TY - JOUR
T1 - Evidence from the H3 survey that the stellar halo is entirely comprised of substructure
AU - Naidu, Rohan P.
AU - Conroy, Charlie
AU - Bonaca, Ana
AU - Johnson, Benjamin D.
AU - Ting, Yuan Sen
AU - Caldwell, Nelson
AU - Zaritsky, Dennis
AU - Cargile, Phillip A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/9/20
Y1 - 2020/9/20
N2 - In the ΛCDM paradigm, the Galactic stellar halo is predicted to harbor the accreted debris of smaller systems. To identify these systems, the H3 Spectroscopic Survey, combined with Gaia, is gathering 6D phase-space and chemical information in the distant Galaxy. Here we present a comprehensive inventory of structure within 50 kpc from the Galactic center using a sample of 5684 giants at b∣ > 40° and Z∣ > 2 kpc. We identify known structures including the high-α disk, the in situ halo (disk stars heated to eccentric orbits), Sagittarius (Sgr), Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE), the Helmi Streams, Sequoia, and Thamnos. Additionally, we identify the following new structures: (i) Aleph ([Fe/H] = −0.5), a low-eccentricity structure that rises a surprising 10 kpc off the plane, (ii) and (iii) Arjuna ([Fe/H] = −1.2) and I'itoi ([Fe/H] < −2), which comprise the high-energy retrograde halo along with Sequoia, and (iv) Wukong ([Fe/H] = −1.6), a prograde phase-space overdensity chemically distinct from GSE. For each structure, we provide [Fe/H], [α/Fe], and orbital parameters. Stars born within the Galaxy are a major component at Z∣ ~ 2 kpc (≈60%), but their relative fraction declines sharply to ≾5% past 15 kpc. Beyond 15 kpc, >80% of the halo is built by two massive (M* ∼ 108-109Me) accreted dwarfs: GSE ([Fe/H] = −1.2) within 25 kpc and Sgr ([Fe/H] = −1.0) beyond 25 kpc. This explains the relatively high overall metallicity of the halo ([Fe/H] ≈ −1.2). We attribute ≿95% of the sample to one of the listed structures, pointing to a halo built entirely from accreted dwarfs and heating of the disk.
AB - In the ΛCDM paradigm, the Galactic stellar halo is predicted to harbor the accreted debris of smaller systems. To identify these systems, the H3 Spectroscopic Survey, combined with Gaia, is gathering 6D phase-space and chemical information in the distant Galaxy. Here we present a comprehensive inventory of structure within 50 kpc from the Galactic center using a sample of 5684 giants at b∣ > 40° and Z∣ > 2 kpc. We identify known structures including the high-α disk, the in situ halo (disk stars heated to eccentric orbits), Sagittarius (Sgr), Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE), the Helmi Streams, Sequoia, and Thamnos. Additionally, we identify the following new structures: (i) Aleph ([Fe/H] = −0.5), a low-eccentricity structure that rises a surprising 10 kpc off the plane, (ii) and (iii) Arjuna ([Fe/H] = −1.2) and I'itoi ([Fe/H] < −2), which comprise the high-energy retrograde halo along with Sequoia, and (iv) Wukong ([Fe/H] = −1.6), a prograde phase-space overdensity chemically distinct from GSE. For each structure, we provide [Fe/H], [α/Fe], and orbital parameters. Stars born within the Galaxy are a major component at Z∣ ~ 2 kpc (≈60%), but their relative fraction declines sharply to ≾5% past 15 kpc. Beyond 15 kpc, >80% of the halo is built by two massive (M* ∼ 108-109Me) accreted dwarfs: GSE ([Fe/H] = −1.2) within 25 kpc and Sgr ([Fe/H] = −1.0) beyond 25 kpc. This explains the relatively high overall metallicity of the halo ([Fe/H] ≈ −1.2). We attribute ≿95% of the sample to one of the listed structures, pointing to a halo built entirely from accreted dwarfs and heating of the disk.
KW - Galaxy evolution (594)
KW - Galaxy formation (595)
KW - Galaxy kinematics (602)
KW - Galaxy stellar halos (598)
KW - Milky Way Galaxy (1054)
KW - Milky Way evolution (1052)
KW - Milky Way formation (1053)
KW - Milky Way stellar halo (1060)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092630949&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/abaef4
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/abaef4
M3 - Article
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 901
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 48
ER -