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M. Correnti

Publications and source records attributed to M. Correnti.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

NGC5694: another extra-galactic globular cluster

We discuss the chemical composition of six giant stars of the outer Halo globular cluster NGC5694, through the analysis of UVES@FLAMES high-resolution spectra. The cluster has an average iron content [Fe/H]=--1.83+-0.01, solar-scaled [alpha/Fe] ratios and a very low Ba abundance ([Ba/Fe]=--0.71+-0.06). These anomalous abundance patterns are different from those observed in other Halo globular clusters but similar to those of the metal-poor stars in typical dwarf spheroidal galaxies. These findings suggest an extra-galactic origin for NGC5694, likely from a dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

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A low surface brightness halo surrounding the globular cluster NGC 5694

We report on the discovery of an extended stellar halo surrounding the distant Galactic globular cluster NGC 5694, based on new deep (V ~ 24.5) wide-field (24' * 20') photometry acquired with VIMOS at VLT. Stars with colour and magnitude consistent with the Main Sequence of the cluster are clearly identified out to r ~ 9'(~ 93 pc) from the cluster center, much beyond the tidal radius of the King model that best fits the inner profile (r_t=3.15'). We do not find a clear end of the structure within our field. The overall observed profile cannot be properly fitted with either a King (1966) model, an Elson et al. (1987) model, or a Wilson (1975) model; however it is very smooth and does not show any sign of the break near the tidal radius that is typically observed in stellar systems with tidal tails. The density map we derived does not show evidence of tidal tails, within the considered field. The extra-tidal component contains ~ 3.5% of the cluster light (mass) and has a surface density profile falling as ~ r^{-3.2}. The possible origin of the detected structure is discussed, as a clear-cut conclusion cannot be reached with the available data.

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An optical and HI study of the dwarf Local Group galaxy VV124=UGC4879. A gas-poor dwarf with a stellar disk?

We present a detailed study of the dwarf galaxy VV124, recently recognized as a isolated member of the Local Group. We have obtained deep (r=26.5) wide-field g,r photometry of individual stars with the LBT under sub-arcsec seeing conditions. The Color-Magnitude Diagram suggests that the stellar content of the galaxy is dominated by an old, metal-poor population, with a significant metallicity spread. A very clean detection of the RGB tip allows us to derive an accurate distance of D=1.3 +/- 0.1 Mpc. Combining surface photometry with star counts, we are able to trace the surface brightness profile of VV124 out to ~ 5' = 1.9 kpc radius (where mu_r=30 mag/arcsec^2), showing that it is much more extended than previously believed. Moreover, the surface density map reveals the presence of two symmetric flattened wings emanating from the central elongated spheroid and aligned with its major axis, resembling a stellar disk seen nearly edge-on. We also present HI observations obtained with the WSRT, the first ever of this object. A total amount of 10^6 M_sun of HI gas is detected in VV124. Compared to the total luminosity, this gives a value of M_HI/L_V=0.11, which is particularly low for isolated Local Group dwarfs. The spatial distribution of the gas does not correlate with the observed stellar wings. The systemic velocity of the HI in the region superposed to the stellar main body of the galaxy is V_h=-25 km/s. The velocity field shows substructures typical of galaxies of this size but no sign of rotation. The HI spectra indicates the presence of a two-phase interstellar medium, again typical of many dwarf galaxies.

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High Resolution HDS/SUBARU chemical abundances of the young stellar cluster Palomar 1

Context. Palomar\,1 is a peculiar globular cluster (GC). It is the youngest Galactic GC and it has been tentatively associated to several of the substructures recently discovered in the Milky Way (MW), including the Canis Major (CMa) overdensity and the Galactic Anticenter Stellar Structure (GASS). Aims. In order to provide further insights into its origin, we present the first high resolution chemical abundance analysis for one red giant in Pal\,1. Methods. We obtained high resolution (R=30000) spectra for one red giant star in Pal\,1 using the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) mounted at the SUBARU telescope. We used ATLAS-9 model atmospheres coupled with the SYNTHE and WIDTH calculation codes to derive chemical abundances from the measured line equivalent widths of 18 among $α$, Iron-peak, light and heavy elements. Results. The Palomar~1 chemical pattern is broadly compatible to that of the MW open clusters population and similar to disk stars. It is, instead, remarkably different from that of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Conclusions. If Pal\,1 association with either CMa or GASS will be confirmed, this will imply that these systems had a chemical evolution similar to that of the Galactic disk.

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The Northern wraps of the Sagittarius Stream as traced by Red Clump stars: distances, intrinsic widths and stellar densities

We trace the tidal Stream of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph) using Red Clump stars from the catalog of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - Data Release 6, in the range 150° < RA < 220°, corresponding to the range of orbital azimuth 220° < Lambda < 290°. Substructures along the line of sight are identified as significant peaks in the differential star count profiles (SCP) of candidate Red Clump stars. A proper modeling of the SCPs allows us to obtain: (a) <10% accurate, purely differential distances with respect to the main body of Sgr, (b) estimates of the FWHM along the line of sight, and (c) estimates of the local density, for each detected substructure. In the range 255° < Lambda < 290° we cleanly and continuously trace various coherent structures that can be ascribed to the Stream, in particular: the well known northern portion of the leading arm, running from d~43 kpc at Lambda ~ 290° to d ~ 30 kpc at Lambda ~ 255°, and a more nearby coherent series of detections lying at constant distance d ~ 25 kpc, that can be identified with a wrap of the trailing arm. The latter structure, predicted by several models of the disruption of Sgr dSph, was never traced before; comparison with existing models indicates that the difference in distance between these portions of the leading and trailing arms may provide a powerful tool to discriminate between theoretical models assuming different shapes of the Galactic potential. A further, more distant wrap in the same portion of the sky is detected only along a couple of lines of sight.[abridged]

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Red Clump stars in the Bootes III stellar system

We report on the detection of a population of Red Clump (RC) stars probably associated with the recently discovered stellar system Bootes III. The RC is identified as a 3 sigma peak in the Luminosity Function (LF) of colour-selected stars extracted from the SDSS database. The peak is consistently detected in the g,r,i and z LFs at the expected luminosity of a typical RC at the distance of Bootes III. Moreover the stars around the LF peak show a maximum of surface density nearly coincident with the reported center of the system. Assuming that the detected feature is the genuine RC of Bootes III, we find that the system has the HB morphology typical of old and metal-poor dwarf spheroidals, it has an integrated magnitude M_V=-5.8 pm 0.5 and an ellipticity epsilon about 0.5, quite typical of the recently identified new class of very faint dwarf galaxies.

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The non-peculiar velocity dispersion profile of the stellar system omega Centauri

We present the results of a survey of radial velocities over a wide region extending from r~10 arcmin out to r~80 arcmin (~1.5 tidal radii) within the massive star cluster omega Centauri. The survey was performed with FLAMES@VLT, to study the velocity dispersion profile in the outer regions of this stellar system. We derived accurate radial velocities for a sample of 2557 newly observed stars, identifying 318 bona-fide cluster red giants. Merging our data with those provided by Pancino et al. (2007), we assembled a final homogeneous sample of 946 cluster members that allowed us to trace the velocity dispersion profile from the center out to r~32 arcmin. The velocity dispersion appears to decrease monotonically over this range, from a central value of sigma_{v}~17.2 Km/s down to a minimum value of sigma_{v}~5.2 Km/s. The observed surface brightness profile, rotation curve, velocity dispersion profile and ellipticity profile are simultaneously well reproduced by a simple dynamical model in which mass follows light, within the classical Newtonian theory of gravitation. The comparison with an N-body model of the evolution of a system mimicking omega Cen during the last 10 orbits into the Galactic potential suggests that (a) the rotation of stars lying in the inner ~20 arcmin of the clusters is not due to the effects of the tidal field of the Milky Way, as hypothized by other authors, and (b) the overall observational scenario is still compatible with the possibility that the outer regions of the cluster are subject to some tidal stirring.

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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.

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The age of the main population of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Solving the "M giant conundrum"

We present a statistically decontaminated Color Magnitude Diagram of a 1 deg X 1 deg field in the core of the Sagittarius dSph galaxy. Coupling this CMD with the most recent metallicity distributions obtained from high resolution spectroscopy we derive robust constraints on the mean age of the stellar population that dominates the galaxy (Pop A). Using three different sets of theoretical isochrones in the metallicity range -0.4<= [M/H]<= -0.7 and taking into consideration distance moduli in the range 16.90<= (m-M)_0<= 17.20 we find that the mean age of Pop A is larger than 5 Gyr, and the best-fit value is age = 8.0 +/- 1.5 Gyr. Since Pop A provides the vast majority of the M giants that traces the tidal stream of Sgr dSph all over the sky, our estimate resolves the so called ``M giant conundrum'' (Majewski et al. 2003). The time needed by the M giants that currently populates the Stream to diffuse within the main body of Sgr and to reach the extremes of the tidal tails once torn apart from the parent galaxy (~ 3-4 Gyr) can be easily accommodated into the time lapsed since their birth (~ 5.5-9.5 Gyr).

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