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arXiv 1009.2804astro-ph.CO
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M33外围巨大恒星亚结构的光度特性

The photometric properties of a vast stellar substructure in the outskirts of M33

Alan W. McConnachie, Annette M. N. Ferguson, Michael J. Irwin, John Dubinski, Lawrence M. Widrow, Aaron Dotter, Rodrigo Ibata, Geraint F. Lewis

摘要:

作为泛仙女座考古调查的一部分,我们使用CFHT MegaCam在g和i滤镜中测量了M33周围的$\sim40$平方度。我们的观测足够深入,可以分辨出这个星系中红巨星分支种群的前4mags。我们先前已经证明,M33的圆盘被一个大的,不规则的,低表面亮度的子结构所包围。在这里,我们量化的恒星星族和结构的这一功能使用的PAndAS数据。我们发现,这一功能的恒星星族是一致的与旧人口与$<[Fe/H]>\sim-1.6$ dex和四分位数范围内的金属丰度$\sim0.5$ dex。我们构建了一个M33的表面亮度图,将此特征追踪到$μ_V\simeq33$ mags\,arcsec $^{-2}$。在这些低表面亮度水平,该结构延伸到投影半径$\sim40$千秒差距从中心的M33在西北和东南象限的星系。总体而言,该结构具有与HI盘翘曲的取向大致对齐的“S形”外观。我们计算了$-12.7\pm0.5$ mags结构的积分亮度的下限,与明亮的矮星系如天炉座或AndII相当,略低于M33总光度的1美元。此外,我们表明,有初步的证据表明,在HI磁盘的边缘附近的年轻恒星的分布发生在类似的方位角在HI的翘曲的扭曲。这些数据还暗示了一个低水平的、在更大半径处的扩展恒星成分,可能是M33晕的成分。根据这些新的结果,我们重新审视了M33及其恒星星族的研究,并讨论了巨大恒星结构的可能形成场景。我们最喜欢的模型是M33在其围绕M31的轨道上的潮汐破裂。

英文摘要:

We have surveyed $\sim40$sq.degrees surrounding M33 with CFHT MegaCam in the g and i filters, as part of the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey. Our observations are deep enough to resolve the top 4mags of the red giant branch population in this galaxy. We have previously shown that the disk of M33 is surrounded by a large, irregular, low-surface brightness substructure. Here, we quantify the stellar populations and structure of this feature using the PAndAS data. We show that the stellar populations of this feature are consistent with an old population with $<[Fe/H]>\sim-1.6$dex and an interquartile range in metallicity of $\sim0.5$dex. We construct a surface brightness map of M33 that traces this feature to $μ_V\simeq33$mags\,arcsec$^{-2}$. At these low surface brightness levels, the structure extends to projected radii of $\sim40$kpc from the center of M33 in both the north-west and south-east quadrants of the galaxy. Overall, the structure has an "S-shaped" appearance that broadly aligns with the orientation of the HI disk warp. We calculate a lower limit to the integrated luminosity of the structure of $-12.7\pm0.5$mags, comparable to a bright dwarf galaxy such as Fornax or AndII and slightly less than $1\$ of the total luminosity of M33. Further, we show that there is tentative evidence for a distortion in the distribution of young stars near the edge of the HI disk that occurs at similar azimuth to the warp in HI. The data also hint at a low-level, extended stellar component at larger radius that may be a M33 halo component. We revisit studies of M33 and its stellar populations in light of these new results, and we discuss possible formation scenarios for the vast stellar structure. Our favored model is that of the tidal disruption of M33 in its orbit around M31.

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