No Arabic abstract
We use the Gaia data release 1 (DR1) to study the proper motion (PM) fields of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC). This uses the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) PMs for 29 Hipparcos stars in the LMC and 8 in the SMC. The LMC PM in the West and North directions is inferred to be $(mu_W,mu_N) = (-1.872 pm 0.045, 0.224 pm 0.054)$ mas/yr, and the SMC PM $(mu_W,mu_N) = (-0.874 pm 0.066, -1.229 pm 0.047)$ mas/yr. These results have similar accuracy and agree to within the uncertainties with existing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) PM measurements. Since TGAS uses different methods with different systematics, this provides an external validation of both data sets and their underlying approaches. Residual DR1 systematics may affect the TGAS results, but the HST agreement implies this must be below the random errors. Also in agreement with prior HST studies, the TGAS LMC PM field clearly shows the clockwise rotation of the disk, even though it takes the LMC disk in excess of $10^8$ years to complete one revolution. The implied rotation curve amplitude for young LMC stars is consistent with that inferred from line-of-sight (LOS) velocity measurements. Comparison of the PM and LOS rotation curves implies a kinematic LMC distance modulus $m-M = 18.54 pm 0.39$, consistent but not yet competitive with photometric methods. These first results from Gaia on the topic of Local Group dynamics provide an indication of how its future data releases will revolutionize this field.
Our knowledge of the dynamics and masses of galaxies in the Local Group has long been limited by the fact that only line-of-sight velocities were observationally accessible. This introduces significant degeneracies in dynamical models, which can only be resolved by measuring also the velocity components perpendicular to the line of sight. However, beyond the solar neighborhood, the corresponding proper motions have generally been too small to measure. This has changed dramatically over the past decade, especially due to the angular resolution and stability available on the Hubble Space Telescope. Proper motions can now be reliably measured throughout the Local Group, as illustrated by, e.g., the work of the HSTPROMO collaboration. In this review, I summarize the importance of proper motions for Local Group science, and I describe the current and future observational approaches and facilities available to measure proper motions. I highlight recent results on various Milky Way populations (globular clusters, the bulge, the metal-poor halo, hypervelocity stars, and tidal streams), dwarf satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds and the Andromeda System.
The 3D velocities of M31 and M33 are important for understanding the evolution and cosmological context of the Local Group. Their most massive stars are detected by Gaia, and we use Data Release 2 (DR2) to determine the galaxy proper motions (PMs). We select galaxy members based on, e.g., parallax, PM, color-magnitude-diagram location, and local stellar density. The PM rotation of both galaxies is confidently detected, consistent with the known line-of-sight rotation curves: $V_{rm rot} = -206pm86$ km s$^{-1}$ (counter-clockwise) for M31, and $V_{rm rot} = 80pm52$ km s$^{-1}$ (clockwise) for M33. We measure the center-of-mass PM of each galaxy relative to surrounding background quasars in DR2. This yields that $({mu}_{alpha*},{mu}_{delta})$ equals $(65 pm 18 , -57 pm 15)$ $mu$as yr$^{-1}$ for M31, and $(31 pm 19 , -29 pm 16)$ $mu$as yr$^{-1}$ for M33. In addition to the listed random errors, each component has an additional residual systematic error of 16 $mu$as yr$^{-1}$. These results are consistent at 0.8$sigma$ and 1.0$sigma$ with the (2 and 3 times higher-accuracy) measurements already available from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical imaging and VLBA water maser observations, respectively. This lends confidence that all these measurements are robust. The new results imply that the M31 orbit towards the Milky Way is somewhat less radial than previously inferred, $V_{rm tan, DR2+HST} = 57^{+35}_{-31}$ km s$^{-1}$, and strengthen arguments that M33 may be on its first infall into M31. The results highlight the future potential of Gaia for PM studies beyond the Milky Way satellite system.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has proven to be uniquely suited for the measurement of proper motions (PMs) of stars and galaxies in the nearby Universe. Here we summarize the main results and ongoing studies of the HSTPROMO collaboration, which over the past decade has executed some two dozen observational and theoretical HST projects on this topic. This is continuing to revolutionize our dynamical understanding of many objects, including: globular clusters; young star clusters; stars and stellar streams in the Milky Way halo; Local Group galaxies, including dwarf satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds, and the Andromeda galaxy; and AGN Black Hole Jets.
The GPS1 catalog was released in 2017. It delivered precise proper motions for around 350 million sources across three-fourths of the sky down to a magnitude of $rsim20$,mag. In this study, we present GPS1+ the extension GPS1 catalog down to $rsim22.5$,mag, based on {it Gaia} DR2, PS1, SDSS and 2MASS astrometry. The GPS1+ totally provides proper motions for $sim$400 million sources with a characteristic systematic error of less than 0.1masyr. This catalog is divided into two sub-samples, i.e., the primary and secondary parts. The primary $sim$264 million sources have either or both of the {it Gaia} and SDSS astrometry, with a typical precision of 2.0-5.0 masyr. In this part, $sim$160 million sources have {it Gaia} proper motions, we provide another new proper motion for each of them by building a Bayesian model. Relative to {it Gaia}s values, the precision is improved by $sim$0.1,dex on average at the faint end; $sim$50 million sources are the objects whose proper motions are missing in {it Gaia} DR2, we provide their proper motion with a precision of $sim$4.5masyr; the remaining $sim$54 million faint sources are beyond {it Gaia} detecting capability, we provide their proper motions for the first time with a precision of 7.0 masyr. However, the secondary $sim$136 million sources only have PS1 astrometry, the average precision is worse than 15.0 masyr. All the proper motions have been validated using QSOs and the existing {it Gaia} proper motions. The catalog will be released on-line and available via the VO-TAP Service, or via the National Astronomical Data Center serviced by China-VO: https://nadc.china-vo.org/data/data/gps1p/f.
Using the USNO CCD Astrograph all-sky Catalog (UCAC2), we measure the mean proper motion of the two Magellanic Clouds. Appropriately selected LMC populations show a proper motion (<mu RA>, <mu DEC>) ~ (+0.84,+4.32) that is significantly higher, in <mu DEC>, than currently accepted Hipparcos-like values, <mu RA>, <mu DEC> ~ (+1.94,-0.14). A higher <mu RA> value is also found for the SMC. Interestingly, the mean UCAC2 LMC proper motion agrees very well with the only work in the literature (Anguita et al. 2000) pointing to an unbound Magellanic Clouds-Milky Way interaction. Nonetheless, the implications of the UCAC2 proper motion are hard to reconcile with our present day understanding of the Clouds-Galaxy interaction unless one assumes a more massive Milky Way. Consequently, although no sources of systematic error have been identified, it is perhaps most likely that the UCAC2 catalog has an as yet unidentified systematic error resulting in an inconsistency between UCAC2 and Hipparcos based results for the Magellanic Clouds.