The nature of Milky Way dwarf spheroidals (MW dSphs) has been questioned, in particular whether they are dominated by dark matter (DM). Here we investigate an alternative scenario, for which tidal shocks are exerted by the MW to DM-free dSphs after a first infall of their gas-rich progenitors, and for which theoretical calculations have been verified by pure N-body simulations. Whether or not the dSphs are on their first infall cannot be resolved on the sole basis of their star formation history. In fact, gas removal may cause complex gravitational instabilities and near-pericenter passages can give rise to tidal disruptive processes. Advanced precision with the Gaia satellite in determining both their past orbital motions and the MW velocity curve is, however, providing crucial results.
First, tidal shocks explain why DM-free dSphs are found preferentially near their pericenter, where they are in a destructive process, while their chance to be long-lived satellites is associated with a very low probability P~ 2 10^-7, which is at odds with the current DM-dominated dSph scenario. Second, most dSph binding energies are consistent with a first infall. Third, the MW tidal shocks that predict the observed dSph velocity dispersions are themselves predicted in amplitude by the most accurate MW velocity curve. Fourth, tidal shocks accurately predict the forces or accelerations exerted at half-light radius of dSphs, including the MW and the Magellanic System gravitational attractions.
The above is suggestive of dSphs that are DM-free and tidally shocked near their pericenters, which may provoke a significant quake in our understanding of near-field cosmology.
We have found that the high velocity dispersions of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) can be well explained by Milky Way (MW) tidal shocks, which reproduce precisely the gravitational acceleration previously attributed to dark matter (DM). Here we summarize the main results of Hammer et al. (2019) who studied the main scaling relations of dSphs and show how dark-matter free galaxies in departure from equilibrium reproduce them well, while they appear to be challenging for the DM model. These results are consistent with our most recent knowledge about dSph past histories, including their orbits…
We study the impact of the dark matter velocity distribution modelling on signals from velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation in Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Using the high resolution APOSTLE simulations, we identify analogues corresponding to Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and from these directly determine the dark matter pair-wise relative velocity distribution, and compare to best-fitting Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution models. For three velocity-dependent annihilation models, p-wave, d-wave, and the Sommerfeld model, we quantify the errors introduced when using the Maxwel…
Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies are the tiniest observed galaxies and are currently associated with the largest fractions of dark matter, which is revealed by their too large velocity dispersions. However, most of them are found near their orbital pericenters. This leads to a very low probability, P = 2 $10^{-7}$, that they could be long-lived satellites such as sub-halos predicted by cosmological simulations. Their proximity to their pericenters suggests instead that they are affected by tidal shocks, which provide sufficient kinematic energy to explain their high velocity dispersions. De…
Recent surveys have discovered a population of faint supernovae, known as Ca-rich gap transients, inferred to originate from explosive ignitions of white dwarfs. In addition to their unique spectra and luminosities, these supernovae have an unusual spatial distribution and are predominantly found at large distances from their presumed host galaxies. We show that the locations of Ca-rich gap transients are well matched to the distribution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies surrounding large galaxies, in accordance with a scenario where dark matter interactions induce thermonuclear explosions among lo…
The Milky Way's dwarf spheroidal satellites include the nearest, smallest and least luminous galaxies known. They also exhibit the largest discrepancies between dynamical and luminous masses. This article reviews the development of empirical constraints on the structure and kinematics of dSph stellar populations and discusses how this phenomenology translates into constraints on the amount and distribution of dark matter within dSphs. Some implications for cosmology and the particle nature of dark matter are discussed, and some topics/questions for future study are identified.
While recent sky surveys have uncovered large numbers of ever fainter Milky Way satellites, their classification as star clusters, low-luminosity galaxies, or tidal overdensities remains often unclear. Likewise, their contributions to the build-up of the halo is yet debated. In this contribution we will discuss the current knowledge of the stellar populations and chemo-dynamics in these puzzling satellites, with a particular focus on dwarf spheroidal galaxies and the globular clusters in the outer Galactic halo. Also the question of whether some of the outermost halo objects are dynamically as…
We constrain the parameters of a self-interacting massive dark matter scalar particle in a condensate using the kinematics of the eight brightest dwarf spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way. For the case of a repulsive self-interaction the condensate develops a mass density profile with a characteristic scale radius that is closely related to the fundamental parameters of the theory. We find that the velocity dispersion of dwarf spheroidal galaxies suggests a scale radius of the order of 1 kpc, in tension with previous results found using the rotational curve of low-surface-brightness and dwa…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are regarded as the basic building blocks in the formation of larger galaxies and are believed to be the most dark matter dominated systems known in the Universe. There are several models that attempt to explain their formation and evolution, but they have problems to model the formation of isolated dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Here, we will explain a possible formation scenario in which star clusters form inside the dark matter halo of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Those star clusters suffer from low star formation efficiency and dissolve while orbiting inside the dark ma…
I review the current status of dynamical modelling of dwarf spheroidal galaxies focusing on estimates of their dark matter content. Starting with the simplest methods using the velocity dispersion profiles I discuss the inherent issues of mass-anisotropy degeneracy and contamination by unbound stars. I then move on to methods of increasing complexity, aiming to break the degeneracy, up to recent applications of the Schwarzschild orbit superposition method. The dynamical modelling is placed in the context of possible scenarios for the formation of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, including the tidal …
We present deep stellar photometry of the Boötes I dwarf spheroidal galaxy in g and i band filters, taken with the Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo in Chile. Our analysis reveals a large, extended region of stellar substructure surrounding the dwarf, as well as a distinct over-density encroaching on its tidal radius. A radial profile of the Boötes I stellar distribution shows a break radius indicating the presence of extra-tidal stars. These observations strongly suggest that Boötes I is experiencing tidal disruption, although not as extreme as that exhibited by the Hercules dwarf spheroidal…
The effect of the local environment on the evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies is poorly understood. We have undertaken a suite of simulations to investigate the tidal impact of the Milky Way on the chemodynamical evolution of dwarf spheroidals that resemble present day classical dwarfs using the SPH code GEAR. After simulating the models through a large parameter space of potential orbits the resulting properties are compared with observations from both a dynamical point of view, but also from the, often neglected, chemical point of view. In general, we find that tidal effects quench the s…
We report on the discovery and chemical abundance analysis of the first CEMP-r/s star detected in the Sagittarius dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, by means of UVES high resolution spectra. The star, found in the outskirts of Sgr dSph, along the main body major axis, is a moderately metal poor giant (T$_{eff}$=4753 K, log g=1.75, [Fe/H]=-1.55), with [C/Fe]=1.13 placing it in the so-called "high-carbon band", and strong s-process and r-process enrichment ([Ba/Fe]=1.4, [Eu/Fe]=1.01). Abundances of 29 elements from C to Dy were obtained. The chemical pattern appears to be best fitted by a scenario where a…
Dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies have emerged a powerful probe of small-scale dark matter clustering and of cosmic reionization. They exhibit structural and chemical continuity with dwarf irregular galaxies in the field and with spheroidal galaxies in high-density environments. By combining empirical constraints derived for star formation at low gas column densities and metallicities in the local universe with a model for dark matter and baryonic mass assembly, we provide an analytical description of how the dwarf spheroidals acquired their stellar content. Their progenitors formed stars un…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide well-known challenges to the standard cold and collisionless dark matter scenario: The too-big-to-fail problem, namely the mismatch between the observed mass enclosed within the half-light radius of dwarf spheroidals and cold dark matter N-body predictions; The hints for inner constant-density cores. While these controversies may be alleviated by baryonic physics and environmental effects, revisiting the standard lore of cold and collisionless dark matter remains an intriguing possibility. Self-interacting dark matter may be the successful proposal to such a s…
We present compelling evidence for the complexity of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal. By disentangling three different stellar subpopulations in its red giant branch, we are able to study in detail the dependence between kinematics and metallicity. A well-defined ordering in velocity dispersion, spatial concentration, and metallicity is evident in the subpopulations. We also present evidence for a significant misalignment between the angular momentum vectors of the old and intermediate-age populations. According to the HST measurement of Fornax's proper motion, this corresponds to counter-rotation…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph) orbiting the Milky Way are complex objects often with complicated star formation histories and internal dynamics. In this work, we search for stellar substructures in four of the classical dSph satellites of the Milky Way: Sextans, Carina, Leo I, and Leo II. We apply two methods to search for stellar substructure: the minimum spanning tree method, which helps us to find and quantify spatially connected structures, and the "brute-force" method, which is able to find elongated stellar substructures. We detected the previously known substructure in Sextans, and al…
The projected virial theorem is applied to the case of multiple stellar populations in the nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies. As each population must reside in the same gravitational potential, this provides strong constraints on the nature of the dark matter halo. We derive necessary conditions for two populations with Plummer or exponential surface brightnesses to reside in a cusped Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) halo. We apply our methods to the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal, and show that there is no NFW halo compatible with the energetics of the two populations. The dark halo must possess a core ra…
We study the abundance of satellites akin to the brightest, classical dwarf spheroidals around galaxies similar in magnitude and isolation to the Milky Way and M31 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. From a combination of photometric and spectroscopic redshifts, we bound the mean and the intrinsic scatter in the number of satellites down to ten magnitudes fainter than the Milky Way. Restricting to magnitudes brighter than Sagittarius, we show that the Milky Way is not a significant statistical outlier in its population of classical dwarf spheroidals. At fainter magnitudes, we find an upper limit …
The stars in the dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies (dSphs) of the Milky Way are significantly more metal-poor than would be expected from a closed box model of chemical evolution. Gas outflows likely carried away most of the metals produced by the dSphs. Based on previous Keck/DEIMOS observations and models, we calculate the mass in Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe expelled from each of eight dSphs. Essentially, these masses are the differences between the observed amount of metals present in the dSphs' stars today and the inferred amount of metals produced by supernovae. We conclude that the dSphs lost 9…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are often conjectured to be the sites of the first stars. The best current contenders for finding the chemical imprints from the enrichment by those massive objects are the "ultrafaint dwarfs" (UFDs). Here we present evidence for remarkably low heavy element abundances in the metal poor Hercules UFD. Combined with other peculiar abundance patterns this indicates that Hercules was likely only influenced by very few, massive explosive events - thus bearing the traces of an early, localized chemical enrichment with only very little other contributions from other sources …
We present updated chemical evolution models of two dwarf spheroidal galaxies (Sculptor and Carina) and the first detailed chemical evolution models of two ultra-faint dwarfs (Hercules and Boötes I). Our results suggest that the dwarf spheroidals evolve with a low efficiency of star formation, confirming previous results, and the ultra-faint dwarfs with an even lower one. Under these assumptions, we can reproduce the stellar metallicity distribution function, the $[α/Fe]$ vs. $[Fe/H]$ abundance patterns and the total stellar and gas masses observed at the present time in these objects. In part…
We present the results of the analysis of three XMM-Newton observations of the Willman 1 dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Wil 1). X-ray sources are classified on the basis of spectral analysis, hardness ratios, X-ray-to-optical flux ratio, X-ray variability, plus cross-correlation with available catalogues in optical and infrared wavelengths. We catalogued 97 sources in the field of Wil 1. Our classification shows the presence of a $β$-type symbiotic star in Wil 1. We classified one M dwarf foreground star in the field of Wil 1. Moreover, fifty-four sources are classified as background AGNs and galaxi…
We calculate the effective $J$-factors, which determine the strength of indirect detection signals from dark matter annihilation, for 25 dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We consider several well-motivated assumptions for the relative velocity dependence of the dark matter annihilation cross section: $σ_A v$: $s$-wave (velocity independent), $p$-wave ($σ_A v \propto v^2$), $d$-wave ($σ_A v \propto v^4$), and Sommerfeld-enhancement in the Coulomb limit ($σ_A v \propto 1/v$). As a result we provide the largest and most updated sample of J-factors for velocity-dependent annihilation models. For …
We use a cosmological simulation of the formation of the Local Group to explore the origin of age and metallicity gradients in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We find that a number of simulated dwarfs form "outside-in", with an old, metal-poor population that surrounds a younger, more concentrated metal-rich component, reminiscent of dwarf spheroidals like Sculptor or Sextans. We focus on a few examples where stars form in two populations distinct in age in order to elucidate the origin of these gradients. The spatial distributions of the two components reflect their diverse origin; the old stellar…
Fermi-LAT observations have strongly constrained dark matter annihilation through the joint-likelihood analysis of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). These constraints are expected to be robust because dSphs have measurable dark matter content and produce negligible astrophysical emission. However, each dSph is dim, with a predicted flux that typically falls below the accuracy of the background model. We show that this significantly diminishes the reliability of previous joint-likelihood algorithms, and develop an improved analysis that directly accounts for the effect of background mismodelin…
We use numerical simulations to study a formation scenario for dwarf spheroidal galaxies in which their stellar populations are the products of the dissolution of open star clusters and stellar associations within cosmological dark matter haloes. This paper shows that this process gives rise to objects which resemble the observed dwarf spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way without invoking external influences. The presence of long-lived kinematic substructures within the stellar components of these objects affects their projected velocity dispersions. We find that this in turn affects mass es…
We use time-resolved spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) to examine the distribution of radial velocity (RV) variations in 249 stars identified as members of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy by Hayes et al (2020). We select Milky Way (MW) stars that have stellar parameters ($log(g)$, $T_{eff}$, and $[Fe/H]$) similar to those of the Sagittarius members by means of a k-d tree of dimension 3. We find that the shape of the distribution of RV shifts in Sgr dSph stars is similar to that measured in their MW analogs, but the total fract…
We have characterized the pulsation properties of 164 candidate RR Lyrae variables (RRLs) and 55 candidate Anomalous and/or short-period Cepheids in Leo I dwarf spheroidal galaxy. On the basis of its RRLs Leo I is confirmed to be an Oosterhoff-intermediate type galaxy, like several other dwarfs. We show that in their pulsation properties, the RRLs representing the oldest stellar population in the galaxy are not significantly different from those of five other nearby, isolated dwarf spheroidal galaxies. A similar result is obtained when comparing them to RR Lyrae stars in recently discovered ul…
We report the discovery of a new dwarf galaxy, Andromeda XXIX, using data from the recently-released Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR8, and confirmed by Gemini North telescope Multi-Object Spectrograph imaging data. And XXIX appears to be a dwarf spheroidal galaxy, separated on the sky by a little more than 15 degrees from M31, with a distance inferred from the tip of the red giant branch of 730kpc+/-75kpc, corresponding to a three dimensional separation from M31 of between 205kpc and 227kpc (close to M31's virial radius). Its absolute magnitude, as determined by comparison to the red giant branch …
Precise measurements of mass in dark matter dominated dwarf spheroidal galaxies are of great importance for testing the theories of structure formation. We use $N$-body simulations of the tidal evolution of a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way to generate mock kinematical data sets and use them to test the reliability of a simple mass estimator proposed by Wolf et al. The evolution of the initially disky dwarf galaxy embedded in a dark matter halo was traced for 10 Gyr on a rather tight orbit. After about half of the time a dwarf spheroidal galaxy is formed that retains some remnant rotation …
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are promising targets of indirect detection experiments searching for dark matter (DM) at present universe. Toward robust prediction for the amount of signal flux originating in DM annihilation inside dSphs, a precise determination of DM distributions as well as $J$-factors of the dSphs is particularly important. In this work, we estimate those of Draco, Sculptor, and Ursa Minor dSphs by an improved statistical method in which both foreground stars and dSph member stars are simultaneously taken into account. We define the likelihood function of the method as t…
We present tentative evidence for the existence of a dissolved star cluster at [Fe/H]=-2.7 in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We use the technique of chemical tagging to identify stars that are highly clustered in a multi-dimensional chemical abundance space (C-space). In a sample of six stars, three, possibly four stars are identified as potential cluster stars. The initial stellar mass of the parent cluster is estimated from two independent observations to M*,init=1.9^{+1.5}_{-0.9} (1.6^{+1.2}_{-0.8}) x 10^5 M_sol, assuming a Salpeter (Kroupa) initial mass function (IMF). If corroborate…
We present tentative evidence for the existence of a dissolved star cluster in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy. In a sample of six stars, we identify three (possibly four) stars around [Fe/H] =-2.7 that are highly clustered in a multi-dimensional chemical abundance space. The estimated initial stellar mass of the cluster is M*,init = 1.9^+1.5_-0.9 (1.6^+1.2_-0.8)*10^5 Msol assuming a Salpeter (Kroupa) initial mass function (IMF). If corroborated by follow-up spectroscopy, this ancient star cluster at [Fe/H] =-2.7 is the most metal-poor system identified to date. Inspired by this finding, w…
We report preliminary results concerning the detailed chemical composition of metal poor stars belonging to close ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (hereafter UfDSphs). The abundances have been determined thanks to spectra obtained with X-Shooter, a high efficiency spectrograph installed on one of the ESO VLT units. The sample of ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal stars have abundance ratios slightly lower to what is measured in field halo star of the same metallicity.We did not find extreme abundances in our Hercules stars as the one found by Koch for his 2 Hercules stars. The synthesis of the neutron cap…
We present the star formation history (SFH) of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy based on deep archive $B$,$I$ photometry taken with Suprime-Cam at Subaru telescope focusing our analysis on the inner region of the galaxy, fully located within the core radius. Within the errors of our SFH we have not detected any metallicity gradient along the considered radial distance interval. As a main result of this work we can state that the Sextans dwarf spheroidal stopped forming stars less than $\sim1.3$ Gyr after Big Bang in correspondance to the end of the reionization epoch. We have been able to c…
We present a new approach for chemical evolution modelling, specifically designed to investigate the chemical properties of dwarf galaxies in a full cosmological framework. In particular, we focus on the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy as a test bed for our model. We select four candidate Sculptor-like galaxies from the satellite galaxy catalogue generated by implementation of a version of the Munich semi-analytic model for galaxy formation on the level 2 Aquarius dark matter simulations. We follow explicitly the evolution of several chemical elements, both in the cold gas out of which the st…
We study the density structures of dark matter subhalos for both cold dark matter and self-interacting dark matter models using high-resolution cosmological $N$-body simulations. We quantify subhalo's central density at 150 pc from the center of each subhalo at the classical dwarf spheroidal and ultrafaint dwarf scales found in Milky-Way sized halos. By comparing them with observations, we find that the self-interacting scattering cross-section of $σ/m<3\ \rm{cm^{2}g^{-1}}$ is favored. Due to the combination of hosts' tide and self-interactions, the central density of subhalos with small peric…
Low mass dwarf spheroidal galaxies are key objects for our understanding of the chemical evolution of the pristine Universe and the Local Group of galaxies. Abundance ratios in stars of these objects can be used to better understand their star formation and chemical evolution. We report on the analysis of a sample of 11 stars belonging to 5 different ultra faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies (UfDSph) based on X-Shooter spectra obtained at the VLT. Medium resolution spectra have been used to determine the detailed chemical composition of their atmosphere. We performed a standard 1D LTE analysis to …
We introduce a likelihood analysis of multi-epoch stellar line-of-sight velocities to constrain the binary fractions and binary period distributions of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This method is applied to multi-epoch data from the Magellan/MMFS survey of the Carina, Fornax, Sculptor and Sextans dSph galaxies, after applying a model for the measurement errors that accounts for binary orbital motion. We find that the Fornax, Sculptor, and Sextans dSphs are consistent with having binary populations similar to that of Milky Way field binaries to within 68% confidence limits, whereas the Carina dSp…
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are the most common type of galaxies, and are the most dark matter dominated objects in the Universe. Therefore, they are ideal laboratories to test any dark matter model. The Bose-Einstein condensate/scalar field dark matter model considers that the dark matter is composed by spinless-ultra-light particles which can be described by a scalar field. This model is an alternative to the $Λ$-cold dark matter model. In this work I study the kinematics of the dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way and Andromeda, under the scalar field/BEC dark matter paradigm …
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are mostly investigated in the Local Group. DSphs are difficult targets for observations because of their small size and very low surface brightness. Here we measure spectroscopic and photometric parameters of three candidates for isolated dSphs, KKH65=BTS23, KK180, and KK227, outside the Local Group. The galaxies are found to be of low metallicity and low velocity dispersion. They are among the lowest surface brightness objects in the Local Universe. According to the measured radial velocities, metallicities, and structural and photometric parameters, KKH65 a…
We present the metallicities and carbon abundances of four newly discovered metal-poor stars with $ -2.2 <$ [Fe/H] $< -1.6$ in the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy. These stars were selected as metal-poor member candidates using a combination of public photometry from the SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey and proper motion data from the second data release from the Gaia mission. The SkyMapper filters include a metallicity-sensitive narrow-band $v$ filter centered on the Ca II K line, which we use to identify metal-poor candidates. In tandem, we use proper motion data to remove metal-poor stars …
We apply a flexible parametric model, a combination of generalized Plummer profiles, to infer the shapes of the stellar density profiles of the Milky Way's satellite dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We apply this model to 40 dSphs using star counts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, PanStarrs-1 Survey, Dark Energy Survey, and Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. Using mock data, we examine systematic errors associated with modelling assumptions and identify conditions under which our model can identify `non-standard' stellar density profiles that have central cusps and/or steepened outer slopes…
We explore a range of chemical evolution models for the Local Group dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, Carina. A novel aspect of our work is the removal of the star formation history (SFH) as a `free parameter' in the modeling, making use, instead, of its colour-magnitude diagram (CMD)-constrained SFH. By varying the relative roles of galactic winds, re-accretion, and ram-pressure stripping within the modeling, we converge on a favoured scenario which emphasises the respective roles of winds and re-accretion. While our model is successful in recovering most elemental abundance patterns, comparabl…
The ability to measure metallicities and α-element abundances in individual red giant branch (RGB) stars using medium-resolution spectra ($R \approx 6000$) is a valuable tool for deciphering the nature of Milky Way dwarf satellites and the history of the Galactic halo. Extending such studies to more distant systems like Andromeda is beyond the ability of the current generation of telescopes, but by co-adding the spectra of similar stars, we can attain the necessary signal-to-noise ratio to make detailed abundance measurements. In this paper, we present a method to determine metallicities and α…
We present the spectral analysis of an 87~ks \emph{XMM-Newton} observation of Draco, a nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Of the approximately 35 robust X-ray source detections, we focus our attention on the brightest of these sources, for which we report X-ray and multiwavelength parameters. While most of the sources exhibit properties consistent with AGN, few of them possess characteristics of LMXBs and CVs. Our analysis puts constraints on population of X-ray sources with $L_X>3\times10^{33}$~erg~s$^{-1}$ in Draco suggesting that there are no actively accreting BH and NS binaries. However, we …
We use images from the Hubble Space Telescope to determine the distances to a dozen objects with low surface brightness recently observed around the bright nearby spiral M101. Only two dwarf galaxies, M101-DwA and M101-Dw9, turn out to be actual satellites of M101 at distances of about 7 Mpc. The other objects are probably members of a distant group around the S0-galaxies NGC 5485/5473. Based on the radial velocities and projected separations of the 9 satellites, we obtain an estimate of $(8.5\pm3.0)\times 10^{11} M_{\odot}$ for the total mass of M101, which is consistent with a ratio $16\pm6$…
The spatial distributions of the most recently discovered ultra faint dwarf satellites around the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are compared to the previously reported discs-of-satellites (DoS) of their host galaxies. In our investigation we pay special attention to the selection bias introduced due to the limited sky coverage of SDSS. We find that the new Milky Way satellite galaxies follow closely the DoS defined by the more luminous dwarfs, thereby further emphasizing the statistical significance of this feature in the Galactic halo. We also notice a deficit of satellite galaxies with …
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are among the best environments that can be studied with Cherenkov telescopes for indirect searches of $γ$-ray signals coming from dark matter self-interaction (annihilation or decay), due to their proximity and negligible background emission. We present new determinations of the dark-matter amount - i.e. the astrophysical factors $J$ and $D$ - in dwarf-galaxy halos obtained through the MCMC Jeans analysis of their brightness and kinematic data. Such factors are of great importance to test the performances of the next-generation $γ$-ray instruments such as the Cherenk…
Our knowledge about the dynamics, the chemical abundances and the evolutionary histories of the more luminous dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies is constantly growing. However, very little is known about the enrichment of the ultra-faint systems recently discovered in large numbers in large sky surveys. Current low-resolution spectroscopy and photometric data indicate that these galaxies are highly dark matter dominated and predominantly metal poor. On the other hand, recent high-resolution abundance analyses indicate that some dwarf galaxies experienced highly inhomogenous chemical enrichment, …
We present distance determinations for two Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies, Carina and Fornax, based on the near-infrared magnitudes of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB). For Carina we derive true distance moduli of 20.09 and 20.13 mag in the J and K bands, respectively, while for Fornax the same distance modulus of 20.84 mag was derived in both filters. The statistical errors of these determinations are of order 0.03-0.04 mag, whereas the systematic uncertainties on the distances are 0.12 mag in the J band and 0.14 mag in the K band. The distances obtained from the near-infrared TR…
Using our HST/ACS observations of the recently found isolated dwarf spheroidal galaxies, we homogeneously measured their star formation histories. We determined star formation rate as a function of time, as well as age and metallicity of the stellar populations. All objects demonstrate complex star formation history, with a significant portion of stars formed 10-13 Gyr ago. Nevertheless, stars of middle ages (1-8 Gyr) are presented. In order to understand how the star formation parameters influence the evolution of dSphs, we also studied a sample of nearest dSphs in different environment: isol…
The Spheroidal Bulge of the Milky Way: Chemodynamically Distinct from the Inner-Thick Disc and Bar
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）；Universität Potsdam（波茨坦大学）；Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学）；Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学天文研究所）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias（加那利天体物理研究所）；Universidad de La Laguna（拉古纳大学）；Max Planck Institute for Astronomy（马克斯·普朗克天体物理研究所）；Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学）；Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学宇宙科学研究所）；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)（加泰罗尼亚空间研究学院）
We report a new star formation history for the Tucana dwarf spheroidal galaxy, obtained from a new look at a deep HST/ACS colour-magnitude diagram. We combined information from the main sequence turn-off and the horizontal branch to resolve the ancient star formation rates on a finer temporal scale than previously possible. We show that Tucana experienced three major phases of star formation, two very close together at ancient times and the last one ending between 6 and 8 Gyr ago. We show that the three discrete clumps of stars on the horizontal branch are linked to the distinct episodes of st…
We present Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, and Titanium abundances for 235 stars in the central region of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (within 9.0 arcmin ~70 pc from the center) from medium-resolution Keck/DEIMOS spectra. All the considered stars belong to the massive globular cluster M54 or to the central nucleus of the galaxy (Sgr,N). In particular we provide abundances for 109 stars with [Fe/H] > -1.0, more than doubling the available sample of spectroscopic metallicity and alpha-elements abundance estimates for Sgr dSph stars in this metallicity regime. Also, we find the first confirm…
In recent years the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has unraveled a new population of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) in the vicinity of the Milky Way (MW) whose origin remains a puzzle. Using a suite of collisionless N-body simulations, we investigate the formation of UFDs in the context of the tidal stirring model for the formation of dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Local Group (LG). Our simulations are designed to reproduce the tidal interactions between MW-sized host galaxies and rotationally supported dwarfs embedded in 10^9 M_sun dark matter (DM) halos. We explore a variety of inner density …
