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arXiv 1002.0460astro-ph.GA
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NGC 5128外围的一个微弱的扩展星团:低质量吸积的证据

A faint extended cluster in the outskirts of NGC 5128: evidence of a low mass accretion

M. Mouhcine, W. E. Harris, R. Ibata, M. Rejkuba

摘要:

我们报告了在半人马座A(NGC 5128)的晕场中发现的一个扩展球状星团,它位于距离该星系中心的$\sim 38\kpc$,由哈勃太空望远镜上的高级巡天照相机拍摄。在银河系的距离上,该星团的半光半径为r_h ~ 17 pc,使其成为已知最大的球状星团之一。该星团的绝对星等M_(V,o)=-5.2,其巨大的体积使它与以前报道的扩展球状星团的数量有些不同,这使它成为第一个在巨大星系外围探测到类似于银河系外晕中的暗淡弥散球状星团的天体。这个星团的颜色星等图,大约覆盖了红巨星分支最亮的四个星等,与一个古老的,即,年龄大于~8 Gyr,中等金属丰度,即,[M/H] ~-1.0 dex,恒星星族。我们还发现了第二个更暗的星团候选者,如果它在NGC 5128的距离上,它的r_h ~ 9 pc,M_(V,o)=-3.4。扩展的球状星团和其附近弥漫的恒星星族的性质表明,它们是NGC 5128外部区域低质量吸积的一部分。

英文摘要:

We report the discovery of an extended globular cluster in a halo field in Centaurus A (NGC 5128), situated $\sim 38\kpc$ from the centre of that galaxy, imaged with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope. At the distance of the galaxy, the half-light radius of the cluster is r_h ~ 17pc, placing it among the largest globular clusters known. The faint absolute magnitude of the star cluster, M_(V,o)=-5.2, and its large size render this object somewhat different from the population of extended globular clusters previously reported, making it the first firm detection in the outskirts of a giant galaxy of an analogue of the faint, diffuse globular clusters present in the outer halo of the Milky Way. The colour-magnitude diagram of the cluster, covering approximately the brightest four magnitudes of the red giant branch, is consistent with an ancient, i.e., older than ~8 Gyr, intermediate-metallicity, i.e., [M/H] ~-1.0 dex, stellar population. We also report the detection of a second, even fainter cluster candidate which would have r_h ~ 9pc, and M_(V,o)=-3.4 if it is at the distance of NGC 5128. The properties of the extended globular cluster and the diffuse stellar populations in its close vicinity suggest that they are part of a low mass accretion in the outer regions of NGC 5128.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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