A panoramic VISTA of the stellar halo of NGC 253
A panoramic VISTA of the stellar halo of NGC 253
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NGC 253 星晕的全景 VISTA
DOI:
10.1051/0004-6361/201322759
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发表时间:
2014
影响因子:
6.5
通讯作者:
Greggio L
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Greggio L
ContextOutskirts of large galaxies contain important information about galaxy formation and assembly. Resolved star count studies can probe the extremely low surface brightness of the outer halos.AimsNGC 253 is a nearly edge-on disk galaxy in the Sculptor group, of which we resolved the halo stars from ground-based images, with the aim of studying its stellar population content, the structure and the overall extent of the halo.MethodsWe useZandJ-band images from the VIRCAM camera mounted on the VISTA telescope to construct the spatially resolvedJvs.Z-Jcolor–magnitude diagrams (CMDs). The very deep photometry and the wide area covered allow us to trace the red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars that belong to the halo of NGC 253 out to 50 kpc along the galaxy’s minor axis.ResultsWe confirm the existence of an extra-planar stellar component of the disk, with a very prominent southern shelf and a symmetrical feature on the north side. The only additional visible substructure is an overdensity in the north-west part of the halo ~28 kpc distant from the plane and extending over 20 kpc parallel with the disk of the galaxy. Our data are not deep enough to distinguish its stellar population from that of the surrounding halo, but the excess of stars above the smooth halo traces the mass of the parent population of ~7.5 × 106M⊙. From stellar counts, we measure the transition from the disk to the halo at a radial distance of about 25 kpc with a clear break in the number density profile. The isodensity contours show that the inner halo is a flattened structure that blends with a more extended, diffuse, rounder outer halo. Such external structure can be traced to the very edge of our image out to 50 kpc from the disk plane. The number density profile of the stars in the stellar halo follows a power law with index −1.6, as a function of radius. The CMD shows a very homogeneous stellar population across the field. By comparing isochrones with the CMD, we conclude that the RGB stars are ~8 Gyr old or more, while the AGB stars trace a population of about 2 × 108M⊙formed from ~0.5 to a few Gyr ago. Surprisingly, part of the latter population appears scattered over a wide area. We explore several ideas to explain the origin of this relatively young component in the inner halo of NGC 253.
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影响因子:
6.5
作者:
F. Comerón;J. Torra;R. Mendez;A. Gómez
通讯作者:
A. Gómez
DOI:
10.1086/300635
发表时间:
1998
期刊:
The Astronomical Journal
影响因子:
--
作者:
H. Jerjen;K. Freeman;B. Binggeli
通讯作者:
B. Binggeli
DOI:
10.1088/0004-637x/692/2/955
发表时间:
2008-01
期刊:
The Astrophysical Journal
影响因子:
--
作者:
D. Martinez-Delgado;D. Martinez-Delgado;M. Pohlen;M. Pohlen;R. J. Gabany;S. Majewski;J. Peñarrubia;C. Palma;C. Palma;C. Palma
通讯作者:
D. Martinez-Delgado;D. Martinez-Delgado;M. Pohlen;M. Pohlen;R. J. Gabany;S. Majewski;J. Peñarrubia;C. Palma;C. Palma;C. Palma
DOI:
--
发表时间:
2011
期刊:
影响因子:
--
作者:
E. Zackrisson;R. D. Jong;G. Micheva
通讯作者:
G. Micheva
DOI:
10.1086/117222
发表时间:
1994
期刊:
The Astronomical Journal
影响因子:
--
作者:
Y. Sofue;K. Wakamatsu;D. Malin
通讯作者:
D. Malin