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The Faint Optical Stellar Luminosity Function in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Feltzing, Sofia LU orcid ; Gilmore, G and Wyse, R F G (1999) In Astrophysical Journal 516(1). p.17-20
Abstract
Analyses of their internal stellar kinematics imply that the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) companion galaxies to the Milky Way are among the most dark matter-dominated systems known. Should there be significant dark matter in the form of faint stars in these systems, the stellar luminosity function must be very different from that of a similar metallicity globular cluster, for which there is no evidence for dark matter. We present the faint stellar luminosity function in the Ursa Minor dSph, down to a luminosity corresponding to ~0.45 M_solar, derived from new deep Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 data. We find a remarkable similarity between this luminosity function, and inferred initial mass function, and those of the globular cluster M92, a... (More)
Analyses of their internal stellar kinematics imply that the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) companion galaxies to the Milky Way are among the most dark matter-dominated systems known. Should there be significant dark matter in the form of faint stars in these systems, the stellar luminosity function must be very different from that of a similar metallicity globular cluster, for which there is no evidence for dark matter. We present the faint stellar luminosity function in the Ursa Minor dSph, down to a luminosity corresponding to ~0.45 M_solar, derived from new deep Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 data. We find a remarkable similarity between this luminosity function, and inferred initial mass function, and those of the globular cluster M92, a cluster of similar age and metallicity to the Ursa Minor dSph. (Less)
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author
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organization
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
dark mattergalaxies: individual (Ursa Minor)galaxies: kinematics and dynamicsgalaxies: stellar contentstars: luminosity function, mass function
in
Astrophysical Journal
volume
516
issue
1
pages
17 - 20
publisher
American Astronomical Society
external identifiers
  • scopus:0033126004
ISSN
0004-637X
DOI
10.1086/311988
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
354a0b0e-e389-4de8-8d70-b35317f4f114 (old id 113715)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 17:04:00
date last changed
2024-01-11 20:00:23
@article{354a0b0e-e389-4de8-8d70-b35317f4f114,
  abstract     = {{Analyses of their internal stellar kinematics imply that the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) companion galaxies to the Milky Way are among the most dark matter-dominated systems known. Should there be significant dark matter in the form of faint stars in these systems, the stellar luminosity function must be very different from that of a similar metallicity globular cluster, for which there is no evidence for dark matter. We present the faint stellar luminosity function in the Ursa Minor dSph, down to a luminosity corresponding to ~0.45 M_solar, derived from new deep Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 data. We find a remarkable similarity between this luminosity function, and inferred initial mass function, and those of the globular cluster M92, a cluster of similar age and metallicity to the Ursa Minor dSph.}},
  author       = {{Feltzing, Sofia and Gilmore, G and Wyse, R F G}},
  issn         = {{0004-637X}},
  keywords     = {{dark mattergalaxies: individual (Ursa Minor)galaxies: kinematics and dynamicsgalaxies: stellar contentstars: luminosity function; mass function}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{17--20}},
  publisher    = {{American Astronomical Society}},
  series       = {{Astrophysical Journal}},
  title        = {{The Faint Optical Stellar Luminosity Function in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4864064/623752.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1086/311988}},
  volume       = {{516}},
  year         = {{1999}},
}