scholarly journals The orbital evolution of UFDs and GCs in an evolving Galactic potential

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (3) ◽  
pp. 2937-2957
Author(s):  
Benjamin M Armstrong ◽  
Kenji Bekki ◽  
Aaron D Ludlow
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Orbital Evolution ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
Angular Momenta ◽  
Galactic Potential ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Galaxy Masses ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Evolving Models

ABSTRACT We use the second Gaia data release to investigate the kinematics of 17 ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) and 154 globular clusters (GCs) in the Milky Way, focusing on the differences between static and evolving models of the Galactic potential. An evolving potential modifies a satellite’s orbit relative to its static equivalent, though the difference is small compared to existing uncertainties on orbital parameters. We find that the UFD Boötes II is likely on its first passage around the Milky Way. Depending on the assumed mass of the Milky Way, the UFDs Triangulum II, Hydrus I, Coma Berenices, Draco II, and Ursa Major II, as well as the GC Pyxis, may also be on first infall so may be useful for constraining the mass of the Galaxy. We identify a clear kinematic distinction between metal-rich ([Fe/H] > −1.1) and metal-poor GCs ([Fe/H] ≤ −1.1). Although most metal-rich clusters occupy predominately prograde orbits, with low eccentricities (e ≈ 0.35) and similar specific angular momenta and orbital planes as the Galactic disc, seven show potentially retrograde orbits, the origin of which is unclear. Metal-poor clusters have more diverse orbits, higher eccentricities (e ≈ 0.65), and half of them have orbital planes offset from the disc by 60° to 120°—twice as many as the metal-poor GCs. The UFDs have similar θ and ϕ to the metal-poor GCs, suggesting a similar origin. We provide a catalogue of orbital parameters for UFDs and GCs for two different Galaxy masses and their observational uncertainties.

scholarly journals Predicting accreted satellite galaxy masses and accretion redshifts based on globular cluster orbits in the E-MOSAICS simulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (4) ◽  
pp. 4863-4875
Author(s):  
Joel L Pfeffer ◽  
Sebastian Trujillo-Gomez ◽  
J M D Kruijssen ◽  
Robert A Crain ◽  
Meghan E Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Orbital Energy ◽  
High Energies ◽  
Satellite Galaxy ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Galaxy Masses

ABSTRACT The ages and metallicities of globular clusters (GCs) are known to be powerful tracers of the properties of their progenitor galaxies, enabling their use in determining the merger histories of galaxies. However, while useful in separating GCs into individual accretion events, the orbits of GC groups themselves have received less attention as probes of their progenitor galaxy properties. In this work, we use simulations of galaxies and their GC systems from the MOdelling Star cluster population Assembly In Cosmological Simulations within EAGLE project to explore how the present-day orbital properties of GCs are related to the properties of their progenitor galaxies. We find that the orbits of GCs deposited by accretion events are sensitive to the mass and merger redshift of the satellite galaxy. Earlier mergers and larger galaxy masses deposit GCs at smaller median apocentres and lower total orbital energy. The orbital properties of accreted groups of GCs can therefore be used to infer the properties of their progenitor galaxy, though there exists a degeneracy between galaxy mass and accretion time. Combining GC orbits with other tracers (GC ages, metallicities) will help to break the galaxy mass/accretion time degeneracy, enabling stronger constraints on the properties of their progenitor galaxy. In situ GCs generally orbit at lower energies (small apocentres) than accreted GCs, however they exhibit a large tail to high energies and even retrograde orbits (relative to the present-day disc), showing significant overlap with accreted GCs. Applying the results to Milky Way GCs groups suggests a merger redshift z ∼ 1.5 for the Gaia Sausage/Enceladus and z > 2 for the ‘low-energy’/Kraken group, adding further evidence that the Milky Way had two significant mergers in its past.

scholarly journals The Mass Distribution of the Milky Way Deduced from Globular Cluster Dynamics

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 697-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Dauphole ◽  
J. Colin ◽  
M. Geffert ◽  
M. Odenkirchen ◽  
H.-J. Tucholke
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
Galactic Potential

We present here a new analytical Galactic potential. We used the constraint of galactic globular cluster dynamics compared to their spatial distribution. This was done with the help of the globular clusters' proper motions. The result for the clusters dynamics show a better agreement between orbital parameters and statistical distribution of the studied globular clusters than in previous published potentials. The globular cluster dynamics constrain the mass distribution on a large scale, until 40 kpc from the centre. In this model, the total mass for the Milky Way is 7.9 1011 M⊙.

scholarly journals Different sodium enhancements among multiple populations of Milky Way globular clusters

2020 ◽  
Vol 643 ◽  
pp. A77
Author(s):  
Andrés E. Piatti
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
The Difference ◽  
First And Second Generation

We searched for clues to understand the different Na abundances measured in first and second generation stars of ancient Milky Way globular clusters. For that purpose, from the recent literature, we gathered the aforementioned Na abundances, orbital parameters, and structural and internal dynamical properties and ages in a homogeneous scale of 28 globular clusters. We found that the intra-cluster Na enrichment, which is measured by the difference of Na abundances between first and second generation stars, exhibits a trend as a function of the Na abundances of first generation stars, in the sense that the more Na-poor the first generation stars are, the larger the Na enrichment is. By using the inclinations of the globular clusters’ orbits, the analyzed Na enrichments also hinted at a boundary at ∼0.3 dex to differentiate globular clusters with an accreted or in situ origin, the accreted globular clusters having larger Na enrichments. Because relatively larger intra-cluster Na enhancements are seen in accreted globular clusters and small Na enhancements are observed in globular clusters formed in situ, although not exclusively, we speculate that the amplitude of the Na enrichment may be linked with the building block paradigm. Globular clusters at the time of formation of first and second generation stars would seem to keep a memory of this hierarchical galaxy formation process.

scholarly journals Gaia results for star clusters and dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S351) ◽  
pp. 472-477
Author(s):  
Davide Massari
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Almost All

AbstractThe second data release of the Gaia mission coupled with ground-based spectroscopic observations has allowed the determination of the orbital parameters for almost all of the Galactic globular clusters, as well as for the known dwarf spheroidal galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Moreover, it has led to the discovery of dwarf galaxies that were accreted by the Galaxy long ago and that are now completely disrupted. By exploiting their dynamics in combination with the globular clusters age-metallicity relation, we investigated the clusters-to-dwarfs connection. We found that about 60 globulars likely formed in situ, and associated those that were accreted to the dwarf galaxy progenitor they likely formed in.

scholarly journals The [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] relation in the E-MOSAICS simulations: its connection to the birth place of globular clusters and the fraction of globular cluster field stars in the bulge

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (3) ◽  
pp. 4012-4022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan E Hughes ◽  
Joel L Pfeffer ◽  
Marie Martig ◽  
Marta Reina-Campos ◽  
Nate Bastian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Element Abundances ◽  
Field Star ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
High Fraction ◽  
The Difference

ABSTRACT The α-element abundances of the globular cluster (GC) and field star populations of galaxies encode information about the formation of each of these components. We use the E-MOSAICS cosmological simulations of ∼L* galaxies and their GCs to investigate the [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution of field stars and GCs in 25 Milky Way–mass galaxies. The [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution of GCs largely follows that of the field stars and can also therefore be used as tracers of the [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] evolution of the galaxy. Due to the difference in their star formation histories, GCs associated with stellar streams (i.e. which have recently been accreted) have systematically lower [α/Fe] at fixed [Fe/H]. Therefore, if a GC is observed to have low [α/Fe] for its [Fe/H] there is an increased possibility that this GC was accreted recently alongside a dwarf galaxy. There is a wide range of shapes for the field star [α/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution, with a notable subset of galaxies exhibiting bimodal distributions, in which the high [α/Fe] sequence is mostly comprised of stars in the bulge, a high fraction of which are from disrupted GCs. We calculate the contribution of disrupted GCs to the bulge component of the 25 simulated galaxies and find values between 0.3 and 14 per cent, where this fraction correlates with the galaxy’s formation time. The upper range of these fractions is compatible with observationally inferred measurements for the Milky Way, suggesting that in this respect the Milky Way is not typical of L*galaxies, having experienced a phase of unusually rapid growth at early times.

scholarly journals The accreted nuclear clusters of the Milky Way

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (2) ◽  
pp. 2514-2524
Author(s):  
Joel Pfeffer ◽  
Carmela Lardo ◽  
Nate Bastian ◽  
Sara Saracino ◽  
Sebastian Kamann
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Host Galaxy ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Nuclear Clusters ◽  
The Common ◽  
Massive Clusters ◽  
Peculiar Case

ABSTRACT A number of the massive clusters in the halo, bulge, and disc of the Galaxy are not genuine globular clusters (GCs) but instead are different beasts altogether. They are the remnant nuclear star clusters (NSCs) of ancient galaxies since accreted by the Milky Way. While some clusters are readily identifiable as NSCs and can be readily traced back to their host galaxy (e.g. M54 and the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy), others have proven more elusive. Here, we combine a number of independent constraints, focusing on their internal abundances and overall kinematics, to find NSCs accreted by the Galaxy and trace them to their accretion event. We find that the true NSCs accreted by the Galaxy are: M54 from the Sagittarius Dwarf, ω Centari from Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage, NGC 6273 from Kraken, and (potentially) NGC 6934 from the Helmi Streams. These NSCs are prime candidates for searches of intermediate-mass black holes (BHs) within star clusters, given the common occurrence of galaxies hosting both NSCs and central massive BHs. No NSC appears to be associated with Sequoia or other minor accretion events. Other claimed NSCs are shown not to be such. We also discuss the peculiar case of Terzan 5, which may represent a unique case of a cluster–cluster merger.

scholarly journals Orbits of Galactic Globular Clusters from Schmidt Plate Astrometry

1994 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 453-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Odenkirchen ◽  
R.-D. Scholz ◽  
M.J. Irwin
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Mass Model ◽  
Orbital Parameters ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Galactic Globular Clusters

We present results from orbit integrations for the globular clusters M 3 and M 92. Absolute proper motions recently measured from Tautenburg Schmidt plates and a three-component mass model for the Galaxy have been used to derive the galactic orbits of these clusters. Orbital parameters and the influence of observational uncertainties on the determination of the orbits are discussed.

scholarly journals An Overview of the Globular Cluster System of the Galaxy

1988 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Robert Zinn
Keyword(s):  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Cluster System ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Globular Cluster System ◽  
Harlow Shapley

Harlow Shapley (1918) used the positions of globular clusters in space to determine the dimensions of our Galaxy. His conclusion that the Sun does not lie near the center of the Galaxy is widely recognized as one of the most important astronomical discoveries of this century. Nearly as important, but much less publicized, was his realization that, unlike stars, open clusters, HII regions and planetary nebulae, globular clusters are not concentrated near the plane of the Milky Way. His data showed that the globular clusters are distributed over very large distances from the galactic plane and the galactic center. Ever since this discovery that the Galaxy has a vast halo containing globular clusters, it has been clear that these clusters are key objects for probing the evolution of the Galaxy. Later work, which showed that globular clusters are very old and, on average, very metal poor, underscored their importance. In the spirit of this research, which started with Shapley's, this review discusses the characteristics of the globular cluster system that have the most bearing on the evolution of the Galaxy.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Globular Cluster Systems

1983 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 359-364
Author(s):  
K. C. Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Cluster Formation ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Chemical Abundance ◽  
Cluster Systems ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Galaxy

In the Milky Way, the globular clusters are all very old, and we are accustomed to think of them as the oldest objects in the Galaxy. The clusters cover a wide range of chemical abundance, from near solar down to about [Fe/H] ⋍ −2.3. However there are field stars with abundances significantly lower than −2.3 (eg Bond, 1980); this implies that the clusters formed during the active phase of chemical enrichment, with cluster formation beginning at a time when the enrichment processes were already well under way.

scholarly journals The challenge raised by Gaia

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 174-175
Author(s):  
Annie C. Robin
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Multivariate Data Analysis ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
High Quality ◽  
3D Kinematics ◽  
Galactic Potential ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Data Analysis Methods

AbstractGaia will perform an unprecedented high quality survey of the Milky Way. Distances, 3D kinematics, ages and abundances will be obtained, giving access to the overall mass distribution and to the Galactic potential. Gaia data analysis will involve a high level of complexity requiring new and efficient multivariate data analysis methods, improved modelling of the stellar populations and dynamical approaches to the interpretation of the data in terms of the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy.

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