SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

H. J. Newberg

Publications and source records attributed to H. J. Newberg.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Exploring asymmetric substructures of the outer disk based on the conjugate angle of the radial action

We use the conjugate angle of radial action ($θ_R$), the best representation of the orbital phase, to explore the "mid-plane, north branch, south branch" and "Monoceros area" disk structures that were previously revealed in the LAMOST K giants (Xu et al. 2020). The former three substructures, identified by their 3D kinematical distributions, have been shown to be projections of the phase space spiral (resulting from nonequilibrium phase mixing). In this work, we find that all of these substructures associated with the phase spiral show high aggregation in conjugate angle phase space, indicating that the clumping in conjugate angle space is a feature of ongoing, incomplete phase mixing. We do not find the $Z-V_Z$ phase spiral located in the "Monoceros area", but we do find a very highly concentrated substructure in the quadrant of conjugate angle space with the orbital phase from the apocenter to the guiding radius. The existence of the clump in conjugate angle space provides a complementary way to connect the "Monoceros area" with the direct response to a perturbation from a significant gravitationally interactive event. Using test particle simulations, we show that these features are analogous to disturbances caused by the impact of the last passage of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

astro-ph.GA

Exploring the pertubed Milky Way disk and the substructures of the outer disk

The recent discovery of a spiral feature in $Z-V_Z$ phase plane in the solar neighborhood implies that the Galactic disk has been remarkably affected by a dwarf galaxy passing through it some hundreds of millions of years ago. Using 429,500 LAMOST K giants stars, we show that the spiral feature exits not only in the solar vicinity; it also extends to about 15 kpc from the Galactic center, and then disappears beyond this radius. Moreover, we find that when the spiral features in a plot of $V_ϕ$ as a function of position in the $Z-V_Z$ plane, at various Galactocentric radii, are re-mapped to $R-Z$ plane, the spiral can explain well the observed asymmetric velocity substructures. This is evidence that the phase spiral features are the same as the bulk motions found in previous as well as this work. Test-particle simulations and N-body simulations show that an encounter with a dwarf galaxy a few hundred million years ago will induce a perturbation in the Galactic disk. In addition, we find that the last impact of Sgr dSph can also contribute to the flare. As a consequence of the encounter, the distribution function of disk stars at a large range of radii is imprinted by the gravitational perturbation.

astro-ph.GA

A Cold Stellar Stream in Pegasus

We report the serendipitous discovery of a stellar stream in the constellation Pegasus in the south Galactic hemisphere. The stellar stream was detected using the SDSS Data Release 14 by means of a matched filter in the color--magnitude diagram that is optimised for a stellar population that is 8 Gyr old with [Fe/H] = $-$0.46 dex, and located at heliocentric distance of 18 kpc. The candidate stream is faint (turnoff point at $r_0 \sim$ 19.6), sparse and barely visible in SDSS photometry. It is also detected in the (shallower) Pan-STARRs data. The residual stellar density in the $(u-g)_0$, $(g-r)_0$ color--color diagram gives the same estimate for the age and [Fe/H] of this stellar population. The stream is located at a Galactic coordinates $(l,b) = (79.4,-24.6)$ and extends over 9$^\circ$ (2.5 kpc), with a width of 112 pc. The narrow width suggests a globular cluster progenitor.

astro-ph.GA

The SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. II. Validation with Galactic Globular and Open Clusters

We validate the performance and accuracy of the current SEGUE (Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), which determines stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) by comparing derived overall metallicities and radial velocities from selected likely members of three globular clusters (M 13, M 15, and M 2) and two open clusters (NGC 2420 and M 67) to the literature values. Spectroscopic and photometric data obtained during the course of the original Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I) and its first extension (SDSS-II/SEGUE) are used to determine stellar radial velocities and atmospheric parameter estimates for stars in these clusters. Based on the scatter in the metallicities derived for the members of each cluster, we quantify the typical uncertainty of the SSPP values, sigma([Fe/H]) = 0.13 dex for stars in the range of 4500 K < Teff < 7500 K and 2.0 < log g < 5.0, at least over the metallicity interval spanned by the clusters studied (-2.3 < [Fe/H] < 0). The surface gravities and effective temperatures derived by the SSPP are also compared with those estimated from the comparison of the color-magnitude diagrams with stellar evolution models; we find satisfactory agreement. At present, the SSPP underestimates [Fe/H] for near-solar-metallicity stars, represented by members of M 67 in this study, by about 0.3 dex.

astro-ph

An Orphan in the "Field of Streams"

We use Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 photometry and spectroscopy to study a tidal stream that extends over 50 degrees in the North Galactic Cap. From the analysis of the path of the stream and the colors and magnitudes of its stars, the stream is about 20 kpc away at its nearest detection (the celestial equator). We detect a distance gradient -- the stream is farther away from us at higher declination. The contents of the stream are made up from a predominantly old and metal-poor population that is similar to the globular clusters M13 and M92. The integrated absolute magnitude of the stream stars is estimated to be M_r = -7.5. There istentative evidence for a velocity signature, with the stream moving at -40 km/s at low declinations and +100 km/s at high declinations. The stream lies on the same great circle as Complex A, a roughly linear association of HI high velocity clouds stretching over 30 degrees on the sky, and as Ursa Major II, a recently discovered dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Lying close to the same great circle are a number of anomalous, young and metal-poor globular clusters, including Palomar 1 and Ruprecht 106.

astro-ph

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Monitor Telescope Pipeline

The photometric calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a multi-step process which involves data from three different telescopes: the 1.0-m telescope at the US Naval Observatory (USNO), Flagstaff Station, Arizona (which was used to establish the SDSS standard star network); the SDSS 0.5-m Photometric Telescope (PT) at the Apache Point Observatory (APO), New Mexico (which calculates nightly extinctions and calibrates secondary patch transfer fields); and the SDSS 2.5-m telescope at APO (which obtains the imaging data for the SDSS proper). In this paper, we describe the Monitor Telescope Pipeline, MTPIPE, the software pipeline used in processing the data from the single-CCD telescopes used in the photometric calibration of the SDSS (i.e., the USNO 1.0-m and the PT). We also describe transformation equations that convert photometry on the USNO-1.0m u'g'r'i'z' system to photometry the SDSS 2.5m ugriz system and the results of various validation tests of the MTPIPE software. Further, we discuss the semi-automated PT factory, which runs MTPIPE in the day-to-day standard SDSS operations at Fermilab. Finally, we discuss the use of MTPIPE in current SDSS-related projects, including the Southern u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star project, the u'g'r'i'z' Open Star Clusters project, and the SDSS extension (SDSS-II).

astro-ph

Detection of a population gradient in the Sagittarius Stream

We present a quantitative comparison between the Horizontal Branch morphology in the core of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr) and in a wide field sampling a portion of its tidal stream (Sgr Stream), located tens of kpc away from the center of the parent galaxy. We find that the Blue Horizontal Branch (BHB) stars in that part of the Stream are five times more abundant than in the Sgr core, relative to Red Clump stars. The difference in the ratio of BHB to RC stars between the two fields is significant at the 4.8 sigma level. This indicates that the old and metal-poor population of Sgr was preferentially stripped from the galaxy in past peri-Galactic passages with respect to the intermediate-age metal rich population that presently dominates the bound core of Sgr, probably due to a strong radial gradient that was settled within the galaxy before its disruption. The technique adopted in the present study allows to trace population gradients along the whole extension of the Stream.

astro-ph

Cats and Dogs, Hair and A Hero: A Quintet of New Milky Way Companions

We present five new satellites of the Milky Way discovered in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) imaging data, four of which were followed-up with either the Subaru or the Isaac Newton Telescopes. They include four probable new dwarf galaxies -- one each in the constellations of Coma Berenices, Canes Venatici, Leo and Hercules -- together with one unusually extended globular cluster, Segue 1. We provide distances, absolute magnitudes, half-light radii and color-magnitude diagrams for all five satellites. The morphological features of the color-magnitude diagrams are generally well described by the ridge line of the old, metal-poor globular cluster M92. In the last two years, a total of ten new Milky Way satellites with effective surface brightness mu_v >~ 28 mag/sq. arcsec have been discovered in SDSS data. They are less luminous, more irregular and appear to be more metal-poor than the previously-known nine Milky Way dwarf spheroidals. The relationship between these objects and other populations is discussed. We note that there is a paucity of objects with half-light radii between ~40 pc and ~ 100 pc. We conjecture that this may represent the division between star clusters and dwarf galaxies.

astro-ph

A Curious New Milky Way Satellite in Ursa Major

In this Letter, we study a localized stellar overdensity in the constellation of Ursa Major, first identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data and subsequently followed up with Subaru imaging. Its color-magnitude diagram (CMD) shows a well-defined sub-giant branch, main sequence and turn-off, from which we estimate a distance of ~30 kpc and a projected size of ~250 x 125 pc. The CMD suggests a composite population with some range in metallicity and/or age. Based on its extent and stellar population, we argue that this is a previously unknown satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, hereby named Ursa Major II (UMa II) after its constellation. Using SDSS data, we find an absolute magnitude of M_V \~ -3.8, which would make it the faintest known satellite galaxy. UMa II's isophotes are irregular and distorted with evidence for multiple concentrations; this suggests that the satellite is in the process of disruption.

astro-ph

A Faint New Milky Way Satellite in Bootes

In this Letter, we announce the discovery of a new satellite of the Milky Way in the constellation of Bootes at a distance of 60 kpc. It was found in a systematic search for stellar overdensities in the North Galactic Cap using Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 (SDSS DR5). The color-magnitude diagram shows a well-defined turn-off, red giant branch, and extended horizontal branch. Its absolute magnitude is -5.8, which makes it one of the faintest galaxies known. The half-light radius is 220 pc. The isodensity contours are elongated and have an irregular shape, suggesting that Boo may be a disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

astro-ph

The Field of Streams: Sagittarius and its Siblings

We use Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 5 (DR5) u,g,r,i,z photometry to study Milky Way halo substructure in the area around the North Galactic Cap. A simple color cut (g-r < 0.4) reveals the tidal stream of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal, as well as a number of other stellar structures in the field. Two branches (A and B) of the Sagittarius stream are clearly visible in an RGB-composite image created from 3 magnitude slices, and there is also evidence for a still more distant wrap behind the A branch. A comparison of these data with numerical models suggests that the shape of the Galactic dark halo is close to spherical.

astro-ph

A New Milky Way Dwarf Satellite in Canes Venatici

In this Letter, we announce the discovery of a new dwarf satellite of the Milky Way, located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was found as a stellar overdensity in the North Galactic Cap using Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 (SDSS DR5). The satellite's color-magnitude diagram shows a well-defined red giant branch, as well as a horizontal branch. As judged from the tip of the red giant branch, it lies at a distance of ~220 kpc. Based on the SDSS data, we estimate an absolute magnitude of Mv ~ -7.9, a central surface brightness of mu_0,V ~ 28 mag arcsecond^-2, and a half-light radius of \~ 8.5' (~ 550 pc at the measured distance). The outer regions of Canes Venatici appear extended and distorted. The discovery of such a faint galaxy in proximity to the Milky Way strongly suggests that more such objects remain to be found.

astro-ph

A Spectroscopic Study of the Ancient Milky Way: F- and G-Type Stars in the Third Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

(Abridged) We perform an analysis of spectra and photometry for 22,770 stars included in the third data release (DR3) of the SDSS. We measure radial velocities and, based on a model-atmosphere analysis, derive estimates ofthe atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and [Fe/H]) for each star. Stellar evolution models are then used to estimate distances. The SDSS sample covers a range in stellar brightness of 14 < V < 22, and comprises large numbers of F- and G-type stars from the thick-disk and halo populations (up to 100 kpc from the galactic plane), therefore including some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. In agreement with previous results from the literature, we find that halo stars exhibit a broad range of iron abundances, with a peak at [Fe/H] ~ -1.4. This population exhibits essentially no galactic rotation. Thick-disk G-dwarf stars at distances from the galactic plane in the range 1<|z|<3 kpc show a much more compact metallicity distribution, with a maximum at [Fe/H] ~ -0.7, and a median galactic rotation velocity at that metallicity of 157 +/- 4 km/s (a lag relative to the thin disk of 63 km/s). A comparison of color indices and metal abundances with isochrones indicates that no significant star formation has taken place in the halo in the last ~ 11 Gyr, but there are thick-disk stars which are at least 2 Gyr younger. We find the metallicities of thick-disk stars to be nearly independent of galactocentric distance between 5 and 14 kpc, in contrast with the marked gradients found in the literature for the thin disk. No vertical metallicity gradient is apparent for the thick disk, but we detect a gradient inits rotational velocity of -16 +/- 4 km/s/kpc between 1 and 3 kpc from the plane.

astro-ph

New Resources to Explore the Old Galaxy: Mining the SDSS

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is collecting photometry and intermediate resolution spectra for ~ 10**5 stars in the thick-disk and stellar halo of the Milky Way. This massive dataset can be used to infer the properties of the stars that make up these structures, and considerably deepen our vision of the old components of the Galaxy. We devise tools for automatic analysis of the SDSS photometric and spectroscopic data based on plane-parallel line-blanketed LTE model atmospheres and fast optimization algorithms. A preliminary study of about 5000 stars in the Early Data Release gives a hint of the vast amount of information that the SDSS stellar sample contains.

astro-ph

LOTIS, Super-LOTIS, SDSS and Tautenburg Observations of GRB 010921

We present multi-instrument optical observations of the High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-2)/Interplanetary Network (IPN) error box of GRB 010921. This event was the first gamma ray burst (GRB) localized by HETE-2 which has resulted in the detection of an optical afterglow. In this paper we report the earliest known observations of the GRB010921 field, taken with the 0.11-m Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS) telescope, and the earliest known detection of the GRB010921 optical afterglow, using the 0.5-m Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Telescope (SDSS PT). Observations with the LOTIS telescope began during a routine sky patrol 52 minutes after the burst. Observations were made with the SDSS PT, the 0.6-m Super-LOTIS telescope, and the 1.34-m Tautenburg Schmidt telescope at 21.3, 21.8, and 37.5 hours after the GRB, respectively. In addition, the host galaxy was observed with the USNOFS 1.0-m telescope 56 days after the burst. We find that at later times (t > 1 day after the burst), the optical afterglow exhibited a power-law decline with a slope of $α= 1.75 \pm 0.28$. However, our earliest observations show that this power-law decline can not have extended to early times (t < 0.035 day).

astro-ph

A New Very Cool White Dwarf Discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Early data taken during commissioning of the SDSS have resulted in the discovery of a very cool white dwarf. It appears to have stronger collision induced absorption from molecular hydrogen than any other known white dwarf, suggesting it has a cooler temperature than any other. While its distance is presently unknown, it has a surprisingly small proper motion, making it unlikely to be a halo star. An analysis of white dwarf cooling times suggests that this object may be a low-mass star with a helium core. The SDSS imaging and spectroscopy also recovered LHS 3250, the coolest previously known white dwarf, indicating that the SDSS will be an effective tool for identifying these extreme objects.

astro-ph

Identification of A-colored Stars and Structure in the Halo of the Milky Way from SDSS Commissioning Data

A sample of 4208 objects with magnitude 15 < g* < 22 and colors of main sequence A stars has been selected from 370 square degrees of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) commissioning observations. The data is from two long, narrow stripes, each with an opening angle of greater than 60 deg, at Galactic latitudes 36 < abs(b) < 63 on the celestial equator. An examination of the sample's distribution shows that these stars trace considerable substructure in the halo. Large overdensities of A-colored stars in the North at (l,b,R) = (350, 50, 46 kpc) and in the South at (157, -58, 33 kpc) and extending over tens of degrees are present in the halo of the Milky Way. Using photometry to separate the stars by surface gravity, both structures are shown to contain a sequence of low surface gravity stars consistent with identification as a blue horizontal branch (BHB). Both structures also contain a population of high surface gravity stars two magnitudes fainter than the BHB stars, consistent with their identification as blue stragglers (BSs). From the numbers of detected BHB stars, lower limits to the implied mass of the structures are 6x10^6 M_sun and 2x10^6 M_sun. The fact that two such large clumps have been detected in a survey of only 1% of the sky indicates that such structures are not uncommon in the halo. Simple spheroidal parameters are fit to a complete sample of the remaining unclumped BHB stars and yield (at r < 40 kpc) a fit to a halo distribution with flattening (c/a = 0.65+/-0.2) and a density falloff exponent of alpha = -3.2+/-0.3.

astro-ph