now increasingly urgent. We measure the mass in kinematically selected mono-abundance populations (MAPs) of the stellar halo between −3 < [Fe/H] < −1 and 0.0 < [Mg/Fe] < 0.4 using red giant star counts from APOGEE DR14. We find that MAPs are well fit by single power laws on triaxial ellipsoidal surfaces, and we show that that the power-law slope α changes such that high [Mg/Fe] populations have α ∼ 4, whereas low [Mg/Fe] MAPs are more extended with shallow slopes, α ∼ 2. We estimate the total stellar mass to be $M_{*,\mathrm{tot}} = 1.3^{+0.3}_{-0.2}\times 10^{9}\ \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$, of which we estimate ${\sim}0.9^{+0.2}_{-0.1} \times 10^{9}\ \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ to be accreted. We estimate that the mass of accreted stars with e > 0.7 is M*,accreted, e > 0.7 = 3 ± 1 (stat.) ± 1 (syst.) × 108 M⊙, or ${\sim}30{-}50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the accreted halo mass. If the majority of these stars are the progeny of a massive accreted dwarf, this places an upper limit on its stellar mass, and implies a halo mass for the progenitor of ∼1010.2 ± 0.2 M⊙. This constraint not only shows that the Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage progenitor may not be as massive as originally suggested, but that the majority of the Milky Way stellar halo was accreted. These measurements are an important step towards fully reconstructing the assembly history of the Milky Way.

scholarly journals Kraken reveals itself – the merger history of the Milky Way reconstructed with the E-MOSAICS simulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (2) ◽  
pp. 2472-2491 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Diederik Kruijssen ◽  
Joel L Pfeffer ◽  
Mélanie Chevance ◽  
Ana Bonaca ◽  
Sebastian Trujillo-Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Mass Range ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Host Galaxies ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
Major Merger ◽  
Virial Mass ◽  
Minor Mergers ◽  
Stellar Masses

ABSTRACT Globular clusters (GCs) formed when the Milky Way experienced a phase of rapid assembly. We use the wealth of information contained in the Galactic GC population to quantify the properties of the satellite galaxies from which the Milky Way assembled. To achieve this, we train an artificial neural network on the E-MOSAICS cosmological simulations of the co-formation and co-evolution of GCs and their host galaxies. The network uses the ages, metallicities, and orbital properties of GCs that formed in the same progenitor galaxies to predict the stellar masses and accretion redshifts of these progenitors. We apply the network to Galactic GCs associated with five progenitors: Gaia-Enceladus, the Helmi streams, Sequoia, Sagittarius, and the recently discovered ‘low-energy’ GCs, which provide an excellent match to the predicted properties of the enigmatic galaxy ‘Kraken’. The five galaxies cover a narrow stellar mass range [M⋆ = (0.6–4.6) × 108 M⊙], but have widely different accretion redshifts ($\mbox{$z_{\rm acc}$}=0.57\!-\!2.65$). All accretion events represent minor mergers, but Kraken likely represents the most major merger ever experienced by the Milky Way, with stellar and virial mass ratios of $\mbox{$r_{M_\star }$}=1$:$31^{+34}_{-16}$ and $\mbox{$r_{M_{\rm h}}$}=1$:$7^{+4}_{-2}$, respectively. The progenitors match the z = 0 relation between GC number and halo virial mass, but have elevated specific frequencies, suggesting an evolution with redshift. Even though these progenitors likely were the Milky Way’s most massive accretion events, they contributed a total mass of only log (M⋆, tot/M⊙) = 9.0 ± 0.1, similar to the stellar halo. This implies that the Milky Way grew its stellar mass mostly by in-situ star formation. We conclude by organizing these accretion events into the most detailed reconstruction to date of the Milky Way’s merger tree.

scholarly journals The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-374
Author(s):  
Geraint F. Lewis ◽  
Rodrigo A. Ibata ◽  
Michael J. Irwin ◽  
Nicolas F. Martin ◽  
Michele Bellazzini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Block ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Equatorial Orbit ◽  
Satellite Galaxy

AbstractRecent observational evidence suggests that the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy represents the only major ongoing accretion event in the Galactic halo, accounting for the majority of stellar debris identified there. This paper summarises the recent discovery of another potential Milky Way accretion event, the Canis Major dwarf galaxy. This dwarf satellite galaxy is found to lie just below the Galactic plane and appears to be on an equatorial orbit. Unlike Sagittarius, which is contributing to the Galactic halo, the location and eventual demise of Canis Major suggests that it represents a building block of the thick disk.

scholarly journals Hot gas in Milky Way size galaxies at z=0

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 72-74
Author(s):  
Santi Roca-Fàbrega ◽  
Pedro Colin ◽  
Octavio Valenzuela ◽  
Francesca Figueras ◽  
Yair Krongold
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Column Density ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Dark Matter Halo ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Satellite Galaxy ◽  
Real Distribution ◽  
Axisymmetric Structures

AbstractWe present a new set of cosmological Milky Way size galaxy simulations using ART. In our simulations the main system has been evolved inside a 28 Mpc cosmological box with a spatial resolution of 109 pc. At z=0 our systems have an Mvir = 6 − 8 × 1011 M⊙. In several of out models we have observed how a well defined disk is formed inside the dark matter halo and the overall amount of gas and stars is comparable with MW observations. Several non-axisymmetric structures arise out of the disk: spirals, bars and also a warp. We have also observed that a huge reservoir of hot gas is present at large distances from the disk, embedded in the dark matter halo region, accounting for only a fraction of the ”missing baryons”. Gas column density, emission (EM) and dispersion (DM) measure have been computed from inside the simulated disk at a position of 8 kpc from the center and in several directions. Our preliminary results reveal that the distribution of hot gas is non-isotropic according with observations (Gupta et al. 2012, Gupta et al. 2014). Also its metallic content presents a clear bimodality what is a consequence of a recent accretion of a satellite galaxy among others. After a careful analysis we confirm that due to the anisotropy in the gas distribution a new observational parameter needs to be defined to recover the real distribution of hot gas in the galactic halo (Roca-Fàbrega et al. 2016).

The LMC vs. the Milky Way

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S353) ◽  
pp. 123-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurtina Besla ◽  
Nicolás Garavito-Camargo
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Large Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Dark Matter Halo ◽  
Matter Distribution ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Gravitational Perturbations ◽  
Satellite Galaxy ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
Dark Matter Distribution

AbstractRecent advancements in astrometry and in cosmological models of dark matter halo growth have significantly changed our understanding of the dynamics of the Local Group. The most dramatic changes owe to a new picture of the structure and dynamics of the Milky Way’s most massive satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is most likely on its first passage about the Milky Way and ten times larger in mass than previously assumed. The LMC’s orbit through the Milky Way’s dark matter and stellar halo will leave characteristic signatures in both density and kinematics. Furthermore, the gravitational perturbations produced by both direct tidal forcing from the LMC and the response of the halo to its passage will together cause significant perturbations to the orbits of tracers of the Milky Way’s dark matter distribution. We advocate for the use of basis field expansion methods to fully capture and quantify these effects.

scholarly journals The mass fraction of halo stars contributed by the disruption of globular clusters in the E-MOSAICS simulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (3) ◽  
pp. 3422-3428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Reina-Campos ◽  
Meghan E Hughes ◽  
J M Diederik Kruijssen ◽  
Joel L Pfeffer ◽  
Nate Bastian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Light Element ◽  
Element Abundance ◽  
Host Galaxies ◽  
Stellar Cluster ◽  
Halo Stars ◽  
Stellar Halo

ABSTRACT Globular clusters (GCs) have been posited, alongside dwarf galaxies, as significant contributors to the field stellar population of the Galactic halo. In order to quantify their contribution, we examine the fraction of halo stars formed in stellar clusters in the suite of 25 present-day Milky Way-mass cosmological zoom simulations from the E-MOSAICS project. We find that a median of 2.3 and 0.3 per cent of the mass in halo field stars formed in clusters and GCs, defined as clusters more massive than 5 × 103 and 105 M⊙, respectively, with the 25–75th percentiles spanning 1.9–3.0 and 0.2–0.5 per cent being caused by differences in the assembly histories of the host galaxies. Under the extreme assumption that no stellar cluster survives to the present day, the mass fractions increase to a median of 5.9 and 1.8 per cent. These small fractions indicate that the disruption of GCs plays a subdominant role in the build-up of the stellar halo. We also determine the contributed halo mass fraction that would present signatures of light-element abundance variations considered to be unique to GCs, and find that clusters and GCs would contribute a median of 1.1 and 0.2 per cent, respectively. We estimate the contributed fraction of GC stars to the Milky Way halo, based on recent surveys, and find upper limits of 2–5 per cent (significantly lower than previous estimates), suggesting that models other than those invoking strong mass loss are required to describe the formation of chemically enriched stellar populations in GCs.

scholarly journals The Invisible Universe

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1 and 2) ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
Michael Rowan-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Hubble Space Telescope ◽  
Space Telescope ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Past ◽  
Night Sky ◽  
William Herschel ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Optical Telescopes ◽  
The Invisible

With our own eyes we can see the night sky of the stars, planets and the Milky Way, the arena of pre-telescopic astronomy. Modern optical telescopes have opened up the universe of galaxies and we are familiar with the superb images of the Hubble Space Telescope. But with the invisible wavelengths of radio, infrared and X-ray, a very different universe comes into view. The astronomy of the invisible wavelengths was inaugurated by William Herschel in 1800 but developed very slowly over the next 160 years. The past fifty years have seen an explosion in our understanding of this strange world.

2. The Sun’s life-cycle

2020 ◽  
pp. 42-64
Author(s):  
Philip Judge
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Centre Of Mass ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nuclear Fusion Reactions ◽  
The Universe

‘The Sun’s life-cycle’ describes the birth of the Sun out of the debris of stars which exploded early in the life of the Milky Way. When stars form, they employ a disc structure, with matter spinning around the centre of mass like a carousel, aided by magnetic fields. At four and a half million years old, the Sun, like most stars in the Universe, is on the main sequence stage of its life. In this stage, nuclear fusion reactions in its core fuse hydrogen into helium. Both observations and theory infer that the Sun spun faster in the past and was both hotter and less luminous.

scholarly journals The visitor from an ancient galaxy: A planetary companion around an old, metal-poor red horizontal branch star

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S276) ◽  
pp. 121-125
Author(s):  
Rainer J. Klement ◽  
Johny Setiawan ◽  
Thomas Henning ◽  
Hans-Walter Rix ◽  
Boyke Rochau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Semimajor Axis ◽  
Velocity Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Stage ◽  
Horizontal Branch ◽  
Satellite Galaxy ◽  
Radial Velocity Variation ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
Branch Star

AbstractWe report the detection of a planetary companion around HIP 13044, a metal-poor red horizontal branch star belonging to a stellar halo stream that results from the disruption of an ancient Milky Way satellite galaxy. The detection is based on radial velocity observations with FEROS at the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope. The periodic radial velocity variation ofP= 16.2 days can be distinguished from the periods of the stellar activity indicators. We computed a minimum planetary mass of 1.25 Mjupand an orbital semimajor axis of 0.116 AU for the planet. This discovery is unique in three aspects: First, it is the first planet detection around a star with a metallicity much lower than few percent of the solar value; second, the planet host star resides in a stellar evolutionary stage that is still unexplored in the exoplanet surveys; third, the planetary system HIP 13044 most likely has an extragalactic origin in a disrupted former satellite of the Milky Way.

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