ترغب بنشر مسار تعليمي؟ اضغط هنا

An E-ELT Case Study: Colour-Magnitude Diagrams of an Old Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster

107   0   0.0 ( 0 )
 نشر من قبل Giuliana Fiorentino
 تاريخ النشر 2011
  مجال البحث فيزياء
والبحث باللغة English




اسأل ChatGPT حول البحث

One of the key science goals for a diffraction limited imager on an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is the resolution of individual stars down to faint limits in distant galaxies. The aim of this study is to test the proposed capabilities of a multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) assisted imager working at the diffraction limit, in IJHK$_s$ filters, on a 42m diameter ELT to carry out accurate stellar photometry in crowded images in an Elliptical-like galaxy at the distance of the Virgo cluster. As the basis for realistic simulations we have used the phase A studies of the European-ELT project, including the MICADO imager (Davies & Genzel 2010) and the MAORY MCAO module (Diolaiti 2010). We convolved a complex resolved stellar population with the telescope and instrument performance expectations to create realistic images. We then tested the ability of the currently available photometric packages STARFINDER and DAOPHOT to handle the simulated images. Our results show that deep Colour-Magnitude Diagrams (photometric error, $pm$0.25 at I$ge$27.2; H$ge$25. and K$_sge$24.6) of old stellar populations in galaxies, at the distance of Virgo, are feasible at a maximum surface brightness, $mu_V sim$ 17 mag/arcsec$^2$ (down to M$_I > -4$ and M$_H sim$ M$_K > -6$), and significantly deeper (photometric error, $pm$0.25 at I$ge$29.3; H$ge$26.6 and K$_sge$26.2) for $mu_V sim$ 21 mag/arcsec$^2$ (down to M$_I ge -2$ and M$_H sim$ M$_K ge -4.5$). The photometric errors, and thus also the depth of the photometry should be improved with photometry packages specifically designed to adapt to an ELT MCAO Point Spread Function. We also make a simple comparison between these simulations and what can be expected from a Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics feed to MICADO and also the James Webb Space Telescope.

قيم البحث

اقرأ أيضاً

We use ground-based and space-based eclipse measurements for the near-infrared ($JHK!s$) bands and Spitzer 3.6 $mu$m and 4.5 $mu$m bands to construct colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams for hot Jupiters. We compare the results with previous o bservations of substellar objects and find that hot Jupiters, when corrected for their inflated radii, lie near the black body line and in the same region of the colour magnitude diagrams as brown dwarfs, including low gravity dwarfs that have been previously suggested as exoplanet analogs. We use theoretical emission spectra to investigate the effects of different metallicity, C/O ratios and temperatures on the IR colours. In general we find that while differences in C/O ratio and metallicity do correspond to different locations on these diagrams, the measurement errors are too large to use this method to put strong constraints on the composition of individual objects. However, as a class hot Jupiters cluster around the location expected for solar metallicity and C/O ratio.
We present a simple approach for obtaining robust values of astrophysical parameters from the observed colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of star clusters. The basic inputs are the Hess diagram built with the photometric measurements of a star cluster and a set of isochrones covering wide ranges of age and metallicity. In short, each isochrone is shifted in apparent distance modulus and colour excess until it crosses over the maximum possible Hess density. Repeating this step for all available isochrones leads to the construction of the solution map, in which the optimum values of age and metallicity - as well as foreground/background reddening and distance from the Sun - can be searched for. Controlled tests with simulated CMDs show that the approach is efficient in recovering the input values. We apply the approach to the open clusters M,67, NGC,6791, and NGC,2635, which are characterised by different ages, metallicities and distances from the Sun.
Hipparcos parallaxes fix distances to individual stars in the Hyades cluster with an accuracy of 6%. We use the Hipparcos (and Tycho-2) proper motions, which have a larger relative precision than the trigonometric parallaxes, to derive ~3 times more precise distance estimates, by assuming that all members share the same space motion. The improved parallaxes as a set are statistically consistent with the Hipparcos parallaxes. The new parallaxes confirm that the Hipparcos measurements are correlated on small angular scales, consistent with the limits specified in the Hipparcos Catalogue, though with significantly smaller `amplitudes than claimed by Narayanan & Gould. The colour-absolute magnitude diagram of the cluster based on the new paral- laxes shows a well-defined main sequence with two gaps/turn-offs. These features provide the first direct observational support of Boehm-Vitenses prediction that (the onset of) surface convection in stars affects their B-V colours. We present and discuss the theoretical HRD for an objectively defined set of 88 high-fidelity members of the cluster as well as the delta Scuti star theta^2 Tau, the giants delta^1, theta^1, epsilon, and gamma Tau, and the white dwarfs V471 Tau and HD 27483 (all of which are also members). The precision with which the new parallaxes place individual Hyades members in the Hertz- sprung-Russell diagram is limited by (systematic) uncertainties related to the transformations from observed colours and absolute magnitudes to effective temperatures and luminosities. The new parallaxes provide stringent constraints on the calibration of such transformations when combined with theoretical stellar evolutionary modelling, tailored to the chemical composition and age of the Hyades, over the large stellar mass range probed by Hipparcos.
Building on the experience of the high-resolution community with the suite of VLT high-resolution spectrographs, which has been tremendously successful, we outline here the (science) case for a high-fidelity, high-resolution spectrograph with wide wa velength coverage at the E-ELT. Flagship science drivers include: the study of exo-planetary atmospheres with the prospect of the detection of signatures of life on rocky planets; the chemical composition of planetary debris on the surface of white dwarfs; the spectroscopic study of protoplanetary and proto-stellar disks; the extension of Galactic archaeology to the Local Group and beyond; spectroscopic studies of the evolution of galaxies with samples that, unlike now, are no longer restricted to strongly star forming and/or very massive galaxies; the unraveling of the complex roles of stellar and AGN feedback; the study of the chemical signatures imprinted by population III stars on the IGM during the epoch of reionization; the exciting possibility of paradigm-changing contributions to fundamental physics. The requirements of these science cases can be met by a stable instrument with a spectral resolution of R~100,000 and broad, simultaneous spectral coverage extending from 370nm to 2500nm. Most science cases do not require spatially resolved information, and can be pursued in seeing-limited mode, although some of them would benefit by the E-ELT diffraction limited resolution. Some multiplexing would also be beneficial for some of the science cases. (Abridged)
The next generation of large aperture ground based telescopes will offer the opportunity to perform accurate stellar photometry in very crowded fields. This future capability will allow one to study in detail the stellar population in distant galaxie s. In this paper we explore the effect of photometric errors on the stellar metallicity distribution derived from the color distribution of the Red Giant Branch stars in the central regions of galaxies at the distance of the Virgo cluster. We focus on the analysis of the Color-Magnitude Diagrams at different radii in a typical giant Elliptical galaxy obtained from synthetic data constructed to exemplify observations of the European Extremely Large Telescope. The simulations adopt the specifications of the first light high resolution imager MICADO and the expected performance of the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Module MAORY. We find that the foreseen photometric accuracy allows us to recover the shape of the metallicity distribution with a resolution $lesssim 0.4$ dex in the inner regions ($mu_{rm B}$ = 20.5 mag arcsec$^{-2}$) and $simeq 0.2$ dex in regions with $mu_{rm B}$ = 21.6 mag arcsec$^{-2}$, that corresponds to approximately half of the effective radius for a typical giant elliptical in Virgo. At the effective radius ($mu_{rm B} simeq 23$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$), the metallicity distribution is recovered with a resolution of $simeq 0.1$ dex. It will thus be possible to study in detail the metallicity gradient of the stellar population over (almost) the whole extension of galaxies in Virgo. We also evaluate the impact of moderate degradations of the Point Spread Function from the assumed optimal conditions and find similar results, showing that this science case is robust.
التعليقات
جاري جلب التعليقات جاري جلب التعليقات
سجل دخول لتتمكن من متابعة معايير البحث التي قمت باختيارها
mircosoft-partner

هل ترغب بارسال اشعارات عن اخر التحديثات في شمرا-اكاديميا