arXiv subjects

Marina Rejkuba

Publications and source records attributed to Marina Rejkuba.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Triggered star-formation in the inner filament of Centaurus A

We present recent Hubble Space Telescope observations of the inner filament of Centaurus A, using the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) $F225W, F657N$ and $F814W$ filters. We find a young stellar population near the south-west tip of the filament. Combining the WFC3 dataset with archival Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) $F606W$ observations, we are able to constrain the ages of these stars to <=10 Myrs, with best-fit ages of 1-4 Myrs. No further recent star-formation is found along the filament. Based on the location and age of this stellar population, and the fact that there is no radio lobe or jet activity near the star-formation, we propose an updated explanation for the origin of the inner filament. Sutherland et al. (1993) suggested that radio jet-induced shocks can drive the observed optical line emission. We argue that such shocks can naturally arise due to a weak cocoon-driven bow shock (rather than from the radio jet directly), propagating through the diffuse interstellar medium from a location near the inner northern radio lobe. The shock can overrun a molecular cloud, triggering star-formation in the dense molecular cores. Ablation and shock heating of the diffuse gas then gives rise to the observed optical line and X-ray emission. Deeper X-ray observations should show more diffuse emission along the filament.

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arXiv2011

Spectra probing the number ratio of C- to M-type AGB stars in the NGC 6822 galaxy

Aims: We calibrate spectroscopically the C- versus (vs.) M-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star selection made using near-IR photometry, and investigate the spatial distribution of the C/M ratio in NGC 6822, based on low resolution spectroscopy and near-IR photometry. Methods: We obtained low resolution multi-object spectroscopy with the VIMOS instrument at the ESO VLT of ~ 800 stars in seven fields centred on NGC 6822. The spectroscopic classification of giant stars in NGC 6822 and foreground dwarf contaminants was made by comparing more than 500 good quality spectra with the spectroscopic atlas of Turnshek et al. (1985). The sample of spectroscopically confirmed AGB stars in NGC 6822 is divided into C- and M-rich giants to constrain the C vs. M AGB star selection criteria based on photometry. The larger near-IR photometric sample is then used to investigate the C/M ratio gradients across the galaxy. Results: We present the largest catalogue of near-IR photometry and spectra of AGB stars in NGC 6822 with 150 C-stars and 122 M-stars. Seventy-nine percent of the C-stars in our catalogue are redder than (J-K)0=1.2 mag, and 12% are brighter than K0=16.45 mag and bluer than (J-K)0=1.2 mag. The remaining 9% are mixed with the M-type AGB stars, 88% of which have colours J-H0>0.73 mag and (J-K)0 between 0.9 mag and 1.2 mag. The remainder are mixed with dwarfs and C-type stars. The foreground dwarfs have preferably colours (J-H)0<0.73 mag (95%). Using the proposed criteria, we estimate that the overall C/M ratio of the galaxy is around 0.8 with a spread between 0.2<C/M<1.8. These results suggest that the metallicity index [Fe/H] is between -1.2 dex and -1.3 dex according to the different calibrations and that there is a significant spread of about 0.4 - 0.6 dex. We also discuss age rather than metallicity variations that could explain the C/M ratio trends.

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arXiv2011

A WFC3 study of globular clusters in NGC 4150 - an early-type minor merger

We combine near-ultraviolet (NUV; 2250 Å) and optical (U, B, V, I) imaging from the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), to study the globular cluster (GC) population in NGC 4150, a sub-L* (M_B ~ -18.48 mag) early-type minor-merger remnant in the Coma I cloud. We use broadband NUV-optical photometry from the WFC3 to estimate individual ages, metallicities, masses and line-of-sight extinctions [E_(B-V)] for 63 bright (M_V < -5 mag) GCs in this galaxy. In addition to a small GC population with ages greater than 10 Gyr, we find a dominant population of clusters with ages centred around 6 Gyr, consistent with the expected peak of stellar mass assembly in faint early-types residing in low-density environments. The old and intermediate-age GCs in NGC 4150 are metal-poor, with metallicities less than 0.1 ZSun, and reside in regions of low extinction (E_(B-V) < 0.05 mag). We also find a population of young, metal-rich (Z > 0.3 ZSun) clusters that have formed within the last Gyr and reside in relatively dusty (E_(B-V) > 0.3 mag) regions that are coincident with the part of the galaxy core that hosts significant recent star formation. Cluster disruption models (in which ~80-90% of objects younger than a few 10^8 yr dissolve every dex in time) suggest that the bulk of these young clusters are a transient population.

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arXiv2011

New Galactic Star Clusters Discovered in the VVV Survey

VISTA Variables in the V\'ıa Láctea (VVV) is one of the six ESO Public Surveys operating on the new 4-meter Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). VVV is scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the disk, where star formation activity is high. One of the principal goals of the VVV Survey is to find new star clusters of different ages. In order to trace the early epochs of star cluster formation we concentrated our search in the directions to those of known star formation regions, masers, radio, and infrared sources. The disk area covered by VVV was visually inspected using the pipeline processed and calibrated $K_{\rm S}$-band tile images for stellar overdensities. Subsequently, we examined the composite $JHK_{\rm S}$ and $ZJK_{\rm S}$ color images of each candidate. PSF photometry of $15\times15$ arcmin fields centered on the candidates was then performed on the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit reduced images. After statistical field-star decontamination, color-magnitude and color-color diagrams were constructed and analyzed. We report the discovery of 96 new infrared open clusters and stellar groups. Most of the new cluster candidates are faint and compact (with small angular sizes), highly reddened, and younger than 5\,Myr. For relatively well populated cluster candidates we derived their fundamental parameters such as reddening, distance, and age by fitting the solar-metallicity Padova isochrones to the color-magnitude diagrams.

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arXiv2009

The Distance to NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)

In this paper we review the various high precision methods that are now available to determine the distance to NGC 5128. These methods include: Cepheids, TRGB (tip of the red giant branch), PNLF (planetary nebula luminosity function), SBF (surface brightness fluctuations) and Long Period Variable (LPV) Mira stars. From an evaluation of these methods and their uncertainties, we derive a best-estimate distance of 3.8 +- 0.1 Mpc to NGC 5128 and find that this mean is now well supported by the current data. We also discuss the role of NGC 5128 more generally for the extragalactic distance scale as a testbed for the most direct possible comparison among these key methods.

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arXiv2009

Integrated K-band spectra of old and intermediate-age globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Current stellar population models have arguably the largest uncertainties in the near-IR wavelength range, partly due to a lack of large and well calibrated empirical spectral libraries. In this paper we present a project, which aim it is to provide the first library of luminosity weighted integrated near-IR spectra of globular clusters to be used to test the current stellar population models and serve as calibrators for the future ones. Our pilot study presents spatially integrated K-band spectra of three old (>10 Gyr) and metal poor ([Fe/H]~-1.4), and three intermediate age (1-2 Gyr) and more metal rich ([Fe/H]~-0.4) globular clusters in the LMC. We measured the line strengths of the Na I, Ca I and 12CO(2-0) absorption features. The Na I index decreases with the increasing age and decreasing metallicity of the clusters. The Dco index, used to measure the 12CO(2-0) line strength, is significantly reduced by the presence of carbon-rich TP-AGB stars in the globular clusters with age ~1 Gyr. This is in contradiction with the predictions of the stellar population models of Maraston (2005). We find that this disagreement is due to the different CO absorption strength of carbon-rich Milky Way TP-AGB stars used in the models and the LMC carbon stars in our sample. For globular clusters with age >2 Gyr we find Dco index measurements consistent with the model predictions.

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arXiv2009

An HST/ACS investigation of the spatial and chemical structure and sub-structure of NGC 891, a Milky Way analogue

We present a structural analysis of NGC891, an edge-on galaxy that has long been considered to be an analogue of the Milky Way. Using starcounts derived from deep HST/ACS images, we detect the presence of a thick disk component in this galaxy with vertical scale height 1.44+/-0.03 kpc and radial scale length 4.8+/-0.1 kpc, only slightly longer than that of the thin disk. A stellar spheroid with a de Vaucouleurs-like profile is detected from a radial distance of 0.5 kpc to the edge of the survey at 25 kpc; the structure appears to become more flattened with distance, reaching q = 0.50 in the outermost halo region probed. The halo inside of 15 kpc is moderately metal-rich (median [Fe/H] ~ -1.1) and approximately uniform in median metallicity. Beyond that distance a modest chemical gradient is detected, with the median reaching [Fe/H] ~ -1.3 at 20 kpc. We find evidence for subtle, but very significant, small-scale variations in the median colour and density over the halo survey area. We argue that the colour variations are unlikely to be due to internal extinction or foreground extinction, and reflect instead variations in the stellar metallicity. Their presence suggests a startling conclusion: that the halo of this galaxy is composed of a large number of incompletely-mixed sub-populations, testifying to its origin in a deluge of small accretions.

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arXiv2009

The stellar population content of the thick disk and halo of the Milky Way analogue NGC 891

We present deep ACS images of 3 fields in the edge-on disk galaxy NGC 891, which extend from the plane of the disk to 12 kpc, and out to 25 kpc along the major axis. The photometry of individual stars reaches 2.5 magnitudes below the tip of the RGB. We use the astrophotometric catalogue to probe the stellar content and metallicity distribution across the thick disk and spheroid of NGC 891. The CMDs of thick disk and spheroid population are dominated by old RGB stars with a wide range of metallicities, from a metal-poor tail at [Fe/H] ~ -2.4 dex, up to about half-solar metallicity. The peak of the MDF of the thick disk is at -0.9 dex. The inner parts of the thick disk, within 14 kpc along the major axis show no vertical colour/metallicity gradient. In the outer parts, a mild vertical gradient of Delta(V-I)/Delta|Z| = 0.1 +/- 0.05 kpc^-1 is detected. This gradient is however accounted for by the mixing with the metal poor halo stars. No metallicity gradient along the major axis is present for thick disk stars, but strong variations of about 0.35 dex around the mean of [Fe/H] = -1.13 dex are found. The properties of the asymmetric MDFs of the thick disk stars show no significant changes in both the radial and the vertical directions. The stellar populations at solar cylinder-like distances show strikingly different properties from those of the Galaxy, suggesting that the accretion histories of both galaxies have been different. The spheroid population shows remarkably uniform stellar population properties. The median metallicity of the halo stellar population shows a shallow gradient from about -1.15 dex in the inner parts to -1.27 dex at 24 kpc distance from the centre. Similar to the thick disk stars, large variations around the mean relation are present.

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arXiv2008

The Nature of UCDs: Internal Dynamics from an Expanded Sample and Homogeneous Database

We have obtained high-resolution spectra of 23 ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in the Fornax cluster with -10.4>M_V>-13.5 mag (10^6 2*10^6 M_*) have M/L ratios twice as large as GCs (M < 2*10^6 M_*). We show that stellar population models tend to under-predict dynamical M/L ratios of UCDs and over-predict those of GCs. Considering the scaling relations of stellar spheroids, UCDs align well along the 'Fundamental Manifold', constituting the small-scale end of the galaxy sequence. The alignment for UCDs is especially clear for r_e >~ 7 pc, which corresponds to dynamical relaxation times that exceed a Hubble time. In contrast, GCs exhibit a broader scatter and do not appear to align along the manifold. We argue that UCDs are the smallest dynamically un-relaxed stellar systems, with M > 2*10^6 M_* and 7<r_e<100 pc. Future studies should aim at explaining the elevated M/L ratios of UCDs and the environmental dependence of their properties.

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arXiv2007

Millimagnitude Photometry for Transiting Extrasolar Planetary Candidates IV: The Puzzle of the Extremely Red OGLE-TR-82 Primary Solved

We present precise new V, I, and K-band photometry for the planetary transit candidate star OGLE-TR-82. Good seeing V-band images acquired with VIMOS instrument at ESO VLT allowed us to measure V=20.6+-0.03 mag star in spite of the presence of a brighter neighbour about 1" away. This faint magnitude answers the question why it has not been possible to measure radial velocities for this object. One transit of this star has been observed with GMOS-S instrument of GEMINI-South telescope in i and g-bands. The measurement of the transit allows us to verify that this is not a false positive, to confirm the transit amplitude measured by OGLE, and to improve the ephemeris. The transit is well defined in i-band light curve, with a depth of A_i=0.034 mag. It is however, less well defined, but deeper (A_g=0.1 mag) in the g-band, in which the star is significantly fainter. The near-infrared photometry obtained with SofI array at the ESO-NTT yields K=12.2+-0.1 and V-K=8.4+-0.1, so red that it is unlike any other transit candidate studied before. Due to the extreme nature of this object, we have not yet been able to measure velocities for this star, but based on the new data we consider two different possible configurations:(1) a nearby M7V star, or (2) a blend with a very reddened distant red giant. The nearby M7V dwarf hypothesis would give a radius for the companion of R_p=0.3+-0.1 R_J, i.e. the size of Neptune. Quantitative analysis of near-IR spectroscopy finally shows that OGLE-TR-82 is a distant, reddened metal poor early K giant. This result is confirmed by direct comparison with stellar templates that gives the best match for a K3III star. Therefore, we discard the planetary nature of the companion. Based on all the new data, we conclude that this system is a main-sequence binary blended with a background red giant.

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arXiv2004

The Most Exciting Massive Binary Cluster in NGC 5128: Clues to the Formation of Globular Clusters

VLT images in BVI are used to identify the ionizing source centered on Sersic 13, the largest HII region of the giant nearby galaxy NGC 5128 with log L_Halpha=39.6 erg/s. This ionizing source turns out to be a close pair of bright and blue star cluster candidates. Spectroscopy obtained with the Magellan I telescope confirms that these are massive young clusters physically associated with the giant HII region Sersic 13. The spectra of both clusters show prominent Wolf-Rayet type emission features, and prominent lines of HI and HeI, indicative of a very young age (t ~ few x 10^6 yr). Their luminosities make each of them at least as luminous as the massive young cluster R136 in 30 Doradus in the LMC, and their individual masses are estimated to be 1-7.5x10^5 M_sun. In addition, the projected separation of the cluster pair is 42 pc. The measured velocity difference between the clusters is small, ΔV=49+/-21 km/s, and within 2 sigma of the expected orbital velocity V_orb=5-12 km/s if they are bound. Dynamical models predict that binary clusters with these properties would merge in a short timescale of a few orbital periods (P=20-50x10^6 yr). The discovery of this binary cluster suggests that mergers of young massive clusters could lead to the formation of the most massive globular clusters such as omega Cen in our Galaxy and G1 in M31. Alternatively, if they are not gravitationally bound, these objects would individually evolve into two normal globular clusters.

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arXiv2003

Hubble Space Telescope Observations of cD Galaxies and their Globular Cluster Systems

We have used WFPC2 on the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain F450W and F814W images of four cD galaxies (NGC 541 in Abell 194, NGC 2832 in Abell 779, NGC 4839 in Abell 1656 and NGC 7768 in Abell 2666) in the range 5400 < cz < 8100 km s^{-1}. For NGC 541, the HST data are supplemented by ground-based B and I images obtained with the FORS1 on the VLT. We present surface brightness and color profiles for each of the four galaxies, confirming their classification as cD galaxies. Isophotal analyses reveal the presence of subarcsecond-scale dust disks in the nuclei of NGC 541 and NGC 7768. Despite the extreme nature of these galaxies in terms of spatial extent and luminosity, our analysis of their globular cluster systems reveals no anomalies in terms of specific frequencies, metallicity gradients, average metallicities, or the metallicity offset between the globulars and the host galaxy. We show that the latter offset appears roughly constant at Δ[Fe/H] ~ 0.8 dex for early-type galaxies spanning a luminosity range of roughly four orders of magnitude. We combine the globular cluster metallicity distributions with an empirical technique described in a series of earlier papers to investigate the form of the protogalactic mass spectrum in these cD galaxies. We find that the observed GC metallicity distributions are consistent with those expected if cD galaxies form through the cannibalism of numerous galaxies and protogalactic fragments which formed their stars and globular clusters before capture and disruption. However, the properties of their GC systems suggest that dynamical friction is not the primary mechanism by which these galaxies are assembled. We argue that cDs instead form rapidly, via hierarchical merging, prior to cluster virialization.

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arXiv2003

Optical Counterparts of X-Ray Point Sources Observed by CHANDRA in NGC5128: 20 New Globular Cluster X-Ray Sources

VLT images in $BVI$ are used to identify the optical counterparts to bright CHANDRA X-ray points sources discovered by Kraft et al. (2001, ApJ, 560, 675) in NGC5128. Of a total of 111 X-ray point sources with L_X>2*10^{36} ergs/s present in a 56 arcmin^2 field centered on this galaxy, 58 have optical counterparts. Based on the sizes, optical magnitudes and colors, 20 new globular cluster counterparts of X-ray sources are identified, plus 3 identified based on their sizes. This brings the total number of globular cluster X-ray sources in this galaxy to 33, and establishes that 30% of the X-ray point sources in NGC5128 are associated with globular clusters. These X-ray globular clusters occupy the brightest end of the globular cluster luminosity function, indicating that bright low-mass X-ray binaries are preferentially found in massive clusters. Most of the globular clusters with X-ray sources have red colors, with 1.0 10^{37} erg/sec. There is, however, no globular cluster X-ray source in NGC5128 as bright as expected for an accreting black hole. In addition, 31 optical counterparts of X-ray point sources that are not associated with globular clusters are identified. Finally, 53 X-ray point sources (48% of the population), do not have any optical counterparts down to the faintest magnitude limits (B=25).

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arXiv2003

Kinematic Evidence for an Old Stellar Halo in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The oldest and most metal-poor Milky Way stars form a kinematically hot halo, which motivates the two major formation scenarios for our galaxy: extended hierarchical accretion and rapid collapse. RR Lyrae stars are excellent tracers of old and metal-poor populations. We measure the kinematics of 43 RR Lyrae stars in the inner regions of the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy. The velocity dispersion, σ_{true}=53\pm10 km/s, indicates that a kinematically hot metal-poor old halo also exists in the LMC. This suggests that our galaxy and smaller late-type galaxies like the LMC have similar early formation histories.

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arXiv2002

K-Band Red Clump Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud

The Hipparcos I-band calibration of horizontal-branch red clump giants as standard candles has lead to controversial results for the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). In an attempt to properly ascertain the corrections for interstellar extinction and clump age and metallicity, we analyze new multi-wavelength luminosity functions of the LMC red clump. Our photometry dataset in the K-band was obtained with the SOFI infrared imager at the European Southern Observatory's New Technology Telescope. In the V and I passbands, we employ data from WFPC2 onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The LMC red clump is first identified in a K,(V-K) color-magnitude diagram. Our luminosity functions yield apparent magnitudes of K = 16.974, I = 18.206, and V = 19.233 (+- 0.009_r +- 0.02_s; random and systematic error, respectively). Compared directly to the Hipparcos red clump calibration (without a correction for age and metallicity), the LMC clump measurements imply a negative interstellar reddening correction. This unphysical result indicates a population difference between clumps. A modified calibration based on theoretical modeling yields an average reddening correction of E(B-V) = 0.089 +- 0.015_r, and a true LMC distance modulus of 18.493 +- 0.033_r +- 0.03_s. We reconcile our result with the short distance previously derived from OGLE II red clump data.

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arXiv2001

Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance for the Sculptor Group Dwarf ESO 540-032

We present the first VI CCD photometry for the Sculptor group galaxy ESO 540-032 obtained at the Very Large Telescope UT1+FORS1. The (I, V-I) colour-magnitude diagram indicates that this intermediate-type dwarf galaxy is dominated by old, metal-poor ([Fe/H]~-1.7 dex) stars, with a small population of slightly more metal-rich ([Fe/H]~-1.3 dex), young (age 150-500 Myr) stars. A discontinuity in the I-band luminosity function is detected at I_0 = 23.44 \pm 0.09 mag. Interpreting this feature as the tip of the red giant branch and adopting M_I=-4.20\pm 0.10 mag for its absolute magnitude, we have determined a Population II distance modulus of (m - M)_0=27.64 \pm 0.14 mag (3.4 \pm 0.2 Mpc). This distance confirms ESO 540-032 as a member of the nearby Sculptor group but is significantly larger than a previously reported value based on the Surface Brightness Fluctuation (SBF) method. The results from stellar population synthesis models suggest that the application of the SBF technique on dwarf galaxies with mixed morphology requires a detailed knowledge of the underlying stellar composition and thus offers no advantage over a direct distance measurement using the tip of the red giant branch as distance indicator. We produce the surface brightness profiles for ESO 540-032 and derive the photometric and structural parameters. The global properties follow closely the relations between metallicity and both absolute magnitude and central surface brightness defined by dwarf elliptical galaxies in the Local Group. Finally, we identify and discuss a non-stellar object near the galaxy center which may resemble a globular cluster.

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arXiv2001

Deep VLT search for globular clusters in NGC 5128: color-magnitude diagrams and globular cluster luminosity function

At the distance of NGC 5128 (3.6 \pm 0.2 Mpc) it is possible to resolve globular clusters with high resolution imaging from the ground, thus allowing the globular cluster candidate selection primarily through their morphological properties. I report the discovery of 71 globular clusters in NGC 5128 on VLT UT1+FORS1 images, including the faintest members (Mv ~ -5) known to date in this galaxy as well as 5 previously known clusters. U- and V-band photometry has been measured for all the candidates and the luminosity function, spanning -10.1<Mv<-4.9 and -9.3<Mu<-3.3, constructed. These are the deepest globular cluster luminosity functions in an elliptical galaxy determined so far. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics show that the difference between the globular cluster luminosity functions of NGC 5128 and the MW is not larger than the difference between the ones of M31 and the MW. The (U-V)o color histogram shows a bimodal distribution. For 23 globular clusters I obtained K-band images with SOFI at the NTT in La Silla. Their positions in the (U-V) vs.(V-K) color-color diagram indicate that they are indeed old globular clusters. Assuming that the globular clusters in NGC 5128 span a similar age range as the ones in the Milky Way and adopting a linear fit between the metallicity and (U-V)o color, the metal-rich clusters peak at [Fe/H]=-0.6 dex and the metal-poor ones peak at [Fe/H]=-1.7 dex.

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