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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Foote, Hayden R., Besla, Gurtina, Garavito-Camargo, Nicolás, Patel, Ekta, Thomas, Guillaume F., Bonaca, Ana, Price-Whelan, Adrian M., Peter, Annika H. G., Zaritsky, Dennis, Conroy, Charlie
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.06415
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Table of Contents:
  • Stellar streams in the Milky Way are promising detectors of low-mass dark matter (DM) subhalos predicted by $Λ$CDM. Passing subhalos induce perturbations in streams that indicate the presence of the subhalos. Understanding how known DM-dominated satellites impact streams is a crucial step towards using stream perturbations to constrain the properties of dark perturbers. Here, we cross-match a \textit{Gaia} EDR3 and SEGUE member catalog of the Cetus-Palca stream (CPS) with H3 for additional radial velocity measurements and fit the orbit of the CPS using this 6-D data. We demonstrate for the first time that the ultra-faint dwarf Segue 2 had a recent (77$\pm$5 Myr ago) close flyby (within the stream's 2$σ$ width) with the CPS. This interaction enables constraints on Segue 2's mass and density profile at larger radii ($\mathcal{O}(1)$ kpc) than are probed by its stars ($\mathcal{O}(10)$ pc). While Segue 2 is not expected to strongly affect the portion of the stream covered by our 6-D data, we predict that if Segue 2's mass within $\sim 6$ kpc is $5\times 10^9\,M_\odot$, the CPS's velocity dispersion will be $\sim 40$ km s$^{-1}$ larger at $ϕ_1>20^\circ$ than at $ϕ_1<0^\circ$. If no such heating is detected, Segue 2's mass cannot exceed $10^9\,M_\odot$ within $\sim 6$ kpc. The proper motion distribution of the CPS near the impact site is mildly sensitive to the shape of Segue 2's density profile. This study presents a critical test for frameworks designed to constrain properties of dark subhalos from stream perturbations.