[en] We use 666 blue horizontal branch stars from the 2Qz Redshift Survey to map the Galactic halo in four dimensions (position, distance, and velocity). We find that the halo extends to at least 100 kpc in Galactocentric distance, and obeys a single power-law density profile of index ∼-2.5 in two different directions separated by about 150⁰ on the sky. This suggests that the halo is spherical. Our map shows no large kinematically coherent structures (streams, clouds, or plumes) and appears homogeneous. However, we find that at least 20% of the stars in the halo reside in substructures and that these substructures are dynamically young. The velocity dispersion profile of the halo appears to increase toward large radii while the stellar velocity distribution is non-Gaussian beyond 60 kpc. We argue that the outer halo consists of a multitude of low luminosity overlapping tidal streams from recently accreted objects.

[en] We measure alignments on scales of 1 Mpc h ^-1₇₁ for galaxies in Abell 1689 (z = 0.18) from an existing Hubble Space Telescope mosaic. We find evidence of galaxy alignment in the inner 500 h ^-1₇₁ kpc. The alignment appears to be stronger toward the center and is mostly present among the fainter galaxies, while bright galaxies are unaligned. This is consistent with a model where alignments originate from tidal locking.

[en] We present a deep and wide I luminosity function (LF) for galaxies in A1689 (z = 0.183) from a mosaic of Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images covering 10' on the side. The main result of this work is the detection of a steep upturn in the dwarf galaxy LF, with α ∼ -2. The dwarf-to-giant ratio appears to increase outward, but this is because giant galaxies are missing in the cluster outskirts, indicating luminosity segregation. The red sequence LF has the same parameters, within errors, as the total LF, showing that the faint end upturn consists of red quiescent galaxies. We speculate that the upturn is connected to the 'filling-in' of the red sequence at z < 0.4 and may represent the latest installment of 'downsizing' as the least massive galaxies are being quenched at the present epoch.

[en] Public data from the 2dF quasar survey and 2dF/Sloan Digital Sky Survey LRG and QSO, with their vast reservoirs of spectroscopically located and identified sources, afford us the chance to more accurately study their real-space correlations in the hopes of identifying the physical processes that trigger quasar activity. We have used these two public databases to measure the projected cross-correlation, ω _p, between quasars and luminous red galaxies. We find the projected two-point correlation to have a fitted clustering radius of r ₀ = 5.3 ± 0.6 and a slope γ = 1.83 ± 0.42 on scales from 0.7 to 27 h ^-1 Mpc. We attempt to understand this strong correlation by separating the LRG sample into two populations of blue and red galaxies. We measure at the cross-correlation with each population. We find that these quasars have a stronger correlation amplitude with the bluer, more recently star-forming population in our sample than the redder passively evolving population, which has a correlation that is much more noisy and seems to flatten on scales <5 h ^-1 Mpc. We compare this result to published work on hierarchical models. The stronger correlation of bright quasars with LRGs that have undergone a recent burst of star formation suggests that the physical mechanisms that produce both activities are related and that minor mergers or tidal effects may be important triggers of bright quasar activity and/or that bright quasars are less highly biased than faint quasars.

[en] We present the results of a pilot wide-field radial velocity and metal abundance survey of red giants in 10 fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The targets lie at projected distances of 0.9 and 1.9 kpc from the SMC center (m - M = 18.79) to the north, east, south, and west. Two more fields are to the east at distances of 3.9 and 5.1 kpc. In this last field, we find only a few to no SMC giants, suggesting that the edge of the SMC in this direction lies approximately at 6 kpc from its center. In all eastern fields, we observe a double peak in the radial velocities of stars, with a component at the classical SMC recession velocity of ∼160 km s^-1 and a high-velocity component at about 200 km s^-1, similar to observations in H I. In the most distant field (3.9 kpc), the low-velocity component is at 106 km s^-1. The metal abundance distribution in all fields is broad and centered at about [Fe/H] ∼-1.25, reaching to solar and possibly slightly supersolar values and down to [Fe/H] of about -2.5. In the two innermost (0.9 kpc) northern and southern fields, we observe a secondary peak at metallicities of about ∼-0.6. This may be evidence of a second episode of star formation in the center, possibly triggered by the interactions that created the Stream and Bridge.

[en] We derive the stacked 1.4 GHz flux from the FIRST survey for 811 K+A galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. For these objects we find a mean flux density of 56 ± 9 μJy. A similar stack of radio-quiet white dwarfs yields an upper limit of 43 μJy at a 5σ significance to the flux in blank regions of the sky. This implies an average star formation rate of 1.6 ± 0.3 M_☉ yr^–1 for K+A galaxies. However, the majority of the signal comes from ∼4% of K+A fields that have aperture fluxes above the 5σ noise level of the FIRST survey. A stack of the remaining galaxies shows little residual flux consistent with an upper limit on star formation of 1.3 M_☉ yr^–1. Even for a subset of 456 'young' (spectral ages <250 Myr) K+A galaxies, we find that the stacked 1.4 GHz flux is consistent with no current star formation. Our data suggest that the original starburst has been terminated in the majority of K+A galaxies, but that this may represent part of a duty cycle where a fraction of these galaxies may be active at a given moment with dusty starbursts and active galactic nuclei being present.

[en] We evaluate the dry merger activity in the Coma cluster, using a spectroscopically complete sample of 70 red-sequence (RS) galaxies, most of which (∼75%) are located within 0.2R_2_0_0 (∼0.5 Mpc) from the cluster center, with data from the Coma Treasury Survey obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. The fraction of close galaxy pairs in the sample is the proxy employed for the estimation of the merger activity. We identify 5 pairs and 1 triplet, enclosing a total of 13 galaxies, based on limits on projected separation and line-of-sight velocity difference. Of these systems, none show signs of ongoing interaction, and therefore we do not find any true mergers in our sample. This negative result sets a 1σ upper limit of 1.5% per Gyr for the major dry merger rate, consistent with the low rates expected in present-day clusters. Detailed examination of the images of all the RS galaxies in the sample reveals only one with low surface brightness features identifiable as the remnant of a past merger or interaction, implying a post-merger fraction below 2%

[en] Bulges are commonly believed to form in the dynamical violence of galaxy collisions and mergers. Here, we model the stellar kinematics of the Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA) and find no sign that the Milky Way contains a classical bulge formed by scrambling pre-existing disks of stars in major mergers. Rather, the bulge appears to be a bar seen somewhat end-on, as hinted from its asymmetric boxy shape. We construct a simple but realistic N-body model of the Galaxy that self-consistently develops a bar. The bar immediately buckles and thickens in the vertical direction. As seen from the Sun, the result resembles the boxy bulge of our Galaxy. The model fits the BRAVA stellar kinematic data covering the whole bulge strikingly well with no need for a merger-made classical bulge. The bar in our best-fit model has a half-length of ∼4 kpc and extends 20⁰ from the Sun-Galactic center line. We use the new kinematic constraints to show that any classical bulge contribution cannot be larger than ∼8% of the disk mass. Thus, the Galactic bulge is a part of the disk and not a separate component made in a prior merger. Giant, pure-disk galaxies like our own present a major challenge to the standard picture in which galaxy formation is dominated by hierarchical clustering and galaxy mergers.

[en] We use the pulsational properties of the RR Lyrae variables in the globular cluster NGC 1851 to obtain detailed constraints of the various sub-stellar populations present along its horizontal branch. On the basis of detailed synthetic horizontal branch modeling, we find that minor helium variations (Y ∼ 0.248-0.280) are able to reproduce the observed periods and amplitudes of the RR Lyrae variables, as well as the frequency of fundamental and first-overtone RR Lyrae stars. Comparison of number ratios among the blue and red horizontal branch components and the two observed subgiant branches also suggest that the RR Lyrae variables originated from the progeny of the bright subgiant branch. The RR Lyrae variables with slightly enhanced helium (Y ∼ 0.270-0.280) have longer periods at a given amplitude, as is seen with Oosterhoff II (OoII) RR Lyrae variables, whereas the RR Lyrae variables with Y ∼ 0.248-0.270 have shorter periods, exhibiting properties of Oosterhoff I (OoI) variables. This correlation does suggest that the pulsational properties of RR Lyrae stars can be very useful for tracing the various subpopulations and can provide suitable constraints on the multiple population phenomenon. It appears to be of great interest to explore whether this conclusion can be generalized to other globular clusters hosting multiple populations.

[en] We have used the AAOMEGA spectrograph to obtain R ∼ 1500 spectra of 714 stars that are members of two red clumps in the Plaut Window Galactic bulge field (l, b) = (0⁰, - 8⁰). We discern no difference between the clump populations based on radial velocities or abundances measured from the Mgb index. The velocity dispersion has a strong trend with Mgb-index metallicity, in the sense of a declining velocity dispersion at higher metallicity. We also find a strong trend in mean radial velocity with abundance. Our red clump sample shows distinctly different kinematics for stars with [Fe/H] <-1, which may plausibly be attributable to a minority classical bulge or inner halo population. The transition between the two groups is smooth. The chemo-dynamical properties of our sample are reminiscent of those of the Milky Way globular cluster system. If correct, this argues for no bulge/halo dichotomy and a relatively rapid star formation history. Large surveys of the composition and kinematics of the bulge clump and red giant branch are needed to further define these trends.