Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Resolving The Stellar Outskirts Of M81: Evidence For A Faint, Extended Structural Component
 
research article

Resolving The Stellar Outskirts Of M81: Evidence For A Faint, Extended Structural Component

Barker, M. K.
•
Ferguson, A. M. N.
•
Irwin, M.
Show more
2009
Astronomical Journal

We present a wide field census of resolved stellar populations in the northern half of M81, conducted with Suprime-Cam on the 8 m Subaru telescope and covering an area similar to 0.3 deg(2). The resulting color-magnitude diagram reaches over one magnitude below the red giant branch (RGB) tip, allowing a detailed comparison between the young and old stellar spatial distributions. The surface density of stars with ages less than or similar to 100 Myr is correlated with that of neutral hydrogen in a manner similar to the disk-averaged Kennicutt-Schmidt relation. We trace this correlation down to gas densities of similar to 2 x 1020 cm(-2), lower than typically probed with H alpha flux. Both diffuse light and resolved RGB star counts show compelling evidence for a faint, extended structural component beyond the bright optical disk, with a much flatter surface brightness profile. The star counts allow us to probe this component to significantly fainter levels than is possible with the diffuse light alone. From the colors of its RGB stars, we estimate that this component has a peak global metallicity [M/H] similar to -1.1 +/- 0.3 at deprojected radii 32-44 kpc assuming an age of 10 Gyr and distance of 3.6 Mpc. The spatial distribution of its RGB stars follows a power-law surface density profile, I (r) proportional to r(-gamma), with gamma similar to 2. If this component were separate from the bulge and from the bright optical disk, then it would contain similar to 10%-15% of M81's total V-band luminosity. We discuss the possibility that this is M81's halo or thick disk, and in particular highlight its similarities and differences with these components in the Milky Way. Other possibilities for its nature, such as a perturbed disk or the faint extension of the bulge, cannot be completely ruled out, though our data disfavor the latter. These observations add to the growing body of evidence for faint, complex extended structures beyond the bright disks of spiral galaxies.

  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.1088/0004-6256/138/5/1469
Web of Science ID

WOS:000270852100022

Author(s)
Barker, M. K.
Ferguson, A. M. N.
Irwin, M.
Arimoto, N.
Jablonka, P.  
Date Issued

2009

Published in
Astronomical Journal
Volume

138

Start page

1469

End page

1484

Subjects

galaxies: evolution

•

galaxies: individual (M81)

•

galaxies: stellar content

•

galaxies: structure

•

Edge-On Galaxies

•

Telescope Advanced Camera

•

Dark-Matter Universe

•

Digital Sky Survey

•

Star-Formation

•

Spiral Galaxies

•

Thick Disks

•

Milky-Way

•

Galactic Disks

•

Vertical-Distribution

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LASTRO  
Available on Infoscience
November 30, 2010
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/59728
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés