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Stellar Populations (stellar + population)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Physics and Astronomy	98%

Kinds of Stellar Populations

young stellar population

Selected Abstracts

Testing stellar population models with star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2002
Michael A. Beasley
Abstract We present high signal-to-noise ratio integrated spectra of 24 star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), obtained using the FLAIR spectrograph at the UK Schmidt telescope. The spectra have been placed on to the Lick/IDS system in order to test the calibration of Simple Stellar Population (SSP) models. We have compared the SSP-predicted metallicities of the clusters with those from the literature, predominantly taken from the Ca-triplet spectroscopy of Olszewski et al. (1991). We find that there is good agreement between the metallicities in the range ,2.10 ,[Fe/H], 0. However, the Mg2 index (and to a lesser degree Mg b) systematically predict higher metallicities (up to +0.5 dex higher) than ,Fe,. Among the possible explanations for this are that the LMC clusters possess [,/Fe] > 0. Metallicities are presented for eleven LMC clusters which have no previous measurements. We compare SSP ages for the clusters, derived from the H,, H, and H, Lick/IDS indices, with the available literature data, and find good agreement for the vast majority. This includes six old globular clusters in our sample, which have ages consistent with their HST colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) ages and/or integrated colours. However, two globular clusters, NGC 1754 and NGC 2005, identified as old (,15 Gyr) on the basis of HST CMDs, have H, line-strengths which lead ages that are too low (,8 and ,6 Gyr respectively). These findings are inconsistent with their CMD-derived values at the 3, level. Comparison between the horizontal branch morphology and the Balmer line strengths of these clusters suggests that the presence of blue horizontal branch stars has increased their Balmer indices by up to ,1.0 Å. We conclude that the Lick/IDS indices, used in conjunction with contemporary SSP models, are able to reproduce the ages and metallicities of the LMC clusters reassuringly well. The required extrapolations of the fitting functions and stellar libraries in the models to lower ages and low metallicities do not lead to serious systematic errors. However, owing to the significant contribution of horizontal branch stars to Balmer indices, SSP model ages derived for metal-poor globular clusters are ambiguous without a priori knowledge of horizontal branch morphology. [source]

Stellar populations and surface brightness fluctuations: new observations and models

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001
John P. Blakeslee
We investigate the use of surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) measurements in optical and near-IR bandpasses for both stellar population and distance studies. New V -band SBF data are reported for five galaxies in the Fornax cluster and combined with literature data to define a V -band SBF distance indicator, calibrated against Cepheid distances to the Leo group and the Virgo and Fornax clusters. The colour dependence of the V -band SBF indicator is only ,15 per cent steeper than that found for the I band, and the mean ,fluctuation colour' of the galaxies is We use new stellar population models, based on the latest Padua isochrones transformed empirically to the observational plane, to predict optical and near-IR SBF magnitudes and integrated colours for a wide range of population ages and metallicities. We examine the sensitivity of the predicted SBF,colour relations to changes in the isochrones, stellar transformations, and initial mass function. The new models reproduce fairly well the weak dependence of V and I SBF in globular clusters on metallicity, especially if the more metal-rich globulars are younger. Below solar metallicity, the near-IR SBF magnitudes depend mainly on age, while the integrated colours depend mainly on metallicity. This could prove a powerful new approach to the age,metallicity degeneracy problem; near-IR SBF observations of globular clusters would be an important test of the models. The models also help in understanding the and fluctuation colours of elliptical galaxies, with much less need for composite stellar populations than in previous models. However, in order to obtain theoretical calibrations of the SBF distance indicators, we combine the homogeneous population models into composite models and select out those ones with fluctuation colours consistent with observations. We are able to reproduce the observed range of elliptical galaxy colours, the slopes of the V and I SBF distance indicators against (fainter SBF in redder populations), and the flattening of the I -band relation for The models also match the observed slope of I -band SBF against the Mg2 absorption index and explain the steep colour dependence found by Ajhar et al. for the HST/WFPC2 F814W-band SBF measurements. In contrast to previous models, ours predict that the near-IR SBF magnitudes will also continue to grow fainter for redder populations. The theoretical V -band SBF zero-point predicted by these models agrees well with the Cepheid-calibrated V -band empirical zero-point. However, the model zero-point is 0.15,0.27 mag too faint in the I band and 0.24,0.36 mag too faint in K. The zero-points for the I band (empirically the best determined) would come into close agreement if the Cepheid distance scale were revised to agree with the recent dynamical distance measured to NGC 4258. We note that the theoretical SBF calibrations are sensitive to the uncertain details of stellar evolution, and conclude that the empirical calibrations remain more secure. However, the sensitivity of SBF to these finer details potentially makes it a powerful, relatively unexploited, constraint for stellar evolution and population synthesis. [source]

Constraining the star formation histories of spiral bulges

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2000
R. N. Proctor
Stellar populations in spiral bulges are investigated using the Lick system of spectral indices. Long-slit spectroscopic observations of line strengths and kinematics made along the minor axes of four spiral bulges are reported. Comparisons are made between central line strengths in spiral bulges and those in other morphological types [elliptical, spheroidal (Sph) and S0]. The bulges investigated are found to have central line strengths comparable to those of single stellar populations of approximately solar abundance or above. Negative radial gradients are observed in line strengths, similar to those exhibited by elliptical galaxies. The bulge data are also consistent with correlations between Mg2, Mg2 gradient and central velocity dispersion observed in elliptical galaxies. In contrast to elliptical galaxies, central line strengths lie within the loci defining the range of ,Fe, and Mg2 achieved by Worthey's solar abundance ratio, single stellar populations (SSPs). The implication of solar abundance ratios indicates significant differences in the star formation histories of spiral bulges and elliptical galaxies. A ,single zone with infall' model of galactic chemical evolution, using Worthey's SSPs, is used to constrain the possible star formation histories of our sample. We show that the ,Fe,, Mg2 and H, line strengths observed in these bulges cannot be reproduced using primordial collapse models of formation but can be reproduced by models with extended infall of gas and star formation (2,17 Gyr) in the region modelled. One galaxy (NGC 5689) shows a central population with a luminosity-weighted average age of ,5 Gyr, supporting the idea of extended star formation. Kinematic substructure, possibly associated with a central spike in metallicity, is observed at the centre of the Sa galaxy NGC 3623. [source]

Stellar populations of seven early-type dwarf galaxies and their nuclei,

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009
S. Paudel
Abstract Dwarf galaxies are the numerically dominating population in the dense regions of the universe. Although they seem to be simple systems at first view, the stellar populations of dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) might be fairly complex. Nucleated dEs are of particular interest, since a number of objects exhibit different stellar populations in their nuclei and host galaxy. We present stellar population parameters obtained from integrated optical spectra using a Lick index analysis of seven nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxies and their nuclei. After subtracting the scaled galaxy spectra from the nucleus spectra, we compared them with one another and explore their stellar populations. As a preliminary result, we find that the luminosity weighted ages of the nuclei slightly lower than those of galaxies, however, we do not see any significant difference in metallicity of the host galaxies and their nuclei (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Ionized gas in E/S0 galaxies with dust lanes

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010
Ido Finkelman
ABSTRACT We report the results of multicolour observations of 30 E/S0 galaxies with dust lanes. For each galaxy we obtained broad-band images and narrow-band images using interference filters isolating the H,+[N ii] emission lines to derive the amount and morphology of dust and ionized gas. To improve the wavelength coverage we retrieved data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Two Micron All Sky Survey and combined these with our data. Ionized gas is detected in 25 galaxies and shows in most cases a smooth morphology, although knots and filamentary structure are also observed in some objects. The extended gas distribution closely follows the dust structure, with a clear correlation between the mass of both components. An extinction law by the extragalactic dust in the dark lanes is derived and is used to estimate the dust content of the galaxies. The derived extinction law is used to correct the measured colours for intrinsic dust extinction and the data are fitted with a stellar population synthesis model. We find that the H, emission and colours of most objects are consistent with the presence of an ,old' stellar population (,10 Gyr) and a small fraction of a ,young' population (, 10,100 Myr). To check this we closely examine NGC 5363, for which archival Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera and Galaxy Evolution Explorer data are available, as a representative dust-lane E/S0 galaxy of the sample. [source]

Red star-forming and blue passive galaxies in clusters

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009
Smriti Mahajan
ABSTRACT We explore the relation between colour (measured from photometry) and specific star formation rate (derived from optical spectra obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4) of over 6000 galaxies (Mr,,20.5) in and around (<3 r200) low-redshift (z < 0.12) Abell clusters. Even though, as expected, most red sequence galaxies have little or no ongoing star formation, and most blue galaxies are currently forming stars, there are significant populations of red star-forming and blue passive galaxies. This paper examines various properties of galaxies belonging to the latter two categories, to understand why they deviate from the norm. These properties include morphological parameters, internal extinction, spectral features such as EW(H,) and the 4000 Å break, and metallicity. Our analysis shows that the blue passive galaxies have properties very similar to their star-forming counterparts, except that their large range in H, equivalent width indicates recent truncation of star formation. The red star-forming galaxies fall into two broad categories, one of them being massive galaxies in cluster cores dominated by an old stellar population, but with evidence of current star formation in the core (possibly linked with active galactic nuclei). For the remaining red star-forming galaxies, it is evident from spectral indices, stellar and gas-phase metallicities and mean stellar ages that their colours result from the predominance of a metal-rich stellar population. Only half of the red star-forming galaxies have extinction values consistent with a significant presence of dust. The implication of the properties of these star-forming galaxies on environmental studies, like that of the Butcher,Oemler effect, is discussed. [source]

An analysis of the composite stellar population in M32,

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009
P. Coelho
ABSTRACT We obtained long-slit spectra of high signal-to-noise ratio of the galaxy M32 with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Gemini-North telescope. We analysed the integrated spectra by means of full spectral fitting in order to extract the mixture of stellar populations that best represents its composite nature. Three different galactic radii were analysed, from the nuclear region out to 2 arcmin from the centre. This allows us to compare, for the first time, the results of integrated light spectroscopy with those of resolved colour,magnitude diagrams from the literature. As a main result we propose that an ancient and an intermediate-age population co-exist in M32, and that the balance between these two populations change between the nucleus and outside one effective radius (1reff) in the sense that the contribution from the intermediate population is larger at the nuclear region. We retrieve a smaller signal of a young population at all radii whose origin is unclear and may be a contamination from horizontal branch stars, such as the ones identified by Brown et al. in the nuclear region. We compare our metallicity distribution function for a region 1 to 2 arcmin from the centre to the one obtained with photometric data by Grillmair et al. Both distributions are broad, but our spectroscopically derived distribution has a significant component with [Z/Z,],,1, which is not found by Grillmair et al. [source]

The age, metallicity and ,-element abundance of Galactic globular clusters from single stellar population models

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
Jon T. Mendel
ABSTRACT Establishing the reliability with which stellar population parameters can be measured is vital to extragalactic astronomy. Galactic globular clusters (GCs) provide an excellent medium in which to test the consistency of single stellar population (SSP) models as they should be our best analogue to a homogeneous (single) stellar population. Here we present age, metallicity and ,-element abundance measurements for 48 Galactic GCs as determined from integrated spectra using Lick indices and SSP models from Thomas, Maraston & Korn, Lee & Worthey and Vazdekis et al. By comparing our new measurements to independent determinations we are able to assess the ability of these SSPs to derive consistent results , a key requirement before application to heterogeneous stellar populations like galaxies. We find that metallicity determinations are extremely robust, showing good agreement for all models examined here, including a range of enhancement methods. Ages and ,-element abundances are accurate for a subset of our models, with the caveat that the range of these parameters in Galactic GCs is limited. We are able to show that the application of published Lick index response functions to models with fixed abundance ratios allows us to measure reasonable ,-element abundances from a variety of models. We also examine the age,metallicity and [,/Fe],metallicity relations predicted by SSP models, and characterize the possible effects of varied model horizontal branch morphology on our overall results. [source]

Ly, excess in high-redshift radio galaxies: a signature of star formation,

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
M. Villar-Martín
ABSTRACT About 54 per cent of radio galaxies at z, 3 and 8 per cent of radio galaxies at 2 ,z < 3 show unusually strong Ly, emission, compared with the general population of high-redshift (z, 2) radio galaxies. These Ly,-excess objects (LAEs) show Ly,/He ii values consistent with or above standard photoionization model predictions. We reject with confidence several scenarios to explain the unusual strength of Ly, in these objects: shocks, low nebular metallicities, high gas densities and absorption/scattering effects. We show that the most successful explanation is the presence of a young stellar population which provides the extra supply of ionizing photons required to explain the Ly, excess in at least the most extreme LAEs (probably in all of them). This interpretation is strongly supported by the tentative trend found by other authors for z, 3 radio galaxies to show lower ultraviolet rest-frame polarization levels, or the dramatic increase in the detection rate at submm wavelengths of z > 2.5 radio galaxies. The enhanced star formation activity in LAEs could be a consequence of a recent merger which has triggered both the star formation and the active galactic nucleus/radio activities. The measurement of unusually high Ly, ratios in the extended gas of some high-redshift radio galaxies suggests that star formation activity occurs in spatial scales of tens of kpc. We argue that, although the fraction of LAEs may be incompletely determined, both at 2 ,z < 3 and at z, 3, the much larger fraction of LAEs found at z, 3 is a genuine redshift evolution and not due to selection effects. Therefore, our results suggest that the radio galaxy phenomenon is more often associated with a massive starburst at z > 3 than at z < 3. [source]

The evolution of binary star clusters and the nature of NGC 2136/NGC 2137

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007
S. F. Portegies Zwart
ABSTRACT We study the evolution of bound pairs of star clusters by means of direct N -body simulations. Our simulations include mass loss by stellar evolution. The initial conditions are selected to mimic the observed binary star clusters, NGC 2136 and 2137, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Based on their rather old ages (,100 Myr), masses, sizes and projected separation, we conclude that the cluster pair must have been born with an initial separation of 15,20 pc. Clusters with a smaller initial separation tend to merge in ,60 Myr due to loss of angular momentum from escaping stars. Clusters with a larger initial separation tend to become even more widely separated due to mass loss from the evolving stellar populations. The early orbital evolution of a binary cluster is governed by mass loss from the evolving stellar population and by loss of angular momentum from escaping stars. Mass loss by stellar winds and supernovae explosions in the first ,30 Myr causes the binary to expand and the orbit to become eccentric. The initially less massive cluster expands more quickly than the binary separation increases, and is therefore bound to initiate mass transfer to the more massive cluster. This process is quite contrary to stellar binaries in which the more massive star tends to initiate mass transfer. Since mass transfer proceeds on a thermal time-scale from the less massive to the more massive cluster, this semidetached phase is quite stable, even in an eccentric orbit until the orbital separation reaches the gyration radius of the two clusters, at which point both clusters merge to one. [source]

A Subaru/Suprime-Cam wide-field survey of globular cluster populations around M87 , II.

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006
Colour, spatial distribution
ABSTRACT We have performed a wide-field imaging survey of the globular cluster (GC) populations around M87 with Suprime-Cam on the 8.2-m Subaru Telescope. A field extending from the centre of M87 out to a radius of ,0.5 Mpc was observed through the BVI filters. By investigating the GC colour distribution as a function of distance from M87 and NGC 4552, another luminous Virgo elliptical in our survey field, it is found that clear bimodality [(V,I)peak, 1.0 and 1.2] is seen only in the inner regions (,10 kpc) of the host galaxies and that it becomes weaker with radius due to the decreasing contribution of the red GC (V,I > 1.1) subpopulation. It is also found (both around M87 and around NGC 4552) that while the spatial distribution of the red GCs is as centrally concentrated as the host galaxy halo light distribution, the distribution of the blue GCs (V,I, 1.1) tends to be more extended. However, the blue GC distribution around M87 is not as extended as the Virgo cluster mass density profile. Based on these facts, we argue that the contribution of GCs associated with the Virgo cluster [e.g. intergalactic GCs (i-GCs)] is not significant around M87 and is not the primary reason for the high SN value of M87. Instead, most of the blue GCs around luminous ellipticals, as well as the red GCs, are presumed to be associated with the host galaxy. We model the radial profile of GC surface densities out to ,0.5 Mpc from M87 by a superposition of the GC populations associated with M87 and with NGC 4552. It is found that there are some regions where the GC surface densities are larger than that which is expected from this model, suggesting the existence of an additional i-GC population independent of the luminous ellipticals. By comparing the estimated i-GC surface density with the luminosity density of the intracluster stellar population inferred from the intergalactic planetary nebulae in the Virgo cluster, we obtain a crude estimate of i-GC specific frequency SN= 2.9+4.2,1.5. If this SN value represents the stellar population tidally stripped by a massive central galaxy from other (less-luminous) galaxies, the contribution of tidally captured GCs in the GC population of M87 would need to be low to be consistent with the high SN value of M87. [source]

The stellar content of the isolated transition dwarf galaxy DDO210,

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006
Alan W. McConnachie
ABSTRACT We use Subaru Suprime-Cam and VLT FORS1 photometry of the dwarf galaxy DDO210 to study the global stellar content and structural properties of a transition-type galaxy (with properties intermediate between dwarf irregular and dwarf spheroidal systems). This galaxy is sufficiently isolated that tidal interactions are not likely to have affected its evolution in any way. The colour,magnitude diagrams of DDO210 show a red giant branch (RGB) population (with an RGB bump), a bright asymptotic giant branch population, a red clump, young main-sequence stars and blue-loop stars. The youngest stars formed within the last 60 Myr and have a distinct radial distribution compared to the main population. Whereas the overall stellar spatial distribution and H i spatial distribution are concentric, the young stars are offset from the centre of DDO210 and are coincident with a ,dent' in the H i distribution. The implied recent star formation rate required to form the young population is significantly higher than the derived current star formation rate, by a factor of >10. Most of the stars in DDO210 are found in a red clump, and its mean I -band magnitude suggests that the majority of stars in DDO210 have an average age of 4+2,1 Gyr. Given this age, the colour of the RGB implies a mean metallicity of [Fe/H],,1.3. By comparing the shape of the red clump with models for a variety of star formation histories, we estimate that an old (>10 Gyr) stellar population can contribute ,20,30 per cent of the stars in DDO210 at most. The unusual star formation history of DDO210, its low-mass estimate and its isolated nature, provide insight into how star formation proceeds in the lowest mass, unperturbed, dwarf galaxy haloes. [source]

Deep spectroscopy of 9C J1503+4528: a very young compact steep spectrum radio source at z= 0.521

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
K. J. Inskip
ABSTRACT 9C J1503+4528 is a very young compact steep spectrum radio galaxy, with an age of the order of 104 yr. This source is therefore an ideal laboratory for the study of the intrinsic host galaxy/intergalactic medium properties, interactions between the radio source and surrounding interstellar medium, links between star formation and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and the radio source triggering mechanism. Here we present the results of a spectroscopic analysis of this source, considering each of these aspects of radio source physics. We find that shock ionization by the young radio source is important in the central regions of the galaxy on scales similar to that of the radio source itself, whilst evidence for an AGN ionization cone is observed at greater distances. Line and continuum features require the presence of a young stellar population (YSP), the best-fitting model for which implies an age of 5 × 106 yr, significantly older than the radio source. Most interestingly, the relative sizes of radio source and extended emission-line region suggest that both AGN and radio source are triggered at approximately the same time. If both the triggering of the radio source activity and the formation of the YSP had the same underlying cause, this source provides a sequence for the events surrounding the triggering process. We propose that the AGN activity in 9C J1503+4528 was caused by a relatively minor interaction, and that a supermassive black hole powering the radio jets must have been in place before the AGN was triggered. [source]

The SAURON project , IV.

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
The mass-to-light ratio, lenticular galaxies, the Fundamental Plane of elliptical, the virial mass estimator
ABSTRACT We investigate the well-known correlations between the dynamical mass-to-light ratio (M/L) and other global observables of elliptical (E) and lenticular (S0) galaxies. We construct two-integral Jeans and three-integral Schwarzschild dynamical models for a sample of 25 E/S0 galaxies with SAURON integral-field stellar kinematics to about one effective (half-light) radius Re. They have well-calibrated I -band Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 and large-field ground-based photometry, accurate surface brightness fluctuation distances, and their observed kinematics is consistent with an axisymmetric intrinsic shape. All these factors result in an unprecedented accuracy in the M/L measurements. We find a tight correlation of the form (M/L) = (3.80 ± 0.14) × (,e/200 km s,1)0.84±0.07 between the M/L (in the I band) measured from the dynamical models and the luminosity-weighted second moment ,e of the LOSVD within Re. The observed rms scatter in M/L for our sample is 18 per cent, while the inferred intrinsic scatter is ,13 per cent. The (M/L),,e relation can be included in the remarkable series of tight correlations between ,e and other galaxy global observables. The comparison of the observed correlations with the predictions of the Fundamental Plane (FP), and with simple virial estimates, shows that the ,tilt' of the FP of early-type galaxies, describing the deviation of the FP from the virial relation, is almost exclusively due to a real M/L variation, while structural and orbital non-homology have a negligible effect. When the photometric parameters are determined in the ,classic' way, using growth curves, and the ,e is measured in a large aperture, the virial mass appears to be a reliable estimator of the mass in the central regions of galaxies, and can be safely used where more ,expensive' models are not feasible (e.g. in high-redshift studies). In this case the best-fitting virial relation has the form (M/L)vir= (5.0 ± 0.1) ×Re,2e/(LG), in reasonable agreement with simple theoretical predictions. We find no difference between the M/L of the galaxies in clusters and in the field. The comparison of the dynamical M/L with the (M/L)pop inferred from the analysis of the stellar population, indicates a median dark matter fraction in early-type galaxies of ,30 per cent of the total mass inside one Re, in broad agreement with previous studies, and it also shows that the stellar initial mass function varies little among different galaxies. Our results suggest a variation in M/L at constant (M/L)pop, which seems to be linked to the galaxy dynamics. We speculate that fast-rotating galaxies have lower dark matter fractions than the slow-rotating and generally more-massive ones. If correct, this would suggest a connection between the galaxy assembly history and the dark matter halo structure. The tightness of our correlation provides some evidence against cuspy nuclear dark matter profiles in galaxies. [source]

Weighing the young stellar discs around Sgr A*

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
Sergei Nayakshin
ABSTRACT It is believed that young massive stars orbiting Sgr A* in two stellar discs on scales of , 0.1,0.2 parsec were formed either farther out in the Galaxy and then quickly migrated inwards or in situ in a massive self-gravitating disc. Comparing N -body evolution of stellar orbits with observational constraints, we set upper limits on the masses of the two stellar systems. These masses turn out to be a few times lower than the expected total stellar mass estimated from the observed young high-mass stellar population and the standard galactic initial mass function (IMF). If these stars were formed in situ, in a massive self-gravitating disc, our results suggest that the formation of low-mass stars was suppressed by a factor of at least a few, requiring a top-heavy IMF for stars formed near Sgr A*. [source]

Evolutionary population synthesis for binary stellar population at high spectral resolution: integrated spectral energy distributions and absorption-feature indices

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2005
Fenghui Zhang
ABSTRACT Using evolutionary population synthesis, we present high-resolution (0.3 Å) integrated spectral energy distributions from 3000 to 7000 Å and absorption-line indices defined by the Lick Observatory Image Dissector Scanner (Lick/IDS) system, for an extensive set of instantaneous-burst binary stellar populations with binary interactions. The ages of the populations are in the range 1,15 Gyr and the metallicities are in the range 0.004,0.03. These high-resolution synthesis results can satisfy the needs of modern spectroscopic galaxy surveys, and are available on request. By comparing the synthetic continuum of populations at high and low resolution, we show that there is good agreement for solar metallicity and tolerable disagreement for non-solar metallicity. The strength of the Balmer lines at high spectral resolution is greater than that at low resolution for all metallicities. The comparison of Lick/IDS absorption-line indices at low and high resolution, both of which are obtained by the fitting functions, shows that the discrepancies in all indices except for TiO1 and TiO2 are insignificant for populations with Z= 0.004 and 0.02. The high-resolution Ca4227, Fe5015 and Mgb indices are redder than the corresponding low-resolution ones for populations with Z= 0.01 and 0.03; this effect lowers the derived age and metallicity of the population. The high-resolution Mg1, Fe5709 and Fe5782 indices are bluer than those at low resolution; this effect raises the age and metallicity. The discrepancy in these six indices is greater for populations with Z= 0.03 in comparison to Z= 0.01. At high resolution we compare the Lick/IDS spectral absorption indices obtained by using the fitting functions with those measured directly from the synthetic spectra. We find that the Ca4455, Fe4668, Mgb and Na D indices obtained by the use of the fitting functions are redder for all metallicities, Fe5709 is redder at Z= 0.03 and becomes bluer at Z= 0.01 and 0.004, and the other indices are bluer for all metallicities than the corresponding values measured directly from the synthetic spectra. [source]

Radial variation of optical and near-infrared colours in luminous early-type galaxies in A2199

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2004
Naoyuki Tamura
ABSTRACT We performed K -band surface photometry for luminous early-type galaxies in a nearby rich cluster A2199. Combining it with B - and R -band surface photometry, radial variations of B,R and R,K colours in the galaxies were investigated. It is found that the inner regions of the galaxies are redder in both B,R and R,K colours. Comparing the radial variations of both colours with predictions of simple stellar population models for a range of ages and metallicities, it is suggested that the cluster ellipticals have negative metallicity gradients, but their age gradients are consistent with zero, although our sample is small; the typical metallicity gradient is estimated to be ,0.16 ± 0.09 in d log Z/d log r, while the age gradient is estimated to be ,0.10 ± 0.14 in d log (age)/d log r. Considering that similar results have also been derived in the other recent studies using samples of ellipticals in the Coma cluster and less dense environments, it seems that there is no strong dependence on galaxy environment in the radial gradient of stellar population in an elliptical galaxy. [source]

Stellar populations and surface brightness fluctuations: new observations and models

Deep spectroscopy of distant 3CR radio galaxies: the data

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2000
P. N. Best
Deep long-slit spectroscopic data are presented for a sample of 14 3CR radio galaxies at redshift z,1, previously studied in detail using the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Array, and the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). Analysis of the [O ii] 3727 emission-line structures at ,5 Å spectral resolution is carried out to derive the kinematic properties of the emission-line gas. In line with previous lower resolution studies, a wide variety of kinematics are seen, from gas consistent with a mean rotational motion through to complex structures with velocity dispersions exceeding 1000 km s ,1. The data confirm the presence of a high-velocity gas component in 3C 265 and detached emission-line systems in 3C 356 and 3C 441, and show for the first time that the emission-line gas in the central regions of 3C 324 is composed of two kinematically distinct components. Emission-line fluxes and the colour of the continuum emission are determined down to unprecedentedly low observed wavelengths, ,<3500 Å, sufficiently short that any contribution of an evolved stellar population is negligible. An accompanying paper investigates the variation in the emission-line ratios and velocity structures within the sample, and draws conclusions as to the origin of the ionization and kinematics of these galaxies. [source]

Open clusters and the galactic disk

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 5 2010
S. Röser
Abstract It is textbook knowledge that open clusters are conspicuous members of the thin disk of our Galaxy, but their role as contributors to the stellar population of the disk was regarded as minor. Starting from a homogenous stellar sky survey, the ASCC-2.5, we revisited the population of open clusters in the solar neighbourhood from scratch. In the course of this enterprise we detected 130 formerly unknown open clusters, constructed volume- and magnitude-limited samples of clusters, re-determined distances, motions, sizes, ages, luminosities and masses of 650 open clusters. We derived the present-day luminosity and mass functions of open clusters (not the stellar mass function in open clusters), the cluster initial mass function CIMF and the formation rate of open clusters. We find that open clusters contributed around 40 percent to the stellar content of the disk during the history of our Galaxy. Hence, open clusters are important building blocks of the Galactic disk (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Ultraviolet color-magnitude relation of early-type dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009
S. Kim
Abstract We present ultraviolet (UV) color-magnitude relations (CMRs) for dwarf ellipticals (dEs) and dwarf lenticulars (dS0s) in the Virgo cluster. We used the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) GR3 photometric data in far-ultraviolet (FUV) and near-ultraviolet (NUV) passbands combined with SDSS DR5 data. We found that dS0s as well as peculiar dEs (dEs with blue center and disk) found by Lisker et al. (2006a, b) show distinct locus from that of ordinary dEs in UV CMRs. The dS0s and peculiar dEs have bluer UV colors than ordinary dEs at a fixed optical luminosity. Furthermore, UV colors of dEs in outer region of the cluster are systematically bluer than those in inner region. Since UV flux is sensitive to the presence of young stellar population from recent star formation activity, our results suggest that there are different star formation histories among different subsample of early-type dwarf galaxies in Virgo cluster concerning their morphology and environmental effect (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Gas and stars in compact (young) radio sources

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 2-3 2009
R. Morganti
Abstract Gas can be used to trace the formation and evolution of galaxies as well as the impact that the nuclear activity has on the surrounding medium. For nearby compact radio sources, we have used observations of neutral hydrogen , that we detected in emission distributed over very large scales , combined with the study of the stellar population and deep optical images to investigate the history of the formation of their host galaxy and the triggering of the activity. For more distant and more powerful compact radio sources, we have used optical spectra and H I , in absorption , to investigate the presence of fast outflows that support the idea that compact radio sources are young radio loud AGN observed during the early stages of their evolution and currently shredding their natal cocoons through extreme circumnuclear outflows. We will review the most recent results obtained from these projects (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

First results from SPIFFI.

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 2 2004
I: The Galactic Center
Abstract In this and a companion paper (Eisenhauer et al. 2003b), we discuss some of the scientific results obtained during the SPIFFI guest instrument runs at the VLT in March and April 2003. This paper concentrates on results for the Galactic Center. Section 1 discusses the stellar population of the Galactic Center, in which we clearly detect, for the first time, an early, hot WN star, as well as a large number of WC stars. Analysis of the stellar population indicates that the young stars in the Galactic Center originated in a high metalicity starburst about 5 Myr ago. A surprising result is that essentially all young stars in the central 10, belong to one of two well defined, rotating stellar rings/disks. Section 2 outlines a new determination of the distance to the Galactic Center which is essentially free of systematic uncertainties in the astrophysical modelling, and gives Ro as 7.94 ± 0.42 kpc. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Nearby stars of the Galactic disk and halo.

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1 2004

Abstract High-resolution spectroscopic observations of about 150 nearby stars or star systems are presented and discussed. The study of these and another 100 objects of the previous papers of this series implies that the Galaxy became reality 13 or 14 Gyr ago with the implementation of a massive, rotationally-supported population of thick-disk stars. The very high star formation rate in that phase gave rise to a rapid metal enrichment and an expulsion of gas in supernovae-driven Galactic winds, but was followed by a star formation gap for no less than three billion years at the Sun's galactocentric distance. In a second phase, then, the thin disk , our "familiar Milky Way" , came on stage. Nowadays it traces the bright side of the Galaxy, but it is also embedded in a huge coffin of dead thick-disk stars that account for a large amount of baryonic dark matter. As opposed to this, cold-dark-matter-dominated cosmologies that suggest a more gradual hierarchical buildup through mergers of minor structures, though popular, are a poor description for the Milky Way Galaxy , and by inference many other spirals as well , if, as the sample implies, the fossil records of its long-lived stars do not stick to this paradigm. Apart from this general picture that emerges with reference to the entire sample stars, a good deal of the present work is however also concerned with detailed discussions of many individual objects. Among the most interesting we mention the blue straggler or merger candidates HD 165401 and HD 137763/HD 137778, the likely accretion of a giant planet or brown dwarf on 59 Vir in its recent history, and HD 63433 that proves to be a young solar analog at , , 200 Myr. Likewise, the secondary to HR 4867, formerly suspected non-single from the Hipparcos astrometry, is directly detectable in the highresolution spectroscopic tracings, whereas the visual binary , Cet is instead at least triple, and presumably even quadruple. With respect to the nearby young stars a complete account of the UrsaMajor Association is presented, and we provide as well plain evidence for another, the "Hercules-Lyra Association", the likely existence of which was only realized in recent years. On account of its rotation, chemistry, and age we do confirm that the Sun is very typical among its G-type neighbors; as to its kinematics, it appears however not unlikely that the Sun's known low peculiar space velocity could indeed be the cause for the weak paleontological record of mass extinctions and major impact events on our parent planet during the most recent Galactic plane passage of the solar system. Although the significance of this correlation certainly remains a matter of debate for years to come, we point in this context to the principal importance of the thick disk for a complete census with respect to the local surface and volume densities. Other important effects that can be ascribed to this dark stellar population comprise (i) the observed plateau in the shape of the luminosity function of the local FGK stars, (ii) a small though systematic effect on the basic solar motion, (iii) a reassessment of the term "asymmetrical drift velocity" for the remainder (i.e. the thin disk) of the stellar objects, (iv) its ability to account for the bulk of the recently discovered high-velocity blue white dwarfs, (v) its major contribution to the Sun's ,220 km s,1 rotational velocity around the Galactic center, and (vi) the significant flattening that it imposes on the Milky Way's rotation curve. Finally we note a high multiplicity fraction in the small but volume-complete local sample of stars of this ancient population. This in turn is highly suggestive for a star formation scenario wherein the few existing single stellar objects might only arise from either late mergers or the dynamical ejection of former triple or higher level star systems. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

The HELLAS2XMM survey: properties of the stellar population

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1-2 2003
G. Micela
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Life, the universe and everything, with GAIA

ASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 5 2001
Gerry Gilmore
Great things are expected of the GAIA Observatory, currently expected to launch in 2011. Gerry Gilmore explains how it will provide accurate measurements that will help us understand the formation of the Milky Way and the distribution of dark matter. The GAIA Observatory, ESA's Cornerstone 6 mission, addresses the origin and evolution of our galaxy, and a host of other scientific challenges. GAIA will provide unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracies needed to produce a stereoscopic and kinematic census of about one billion stars in our galaxy and throughout the Local Group, about 1% of the galactic stellar population. Combined with astrophysical information for each star, provided by on-board multicolour photometry, these data will have the precision and depth necessary to address the three key questions which underlie the GAIA science case: l when did the stars in the Milky Way form? l when and how was the Milky Way assembled? l what is the distribution of dark matter in our galaxy? The accurate stellar data acquired for this purpose will also have an enormous impact on all areas of stellar astrophysics, including luminosity calibrations, structural studies, and the cosmic distance scale. Additional scientific products include detection and orbital classification of tens of thousands of extrasolar planetary systems, a comprehensive survey of objects ranging from huge numbers of minor bodies in our solar system, including near-Earth objects, through galaxies in the nearby universe, to some 500 000 distant quasars. GAIA will also provide several stringent new tests of general relativity and cosmology. [source]

Clustering revealed in high-resolution simulations and visualization of multi-resolution features in fluid,particle models

CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 2 2003
Krzysztof Boryczko
Abstract Simulating natural phenomena at greater accuracy results in an explosive growth of data. Large-scale simulations with particles currently involve ensembles consisting of between 106 and 109 particles, which cover 105,106 time steps. Thus, the data files produced in a single run can reach from tens of gigabytes to hundreds of terabytes. This data bank allows one to reconstruct the spatio-temporal evolution of both the particle system as a whole and each particle separately. Realistically, for one to look at a large data set at full resolution at all times is not possible and, in fact, not necessary. We have developed an agglomerative clustering technique, based on the concept of a mutual nearest neighbor (MNN). This procedure can be easily adapted for efficient visualization of extremely large data sets from simulations with particles at various resolution levels. We present the parallel algorithm for MNN clustering and its timings on the IBM SP and SGI/Origin 3800 multiprocessor systems for up to 16 million fluid particles. The high efficiency obtained is mainly due to the similarity in the algorithmic structure of MNN clustering and particle methods. We show various examples drawn from MNN applications in visualization and analysis of the order of a few hundred gigabytes of data from discrete particle simulations, using dissipative particle dynamics and fluid particle models. Because data clustering is the first step in this concept extraction procedure, we may employ this clustering procedure to many other fields such as data mining, earthquake events and stellar populations in nebula clusters. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The properties of the stellar populations in ULIRGs , I. Sample, data and spectral synthesis modelling

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2009
J. Rodríguez Zaurín
ABSTRACT We present deep long-slit optical spectra for a sample of 36 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), taken with the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma with the aim of investigating the star formation histories and testing evolutionary scenarios for such objects. Here we present the sample, the analysis techniques and a general overview of the properties of the stellar populations; a more detailed discussion will be presented in a forthcoming paper. Spectral synthesis modelling has been used in order to estimate the ages of the stellar populations found in the diffuse light sampled by the spectra in both the nuclear and extended regions of the target galaxies. We find that adequate fits can be obtained using combinations of young stellar populations (YSPs; tYSP, 2 Gyr), with ages divided into two groups: very young stellar populations (VYSPs; tVYSP, 100 Myr) and intermediate-young stellar populations (IYSPs; 0.1 < tIYSP, 2 Gyr). Our results show that YSPs are present at all locations of the galaxies covered by our slit positions, with the exception of the northern nuclear region of the ULIRG IRAS 23327+2913. Furthermore, VYSPs are present in at least 85 per cent of the 133 extraction apertures used for this study, being more significant in the nuclear regions of the galaxies. Old stellar populations (OSPs; tOSP > 2 Gyr) do not make a major contribution to the optical light in the majority of the apertures extracted. In fact they are essential for fitting the spectra in only 5 per cent (seven) of the extracted apertures. The estimated total masses for the YSPs (VYSPs + IYSPs) are in the range 0.18 × 1010,MYSP, 50 × 1010 M,. We have also estimated the bolometric luminosities associated with the stellar populations detected at optical wavelengths, finding that they fall in the range 0.07 × 1012 < Lbol < 2.2 × 1012 L,. In addition, we find that reddening is significant at all locations in the galaxies. This result emphasizes the importance of accounting for reddening effects when modelling the stellar populations of star-forming galaxies. [source]

An HST/ACS view of the inhomogeneous outer halo of M31,

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009
J. C. Richardson
ABSTRACT We present a high precision photometric view of the stellar populations in the outer halo of M31, using data taken with the Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys. We analyse the field populations adjacent to 11 luminous globular clusters which sample the galactocentric radial range 18 ,R, 100 kpc and reach a photometric depth of ,2.5 mag below the horizontal branch (mF814W, 27 mag). The colour,magnitude diagrams are well populated out to ,60 kpc and exhibit relatively metal-rich red giant branches, with the densest fields also showing evidence for prominent red clumps. We use the Dartmouth isochrones to construct metallicity distribution functions which confirm the presence of dominant populations with ,[Fe/H],,,0.6 to ,1.0 dex and considerable metallicity dispersions of 0.2 to 0.3 dex (assuming a 10 Gyr population and scaled-solar abundances). The average metallicity over the range 30,60 kpc is [Fe/H]=,0.80 ± 0.14 dex, with no evidence for a significant radial gradient. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H],,1.3) typically account for ,10,20 per cent of the population in each field, irrespective of radius. Assuming our fields are unbiased probes of the dominant stellar populations in these parts, we find that the M31 outer halo remains considerably more metal rich than that of the Milky Way out to at least 60 kpc. [source]