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arXiv 1010.2239astro-ph.COastro-ph.GA
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银河系恒星晕中的恒星星族变化

Stellar Population Variations in the Milky Way's Stellar Halo

Eric F. Bell, Xiang Xiang Xue, Hans-Walter Rix, Christine Ruhland, David W. Hogg

摘要:

如果盘状星系的恒星晕是由矮星系的分裂形成的,模型预测这些晕内的恒星星族会有高度结构化的变化。我们通过研究蓝色水平分支星(BHB星;在旧的,金属贫乏的人口中更丰富)与主序关闭星(MSTO星;所有人口的一个特征)在银河系恒星晕中的比例来测试这一预测。我们开发并应用了一种改进的技术,仅使用ugr颜色信息来选择BHB星,产生了约9000 g<18个候选者的样本,其中约70%是BHB星。我们在MSTO恒星绝对星等分布所允许的距离分辨率下,绘制了约1/4天空的BHB/MSTO比率。我们发现在恒星晕中BHB/MSTO星比的变化很大。以前确定的,流状晕结构具有独特的BHB/MSTO比,表明不同的年龄/金属丰度。一些晕圈特征,例如,低纬度结构,似乎几乎完全没有BHB星,而其他结构似乎富含BHB星。人马座的潮汐流显示出明显的变化,BHB/MSTO比沿其范围内,我们解释在祖矮星系内的人口梯度。我们对不同恒星晕子结构之间的相干恒星星族变化的探测为恒星晕生长的宇宙学动机模型提供了更多的支持。

英文摘要:

If the stellar halos of disk galaxies are built up from the disruption of dwarf galaxies, models predict highly structured variations in the stellar populations within these halos. We test this prediction by studying the ratio of blue horizontal branch stars (BHB stars; more abundant in old, metal-poor populations) to main-sequence turn-off stars (MSTO stars; a feature of all populations) in the stellar halo of the Milky Way using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We develop and apply an improved technique to select BHB stars using ugr color information alone, yielding a sample of ~9000 g<18 candidates where ~70% of them are BHB stars. We map the BHB/MSTO ratio across ~1/4 of the sky at the distance resolution permitted by the absolute magnitude distribution of MSTO stars. We find large variations of BHB/MSTO star ratio in the stellar halo. Previously identified, stream-like halo structures have distinctive BHB/MSTO ratios, indicating different ages/metallicities. Some halo features, e.g., the low-latitude structure, appear to be almost completely devoid of BHB stars, whereas other structures appear to be rich in BHB stars. The Sagittarius tidal stream shows an apparent variation in BHB/MSTO ratio along its extent, which we interpret in terms of population gradients within the progenitor dwarf galaxy. Our detection of coherent stellar population variations between different stellar halo substructures provides yet more support to cosmologically motivated models for stellar halo growth.

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