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Improved photometry of SDSS crowded field images: Structure and dark matter content in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo I

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 Added by Vernesa Smolcic
 Publication date 2007
  fields Physics
and research's language is English




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We explore how well crowded field point-source photometry can be accomplished with SDSS data: We present a photometric pipeline based on DoPhot, and tuned for analyzing crowded-field images from the SDSS. Using Monte Carlo simulations we show that the completeness of source extraction is above 80% to i < 21 (AB) and a stellar surface density of about 200 sq.amin. Hence, a specialized data pipeline can efficiently be used for e.g. nearby resolved galaxies in SDSS images, where the standard SDSS photometric package Photo, when applied in normal survey mode, gives poor results. We apply our pipeline to an area of about 3.55sq.deg. around the dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) Leo I, and construct a high S/N star-count map of Leo I via an optimized filter in color-magnitude space (g,r,i). Although the radial surface-density profile of the dwarf deviates from the best fit empirical King model towards outer radii, we find no evidence for tidal debris out to a stellar surface-density of 4*10^(-3) of the central value. We determine the total luminosity of Leo I, and model its mass using the spherical and isotropic Jeans equation. Assuming that mass follows light we constrain a lower limit of the total mass of the dSph to be (1.7+/-0.2)*10^7 Msol. Contrary, if the mass in Leo I is dominated by a constant density dark-matter (DM) halo, then the mass within the central 12 is (2+/-0.6)*10^8 Msol. This leads to a mass-to-light ratio of >>6 (Ic_sol), and possibly >75 if the DM halo dominates the mass and extends further out than 12. In summary, our results show that Leo I is a symmetric, relaxed and bound system; this supports the idea that Leo I is a dark-matter dominated system.



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We present low-resolution spectroscopy of 120 red giants in the Galactic satellite dwarf spheroidal (dSph) Leo I, obtained with the GeminiN-GMOS and Keck-DEIMOS spectrographs. We find stars with velocities consistent with membership of Leo I out to 1.3 King tidal radii. By measuring accurate radial velocities with a median measurement error of 4.6 km/s we find a mean systemic velocity of 284.2 km/s with a global velocity dispersion of 9.9 km/s. The dispersion profile is consistent with being flat out to the last data point. We show that a marginally-significant rise in the radial dispersion profile at a radius of 3 is not associated with any real localized kinematical substructure. Given its large distance from the Galaxy, tides are not likely to have affected the velocity dispersion, a statement we support from a quantitative kinematical analysis, as we observationally reject the occurrence of a significant apparent rotational signal or an asymmetric velocity distribution. Mass determinations adopting both isotropic stellar velocity dispersions and more general models yield a M/L ratio of 24, which is consistent with the presence of a significant dark halo with a mass of about 3x10^7 M_sun, in which the luminous component is embedded. This suggests that Leo I exhibits dark matter properties similar to those of other dSphs in the Local Group. Our data allowed us also to determine metallicities for 58 of the targets. We find a mildly metal poor mean of -1.31 dex and a full spread covering 1 dex. In contrast to the majority of dSphs, Leo I appears to show no radial gradient in its metallicities, which points to a negligible role of external influences in this galaxys evolution.
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We have surveyed a complete extent of Leo A - an apparently isolated gas-rich low-mass dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group. The $B$, $V$, and $I$ passband CCD images (typical seeing $sim$0.8) were obtained with Subaru Telescope equipped with Suprime-Cam mosaic camera. The wide-field ($20 times 24$) photometry catalog of 38,856 objects ($V sim 16-26$ mag) is presented. This survey is also intended to serve as a finding chart for future imaging and spectroscopic observation programs of Leo A.
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