Chemo-dynamics of the stellar component of the Sculptor dwarf galaxy I: observed properties

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Autori principali: Arroyo-Polonio, José María, Battaglia, Giuseppina, Thomas, Guillaume F., Pascale, Raffaele, Tolstoy, Eline, Nipoti, Carlo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Arroyo-Polonio, José María
Battaglia, Giuseppina
Thomas, Guillaume F.
Pascale, Raffaele
Tolstoy, Eline
Nipoti, Carlo
author_facet Arroyo-Polonio, José María
Battaglia, Giuseppina
Thomas, Guillaume F.
Pascale, Raffaele
Tolstoy, Eline
Nipoti, Carlo
contents Aims. Recently, both the presence of multiple stellar chemo-kinematic components and rotation in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy have been put into question. Therefore, we re-examine the chemo-kinematic properties of this galaxy making use of the best spectroscopic data-set available containing both line-of-sight velocities and metallicities of individual stars. Methods. We carry out a detailed, quantitative analysis on the recent spectroscopic data-set from Tolstoy et al. (2023) that contains high precision velocities and metallicities for 1339 members of Sculptor. In particular, we assess whether Sculptor is best represented by a single stellar population with a negative metallicity gradient or by the super-position of two or more components with different mean metallicity, spatial distribution and kinematic properties. For this analysis, we also include the incompleteness of the spectroscopic data-set. Results. We find that Sculptor is better described by a two-populations model than by a single-population model with a metallicity gradient. Moreover, given the assumptions of the current modeling, we find evidence of a third population, composed of few stars, that is more extended and metal-poor than the two other populations. This very metal-poor group of stars shows a shift of around 15 km/s in its average l.o.s. velocity (vlos) with respect to the rest of the galaxy. We discuss several possible origins for this new population, finding a minor merger as the most likely one. We also find a vlos gradient of 4.0 +1.5 -1.5 km s-1 deg-1 but its statistical evidence is inconclusive and, moreover, its detection is partially driven by the group of stars with off-set velocities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_07283
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Chemo-dynamics of the stellar component of the Sculptor dwarf galaxy I: observed properties
Arroyo-Polonio, José María
Battaglia, Giuseppina
Thomas, Guillaume F.
Pascale, Raffaele
Tolstoy, Eline
Nipoti, Carlo
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Aims. Recently, both the presence of multiple stellar chemo-kinematic components and rotation in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy have been put into question. Therefore, we re-examine the chemo-kinematic properties of this galaxy making use of the best spectroscopic data-set available containing both line-of-sight velocities and metallicities of individual stars. Methods. We carry out a detailed, quantitative analysis on the recent spectroscopic data-set from Tolstoy et al. (2023) that contains high precision velocities and metallicities for 1339 members of Sculptor. In particular, we assess whether Sculptor is best represented by a single stellar population with a negative metallicity gradient or by the super-position of two or more components with different mean metallicity, spatial distribution and kinematic properties. For this analysis, we also include the incompleteness of the spectroscopic data-set. Results. We find that Sculptor is better described by a two-populations model than by a single-population model with a metallicity gradient. Moreover, given the assumptions of the current modeling, we find evidence of a third population, composed of few stars, that is more extended and metal-poor than the two other populations. This very metal-poor group of stars shows a shift of around 15 km/s in its average l.o.s. velocity (vlos) with respect to the rest of the galaxy. We discuss several possible origins for this new population, finding a minor merger as the most likely one. We also find a vlos gradient of 4.0 +1.5 -1.5 km s-1 deg-1 but its statistical evidence is inconclusive and, moreover, its detection is partially driven by the group of stars with off-set velocities.
title Chemo-dynamics of the stellar component of the Sculptor dwarf galaxy I: observed properties
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.07283