Metallicity and age of the stellar stream aound the disk galaxy NGC 5907
Stellar streams have become central to studies of the interaction histories of nearby galaxies. To characterize the most prominent parts of the stellar stream around the well-known nearby (d = 17 Mpc) edge-on disk galaxy NGC 5907, we have obtained and analyzed new, deep gri Subaru/Suprime-Cam and 3....
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) Chapter/Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| In: |
Arxiv
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| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://arxiv.org/abs/1607.03554
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| Author Notes: | Seppo Laine, Carl J. Grillmair, and Peter Capak (Spitzer Science Center-Caltech, MS 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA), Richard G. Arendt (CRESST/UMBC/NASA GSFC, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), Aaron J. Romanowsky (Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Jośe State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192), David Martinez–Delgado (Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Mönchhofstr. 12-14, D-69120 Heidelberg,Germany),Matthew L.N. Ashby (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA), James E. Davies (Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA), Stephen R. Majewski (Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325, USA), Jean P. Brodie (University of California Observatories and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, 1156 High Street,Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA), R. Jay GaBany (Black Bird Observatory, 5660 Brionne Drive, San Jose, CA 95118, USA), Jacob A. Arnold (University of California Observatories and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, 1156 High Street,Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA) |
| Summary: | Stellar streams have become central to studies of the interaction histories of nearby galaxies. To characterize the most prominent parts of the stellar stream around the well-known nearby (d = 17 Mpc) edge-on disk galaxy NGC 5907, we have obtained and analyzed new, deep gri Subaru/Suprime-Cam and 3.6 micron Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) observations. Combining the near-infrared 3.6 micron data with visible-light images allows us to use a long wavelength baseline to estimate the metallicity and age of the stellar population along a ~60 kpc long segment of the stream. We have fitted the stellar spectral energy distribution (SED) with a single-burst stellar population synthesis model and we use it to distinguish between the proposed satellite accretion and minor/major merger formation models of the stellar stream around this galaxy. We conclude that a massive minor merger (stellar mass ratio of at least 1:8) can best account for the metallicity of -0.3 inferred along the brightest parts of the stream. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 06.11.2017 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |