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Michael F. Skrutskie

Publications and source records attributed to Michael F. Skrutskie.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2007

Near and Mid-IR Photometry of the Pleiades, and a New List of Substellar Candidate Members

We make use of new near and mid-IR photometry of the Pleiades cluster in order to help identify proposed cluster members. We also use the new photometry with previously published photometry to define the single-star main sequence locus at the age of the Pleiades in a variety of color-magnitude planes. The new near and mid-IR photometry extend effectively two magnitudes deeper than the 2MASS All-Sky Point Source catalog, and hence allow us to select a new set of candidate very low mass and sub-stellar mass members of the Pleiades in the central square degree of the cluster. We identify 42 new candidate members fainter than Ks =14 (corresponding to 0.1 Mo). These candidate members should eventually allow a better estimate of the cluster mass function to be made down to of order 0.04 solar masses. We also use new IRAC data, in particular the images obtained at 8 um, in order to comment briefly on interstellar dust in and near the Pleiades. We confirm, as expected, that -- with one exception -- a sample of low mass stars recently identified as having 24 um excesses due to debris disks do not have significant excesses at IRAC wavelengths. However, evidence is also presented that several of the Pleiades high mass stars are found to be impacting with local condensations of the molecular cloud that is passing through the Pleiades at the current epoch.

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arXiv2006

Unveiling the Boxy Bulge and Bar of the Andromeda Spiral Galaxy

A new, 2.8 deg^2 J,H,K_s infrared survey from the 2MASS 6x program across the extent of the optical disk of the Andromeda (M31) galaxy provides a clear view of the M31 center almost completely unfettered by dust extinction, and reveals a high contrast bulge with extremely boxy isophotes dominating the NIR light to a semi-major axis of ~700''(2.6 kpc). The inner bulge (<~50'') is relatively circular, but shows some isophotal twisting. Beyond this, the ellipticity and boxiness of the bulge increase with radius -- achieving a boxiness that rivals that of any other known disk galaxy observed in the near infrared -- and the position angle is constant at ~50 deg, which is about 10 deg higher than the position angle of the M31 disk. Boxy bulges in highly inclined disks have been shown to be the vertical structure of bars, and self-consistent, N-body modeling specific to the NIR images presented here can reproduce the observed NIR M31 features with a combination of a classical bulge and a boxy bulge/bar. Beyond the boxy bulge region and nearly along the 40 deg position angle of the disk a narrow ridge of infrared flux, which can be identified with the thin part of the bar, more or less symmetrically extends into the inner disk at semi-major axis radii of 700'' to 1200'' or more. Little variation in the morphology or relative brightnesses of these various M31 structures is seen across the NIR bands (i.e., no color gradients are seen). These new data verify that M31 is a barred spiral galaxy like the Milky Way.

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arXiv2006

The Dog on the Ship: The "Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy" as an Outlying Part of the Argo Star System

Overdensities in the distribution of low latitude, 2MASS giant stars are revealed by systematically peeling away from sky maps the bulk of the giant stars conforming to ``isotropic'' density laws generally accounting for known Milky Way components. This procedure, combined with a higher resolution treatment of the sky density of both giants and dust allows us to probe to lower Galactic latitudes than previous 2MASS giant star studies. While the results show the swath of excess giants previously associated with the Monoceros ring system in the second and third Galactic quadrants at distances of 6-20 kpc, we also find a several times larger overdensity of giants in the same distance range concentrated in the direction of the ancient constellation Argo. Isodensity contours of the large structure suggest that it is highly elongated and inclined by about 3 deg to the disk, although details of the structure -- including the actual location of highest density, overall extent, true shape -- and its origin, remain unknown because only a fraction of it lies outside highly dust-obscured, low latitude regions. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the 2MASS M giant overdensity previously claimed to represent the core of a dwarf galaxy in Canis Major (l ~ 240 deg) is an artifact of a dust extinction window opening to the overall density rise to the more significant Argo structure centered at larger longitude (l ~ 290 +- 10 deg, b ~ -4 +- 2 deg).

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arXiv2005

The Fan Observatory Bench Optical Spectrograph (FOBOS)

The Fan Observatory Bench Optical Spectrograph (FOBOS) is intended for single-object optical spectroscopy at moderate resolution (R~1500-3000) using a fiber-fed, bench-mounted design to maintain stability. Whenever possible, the instrument uses off-the-shelf components to maintain a modest cost. FOBOS supports Galactic astronomy projects that require consistently well-measured (~5 km/sec) radial velocities for large numbers of broadly distributed and relatively bright (V<14) stars. The spectrograph provides wavelength coverage throughout the optical spectrum, although the instrument design was optimized for use in the range 470-670 nm. Test data indicate that the instrument is stable and capable of measuring radial velocities with precision better than 3 km/sec at a resolution of R~1500 with minimal calibration overhead.

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arXiv2004

A Two Micron All-Sky Survey View of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy: II. Swope Telescope Spectroscopy of M Giant Stars in the Dynamically Cold Sagittarius Tidal Stream

We present moderate resolution (~6 km/s) spectroscopy of 284 M giant candidates selected from the Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry. Radial velocities (RVs) are presented for stars mainly in the south, with a number having positions consistent with association to the trailing tidal tail of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy. The latter show a clear RV trend with orbital longitude, as expected from models of the orbit and destruction of Sgr. A minimum 8 kpc width of the trailing stream about the Sgr orbital midplane is implied by verified RV members. The coldness of this stream (dispersion ~10 km/s) provides upper limits on the combined contributions of stream heating by a lumpy Galactic halo and the intrinsic dispersion of released stars, which is a function of the Sgr core mass. The Sgr trailing arm is consistent with a Galactic halo containing one dominant, LMC-like lump, however some lumpier halos are not ruled out. An upper limit to the total M/L of the Sgr core is 21 in solar units. A second structure that roughly mimics expectations for wrapped, leading Sgr arm debris crosses the trailing arm in the Southern Hemisphere; however, this may also be an unrelated tidal feature. Among the <13 kpc M giants toward the South Galactic Pole are some with large RVs that identify them as halo stars, perhaps part of the Sgr leading arm near the Sun. The positions and RVs of Southern Hemisphere M giants are compared with those of southern globular clusters potentially stripped from the Sgr system and support for association of Pal 2 and Pal 12 with Sgr debris is found. Our discussion includes description of a masked-filtered cross-correlation methodology that achieves better than 1/20 of a resolution element RVs in moderate resolution spectra.

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arXiv2003

Dark Matter Constraints from the Sagittarius Dwarf and Tail System

2MASS has provided a three-dimensional map of the >360 degree, wrapped tidal tails of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy, as traced by M giant stars. With the inclusion of radial velocity data for stars along these tails, strong constraints exist for dynamical models of the Milky Way-Sgr interaction. N-body simulations of Sgr disruption with model parameters spanning a range of initial conditions (e.g., Sgr mass and orbit, Galactic rotation curve, halo flattening) are used to find parameterizations that match almost every extant observational constraint of the Sgr system. We discuss the implications of the Sgr data and models for the orbit, mass and M/L of the Sgr bound core as well as the strength, flattening, and lumpiness of the Milky Way potential.

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arXiv2003

Modeling the Tidal Tails of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy

N-body simulations are used to model the tidal disruption of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy with constraints set by the positions and velocities of M giants in the Sgr tidal arms recently revealed by the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). The simulated Sgr dwarf is placed on a variety of orbits within a Milky Way potential parameterized by variable circular velocities, halo flattenings and radial profiles. Two hundred separate test particle orbits have been used to explore a wide range of model Milky Way potentials and dwarf galaxy characteristics. The family of models is delimited by the data to a relatively narrow allowed range of parameters, and then input into N-body simulations. We present our best-fitting model, and discuss the orbital period, apoGalacticon distance, current space velocity, mass-to-light ratio, and other characteristics of the Sgr dwarf. In addition, we discuss the implications of this model for the flattening of the Galactic halo.

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arXiv2003

Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars: Spectroscopy of Stars in the Galactic Anticenter Stellar Structure

To determine the nature of the recently discovered, ring-like stellar structure at the Galactic anticenter, we have collected spectra of a set of presumed constituent M giants selected from the 2MASS point source catalog. Radial velocities have been obtained for stars spanning ~100 degrees, exhibiting a trend in velocity with Galactic longitude and an estimated dispersion of 20 +/- 4 km/sec. A mean metallicity [Fe/H] = -0.4 +/- 0.3 measured for these stars combines with previous evidence from the literature to suggest a population with a significant metallicity spread. In addition, a curious alignment of at least four globular clusters of lower mean metallicity is noted to be spatially and kinematically consistent with this stellar distribution. We interpret the M giant sample position and velocity variation with Galactic longitude as suggestive of a satellite galaxy currently undergoing tidal disruption in a non-circular, prograde orbit about the Milky Way.

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arXiv2003

2MASS Studies of Differential Reddening Across Three Massive Globular Clusters

J, H, and K_S band data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) are used to study the effects of differential reddening across the three massive Galactic globular clusters Omega Centauri, NGC 6388, and NGC 6441. Evidence is found that variable extinction may produce false detections of tidal tails around Omega Centauri. We also investigate what appears to be relatively strong differential reddening towards NGC 6388 and NGC 6441, and find that differential extinction may be exaggerating the need for a metallicity spread to explain the width of the red giant branches for these two clusters. Finally, we consider the implications of these results for the connection between unusual, multipopulation globular clusters and the cores of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph).

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arXiv2002

The 2MASS Wide-Field T Dwarf Search. I. Discovery of a Bright T Dwarf Within 10 pc of the Sun

We present the discovery of a bright (J = 13.94$\pm$0.03) T dwarf, 2MASS 1503+2525, identified in a new, wide-field search for T dwarfs using the recently completed Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). The 1--2.5 $\micron$ spectrum of this object exhibits the strong H$_2$O and CH$_4$ bands characteristic of mid- and late-type T dwarfs, and we derive a spectral type of T5.5 using both the Burgasser et al. and the Geballe et al. classification schemes. Based on its spectral type and the absolute magnitudes of known T dwarfs, we estimate the distance of this object as 8$\pm$3 pc if it is single, likely within 10 pc of the Sun. Our new 2MASS search, which covers 74% of the sky and greatly expands on earlier color constraints, should identify 15--25 new T dwarfs with J $\leq$ 16. Combined with the 20 known members of this class that already fall within our search criteria, our new sample will provide improved statistics for such key quantities as the binary fraction and the field substellar mass function. Furthermore, multiple detections from overlapping 2MASS scans provide multiple epoch astrometry and photometry, and we present proper motions for five T dwarfs in our sample.

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arXiv2001

The Spectra of T Dwarfs I: Near-Infrared Data and Spectral Classification

We present near-infrared spectra for a sample of T dwarfs, including eleven new discoveries made using the Two Micron All Sky Survey. These objects are distinguished from warmer (L-type) brown dwarfs by the presence of methane absorption bands in the 1--2.5 $\micron$ spectral region. A first attempt at a near-infrared classification scheme for T dwarfs is made, based on the strengths of CH$_4$ and H$_2$O bands and the shapes of the 1.25, 1.6, and 2.1 $\micron$ flux peaks. Subtypes T1 V through T8 V are defined, and spectral indices useful for classification are presented. The subclasses appear to follow a decreasing T$_{eff}$ scale, based on the evolution of CH$_4$ and H$_2$O bands and the properties of L and T dwarfs with known distances. However, we speculate that this scale is not linear with spectral type for cool dwarfs, due to the settling of dust layers below the photosphere and subsequent rapid evolution of spectral morphology around T$_{eff}$ $\sim$ 1300--1500 K. Similarities in near-infrared colors and continuity of spectral features suggest that the gap between the latest L dwarfs and earliest T dwarfs has been nearly bridged. This argument is strengthened by the possible role of CH$_4$ as a minor absorber shaping the K-band spectra of the latest L dwarfs. Finally, we discuss one peculiar T dwarf, 2MASS 0937+2931, which has very blue near-infrared colors (J-K$_s$ = $-0.89\pm$0.24) due to suppression of the 2.1 $\micron$ peak. The feature is likely caused by enhanced collision-induced H$_2$ absorption in a high pressure or low metallicity photosphere.

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arXiv2000

The Two Micron All-Sky Survey: Removing the Infrared Foreground

We introduce the properties of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) survey for IAU Symposium 204. 2MASS is a near-infrared survey of the entire sky characterized by high reliability and completeness. Catalogs and images for 47% of the sky are now available online. This data release has been used by Wright (2000) and Cambresy et al. (2000) to subtract the stellar foreground at 1.25 and 2.2 microns from COBE DIRBE data, revealing the cosmological near-infrared background.

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arXiv2000

Discovery of a Bright Field Methane (T-type) Brown Dwarf by 2MASS

We report the discovery of a bright (J = 13.83$\pm$0.03) methane brown dwarf, or T dwarf, by the Two Micron All Sky Survey. This object, 2MASSI J0559191-140448, is the first brown dwarf identified by the newly commissioned CorMASS instrument mounted on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. Near-infrared spectra from 0.9 - 2.35 $\micron$ show characteristic CH$_4$ bands at 1.1, 1.3, 1.6, and 2.2 $\micron$, which are significantly shallower than those seen in other T dwarfs discovered to date. Coupled with the detection of an FeH band at 0.9896 $\micron$ and two sets of K I doublets at J-band, we propose that 2MASS J0559-14 is a warm T dwarf, close to the transition between L and T spectral classes. The brightness of this object makes it a good candidate for detailed investigation over a broad wavelength regime and at higher resolution.

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