The Gaia-ESO Survey: the Galactic thick to thin disc transition

Recio-Blanco, A.; de Laverny, P.; Kordopatis, G.; Helmi, A.; Hilf, V.; Gilmore, G.; Wyse, R.; Actillekyan, V.; Randich, S.; Asplund, M.; Feltzing, Sofia; Jeffries, R.; Micelal, G.; Vallenarill, A.; Alfaro, E.; Prieto, C. Allende; Bensby, Thomas; Bragaglia, A.; Flaceomiol, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Korn, A.; Lanzafame, A.; Paneino, E.; Smiliarbel, R.; Jaelcson, R.; Lewis, J.; Magia, L.; Morbideli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sacco, G.; Worley, C. C.; Hourthane, A.; Bergemann, M.; Costado, T.; Heiter, U.; Joffre, U.; Lardo, C.; Lind, K.; Maiorca, E.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: the Galactic thick to thin disc transition

Mark

Recio-Blanco, A. ; de Laverny, P. ; Kordopatis, G. ; Helmi, A. ; Hilf, V. ; Gilmore, G. ; Wyse, R. ; Actillekyan, V. ; Randich, S. and Asplund, M. , et al. (2014) In Astronomy & Astrophysics 567.

Abstract: Aims. The nature of the thick disc and its relation to the thin disc is presently an important subject of debate. In fact, the structural and chemo-dynamical transition between disc populations can be used as a test of the proposed models of Galactic disc formation and evolution. Methods. We used the atmospheric parameters, [alpha/Fe] abundances, and radial velocities, which were determined from the Gaia-ESO Survey GIRAFFE spectra of FGK-type stars (first nine months of observations) to provide a chemo-kinematical characterisation of the disc stellar populations. We focussed on a subsample of 1016 stars with high-quality parameters, covering the volume vertical bar Z vertical bar < 4.5 kpc and R in the range 2-13 kpc. Results. We have... (More); Aims. The nature of the thick disc and its relation to the thin disc is presently an important subject of debate. In fact, the structural and chemo-dynamical transition between disc populations can be used as a test of the proposed models of Galactic disc formation and evolution. Methods. We used the atmospheric parameters, [alpha/Fe] abundances, and radial velocities, which were determined from the Gaia-ESO Survey GIRAFFE spectra of FGK-type stars (first nine months of observations) to provide a chemo-kinematical characterisation of the disc stellar populations. We focussed on a subsample of 1016 stars with high-quality parameters, covering the volume vertical bar Z vertical bar < 4.5 kpc and R in the range 2-13 kpc. Results. We have identified a thin to thick disc separation in the [alpha/Fe] vs. [M/H] plane, thanks to the presence of a low-density region in the number density distribution. The thick disc stars seem to lie in progressively thinner layers above the Galactic plane, as metallicity increases and [alpha/Fe] decreases. In contrast, the thin disc population presents a constant value of the mean distance to the Galactic plane at all metallicities. In addition, our data confirm the already known correlations between V-phi and [M/H] for the two discs. For the thick disc sequence, a study of the possible contamination by thin disc stars suggests a gradient up to 64 +/- 9 km s(-1) dex(-1). The distributions of azimuthal velocity, vertical velocity, and orbital parameters are also analysed for the chemically separated samples. Concerning the gradients with galactocentric radius, we find, for the thin disc, a flat behaviour of the azimuthal velocity, a metallicity gradient equal to -0.058 +/- 0.008 dex kpc(-1) and a very small positive [alpha/Fe] gradient. For the thick disc, flat gradients in [M/H] and [alpha/Fe] are derived. Conclusions. Our chemo-kinematical analysis suggests a picture where the thick disc seems to have experienced a settling process, during which its rotation increased progressively and, possibly, the azimuthal velocity dispersion decreased. At [M/H] approximate to -0.25 dex and [alpha/Fe] approximate to 0.1 dex, the mean characteristics of the thick disc in vertical distance to the Galactic plane, rotation, rotational dispersion, and stellar orbits' eccentricity agree with that of the thin disc stars of the same metallicity, suggesting a possible connection between these two populations at a certain epoch of the disc evolution. Finally, the results presented here, based only on the first months of the Gaia-ESO Survey observations, confirm how crucial large high-resolution spectroscopic surveys outside the solar neighbourhood are today for our understanding of the Milky Way history. (Less)

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4709846

author

Recio-Blanco, A. ; de Laverny, P. ; Kordopatis, G. ; Helmi, A. ; Hilf, V. ; Gilmore, G. ; Wyse, R. ; Actillekyan, V. ; Randich, S. and Asplund, M. , et al. (More)

Recio-Blanco, A. ; de Laverny, P. ; Kordopatis, G. ; Helmi, A. ; Hilf, V. ; Gilmore, G. ; Wyse, R. ; Actillekyan, V. ; Randich, S. ; Asplund, M. ; Feltzing, Sofia ^LU

; Jeffries, R. ; Micelal, G. ; Vallenarill, A. ; Alfaro, E. ; Prieto, C. Allende ; Bensby, Thomas ^LU

; Bragaglia, A. ; Flaceomiol, E. ; Koposov, S. E. ; Korn, A. ; Lanzafame, A. ; Paneino, E. ; Smiliarbel, R. ; Jaelcson, R. ; Lewis, J. ; Magia, L. ; Morbideli, L. ; Prisinzano, L. ; Sacco, G. ; Worley, C. C. ; Hourthane, A. ; Bergemann, M. ; Costado, T. ; Heiter, U. ; Joffre, U. ; Lardo, C. ; Lind, K. and Maiorca, E. (Less)

organization

Lund Observatory - Has been reorganised

publishing date

2014

type

Contribution to journal

publication status

published

subject

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

keywords

Galaxy: abundances, Galaxy: disk, Galaxy: stellar content, stars:, abundances

in

Astronomy & Astrophysics

volume

567

article number

A5

publisher

EDP Sciences

external identifiers

wos:000341185300033
scopus:84903837296

ISSN

0004-6361

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/201322944

project

Gaia-ESO Survey

language

English

LU publication?

yes

id

e0e67a9b-b1de-4dcf-8097-dcfedcfee24a (old id 4709846)

date added to LUP

2016-04-01 14:04:04

date last changed

2024-04-10 14:47:39

@article{e0e67a9b-b1de-4dcf-8097-dcfedcfee24a,
  abstract     = {{Aims. The nature of the thick disc and its relation to the thin disc is presently an important subject of debate. In fact, the structural and chemo-dynamical transition between disc populations can be used as a test of the proposed models of Galactic disc formation and evolution. Methods. We used the atmospheric parameters, [alpha/Fe] abundances, and radial velocities, which were determined from the Gaia-ESO Survey GIRAFFE spectra of FGK-type stars (first nine months of observations) to provide a chemo-kinematical characterisation of the disc stellar populations. We focussed on a subsample of 1016 stars with high-quality parameters, covering the volume vertical bar Z vertical bar &lt; 4.5 kpc and R in the range 2-13 kpc. Results. We have identified a thin to thick disc separation in the [alpha/Fe] vs. [M/H] plane, thanks to the presence of a low-density region in the number density distribution. The thick disc stars seem to lie in progressively thinner layers above the Galactic plane, as metallicity increases and [alpha/Fe] decreases. In contrast, the thin disc population presents a constant value of the mean distance to the Galactic plane at all metallicities. In addition, our data confirm the already known correlations between V-phi and [M/H] for the two discs. For the thick disc sequence, a study of the possible contamination by thin disc stars suggests a gradient up to 64 +/- 9 km s(-1) dex(-1). The distributions of azimuthal velocity, vertical velocity, and orbital parameters are also analysed for the chemically separated samples. Concerning the gradients with galactocentric radius, we find, for the thin disc, a flat behaviour of the azimuthal velocity, a metallicity gradient equal to -0.058 +/- 0.008 dex kpc(-1) and a very small positive [alpha/Fe] gradient. For the thick disc, flat gradients in [M/H] and [alpha/Fe] are derived. Conclusions. Our chemo-kinematical analysis suggests a picture where the thick disc seems to have experienced a settling process, during which its rotation increased progressively and, possibly, the azimuthal velocity dispersion decreased. At [M/H] approximate to -0.25 dex and [alpha/Fe] approximate to 0.1 dex, the mean characteristics of the thick disc in vertical distance to the Galactic plane, rotation, rotational dispersion, and stellar orbits' eccentricity agree with that of the thin disc stars of the same metallicity, suggesting a possible connection between these two populations at a certain epoch of the disc evolution. Finally, the results presented here, based only on the first months of the Gaia-ESO Survey observations, confirm how crucial large high-resolution spectroscopic surveys outside the solar neighbourhood are today for our understanding of the Milky Way history.}},
  author       = {{Recio-Blanco, A. and de Laverny, P. and Kordopatis, G. and Helmi, A. and Hilf, V. and Gilmore, G. and Wyse, R. and Actillekyan, V. and Randich, S. and Asplund, M. and Feltzing, Sofia and Jeffries, R. and Micelal, G. and Vallenarill, A. and Alfaro, E. and Prieto, C. Allende and Bensby, Thomas and Bragaglia, A. and Flaceomiol, E. and Koposov, S. E. and Korn, A. and Lanzafame, A. and Paneino, E. and Smiliarbel, R. and Jaelcson, R. and Lewis, J. and Magia, L. and Morbideli, L. and Prisinzano, L. and Sacco, G. and Worley, C. C. and Hourthane, A. and Bergemann, M. and Costado, T. and Heiter, U. and Joffre, U. and Lardo, C. and Lind, K. and Maiorca, E.}},
  issn         = {{0004-6361}},
  keywords     = {{Galaxy: abundances; Galaxy: disk; Galaxy: stellar content; stars:; abundances}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{EDP Sciences}},
  series       = {{Astronomy & Astrophysics}},
  title        = {{The Gaia-ESO Survey: the Galactic thick to thin disc transition}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322944}},
  doi          = {{10.1051/0004-6361/201322944}},
  volume       = {{567}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}

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The Gaia-ESO Survey: the Galactic thick to thin disc transition