arXiv subjects

Steffen Mieske

Publications and source records attributed to Steffen Mieske.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

A 3.5-million Solar Masses Black Hole in the Centre of the Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy Fornax UCD3

The origin of ultracompact dwarfs (UCDs), a class of compact stellar systems discovered two decades ago, still remains a matter of debate. Recent discoveries of central supermassive black holes in UCDs likely inherited from their massive progenitor galaxies provide support for the tidal stripping hypothesis. At the same time, on statistical grounds, some massive UCDs might be representatives of the high luminosity tail of the globular cluster luminosity function. Here we present a detection of a $3.3^{+1.4}_{-1.2}\times10^6\,M_{\odot}$ black hole ($1σ$ uncertainty) in the centre of the UCD3 galaxy in the Fornax cluster, that corresponds to 4 per cent of its stellar mass. We performed isotropic Jeans dynamical modelling of UCD3 using internal kinematics derived from adaptive optics assisted observations with the SINFONI spectrograph and seeing limited data collected with the FLAMES spectrograph at the ESO VLT. We rule out the zero black hole mass at the $3σ$ confidence level when adopting a mass-to-light ratio inferred from stellar populations. This is the fourth supermassive black hole found in a UCD and the first one in the Fornax cluster. Similarly to other known UCDs that harbour black holes, UCD3 hosts metal rich stars enhanced in $α$-elements that supports the tidal stripping of a massive progenitor as its likely formation scenario. We estimate that up to 80 per cent of luminous UCDs in galaxy clusters host central black holes. This fraction should be lower for UCDs in groups, because their progenitors are more likely to be dwarf galaxies, which do not tend to host central black holes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The Black Hole in the Most Massive Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy M59-UCD3

We examine the internal properties of the most massive ultracompact dwarf galaxy (UCD), M59-UCD3, by combining adaptive optics assisted near-IR integral field spectroscopy from Gemini/NIFS, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging. We use the multi-band HST imaging to create a mass model that suggests and accounts for the presence of multiple stellar populations and structural components. We combine these mass models with kinematics measurements from Gemini/NIFS to find a best-fit stellar mass-to-light ratio ($M/L$) and black hole (BH) mass using Jeans Anisotropic Models (JAM), axisymmetric Schwarzschild models, and triaxial Schwarzschild models. The best fit parameters in the JAM and axisymmetric Schwarzschild models have black holes between 2.5 and 5.9 million solar masses. The triaxial Schwarzschild models point toward a similar BH mass, but show a minimum $χ^2$ at a BH mass of $\sim 0$. Models with a BH in all three techniques provide better fits to the central $V_{rms}$ profiles, and thus we estimate the BH mass to be $4.2^{+2.1}_{-1.7} \times 10^{6}$ M$_\odot$ (estimated 1$σ$ uncertainties). We also present deep radio imaging of M59-UCD3 and two other UCDs in Virgo with dynamical BH mass measurements, and compare these to X-ray measurements to check for consistency with the fundamental plane of BH accretion. We detect faint radio emission in M59cO, but find only upper limits for M60-UCD1 and M59-UCD3 despite X-ray detections in both these sources. The BH mass and nuclear light profile of M59-UCD3 suggests it is the tidally stripped remnant of a $\sim$10$^{9-10}$ M$_\odot$ galaxy.

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arXiv2018

Upper limits on the presence of central massive black holes in two ultra-compact dwarf galaxies in Centaurus A

The recent discovery of massive black holes (BHs) in the centers of high-mass ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) suggests that at least some are the stripped nuclear star clusters of dwarf galaxies. We present the first study that investigates whether such massive BHs, and therefore stripped nuclei, also exist in low-mass ($M<10^{7}M_{\odot}$) UCDs. We constrain the BH masses of two UCDs located in Centaurus A (UCD320 and UCD330) using Jeans modeling of the resolved stellar kinematics from adaptive optics VLT/SINFONI data. No massive BHs are found in either UCD. We find a $3\,σ$ upper limit on the central BH mass in UCD\,330 of $M_{\bullet}<1.0\times10^{5}M_{\odot}$, which corresponds to 1.7\% of the total mass. This excludes a high mass fraction BH and would only allow a low-mass BHs similar to those claimed to be detected in Local Group GCs. For UCD320, poorer data quality results in a less constraining $3\,σ$ upper limit of $M_{\bullet}<1\times10^{6}M_{\odot}$, which is equal to 37.7\% of the total mass. The dynamical $M/L$ of UCD320 and UCD330 are not inflated compared to predictions from stellar population models. The non-detection of BHs in these low-mass UCDs is consistent with the idea that elevated dynamical $M/L$s do indicate the presence of a substantial BH. Despite not detecting massive BHs, these systems could still be stripped nuclei. The strong rotation ($v/σ$ of 0.3 to 0.4) in both UCDs and the two-component light profile in UCD330 support the idea that these UCDs may be stripped nuclei of low-mass galaxies where the BH occupation fraction is not yet known.

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arXiv2018

The Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS): II. The Central Dwarf Galaxy Population

We present a photometric study of the dwarf galaxy population in the core region ($< r_{\rm vir}/4$) of the Fornax galaxy cluster based on deep $u'g'i'$ photometry from the Next Generation Fornax Cluster Survey. All imaging data were obtained with the Dark Energy Camera mounted on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at the Cerro-Tololo Interamerican Observatory. We identify 258 dwarf galaxy candidates with luminosities $-17 < M_{g'} < -8$ mag, corresponding to typical stellar masses of $9.5\gtrsim \log{\cal M}_{\star}/M_\odot \gtrsim 5.5$, reaching $\sim\!3$ mag deeper in point-source luminosity and $\sim\!4$ mag deeper in surface-brightness sensitivity compared to the classic Fornax Cluster Catalog. Morphological analysis shows that surface-brightness profiles are well represented by single-component Sérsic models with average Sérsic indices of $\langle n\rangle_{u',g',i'}=(0.78-0.83) \pm 0.02$, and average effective radii of $\langle r_e\rangle_{u',g',i'}\!=(0.67-0.70) \pm 0.02$ kpc. Color-magnitude relations indicate a flattening of the galaxy red sequence at faint galaxy luminosities, similar to the one recently discovered in the Virgo cluster. A comparison with population synthesis models and the galaxy mass-metallicity relation reveals that the average faint dwarf galaxy is likely older than ~5 Gyr. We study galaxy scaling relations between stellar mass, effective radius, and stellar mass surface density over a stellar mass range covering six orders of magnitude. We find that over the sampled stellar mass range several distinct mechanisms of galaxy mass assembly can be identified: i) dwarf galaxies assemble mass inside the half-mass radius up to $\log{\cal M}_{\star}$ ~8.0, ii) isometric mass assembly in the range $8.0 < \log{\cal M}_{\star}/M_\odot < 10.5$, and iii) massive galaxies assemble stellar mass predominantly in their halos at $\log{\cal M}_{\star}$ ~10.5 and above.

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arXiv2017

VEGAS-SSS II: Comparing the globular cluster systems in NGC3115 and NGC1399 using VEGAS and FDS survey data

We analyze the globular cluster (GC) systems in two very different galaxies, N3115 and N1399. With the papers of this series, we aim at highlighting common and different properties in the GC systems in galaxies covering a wide range of parameter space. We compare the GCs in N3115 and N1399 as derived from the analysis of u, g, and i band images taken with the VST telescope as part of the VEGAS and FDS surveys. We selected GC candidates using as reference the morpho-photometric and color properties of confirmed GCs. The surface density of GCs in N3115 reveal a morphology similar to the profile of field stars; the same is true when blue and red GCs are taken separately. The GC maps for N1399 are richer in structure and confirm the existence of an intracluster GC component. We confirm the presence of a spatial offset in the N1399 GC centroid and find that the centroid of the GCs for N3115 coincides well with the galaxy center. Both GC systems show unambiguous color bimodality in g-i and u-i. The azimuthal average of the radial density profiles in both galaxies reveals a larger spatial extent for the total GCs population with respect to the galaxy surface brightness profile. As for the specific frequency of GCs, Sn, we find it is a factor of two higher in N1399 than for N3115. By inspecting the radial behavior of the specific frequency, Sn(<r), for the total, blue, and red GCs, we find notable similarities between the trends for red GCs in the two targets. In spite of extremely different host environments, the red GCs in both cases appear closely linked to the light distribution of field stars. Blue GCs extend to larger galactocentric scales than red GCs, marking a significant difference between the two galaxies: the blue/red GCs and field stellar components of N3115 appear well thermalized with each other and the blue GCs in N1399 appear to fade into an unrelaxed intracluster GC population.

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arXiv2017

Detection of Enhanced Central Mass-to-Light Ratios in Low-Mass Early-Type Galaxies: Evidence for Black Holes?

We present dynamical measurements of the central mass-to-light ratio ($M/L$) of a sample of 27 low-mass early-type ATLAS$^{3D}$ galaxies. We consider all ATLAS$^{3D}$ galaxies with 9.7$<$log(M$_\star/$M$_\odot)$$<$10.5 in our analysis, selecting out galaxies with available high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, and eliminating galaxies with significant central color gradients or obvious dust features. We use the HST images to derive mass models for these galaxies and combine these with the central velocity dispersion values from ATLAS$^{3D}$ data to obtain a central dynamical $M/L$ estimate. These central dynamical $M/L$s are higher than dynamical $M/L$s derived at larger radii and stellar population estimates of the galaxy centers in $\sim$80\% of galaxies, with a median enhancement of $\sim$14\% and a statistical significance of 3.3$σ$. We show that the enhancement in the central $M/L$ is best described either by the presence of black holes in these galaxies or by radial IMF variations. Assuming a black hole model, we derive black hole masses for the sample of galaxies. In two galaxies, NGC 4458 and NGC 4660, the data suggests significantly over-massive BHs, while in most others only upper limits are obtained. We also show that the level of $M/L$ enhancements we see in these early-type galaxy nuclei are consistent with the larger enhancements seen in ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), supporting the scenario where massive UCDs are created by stripping galaxies of these masses.

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arXiv2017

The Survey of Centaurus A's Baryonic Structures (SCABS). II. The Extended Globular Cluster System of NGC5128 and its Nearby Environment

Wide-field $u'g'r'i'z'$ Dark Energy Camera observations centred on the giant elliptical galaxy NGC5128 covering $\sim21deg^2$ are used to compile a new catalogue of $\sim3200$ globular clusters (GCs). We report 2404 new candidates, including the vast majority within $\sim140$kpc of NGC5128. We find evidence for a transition at a galactocentric radius of $R_{\rm gc}\approx55$kpc from GCs intrinsic to NGC5128 to those likely to have been accreted from dwarf galaxies or that may transition to the intra-group medium of the Centaurus A galaxy group. We fit power-law surface number density profiles of the form $Σ_{N, R_{\rm gc}}\propto R_{\rm gc}^Γ$ and find that inside the transition radius, the red GCs are more centrally concentrated than the blue, with $Γ_{\rm inner,red}\approx-1.78$ and $Γ_{\rm inner,blue}\approx-1.40$. Outside this region both profiles flatten, more dramatically for the red GCs ($Γ_{\rm outer,red}\approx-0.33$) compared to the blue ($Γ_{\rm outer,blue}\approx-0.61$), although the former is more likely to suffer contamination by background sources. The median $(g'\!-\!z')_0\!=\!1.27$mag colour of the inner red population is consistent with arising from the amalgamation of two giant galaxies each less luminous than present-day NGC5128. Both in- and out-ward of the transition radius, we find the fraction of blue GCs to dominate over the red GCs, indicating a lively history of minor-mergers. Assuming the blue GCs to originate primarily in dwarf galaxies, we model the population required to explain them, while remaining consistent with NGC5128's present-day spheroid luminosity. We find that several dozen dwarfs of luminosities $L_{dw,V}\simeq10^{6-9.3}L_{V,\odot}$, following a Schechter luminosity function with a faint-end slope of $-1.50\leqα\leq-1.25$ is favoured, many of which may have already been disrupted in NGC5128's tidal field.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Detection of Supermassive Black Holes in Two Virgo Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxies

We present the detection of supermassive black holes (BHs) in two Virgo ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), VUCD3 and M59cO. We use adaptive optics assisted data from the Gemini/NIFS instrument to derive radial velocity dispersion profiles for both objects. Mass models for the two UCDs are created using multi-band Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, including the modeling of mild color gradients seen in both objects. We then find a best-fit stellar mass-to-light ratio ($M/L$) and BH mass by combining the kinematic data and the deprojected stellar mass profile using Jeans Anisotropic Models (JAM). Assuming axisymmetric isotropic Jeans models, we detect BHs in both objects with masses of $4.4^{+2.5}_{-3.0} \times 10^6$ $M_{\odot}$ in VUCD3 and $5.8^{+2.5}_{-2.8} \times 10^6$ $M_{\odot}$ in M59cO (3$σ$ uncertainties). The BH mass is degenerate with the anisotropy parameter, $β_z$; for the data to be consistent with no BH requires $β_z = 0.4$ and $β_z = 0.6$ for VUCD3 and M59cO, respectively. Comparing these values with nuclear star clusters shows that while it is possible that these UCDs are highly radially anisotropic, it seems unlikely. These detections constitute the second and third UCDs known to host supermassive BHs. They both have a high fraction of their total mass in their BH; $\sim$13% for VUCD3 and $\sim$18% for M59cO. They also have low best-fit stellar $M/L$s, supporting the proposed scenario that most massive UCDs host high mass fraction BHs. The properties of the BHs and UCDs are consistent with both objects being the tidally stripped remnants of $\sim$10$^9$ M$_\odot$ galaxies.

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arXiv2016

The Survey of Centaurus A's Baryonic Structures (SCABS). I. Survey Description and Initial Source Catalogues

We present new, wide-field, optical ($u'g'r'i'z'$) Dark Energy Camera observations covering $\sim21\,{\rm deg}^2$ centred on the nearby giant elliptical galaxy NGC5128 called "The Survey of Centaurus A's Baryonic Structures" (SCABS). The data reduction and analysis procedures are described including initial source detection, photometric and astrometric calibration, image stacking, and point-spread function modelling. We estimate 50 and 90 percent, field-dependent, point-source completeness limits of at least $u'=24.08$ and $23.62$ mag (AB), $g'=22.67$ and $22.27$ mag, $r'=22.46$ and $22.00$ mag, $i'=22.05$ and $21.63$ mag, and $z'=21.71$ and $21.34$ mag. Deeper imaging in the $u'$-, $i'$- and $z'$-bands provide the fainter limits for the inner $\sim3\,{\rm deg}^2$ of the survey, and we find very stable photometric sensitivity across the entire field of view. Source catalogues are released in all filters including spatial, photometric, and morphological information for a total of $\sim5\times10^5-1.5\times10^6$ detected sources (filter-dependent). We finish with a brief discussion of potential science applications for the data including, but not limited to, upcoming works by the SCABS team.

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arXiv2016

Faint Dwarf Galaxies in Hickson Compact Group 90

We report the discovery of a very diverse set of five low-surface brightness (LSB) dwarf galaxy candidates in Hickson Compact Group 90 (HCG 90) detected in deep U- and I-band images obtained with VLT/VIMOS. These are the first LSB dwarf galaxy candidates found in a compact group of galaxies. We measure spheroid half-light radii in the range $0.7\!\lesssim\! r_{\rm eff}/{\rm kpc}\! \lesssim\! 1.5$ with luminosities of $-11.65\!\lesssim\! M_U\! \lesssim\! -9.42$ and $-12.79\!\lesssim\! M_I\! \lesssim\! -10.58$ mag, corresponding to a color range of $(U\!-\!I)_0\!\simeq\!1.1\!-\!2.2$ mag and surface brightness levels of $μ_U\!\simeq\!28.1\,{\rm mag/arcsec^2}$ and $μ_I\!\simeq\!27.4\,{\rm mag/arcsec^2}$. Their colours and luminosities are consistent with a diverse set of stellar population properties. Assuming solar and 0.02 Z$_\odot$ metallicities we obtain stellar masses in the range $M_*|_{Z_\odot} \simeq 10^{5.7-6.3} M_{\odot}$ and $M_*|_{0.02\,Z_\odot}\!\simeq\!10^{6.3-8}\,M_{\odot}$. Three dwarfs are older than 1 Gyr, while the other two significantly bluer dwarfs are younger than $\sim 2$ Gyr at any mass/metallicity combination. Altogether, the new LSB dwarf galaxy candidates share properties with dwarf galaxies found throughout the Local Volume and in nearby galaxy clusters such as Fornax. We find a pair of candidates with $\sim\!2$ kpc projected separation, which may represent one of the closest dwarf galaxy pairs found. We also find a nucleated dwarf candidate, with a nucleus size of $r_{\rm eff}\!\simeq\!46\!-\!63$ pc and magnitude M$_{U,0}=-7.42$ mag and $(U\!-\!I)_0\!=\!1.51$ mag, which is consistent with a nuclear stellar disc with a stellar mass in the range $10^{4.9-6.5}\,M_\odot$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Exploding Satellites -- The Tidal Debris of the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy Hercules

The ultra-faint satellite galaxy Hercules has a strongly elongated and irregular morphology with detections of tidal features up to 1.3 deg (3 kpc) from its center. This suggests that Hercules may be dissolving under the Milky Way's gravitational influence, and hence could be a tidal stream in formation rather than a bound, dark-matter dominated satellite. Using Bayesian inference in combination with N-body simulations, we show that Hercules has to be on a very eccentric orbit (epsilon~0.95) within the Milky Way in this scenario. On such an orbit, Hercules "explodes" as a consequence of the last tidal shock at pericenter 0.5 Gyr ago. It is currently decelerating towards apocenter of its orbit with a velocity of V=157 km/s -- of which 99% is directed radially outwards. Due to differential orbital precession caused by the non-spherical nature of the Galactic potential, its debris fans out nearly perpendicular to its orbit. This explains why Hercules has an elongated shape without showing a distance gradient along its main body: it is in fact a stream that is significantly broader than it is long. In other words, it is moving perpendicular to its apparent major axis. In this scenario, there is a spike in the radial velocity profile created by the dominant debris component that formed through the last pericenter passage. This is similar to kinematic substructure that is observed in the real Hercules. Modeling a satellite on such a highly eccentric orbit is strongly dependent on the form of the Galactic potential. We therefore propose that detailed kinematic investigation of Hercules and other exploding satellite candidates can yield strong constraints on the potential of the Milky Way.

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arXiv2016

The matter distribution in the local Universe as derived from galaxy groups in SDSS DR12 and 2MRS

Context. Friends-of-friends algorithms are a common tool to detect galaxy groups and clusters in large survey data. In order to be as precise as possible, they have to be carefully calibrated using mock catalogues. Aims. We create an accurate and robust description of the matter distribution in the local Universe using the most up-to-date available data. This will provide the input for a specific cosmological test planned as follow-up to this work, and will be useful for general extragalactic and cosmological research. Methods. We created a set of galaxy group catalogues based on the 2MRS and SDSS DR12 galaxy samples using a friends-of-friends based group finder algorithm. The algorithm was carefully calibrated and optimised on a new set of wide-angle mock catalogues from the Millennium simulation, in order to provide accurate total mass estimates of the galaxy groups taking into account the relevant observational biases in 2MRS and SDSS. Results. We provide four different catalogues (i) a 2MRS based group catalogue; (ii) an SDSS DR12 based group catalogue reaching out to a redshift z = 0.11 with stellar mass estimates for 70% of the galaxies; (iii) a catalogue providing additional fundamental plane distances for all groups of the SDSS catalogue that host elliptical galaxies; (iv) a catalogue of the mass distribution in the local Universe based on a combination of our 2MRS and SDSS catalogues. Conclusions. While motivated by a specific cosmological test, three of the four catalogues that we produced are well suited to act as reference databases for a variety of extragalactic and cosmological science cases. Our catalogue of fundamental plane distances for SDSS groups provides further added value to this paper.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Dynamical Evolution of Outer-Halo Globular Clusters

Outer-halo globular clusters show large half-light radii and flat stellar mass functions, depleted in low-mass stars. Using N-body simulations of globular clusters on eccentric orbits within a Milky Way-like potential, we show how a cluster's half-mass radius and its mass function develop over time. The slope of the central mass function flattens proportionally to the amount of mass a cluster has lost, and the half-mass radius grows to a size proportional to the average strength of the tidal field. The main driver of these processes is mass segregation of dark remnants. We conclude that the extended, depleted clusters observed in the Milky Way must have had small half-mass radii in the past, and that they expanded due to the weak tidal field they spend most of their lifetime in. Moreover, their mass functions must have been steeper in the past but flattened significantly as a cause of mass segregation and tidal mass loss.

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arXiv2015

Unveiling a Rich System of Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Next Generation Fornax Survey

We report the discovery of 158 previously undetected dwarf galaxies in the Fornax cluster central regions using a deep coadded $u, g$ and $i$-band image obtained with the DECam wide-field camera mounted on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory as part of the {\it Next Generation Fornax Survey} (NGFS). The new dwarf galaxies have quasi-exponential light profiles, effective radii $0.1\!<\!r_e\!<\!2.8$ kpc and average effective surface brightness values $22.0\!<\!μ_i\!<\!28.0$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$. We confirm the existence of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Fornax core regions that resemble counterparts recently discovered in the Virgo and Coma galaxy clusters.~We also find extremely low surface brightness NGFS dwarfs, which are several magnitudes fainter than the classical UDGs. The faintest dwarf candidate in our NGFS sample has an absolute magnitude of $M_i\!=\!-8.0$\,mag. The nucleation fraction of the NGFS dwarf galaxy sample appears to decrease as a function of their total luminosity, reaching from a nucleation fraction of $>\!75\%$ at luminosities brighter than $M_i\!\simeq\!-15.0$ mag to $0\%$ at luminosities fainter than $M_i\!\simeq\!-10.0$ mag. The two-point correlation function analysis of the NGFS dwarf sample shows an excess on length scales below $\sim\!100$ kpc, pointing to the clustering of dwarf galaxies in the Fornax cluster core.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Dozens of compact and high velocity-dispersion early-type galaxies in Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Aims. We aim at finding candidates of potential survivors of high-redshift compact galaxies in SDSS, as targets for more detailed follow-up observations. Methods. From the virial theorem it is expected that for a given mass, compact galaxies have stellar velocity dispersion higher than the mean due to their smaller sizes. Therefore velocity dispersion coupled with size (or mass) is an appropriate method to select relics, independent of the stellar population properties. Based on these consideration we design a set of criteria using distribution of early-type galaxies from SDSS on the log$_{10}$(R$_{0}$)-log$_{10}$($σ_{0}$) plane to find the most extreme objects on it. Results. We find 76 galaxies at 0.05 < z < 0.2, which have properties similar to the typical quiescent galaxies at high redshift. We study how well these galaxies fit on well-known local universe relations of early-type galaxies such as the fundamental plane, the red sequence or mass-size relations. As expected from the selection criteria, the candidates are located in an extreme corner of mass-size plane. However, they do not extend as deeply into the so-called zone of exclusion as some of the high-redshift compact galaxies ('red nuggets') found at high redshift, being a factor 2-3 less massive at a given intrinsic scale size. Our candidates are systematically offset from scaling relations of average early-type galaxies, while being in the mass-size range expected for passive evolution of the red nuggets from their high redshift to the present. Conclusions. The 76 selected candidates form a well suited set of objects for further follow-up observations. We argue that selecting a high velocity dispersion is the best way to find analogues of compact high redshift galaxies in the local universe.

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arXiv2014

A Supermassive Black Hole in an Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy

Ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are among the densest stellar systems in the universe. These systems have masses up to 200 million solar masses, but half light radii of just 3-50 parsecs. Dynamical mass estimates show that many UCDs are more massive than expected from their luminosity. It remains unclear whether these high dynamical mass estimates are due to the presence of supermassive black holes or result from a non-standard stellar initial mass function that causes the average stellar mass to be higher than expected. Here we present the detection of a supermassive black hole in a massive UCD. Adaptive optics kinematic data of M60-UCD1 show a central velocity dispersion peak above 100 km/s and modest rotation. Dynamical modeling of these data reveals the presence of a supermassive black hole with mass of 21 million solar masses. This is 15% of the object's total mass. The high black hole mass and mass fraction suggest that M60-UCD1 is the stripped nucleus of a galaxy. Our analysis also shows that M60-UCD1's stellar mass is consistent with its luminosity, implying many other UCDs may also host supermassive black holes. This suggests a substantial population of previously unnoticed supermassive black holes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

How tidal erosion has shaped the relation between globular cluster specific frequency and galaxy luminosity

We quantify to what extent tidal erosion of globular clusters (GCs) has contributed to the observed u-shaped relation between GC specific frequencies S_N and host galaxy luminosity M_V. We used our MUESLI code to calculate GC survival rates for typical early-type galaxy potentials covering a wide range of observed galaxy properties. We do this for isotropic and radially anisotropic GC velocity distributions. We find that the calculated GC survival fraction, f_s, depends linearly on the logarithm of the 3D mass density, rho_3D, within the galaxy's half light radius, with f_s proportional to (rho_3D)^(-0.17). For a given galaxy, survival rates are lower for radially anisotropic configurations than for the isotropic GC cases. We apply these relations to a literature sample of 219 early-type galaxies from Harris et al. (2013) in the range M_V=[-24.5:-15.5] mag. The expected GC survival fraction ranges from ~50% for the most massive galaxies with the largest radii to ~10% for the most compact galaxies. We find that intermediate luminosity galaxies M_V=[-20.5:-17.5] mag have the strongest expected GC erosion. Within the considered literature sample, the predicted GC survival fraction therefore defines a u-shaped relation with M_V, similar to the relation between specific frequency S_N and M_V. As a consequence, the u-shape of S_N vs. M_V gets erased almost entirely when correcting the S_N values for the effect of GC erosion. We conclude that tidal erosion is an important contributor to the u-shaped relation between GC specific frequency and host galaxy luminosity. It must be taken into account when inferring primordial star cluster formation efficiencies from observations of GC systems in the nearby universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Revisiting the Impact of Atmospheric Dispersion and Differential Refraction on Widefield Multiobject Spectroscopic Observations. From VLT/VIMOS to Next Generation Instruments

(Abridged) Atmospheric dispersion and field differential refraction impose severe constraints on widefield MOS observations. Flux reduction and spectral distortions must be minimised by a careful planning of the observations -- which is especially true for instruments that use slits instead of fibres. This is the case of VIMOS at the VLT, where MOS observations have been restricted, since the start of operations, to a narrow two-hour range from the meridian to minimise slit losses. We revisit in detail the impact of atmospheric effects on the quality of VIMOS-MOS spectra. We model slit losses across the entire VIMOS FOV as a function of target declination. We explore two different slit orientations at the meridian: along the parallactic angle (North-South), and perpendicular to it (East-West). We show that, for fields culminating at zenith distances larger than 20 deg, slit losses are minimised with slits oriented along the parallactic angle at the meridian. The two-hour angle rule holds for these observations using N-S orientations. Conversely, for fields with zenith angles smaller than 20 deg at culmination, losses are minimised with slits oriented perpendicular to the parallactic angle at the meridian. MOS observations can be effectively extended to plus/minus three hours from the meridian in these cases. In general, night-long observations of a single field will benefit from using the E-W orientation. All-sky or service mode observations, however, require a more elaborate planning that depends on the target declination, and the hour angle of the observations. We establish general rules for the alignment of slits in MOS observations that will increase target observability, enhance the efficiency of operations, and speed up the completion of programmes -- a particularly relevant aspect for the forthcoming spectroscopic public surveys with VIMOS.

astro-ph.IM↗