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In this thesis I discuss issues involving stellar metallicities in dwarf galaxies. Stars reflect the gas composition at the time they formed, thereby making the metallicity distribution function (MDF - the relative number of stars as a function of metallicity) a record of the chemical evolution within a galaxy. I measure photometric metallicities using Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) obervations aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Advantages of photometric metallicities include measuring every star in the field down to fainter magnitudes than allowed by spectroscopy. I quantified and calibrated the metallicity and temperature sensitivities of colors derived from nine WFC3 filters using Dartmouth isochrones and Kurucz model atmospheres. The photometric metallicities were tested and calibrated with five well studied Galactic clusters spanning three orders of magnitude in metallicity M92, NGC 6752, NGC 104, NGC 5927, and NGC 6791. The greatest accuracy in assigning metallicity was found using the (F390M-F555W) color, with the main advantage being the increased color sensitivity at low metallicity. MDFs for a population, along with chemical evolution models provide evolutionary information about gas flows and enrichment within the galaxy. I measured photometric metallicities in Leo I, Leo II, IC 1613, and Phoenix, and analytical chemical evolution models were fit to their MDFs. The MDF shapes, chemicals evolution models and dynamic histories suggest that the galactic conditions during periods of star formation influenced the metallicities. I find that the narrower MDFs are indicative of interactions occurring in concert with star formation, while a broader MDF indicates a passive evolution. Additionally, I explore ways to combine chemical evolution models and star formation histories (SFH), to quantify the metallicity evolution with time. The SFHs of Weisz et al. (2014) are assessed for their potential to determine MDFs for 40 Local Group dwarf galaxies. The SFH-MDF connection is examined by comparing similar MDFs measured by Kirby et al. (2013) and the SFHs. Galaxies with comparable MDFs show similar characteristics in their SFHs. Overall, I find that the SFH, interaction history, and stellar mass are important contributors to the metallicity enrichment in dwarf galaxies.
This timely book presents an overview of the galaxies within the Local Volume, including the Local Group and our closest neighbours, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. Presented here are the latest results from radio, infrared and optical surveys as well as detailed multi-wavelength studies of individual galaxies. The book aims to provide a vibrant forum for presentations and discussions across a broad range of astrophysical topics.
This thesis attempts to untangle, as best as possible, the importance of internally-driven evolutionary mechanisms relative to externally-driven effects, in shaping the structure and properties of the smallest observable galaxies. All galaxies are influenced by internal processes, such as feedback from star formation and the infall of gas or lack thereof, as well as environmental processes, like tides and ram pressure stripping. The smallest galaxies - dwarfs - are highly susceptible to all such processes, and their resulting structure is the summation of all prior events. I use nearby dwarf galaxies of the Local Group as test cases, focusing on those which are separated from the massive galaxies (like the Milky Way) and can be considered as "isolated''. These dwarfs are observed as part of the Solitary Local (Solo) Dwarf Galaxy Survey. Solo dwarfs will have spent the majority of their time as isolated systems, hence their properties should generally reflect their "intrinsic nature", unperturbed and unaffected by interactions with other systems. This survey was designed to focus on the old stellar populations present in these galaxies, in order to characterize their faint and extended structures. These old stellar populations should carry the hallmarks of the dwarfs' histories. By comparing the observed properties of Solo dwarfs with dwarfs currently in close proximity to a large host galaxy (i.e., the M 31 and Milky Way satellites), it should be possible to determine what aspects of the properties of dwarfs are most affected by environmentally-driven processes. The Local Group is the ideal regime in which to study these faint features, as the dwarfs' close proximity to us presents an opportunity to fully characterize these galaxies. However, the number of dwarfs in the Local Group is limited, with several galaxies (e.g. IC 10 or Sag dSph) being the unique example of their "type" locally observable. This limited sample emphasizes the need for careful, homogeneous observations and analysis, such that comparisons between this small, yet highly diverse, snapshot of galaxies accurately reflects the true nature of these dwarfs. I have homogeneously analyzed the 12 closest Solo dwarfs observable from the northern hemisphere, resulting in a consistently derived dataset. I determine fundamental properties, like distances, and characterize the structure of the dwarfs. I explore the possibility that the dwarfs may be more consistent with a two component profile, rather than one, finding that they are largely well characterized by a single Sérsic profile. I then compare these isolated dwarfs with the well-studied satellites of the Milky Way and M 31, primarily using two other homogeneous surveys; the MegaCam Survey of Outer Halo Objects and the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey respectively. Examining each property (e.g. ellipticity, central surface brightness, or Sérsic radius) individually, we find no statistically significant differences between each group. However, when considering parameters in combination (e.g. absolute magnitude as a function of Sérsic radius), we see increased scatter in the satellite population, indicative of the impact of a massive host galaxy on the dwarfs, likely via tidal effects. The comparison between satellites and isolated dwarfs hones in on the impact of a massive galaxy in close proximity. Of course, processes within and surrounding the dwarf itself can also alter the dwarf. I look at the star formation histories and gas content of the dwarfs to explore the connection between internal and external processes in these small galaxies. Finally, I search for substructure in the form of satellites of dwarf galaxies, globular clusters and extended tidal features, all which inform about the dwarf's isolation, environment and history. Collectively, I generate comprehensive and detailed inspections of Local Group dwarfs and aim to understand them as products of their environment.
This is volume 5 of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems, a six-volume compendium of modern astronomical research, covering subjects of key interest to the main fields of contemporary astronomy. This volume on “Galactic Structure and Stellar Populations”, edited by Gerard F. Gilmore, presents accessible review chapters on Stellar Populations, Chemical Abundances as Population Tracers, Metal-Poor Stars and the Chemical Enrichment of the Universe, The Stellar and Sub-Stellar Initial Mass Function of Simple and Composite Populations, The Galactic Nucleus, The Galactic Bulge, Open Clusters and Their Role in the Galaxy, Star Counts and the Nature of Galactic Thick Disk, The Infrared Galaxy, Interstellar PAHs and Dust, Galactic Neutral Hydrogen, High-Velocity Clouds, Magnetic Fields in Galaxies, Astrophysics of Galactic Charged Cosmic Rays, Gamma-Ray Emission of Supernova Remnants and the Origin of Galactic Cosmic Rays, Galactic Distance Scales, Globular Cluster Dynamical Evolution, Dynamics of Disks and Warps, Mass Distribution and Rotation Curve in the Galaxy, Dark Matter in the Galactic Dwarf Spheroidal Satellites, and History of Dark Matter in Galaxies. All chapters of the handbook were written by practicing professionals. They include sufficient background material and references to the current literature to allow readers to learn enough about a specialty within astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology to get started on their own practical research projects. In the spirit of the series Stars and Stellar Systems published by Chicago University Press in the 1960s and 1970s, each chapter of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems can stand on its own as a fundamental review of its respective sub-discipline, and each volume can be used as a textbook or recommended reference work for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Advanced students and professional astronomers in their roles as both lecturers and researchers will welcome Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems as a comprehensive and pedagogical reference work on astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.
Thoroughly revised and expanded throughout, the new edition is a graduate-level text and reference book on gaseous nebulae, nova and supernova remnants. Much of the new data and new images are from the Hubble Space Telescope with two wholly new chapters being added along with other new features. The previous edition which was tried and tested for thirty years has now been succeeded by a revised, updated, larger edition, which will be valuable to anyone seriously interested in astrophysics.
The book discusses the theoretical path to decoding the information gathered from observations of old stellar systems. It focuses on old stellar systems because these are the fossil record of galaxy formation and provide invaluable information ont he evolution of cosmic structures and the universe as a whole. The aim is to present results obtained in the past few years for theoretical developments in low mass star research and in advances in our knowledge of the evolution of old stellar systems. A particularly representative case is the recent discovery of multiple stellar populations in galactic globular clusters that represents one of the hottest topics in stellar and galactic astrophysics and is discussed in detail. Santi Cassisi has authored about 270 scientific papers, 150 of them in peer-reviewed journals, and the title Evolution of Stars and Stellar Populations.
The effect of this new model on our simulated dwarf galaxy is significant, as it produces stronger galactic winds that suppress and regulate star formation and more efficiently eject metals from star forming gas. The resulting system at z = 0 has an order of magnitude lower luminosity and an average stellar metallicity consistent with observed dwarfs. The distribution of stellar metallicity is too narrowly peaked, however, indicating the need for further refinement of our model and perhaps the inclusion other sources of stellar feedback such as Type Ia supernovae or stellar winds. We conclude that the observed chemical abundance patterns in local dwarf galaxies provide a unique testbench for refining models of stellar feedback in galaxy simulations at high resolution.
The term “chemical evolution of galaxies” refers to the evolution of abundances of chemical species in galaxies, which is due to nuclear processes occurring in stars and to gas flows into and out of galaxies. This book deals with the chemical evolution of galaxies of all morphological types (ellipticals, spirals and irregulars) and stresses the importance of the star formation histories in determining the properties of stellar populations in different galaxies. The topic is approached in a didactical and logical manner via galaxy evolution models which are compared with observational results obtained in the last two decades: The reader is given an introduction to the concept of chemical abundances and learns about the main stellar populations in our Galaxy as well as about the classification of galaxy types and their main observables. In the core of the book, the construction and solution of chemical evolution models are discussed in detail, followed by descriptions and interpretations of observations of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way, spheroidal galaxies, irregular galaxies and of cosmic chemical evolution. The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to students as well as to amend our present ideas in research; the book also summarizes the efforts made by authors in the past several years in order to further future research in the field.
Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.