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DOE OSTI2025

Galactic echoes

Gaia has revealed a variety of substructures in the phase space of stars in the Solar neighbourhood, including the vertical ‘Snail’ $(z, v_z)$ in space. Such substructures are often interpreted as the incompletely phase-mixed response of the disc stars to a single perturbation, such as an impulsive encounter with a satellite galaxy. In this paper, we consider the possibility that such structures contain manifestations of phase-space echoes. First established in plasma physics in the 1960s, echoes arise when a collisionless system is perturbed twice: the macroscopic responses to both perturbations mix to small scales in phase space, whereupon they couple non-linearly, producing a third macroscopic ‘echo’ response without the need for a third perturbation. We derive the galactic analogue of the plasma echo theory using angle-action variables and apply it to a one-dimensional model of vertical motion in the Milky Way. We verify the predicted echo behaviour using idealized test particle simulations, both with and without the inclusion of diffusion through orbital scattering off molecular clouds. While we conclude that the Gaia Snail itself is unlikely a (pure) echo effect, the basic physics we uncover is sufficiently generic that we expect phase-space echoes to be common in disc galaxies.

Galaxy: evolution↗

DOE OSTI2022

Uniform modelling of the stellar density of thirteen tidal streams within the Galactic halo

ABSTRACT We present the results of fitting a flexible stellar stream density model to a collection of thirteen streams around the Milky Way, using photometric data from DES, DECaLS, and Pan-STARRS. We construct density maps for each stream and characterize their tracks on the sky, width, and distance modulus curves along the length of each stream. We use these measurements to compute lengths and total luminosities of streams and identify substructures. Several streams show prominent substructures, such as stream broadening, gaps, large deviations of stream tracks, and sharp changes in stream densities. Examining the group of streams as a population, as expected we find that streams with globular cluster progenitors are typically narrower than those with dwarf galaxy progenitors, with streams around 100 pc wide showing overlap between the two populations. We also note the average luminosity of globular cluster streams is significantly lower than the typical luminosity of intact globular clusters. The likely explanation is that observed globular cluster streams preferentially come from lower luminosity and lower density clusters. The stream measurements done in a uniform manner presented here will be helpful for more detailed stream studies such as identifying candidate stream members for spectroscopic follow up and stellar stream dynamical modelling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

S 5 : Probing the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds potentials with the 6D map of the Orphan–Chenab stream

We present a 6D map of the Orphan–Chenab (OC) stream by combining the data from Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S 5 ) and Gaia. We reconstruct the proper motion, radial velocity, distance, on-sky track, and stellar density along the stream with spline models. The stream has a total luminosity of M V = -8.2 and metallicity of [Fe/H] = -1.9, similar to classical Milky Way (MW) satellites like Draco. The stream shows drastic changes in its physical width varying from 200 pc to 1kpc, but a constant line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 5 km s -1 . Despite the large apparent variation in the stellar number density along the stream, the flow rate of stars along the stream is remarkably constant. We model the 6D stream track by a Lagrange-point stripping method with a flexible MW potential in the presence of a moving extended Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This allows us to constrain the mass profile of the MW within the distance range 15.6 < r < 55∙5 kpc, with the best measured enclosed mass of (2.85 ± 0.1) X 10 11 M ⊙ within 32.4 kpc. Our stream measurements are highly sensitive to the LMC mass profile with the most precise measurement of its enclosed mass made at 32.8 kpc, 7.02 ± 0.9) X 10 11 M ⊙ . We also detect that the LMC dark matter halo extends to at least 53 kpc. The fitting of the OC stream allows us to constrain the past LMC trajectory and the degree of dynamical friction it experienced. We demonstrate that the stars in the OC stream show large energy and angular momentum spreads caused by LMC perturbation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

The hidden giant: discovery of an enormous Galactic dwarf satellite in Gaia DR2

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of a Milky Way satellite in the constellation of Antlia. The Antlia 2 dwarf galaxy is located behind the Galactic disc at a latitude of b ∼ 11° and spans 1.26°, which corresponds to ∼2.9 kpc at its distance of 130 kpc. While similar in spatial extent to the Large Magellanic Cloud, Antlia 2 is orders of magnitude fainter at MV = −9 mag, making it by far the lowest surface brightness system known (at ∼31.9 mag arcsec−2), ∼100 times more diffuse than the so-called ultra diffuse galaxies. The satellite was identified using a combination of astrometry, photometry, and variability data from Gaia Data Release 2, and its nature confirmed with deep archival DECam imaging, which revealed a conspicuous BHB signal. We have also obtained follow-up spectroscopy using AAOmega on the AAT, identifying 159 member stars, and we used them to measure the dwarf’s systemic velocity, 290.9 ± 0.5 km s−1, its velocity dispersion, 5.7 ± 1.1 km s−1, and mean metallicity, [Fe/H] = −1.4. From these properties we conclude that Antlia 2 inhabits one of the least dense dark matter (DM) haloes probed to date. Dynamical modelling and tidal-disruption simulations suggest that a combination of a cored DM profile and strong tidal stripping may explain the observed properties of this satellite. The origin of this core may be consistent with aggressive feedback, or may even require alternatives to cold dark matter (such as ultra-light bosons).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Swing of the Pendulum: The Chemodynamics of the Local Stellar Halo Indicate Contributions from Several Radial Merger Events

We find that the chemical abundances and dynamics of APOGEE and GALAH stars in the local stellar halo are inconsistent with a scenario in which the inner halo is primarily composed of debris from a single massive, ancient merger event, as has been proposed to explain the Gaia-Enceladus/Gaia Sausage (GSE) structure. The data contain trends of chemical composition with energy that are opposite to expectations for a single massive, ancient merger event, and multiple chemical evolution paths with distinct dynamics are present. We use a Bayesian Gaussian mixture model regression algorithm to characterize the local stellar halo, and find that the data are fit best by a model with four components. We interpret these components as the Virgo Radial Merger (VRM), Cronus, Nereus, and Thamnos; however, Nereus and Thamnos likely represent more than one accretion event because the chemical abundance distributions of their member stars contain many peaks. Although the Cronus and Thamnos components have different dynamics, their chemical abundances suggest they may be related. We show that the distinct low- and high-α halo populations from Nissen & Schuster are explained by VRM and Cronus stars, as well as some in situ stars. Because the local stellar halo contains multiple substructures, different popular methods of selecting GSE stars will actually select different mixtures of these substructures, which may change the apparent chemodynamic properties of the selected stars. We also find that the Splash stars in the Solar region are shifted to higher v $\phi$ and slightly lower [Fe/H] than previously reported.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Simultaneous calibration of spectro-photometric distances and the Gaia DR2 parallax zero-point offset with deep learning

ABSTRACT Gaia measures the five astrometric parameters for stars in the Milky Way, but only four of them (positions and proper motion, but not distance) are well measured beyond a few kpc from the Sun. Modern spectroscopic surveys such as APOGEE cover a large area of the Milky Way disc and we can use the relation between spectra and luminosity to determine distances to stars beyond Gaia’s parallax reach. Here, we design a deep neural network trained on stars in common between Gaia and APOGEE that determines spectro-photometric distances to APOGEE stars, while including a flexible model to calibrate parallax zero-point biases in Gaia DR2. We determine the zero-point offset to be $-52.3 \pm 2.0\, \mu \mathrm{as}$ when modelling it as a global constant, but also train a multivariate zero-point offset model that depends on G, GBP − GRP colour, and Teff and that can be applied to all ≈58 million stars in Gaia DR2 within APOGEE’s colour–magnitude range and within APOGEE’s sky footprint. Our spectro-photometric distances are more precise than Gaia at distances ${\gtrsim} 2\, \mathrm{kpc}$ from the Sun. We release a catalogue of spectro-photometric distances for the entire APOGEE DR14 data set which covers Galactocentric radii $2\, \mathrm{kpc} \lesssim R \lesssim 19\, \mathrm{kpc}$; ${\approx} 150\, 000$ stars have ${\lt} 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ uncertainty, making this a powerful sample to study the chemo-dynamical structure of the disc. We use this sample to map the mean [Fe/H] and 15 abundance ratios [X/Fe] from the Galactic Centre to the edge of the disc. Among many interesting trends, we find that the bulge and bar region at $R \lesssim 5\, \mathrm{kpc}$ clearly stands out in [Fe/H] and most abundance ratios.

Leung, Henry W.↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Dynamically Distinct Stellar Population in the Leading Arm of the Sagittarius Stream

We present a chemical and dynamical analysis of the leading arm (LA) and trailing arm (TA) of the Sagittarius (Sgr) stream, as well as for the Sgr dwarf galaxy core (SC), using red giant branch, main-sequence, and RR Lyrae stars from large spectroscopic survey data. The different chemical properties among the LA, TA, and SC generally agree with recent studies and can be understood by a radial metallicity gradient established in the progenitor of the Sgr dwarf, followed by preferential stellar stripping from the outer part of the Sgr progenitor. One striking finding is a relatively larger fraction of low-eccentricity stars (e < 0.4) in the LA than in the TA and SC. The TA and SC exhibit very similar distributions. Considering that a tidal tail stripped off from a dwarf galaxy maintains the orbital properties of its progenitor, we expect that the e-distribution of the LA should be similar to that of the TA and SC. Thus, the disparate behavior of the e-distribution of the LA is of particular interest. Following the analysis of Vasiliev et al., we attempt to explain the different e-distribution by introducing a time-dependent perturbation of the Milky Way by the Large Magellanic Cloud's (LMC) gravitational pull, resulting in substantial evolution of the angular momentum of the LA stars to produce the low-e stars. In addition, we confirm from RR Lyrae stars with high eccentricity (e > 0.6) that the TA stars farther away from the SC are also affected by disturbances from the LMC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

The pattern speed of the Milky Way bar from transverse velocities

ABSTRACT We use the continuity equation to derive a method for measuring the pattern speed of the Milky Way’s bar/bulge from proper motion data. The method has minimal assumptions but requires complete coverage of the non-axisymmetric component in two of the three Galactic coordinates. We apply our method to the proper motion data from a combination of Gaia DR2 and VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) to measure the pattern speed of the bar as $\Omega _\mathrm{p}=(41\pm 3)\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}\, kpc^{-1}}$ (where the error is statistical). This puts the corotation radius at $(5.7\pm 0.4)\, \mathrm{kpc}$, under the assumptions of the standard peculiar motion of the Sun and the absence of non-axisymmetric streaming in the Solar neighbourhood. The obtained result uses only data on the near side of the bar which produces consistent measurements of the distance and velocity of the centre of the Galaxy. Addition of the data on the far side of the bar pulls the pattern speed down to $\Omega _\mathrm{p}=(31\pm 1)\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}\, kpc^{-1}}$ but requires a lower transverse velocity for the Galactic centre than observed. This suggests systematics of $5-10\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}kpc^{-1}}$ dominate the uncertainty. We demonstrate using a dynamically formed bar/bulge simulation that even with the limited field of view of the VVV survey our method robustly recovers the pattern speed.

Sanders, Jason L.↗

DOE OSTI2026

A Chemodynamical Census of the Milky Way's Ultra-Faint Compact Satellites. I. A First Population-Level Look at the Internal Kinematics and Metallicities of 19 Extremely-Low-Mass Halo Stellar Systems

Deep, wide-area photometric surveys have uncovered a population of compact ($r_{1/2} \approx$ 1-15 pc), extremely-low-mass ($M_* \approx$ 20-4000 $M_{\odot}$) stellar systems in the Milky Way halo that are smaller in size than known ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) and substantially fainter than most classical globular clusters (GCs). Very little is known about the nature and origins of this population of "Ultra-Faint Compact Satellites" (UFCSs) owing to a dearth of spectroscopic measurements. Here, we present the first spectroscopic census of these compact systems based on Magellan/IMACS and Keck/DEIMOS observations of 19 individual UFCSs, representing $\sim$2/3 of the known population. We securely measure mean radial velocities for all 19 systems, velocity dispersions for 15 (predominantly upper limits), metallicities for 17, metallicity dispersions for 8, and $\textit{Gaia}$-based mean proper motions for 18. This large new spectroscopic sample provides the first insights into population-level trends for these extreme satellites. We demonstrate that: (1) the UFCSs are kinematically colder, on average, than the UFDs, disfavoring very dense dark matter halos in most cases, (2) the UFCS population is chemically diverse, spanning a factor of $\sim$300 in mean iron abundance ($\rm -3.3 \lesssim [Fe/H] \lesssim -0.8$), with multiple systems falling beneath the "metallicity floor" proposed for GCs, and (3) while some higher-metallicity and/or younger UFCSs are clearly star clusters, the dynamical and/or chemical evidence allows the possibility that up to $\sim$50% of the UFCSs in our sample (9 of 19) may represent the smallest and least-massive galaxies yet discovered.

Cerny, William [Yale U.] (ORCID:0000000316977062)↗

NASA NTRS2000

A Tethered Formation Flying Concept for the SPECS Mission

The Sub-millimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS) is a bold new mission concept designed to address fundamental questions about the Universe, including how the first stars formed from primordial material, and the first galaxies from pre-galactic structures, how the galaxies evolve over time, and what the cosmic history of energy release, heavy element synthesis, and dust formation is. Half of the luminosity and 98% of the post Big-Bang photons exit in the sub-millimeter range. The spectrum of our own Milky Way Galaxy shows this, and many galaxies have even more pronounced long-wavelength emissions. There can be no doubt that revolutionary science will be enabled when we have tools to study the sub-millimeter sky with Hubble- Space-Telescope-class resolution and sensitivity. Ideally, a very large telescope with an effective aperture approaching one kilometer in diameter would be needed to obtain such high quality angular resolution at these long wavelengths. However, a single aperture one kilometer in diameter would not only be very difficult to build and maintain at the cryogenic temperatures required for good seeing, but could actually turn out to be serious overkill. Because cosmic sub-millimeter photons are plentiful and the new detectors will be sensitive, the observations needed to address the questions posed above can be made with an interferometer using well established aperture synthesis techniques. Possibly as few as three 3-4 meter diameter mirrors flying in precision formation could be used to collect the light. To mitigate the need for a great deal of propellant, tethers may be needed as well. A spin-stabilized, tethered formation is a possible configuration requiring a more advanced form of formation flying controller, where dynamics are coupled due to the existence of the tethers between nodes in the formation network. The paper presents one such concept, a proposed configuration for a mission concept which combines the best features of structure, tethers and formation flying to meet the ambitious requirements necessary to make a future SPECS mission a success.

Quinn, David A.↗

DOE OSTI2022

New limits from microlensing on Galactic black holes in the mass range 10 M ⊙ < M < 1000 M ⊙

We searched for long-duration microlensing events originating from intermediate-mass black holes (BH) in the halo of the Milky Way, using archival data from the EROS-2 and MACHO photometric surveys towards the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We combined data from these two surveys to create a common database of light curves for 14.1 million objects in the LMC, covering a total duration of 10.6 years, with flux series measured in four wide passbands. We carried out a microlensing search on these light curves, complemented by the light curves of 22.7 million objects, observed only by EROS-2 or only by MACHO, over about 7 years, with flux series measured in only two passbands. A likelihood analysis, taking into account the LMC self-lensing and Milky Way disk contributions, allows us to conclude that compact objects with masses in the range 10 – 100 M ⊙ cannot make up more than ~15% of a standard halo total mass (at a 95% confidence level). Our analysis sensitivity weakens for heavier objects, although we still rule out the possibility of ~50% of the halo being made of ~1000 M ⊙ BHs. Combined with previous EROS results, an upper limit of ~15% of the total halo mass can be obtained for the contribution of compact halo objects in the mass range 10 –6 – 10 2 M ⊙ .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

The DECam MAGIC Survey: Spectroscopic Follow-up of the Most Metal-poor Stars in the Distant Milky Way Halo *

In this work, we present high-resolution spectroscopic observations for six metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < –3 (including one with [Fe/H] < –4), selected using narrowband Ca ii HK photometry from the DECam MAGIC Survey. The spectroscopic data confirm the accuracy of the photometric metallicities and allow for the determination of chemical abundances for 16 elements, from carbon to barium. The program stars have chemical abundances consistent with the [Fe/H] < –3 range. A kinematic/dynamical analysis suggests that all program stars belong to the distant Milky Way halo population (heliocentric distances 35 < d helio /kpc ≲ 55), including three with high-energy orbits that might have been associated with the Magellanic system and one, J0026−5445, having parameters consistent with being a member of the Sagittarius stream. The remaining two stars show kinematics consistent with the Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus dwarf galaxy merger. J0433−5548, with [Fe/H] = –4.12, is a carbon-enhanced ultra metal-poor star, with [C/Fe] = +1.73. This star is believed to be a bona fide second-generation star, and its chemical abundance pattern was compared with yields from metal-free supernova models. Results suggest that J0433−5548 could have been formed from a gas cloud enriched by a single supernova explosion from an ∼11 M ⊙ star in the early Universe. The successful identification of such objects demonstrates the reliability of photometric metallicity estimates, which can be used for target selection and statistical studies of faint targets in the Milky Way and its satellite population. These discoveries illustrate the power of measuring chemical abundances of metal-poor Milky Way halo stars to learn more about early galaxy formation and evolution.

CEMP stars↗

DOE OSTI2022

Disc dichotomy signature in the vertical distribution of [Mg/Fe] and the delayed gas infall scenario

Context. Analysis of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment project (APOGEE) data suggests the existence of a clear distinction between two sequences of disc stars in the [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] abundance ratio space, known as the high- and low-α sequence, respectively. This dichotomy also emerges from an analysis of the vertical distribution of the [α/Fe] abundance ratio. Aims. We aim to test whether the revised two-infall chemical evolution models designed to reproduce the low- and high-α sequences in the [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] ratios in the solar neighbourhood are also capable of predicting the disc bimodality observed in the vertical distribution of [Mg/Fe] in APOGEE DR16 data. Methods. Along with the chemical composition of the simple stellar populations born at different Galactic times predicted by our reference chemical evolution models in the solar vicinity, we provide their maximum vertical height above the Galactic plane |zmax| computed assuming the relation between the vertical action and stellar age in APOGEE thin-disc stars. Result. The vertical distribution of the [Mg/Fe] abundance ratio predicted by the reference chemical evolution models is in agreement with that observed when combining the APOGEE DR16 data (chemical abundances) with the astroNN catalogue (stellar ages, orbital parameters) for stars younger than 8 Gyr (only low-α sequence stars). Including the high-α disc component, the dichotomy in the vertical [Mg/Fe] abundance distribution is reproduced considering the observational cut in the Galactic height of |z|< 2 kpc. However, our model predicts an overly flat (almost constant) growth of the maximum vertical height |zmax| quantity as a function of [Mg/Fe] for high-α objects in contrast with the median values from APOGEE data. Possible explanations for such a tension are that: (i) the APOGEE sample with |z|< 2 kpc is more likely than ours to be contaminated by halo stars, causing the median values to be kinematically hotter, and (ii) external perturbations – such as minor mergers – that the Milky Way experienced in the past could have heated up the disc, and the heating of the orbits cannot be modeled by only scattering processes. Assuming a disc dissection based on chemistry for APOGEE-DR16 stars (|z|< 2 kpc), the observed |zmax| distributions for high-α and low-α sequences are in good agreement with our model predictions if we consider the errors in the vertical action estimates in the calculation. Moreover, a better agreement between predicted and observed stellar distributions at different Galactic vertical heights is achieved if asteroseismic ages are included as a constraint in the best-fit model calculations. Conclusions. The signature of a delayed gas infall episode, which gives rise to a hiatus in the star formation history of the Galaxy, are imprinted both in the [Mg/Fe] versus [Fe/H] relation and in vertical distribution of [Mg/Fe] abundances in the solar vicinity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. V. Satellite Galaxy Populations in a Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation of a Milky Way–Mass Halo

We analyze and compare the satellite halo populations at z ~ 2 in the high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations of a 10 12 M ⊙ target halo (z = 0 mass) carried out on eight widely used astrophysical simulation codes (Art-I, Enzo, Ramses, Changa, Gadget-3, Gear, Arepo-t, and Gizmo) for the AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. We use slightly different redshift epochs near z = 2 for each code (hereafter "z ~ 2") at which the eight simulations are in the same stage in the target halo's merger history. After identifying the matched pairs of halos between the CosmoRun simulations and the DMO simulations, we discover that each CosmoRun halo tends to be less massive than its DMO counterpart. When we consider only the halos containing stellar particles at z ~ 2, the number of satellite galaxies is significantly fewer than that of dark matter halos in all participating AGORA simulations and is comparable to the number of present-day satellites near the Milky Way or M31. The so-called "missing satellite problem" is fully resolved across all participating codes simply by implementing the common baryonic physics adopted in AGORA and the stellar feedback prescription commonly used in each code, with sufficient numerical resolution (≲100 proper pc at z = 2). We also compare other properties such as the stellar mass–halo mass relation and the mass–metallicity relation. Our work highlights the value of comparison studies such as AGORA, where outstanding problems in galaxy formation theory are studied simultaneously on multiple numerical platforms.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Constraining the dark matter contribution of $\gamma$ rays in clusters of galaxies using Fermi -LAT data

Clusters of galaxies are the largest gravitationally bound systems in the Universe. Their dynamics are dominated by dark matter (DM), which makes them among the best targets for indirect DM searches. We analyze 12 years of data collected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) in the direction of 49 clusters of galaxies selected for their proximity to the Earth and their high x-ray flux, which makes them the most promising targets. We first create physically motivated models for the DM density around each cluster considering different assumptions for the substructure distribution. Then we perform a combined search for a $\gamma$-ray signal in the Fermi-LAT data between 500 MeV and 1 TeV. We find a signal of $\gamma$ rays potentially associated with DM that is at a statistical significance of 2.5⁢σ-3.0⁢σ when considering a slope for the subhalo mass distribution α =1.9 and minimum mass of M min =10 -6⁢ M ⊙ . The best-fit DM mass and annihilation cross sections for a b⁢$\overline{b}$ annihilation channel are m X =40–60 GeV and $\langle$σ⁢ν$\rangle$=(2–4)×10 -25 cm 3 /s. When we consider α =2.0 and M min =10 -9⁢ M ⊙ , the best fit of the cross section reduces to $\langle$σ⁢ν$\rangle$=(4–10)×10 -26 cm 3 /s. For both DM substructure models there is a tension between the values of $\langle$σ⁢ν$\rangle$ that we find and the upper limits obtained with the nondetection of a $\gamma$-ray flux from Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies. In conclusion, this signal is thus more likely associated with $\gamma$ rays produced in the intracluster region by cosmic rays colliding with gas and photon fields.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

The kinematic properties of Milky Way stellar halo populations

ABSTRACT In the Gaia era, stellar kinematics are extensively used to study Galactic halo stellar populations, to search for halo structures, and to characterize the interface between the halo and hot disc populations. We use distribution function-based models of modern data sets with 6D phase space data to qualitatively describe a variety of kinematic spaces commonly used in the study of the Galactic halo. Furthermore, we quantitatively assess how well each kinematic space can separate radially anisotropic from isotropic halo populations. We find that scaled action space (the ‘action diamond’) is superior to other commonly used kinematic spaces at this task. We present a new, easy to implement selection criterion for members of the radially anisotropic Gaia–Enceladus merger remnant. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of Gaia–Enceladus stars to more isotropic halo, we find our selection achieves a sample purity of 86 per cent in our models with respect to contamination from the more isotropic halo. We compare this criterion to literature criteria, finding that it produces the highest purity in the resulting samples, at the expense of a modest reduction in completeness. We also show that selection biases that underlie nearly all contemporary spectroscopic data sets can noticeably impact the E−Lz distribution of samples in a manner that may be confused for real substructure. We conclude by providing recommendations for how authors should use stellar kinematics in the future to study the Galactic stellar halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Galactic ArchaeoLogIcaL ExcavatiOns (GALILEO): I. An updated census of APOGEE N-rich giants across the Milky Way

We use the 17th data release of the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2) to provide a homogenous census of N-rich red giant stars across the Milky Way (MW). We report a total of 149 newly identified N-rich field giants toward the bulge, metal-poor disk, and halo of our Galaxy. They exhibit significant enrichment in their nitrogen abundance ratios ([N/Fe] ≳ +0.5), along with simultaneous depletions in their [C/Fe] abundance ratios ([C/Fe] < +0.15), and they cover a wide range of metallicities (-1.8 < [Fe/H] < -0.7). The final sample of candidate N-rich red giant stars with globular-cluster-like (GC-like) abundance patterns from the APOGEE survey includes a grand total of ~412 unique objects. These strongly N-enhanced stars are speculated to have been stripped from GCs based on their chemical similarities with these systems. Even though we have not found any strong evidence for binary companions or signatures of pulsating variability yet, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of these objects were members of binary systems in the past and/or are currently part of a variable system. In particular, the fact that we identify such stars among the field stars in our Galaxy provides strong evidence that the nucleosynthetic process(es) producing the anomalous [N/Fe] abundance ratios occurs over a wide range of metallicities. This may provide evidence either for or against the uniqueness of the progenitor stars to GCs and/or the existence of chemical anomalies associated with likely tidally shredded clusters in massive dwarf galaxies such as “Kraken/Koala”, Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage, among others, before or during their accretion by the MW. In conclusion, a dynamical analysis reveals that the newly identified N-rich stars exhibit a wide range of dynamical characteristics throughout the MW, indicating that they were produced in a variety of Galactic environments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Star Formation in Splash Bridges

Splash bridges are created from the direct collision of two gas-rich disk galaxies. These direct collisions can eject gas masses on the order of 10 10 M ⊙ stripped from the stellar disks of each galaxy. The Taffy Galaxy system (UGC 1294/5) is a prototypical example of a splash bridge system. CO observations of the Taffy revealed that its splash bridge contains a mass of H 2 equal to the Milky Way's H 2 mass. However, the little visible star formation occurring within the bridge highlights the need for models of direct gas-rich disk collisions. The Arp 194 system displays what may be another splash bridge resulting from the collision between two disk galaxies. The region between the two stellar disks contains bright clumps of active star formation. We aim to better understand the conditions for star formation in splash bridges by employing a Jeans criterion to determine where gravitational instabilities occur in the shocked and cooling gas of gas-rich disk collisions. The splash bridge results are obtained from our previous work using a sticky particle code and post-processed. We find that the inclination between the gas disks and the collision velocity with which the gas collides strongly affects the fraction of gas that will become gravitationally unstable. Low inclinations between gas disks produce starbursts whereas high inclinations result in steady-rate star formation. The offset of the gas disks at impact will determine how many gas elements directly collide but does not strongly affect the resulting star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗