We apply the Jeans equation to estimate masses for eight of the brightest dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. For Fornax, the dSph with the largest kinematic data set, we obtain a model-independent constraint on the maximum-circular velocity, V max = 18 +5 −3 km s −1 . Although we obtain only lowerlimits of V max 10 km s −1 for the remaining dSphs, we find that in all cases the enclosed mass at the projected half-light radius is well constrained and robust to a wide range of halo models and velocity anisotropies. We derive a simple analytic formula that estimates M (r half ) accurately with respect to results from the full Jeans analysis. Applying this formula to the entire population of Local Group dSphs with published kinematic data, we demonstrate a correlation such that M (r half ) ∝ r 1.4±0.4 half , or in terms of the mean density interior to the half-light radius, ρ ∝ r −1.6±0.4half . This relation is driven by the fact that the dSph data exhibit a correlation between global velocity dispersion and half-light radius. We argue that tidal forces are unlikely to have introduced this relation, but tides may have increased the scatter and/or altered the slope. While the data are well described by mass profiles ranging over a factor of 2 in normalization (V max ∼ 10 − 20 km s −1 ), we consider the hypothesis that all dSphs are embedded within a "universal" dark matter halo. We show that in addition to the power law M ∝ r 1.4 , viable candidates include a cuspy "NFW" halo with V max ∼ 15 km s −1 and scale radius r 0 ∼ 800 pc, as well as a cored halo with V max ∼ 13 km s −1 and r 0 ∼ 150 pc. Finally, assuming that their measured velocity dispersions accurately reflect their masses, the smallest dSphs now allow us to resolve dSph densities at radii as small as a few tens of pc. At these small scales we find mean densities as large as ρ 5M ⊙ pc −3 ( 200GeV cm −3 ).
We present early observations of the afterglow of GRB 030329 and the spectroscopic discovery of its associated supernova SN 2003dh. We obtained spectra of the afterglow of GRB 030329 each night from March 30.12 (0.6 days after the burst) to April 8.13 (UT) (9.6 days after the burst). The spectra cover a wavelength range of 350-850 nm. The early spectra consist of a power-law continuum ( ) with narrow emission lines orig-Ϫ0.9
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Prepared by the LSST Science Collaborations, with contributions from the LSST Project. PrefaceMajor advances in our understanding of the Universe over the history of astronomy have often arisen from dramatic improvements in our ability to observe the sky to greater depth, in previously unexplored wavebands, with higher precision, or with improved spatial, spectral, or temporal resolution. Aided by rapid progress in information technology, current sky surveys are again changing the way we view and study the Universe, and the next-generation instruments, and the surveys that will be made with them, will maintain this revolutionary progress. Substantial progress in the important scientific problems of the next decade (determining the nature of dark energy and dark matter, studying the evolution of galaxies and the structure of our own Milky Way, opening up the time domain to discover faint variable objects, and mapping both the inner and outer Solar System) all require wide-field repeated deep imaging of the sky in optical bands.The wide-fast-deep science requirement leads to a single wide-field telescope and camera which can repeatedly survey the sky with deep short exposures. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a dedicated telecope with an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and a field of view of 9.6 deg 2 , will make major contributions to all these scientific areas and more. It will carry out a survey of 20,000 deg 2 of the sky in six broad photometric bands, imaging each region of sky roughly 2000 times (1000 pairs of back-to-back 15-sec exposures) over a ten-year survey lifetime.The LSST project will deliver fully calibrated survey data to the United States scientific community and the public with no proprietary period. Near real-time alerts for transients will also be provided worldwide. A goal is worldwide participation in all data products. The survey will enable comprehensive exploration of the Solar System beyond the Kuiper Belt, new understanding of the structure of our Galaxy and that of the Local Group, and vast opportunities in cosmology and galaxy evolution using data for billions of distant galaxies. Since many of these science programs will involve the use of the world's largest non-proprietary database, a key goal is maximizing the usability of the data. Experience with previous surveys is that often their most exciting scientific results were unanticipated at the time that the survey was designed; we fully expect this to be the case for the LSST as well.The purpose of this Science Book is to examine and document in detail science goals, opportunities, and capabilities that will be provided by the LSST. The book addresses key questions that will be confronted by the LSST survey, and it poses new questions to be addressed by future study. It contains previously available material (including a number of White Papers submitted to the ASTRO2010 Decadal Survey) as well as new results from a year-long campaign of study and evaluation. This book does not attempt to be complete; there are many ...
We present stellar velocity dispersion profiles for seven Milky Way dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellite galaxies. We have measured 8394 line-of-sight velocities (+/- 2.5 km/s) for 6804 stars from high-resolution spectra obtained at the Magellan and MMT telescopes. We combine these new data with previously published velocities to obtain the largest available kinematic samples, which include more than 5500 dSph members. All the measured dSphs have stellar velocity dispersion of order 10 km/s that remains approximately constant with distance from the dSph center, out to and in some cases beyond the radius at which the mean surface brightness falls to the background level. Assuming dSphs reside within dark matter halos characterized by the NFW density profile, we obtain reasonable fits to the empirical velocity dispersion profiles. These fits imply that, among the seven dSphs, M_vir ~ 10^[8-9] M_sun. The mass enclosed at a radius of 600 pc, the region common to all data sets, ranges from (2-7) x 10^7 M_sun .Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter
We report the discovery of a new Milky Way satellite in the constellation Leo, identified in data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. It lies at a distance of ∼ 180 kpc, and is separated by 3 • from another recent discovery, Leo IV. We present follow-up imaging from the Isaac Newton Telescope and spectroscopy from the Hectochelle fiber spectrograph at the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Leo V's heliocentric velocity is ∼ 173.3 ± 3.1 kms −1 , offset by ∼ 40 kms −1 from that of Leo IV. A simple interpretation of the kinematic data is that both objects may lie on the same stream, though the implied orbit is only modestly eccentric (e ∼ 0.2)
Using a variety of stellar tracers -blue horizontal branch stars, main-sequence turn-off stars and red giants -we follow the path of the Sagittarius (Sgr) stream across the sky in Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. Our study presents new Sgr debris detections, accurate distances and line-of-sight velocities that together help to shed new light on the puzzle of the Sgr tails. For both the leading and the trailing tail, we trace the points of their maximal extent, or apocentric distances, and find that they lie at R L = 47.8 ± 0.5 kpc and R T = 102.5 ± 2.5 kpc respectively. The angular difference between the apo-centres is 93. • 2 ± 3. • 5, which is smaller than predicted for logarithmic haloes. Such differential orbital precession can be made consistent with models of the Milky Way in which the dark matter density falls more quickly with radius. However, currently, no existing Sgr disruption simulation can explain the entirety of the observational data. Based on its position and radial velocity, we show that the unusually large globular cluster NGC 2419 can be associated with the Sgr trailing stream. We measure the precession of the orbital plane of the Sgr debris in the Milky Way potential and show that, surprisingly, Sgr debris in the primary (brighter) tails evolves differently to the secondary (fainter) tails, both in the North and the South.
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