Comparing M31 and Milky Way Satellites: The Extended Star Formation Histories of Andromeda II and Andromeda XVI

Weisz, D. R.; Skillman, Evan D.; Hidalgo, S. L.; Monelli, M.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; McConnachie, Alan; Bernard, Edouard J.; Gallart, C.; Aparicio, A.; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Cassisi, Santi; Cole, Andrew A.; Ferguson, Henry C.; Irwin, Mike; Martin, Nicolas F.; Mayer, Lucio; McQuinn, Kristen B. W.; Navarro, Julio F.; Stetson, Peter B.
Referencia bibliográfica

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 789, Issue 1, article id. 24, 6 pp. (2014).

Fecha de publicación:
7
2014
Número de autores
19
Número de autores del IAC
4
Número de citas
40
Número de citas referidas
34
Descripción
We present the first comparison between the lifetime star formation histories (SFHs) of M31 and Milky Way (MW) satellites. Using the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we obtained deep optical imaging of Andromeda II (And II; MV = -12.0 log(M sstarf/M ⊙) ~ 6.7) and Andromeda XVI (And XVI; MV = -7.5 log(M sstarf/M ⊙) ~ 4.9) yielding color-magnitude diagrams that extend at least 1 mag below the oldest main-sequence turnoff, and are similar in quality to those available for the MW companions. And II and And XVI show strikingly similar SFHs: both formed 50%-70% of their total stellar mass between 12.5 and 5 Gyr ago (z ~ 5-0.5) and both were abruptly quenched ~5 Gyr ago (z ~ 0.5). The predominance of intermediate age populations in And XVI makes it qualitatively different from faint companions of the MW and clearly not a pre-reionization fossil. Neither And II nor And XVI appears to have a clear analog among MW companions, and the degree of similarity in the SFHs of And II and And XVI is not seen among comparably faint-luminous pairs of MW satellites. These findings provide hints that satellite galaxy evolution may vary substantially among hosts of similar stellar mass. Although comparably deep observations of more M31 satellites are needed to further explore this hypothesis, our results underline the need for caution when interpreting satellite galaxies of an individual system in a broader cosmological context. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program #13028.
Proyectos relacionados
Cúmulo Globular NGC 2808
Vía Láctea y galaxias cercanas

El objetivo general del Proyecto es el estudio de la estructura, historia evolutiva y proceso de formación de galaxias a través de sus poblaciones estelares resueltas, tanto a partir de fotometría como espectroscopia. El proyecto puede dividirse en cuatro líneas principales: I. Historia de formación estelar en el Grupo Local. El objetivo de esta

Martín
López Corredoira
Una vista de nuestra galaxia, la Vía Láctea, con sus vecinos cercanos,  las Nubes de Magallanes
Evolución Galáctica en el Grupo Local

La formación y evolución de galaxias es un problema fundamental en Astrofísica. Su estudio requiere “viajar atrás en el tiempo”, para lo cual hay dos enfoques complementarios. El mas extendido consiste en analizar las propiedades de las galaxias a diferentes distancias cosmológicas. Nuestro equipo se concentra en el otro enfoque, denominado

Matteo
Monelli