Chemo-Kinematic Properties of the Galactic Disk with SEGUE G and K Dwarfs: Constraints on Formation

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S334) ◽  
pp. 306-307
Author(s):  
Doori Han ◽  
Young Sun Lee ◽  
Young Kwang Kim ◽  
Timothy C. Beers
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Orbital Eccentricity ◽  
Disk Formation ◽  
Velocity Gradients ◽  
Kinematic Properties

AbstractWe present the derived kinematic characteristics of low-α thin-disk and high-α thick-disk stars in the Milky Way, investigated with a sample of about 32,000 G- and K-type dwarfs from the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). Based on the level of α-element enhancement as a function of [Fe/H], we separate our sample into thin- and thick-disk stars and then derive mean velocities, velocity dispersions, and velocity gradients for the U, V, and W velocity components, respectively, as well as the orbital eccentricity distribution. There are notable gradients in the V velocity over [Fe/H] in both populations: −23 km s−1 dex−1 for the thin disk and +44 km s−1 dex−1 for the thick disk. The velocity dispersion of the thick disk decreases with increasing [Fe/H], while the velocity dispersion gradient over [Fe/H] for the thin disk is almost flat for all velocity components, except for the W velocity dispersion of the metal-poor thin-disk stars. The eccentricity distribution exhibits a peak at a higher value, and is more symmetric as [α/Fe] increases, implying that complex formation mechanisms may be involved. Our results can be used to constrain several proposed disk-formation scenarios of the Milky Way and other large spirals.

scholarly journals The radial extent of the Galactic thick disk

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Thomas Bensby
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Stellar Disk ◽  
Chemical Signatures ◽  
Radial Extent ◽  
Thin And Thick Disks ◽  
Thick Disks ◽  
Scale Length

AbstractBased on observational data from the fourth internal data release of the Gaia-ESO Survey we probe the abundance structure in the Milky Way stellar disk as a function of galactocentric radius and height above the plane. We find that the inner and outer Galactic disks have different chemical signatures. The stars in the inner Galactic disk show abundance signatures of both the thin and thick disks, while the stars in the outer Galactic disk resemble in majority the abundances seen in the thin disk. Assuming that the Galactic thick disk can be associated with the α-enriched population, this can be interpreted as that the thick disk density drops drastically beyond a galactocentric radius of about 10 kpc. This is in agreement with recent findings that the thick disk has a short scale-length, shorter than that of the the thin disk.

scholarly journals The Galactic Disk-Halo Transition – Evidence from Stellar Abundances

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S254) ◽  
pp. 103-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poul Erik Nissen ◽  
William J. Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Chemical Abundance ◽  
Elemental Abundances ◽  
Halo Stars ◽  
New Information ◽  
First Results ◽  
Satellite Galaxies

AbstractNew information on the relations between the Galactic disks, the halo, and satellite galaxies is being obtained from elemental abundances of stars having metallicities in the range −1.5 < [Fe/H] < −0.5. The first results for a sample of 26 halo stars and 13 thick-disk stars observed with the ESO VLT/UVES spectrograph are presented. The halo stars fall in two distinct groups: one group (9 stars) has [α/Fe] = 0.30 ± 0.03 like the thick-disk stars. The other group (17 stars) shows a clearly deviating trend ranging from [α/Fe] = 0.20 at [Fe/H] = −1.3 to [α/Fe] = 0.08 at [Fe/H] = −0.8. The kinematics of the stars are discussed and the abundance ratios Na/Fe, Ni/Fe, Cu/Fe and Ba/Y are applied to see if the “low-alpha” stars are connected to the thin disk or to Milky Way satellite galaxies. Furthermore, we compare our data with simulations of chemical abundance distributions in hierarchically formed stellar halos in a ΛCDM Universe.

scholarly journals Phylogeny of the Milky Way’s inner disk and bulge populations: Implications for gas accretion, (the lack of) inside-out thick disk formation, and quenching

2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misha Haywood ◽  
Paola Di Matteo ◽  
Matthew Lehnert ◽  
Owain Snaith ◽  
Francesca Fragkoudi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Accretion Rate ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Disk Formation ◽  
Gas Accretion

We show that the bulge and the disk of the Milky Way (MW) at R ≲ 7 kpc are well described by a unique chemical evolution and a two-phase star formation history (SFH). We argue that the populations within this inner disk, not the entire disk, are the same, and that the outer Lindblad resonance (OLR) of the bar plays a key role in explaining this uniformity. In our model of a two-phase SFH, the metallicity, [α/Fe] and [α/H] distributions, and age-metallicity relation are all compatible with the observations of both the inner disk and bulge. The dip at [Fe/H] ∼ 0 dex seen in the metallicity distributions of the bulge and inner disk reflects the quenching episode in the SFH of the inner MW at age ∼8 Gyr, and the common evolution of the bulge and inner disk stars. Our results for the inner region of the MW, R ≲ 7 kpc, are consistent with a rapid build-up of a large fraction of its total baryonic mass within a few billion years. We show that at z ≤ 1.5, when the MW was starting to quench, transitioning between the end of the α-enhanced thick disk formation to the start of the thin disk, and yet was still gas rich, the gas accretion rate could not have been significant. The [α/Fe] abundance ratio before and after this quenching phase would be different, which is not observed. The decrease in the accretion rate and gas fraction at z ≤ 2 was necessary to stabilize the disk allowing the transition from thick to thin disks, and for beginning the secular phase of the MW’s evolution. This possibly permitted a stellar bar to develop which we hypothesize is responsible for quenching the star formation. The present analysis suggests that MW history, and in particular at the transition from the thick to the thin disk – the epoch of the quenching – must have been driven by a decrease of the star formation efficiency. We argue that the decline in the intensity of gas accretion, the formation of the bar, and the quenching of the star formation rate (SFR) at the same epoch may be causally connected thus explaining their temporal coincidence. Assuming that about 20% of the gas reservoir in which metals are diluted is molecular, we show that our model is well positioned on the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation at all times.

scholarly journals The AMBRE project: The thick thin disk and thin thick disk of the Milky Way

2017 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. L1 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Hayden ◽  
A. Recio-Blanco ◽  
P. de Laverny ◽  
S. Mikolaitis ◽  
C. C. Worley
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
History Of ◽  
External Galaxies ◽  
Subgiant Stars

We analyze 494 main sequence turnoff and subgiant stars from the AMBRE:HARPS survey. These stars have accurate astrometric information from Gaia DR1, providing reliable age estimates with relative uncertainties of ±1 or 2 Gyr and allowing precise orbital determinations. The sample is split based on chemistry into a low-[Mg/Fe] sequence, which are often identified as thin disk stellar populations, and high-[Mg/Fe] sequence, which are often associated with thick disk stellar populations. We find that the high-[Mg/Fe] chemical sequence has extended star formation for several Gyr and is coeval with the oldest stars of the low-[Mg/Fe] chemical sequence: both the low- and high-[Mg/Fe] sequences were forming stars at the same time. We find that the high-[Mg/Fe] stellar populations are only vertically extended for the oldest, most-metal poor and highest [Mg/Fe] stars. When comparing vertical velocity dispersion for the low- and high-[Mg/Fe] sequences, the high-[Mg/Fe] sequence has lower vertical velocity dispersion than the low-[Mg/Fe] sequence for stars of similar age. This means that identifying either group as thin or thick disk based on chemistry is misleading. The stars belonging to the high-[Mg/Fe] sequence have perigalacticons that originate in the inner disk, while the perigalacticons of stars on the low-[Mg/Fe] sequence are generally around the solar neighborhood. From the orbital properties of the stars, the high-[Mg/Fe] and low-[Mg/Fe] sequences are most likely a reflection of the chemical enrichment history of the inner and outer disk populations, respectively; radial mixing causes both populations to be observed in situ at the solar position. Based on these results, we emphasize that it is important to be clear in defining what populations are being referenced when using the terms thin and thick disk, and that ideally the term thick disk should be reserved for purely geometric definitions to avoid confusion and be consistent with definitions in external galaxies.

scholarly journals THE MILKY WAY AS A HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXY: THE IMPORTANCE OF THICK DISK FORMATION IN GALAXIES

2014 ◽  
Vol 789 (2) ◽  
pp. L30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Lehnert ◽  
Paola Di Matteo ◽  
Misha Haywood ◽  
Owain N. Snaith
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Disk Formation ◽  
Redshift Galaxy

scholarly journals Extended stellar systems in the solar neighborhood

2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. L13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Meingast ◽  
João Alves ◽  
Verena Fürnkranz
Keyword(s):  
Wavelet Decomposition ◽  
Stellar Population ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
Giant Stars ◽  
Stellar Streams

We report the discovery of a large, dynamically cold, coeval stellar stream that is currently traversing the immediate solar neighborhood at a distance of only 100 pc. The structure was identified in a wavelet decomposition of the 3D velocity space of all stars within 300 pc of the Sun. Its members form a highly elongated structure with a length of at least 400 pc, while its vertical extent measures only about 50 pc. Stars in the stream are not isotropically distributed but instead form two parallel lanes with individual local overdensities, that may correspond to a remnant core of a tidally disrupted cluster or OB association. Its members follow a very well-defined main sequence in the observational Hertzsprung–Russel diagram and also show a remarkably low 3D velocity dispersion of only 1.3 km s−1. These findings strongly suggest a common origin as a single coeval stellar population. An extrapolation of the present-day mass function indicates a total mass of at least 2000 M⊙, making it larger than most currently known clusters or associations in the solar neighborhood. We estimated the age of the stream to be around 1 Gyr based on a comparison with a set of isochrones and giant stars in our member selection and find a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] = −0.04. This structure may very well represent the Galactic disk counterpart to the prominent stellar streams observed in the Milky Way halo. As such, it constitutes a new valuable probe to constrain the Galaxy’s mass distribution.

scholarly journals Metallicity Structures of the Milky Way

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 427-428
Author(s):  
Roland Buser ◽  
Jianxiang Rong
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Structural Models ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Abundance Gradient ◽  
Galactic Population

The metallicity-sensitive (U – G) colors from the new homogeneous catalog of photographic RGU data in seven high-latitude fields have been used to determine the larger-scale metallicity distributions of the Galactic population components. For the thick disk, preliminary analysis based on our best structural models provides a mean metallicity 〈[M/H]〉 = −0.6 ± 0.3dex and a marginal vertical metallicity gradient ≈ −0.1dex/kpc. The observed color distributions are further consistent with the (old) thin disk having mean abundance 〈[M/H]〉 = −0.3 ± 0.2dex and abundance gradient ∂[M/H]/∂z = −0.6dex/kpc.

scholarly journals Modelling the chemical evolution of the Milky Way

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Matteucci
Keyword(s):  
Observational Data ◽  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Stellar Nucleosynthesis

AbstractIn this review, I will discuss the comparison between model results and observational data for the Milky Way, the predictive power of such models as well as their limits. Such a comparison, known as Galactic archaeology, allows us to impose constraints on stellar nucleosynthesis and timescales of formation of the various Galactic components (halo, bulge, thick disk and thin disk).

scholarly journals Characterisation of the Galactic thick disk

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S298) ◽  
pp. 17-27
Author(s):  
Thomas Bensby
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Spiral Galaxies ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Host Galaxy ◽  
Galaxy Formation And Evolution ◽  
Formation History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Formation And Evolution

AbstractThick disks appear to be common in external large spiral galaxies and our own Milky Way also hosts one. The existence of a thick disk is possibly directly linked to the formation history of the host galaxy and if its properties is known it can constrain models of galaxy formation and help us to better understand galaxy formation and evolution. This brief review attempts to highlight some of the characteristics of the Galactic thick disk and how it relates to other stellar populations such as the thin disk and the Galactic bulge. Focus has been put on results from high-resolution spectroscopic data obtained during the last 10 to 15 years.

scholarly journals A Titius-Bode like law for stellar populations in the velocity space

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S235) ◽  
pp. 68-68
Author(s):  
Santiago Alcobé ◽  
Rafael Cubarsi
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Thin Disk ◽  
Thick Disk ◽  
Velocity Space ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Stellar Velocity

AbstractThe statistical algorithm MEMPHIS (Cubarsi & Alcobé 2006) was applied to a large sample from the Hipparcos catalogue with the full space motions (Cubarsi & Alcobé 2004), to segregate the kinematic populations of the solar neighbourhood. Four stellar populations were obtained, namely early-thin disk, young-thin disk, the whole thin disk (which contains both previous populations plus the continuum of old thin disk stars), and the thick disk population. Now, we wish to point out two main results from the analysis of such a segregation (Alcobé & Cubarsi 2005). First, the relationship between the maximum stellar velocity of a sample and its average age τ can be approximated by the relation |V|max ∝ τ. Second, the local stellar populations can be described from a Titius-Bode like law (TBLL) for the radial velocity dispersion, $\sigma_1 = 6.6 \, (\frac43)^n$, so that for values n = 2, 3, 5, 8 it determines some average energy levels of discrete populations, while for continuous intervals n ≤ 5 and n ≥ 7 it describes the velocity-age evolution of thin and thick disk components, as shown in the Table below.Thus, the velocity dispersions of the local kinematic populations seem to follow a geometrical progression, allowing us to do an analogy with the old Titius-Bode distribution for keplerian orbits, although a physical explanation for the later law remains still open (Lynch 2003). Indeed, such a TBLL in the velocity space could be already conjectured from previous published kinematic parameters of the Galactic components (e.g. Alcobé & Cubarsi 2001). As in the keplerian case, it is possible to argue that velocity dispersion values have too much uncertainty, but, even so, it is not possible to ignore anymore such a resemblance.Such results are consistent with Galactic formation models that predict some quasi-continuous stellar populations in the sense that the continuity is constricted by σ1 levels of the TBLL. The physical meaning of the variable n involved in the TBLL may be related with the average epicycle energy ER ~ σ21 of the stars representative of the disk heating process. It shows continuity from n = 3 to 5 for the thin disk, and from 7 to 8 for the thick disk, but discreteness from n = 2 to 3 between early-thin and young-thin disk, and from 5 to 8 between thin and thick disk components. For the thin disk, for example, the level n = 5 should represent the saturation point of maximum velocity dispersion, likely corresponding to the limited predicted by the observed wavenumber of spiral structure of the Milky Way, while the discontinuity from n = 5 to 7 indicates an abrupt jump in the average energy, that was produced when the thick disk was formed about 10±1 Gyr ago.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document