Stellar subsystems of the galaxy NGC 1313

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for eight fields of the spiral galaxy NGC 1313 and its satellite, the low-mass Sph/Irr galaxy AM0319-662. Stars of various ages have been identified on the constructed Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams: young supergiants, middle-aged stars, and old stars (red giants); their apparent distributions over the body of the galaxy are presented. The red supergiants and giants have been divided into groups with larger and smaller color indices, corresponding to a difference in stellar metallicity. These groups of stars are shown to have different spatial distributions and to belong to two galaxies, NGC1313 itself and the disrupted satellite. We have determined the distance to NGC 1313, D = 3.88 ± 0.07 Mpc, by the TRGB method from six fields. Our photometry of 2014 HST images has revealed an emerged charge transfer inefficiency on the ACS/WFC CCDs, which manifests itself as a dependence of the photometry of stars on their coordinates on the CCD.     

Stellar content of the metal-poor galaxy DDO 68

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for the metal-poor galaxy DDO 68. The apparent distributions of stars of different ages and stellarmetallicity determinations indicate that DDO68 is a systemof two galaxies that have different stellar metallicities (Z = 0.004 and 0.001) and are in the stage of interaction or merging. We have determined the distance to DDO 68, D = 12.0 ± 0.3 Mpc, which differs significantly from previous estimates of the distance to this system. A concentration of red giants is observed outside DDO 68. This can be interpreted as the periphery of a partially visible low-surface-brightness galaxy located at the same distance as DDO 68. Comparison of the constructed CM diagrams with theoretical isochrones from Bertelli et al. has allowed us to determine that the age of each galaxy is at least 10 Gyr.     

Stellar content of the interacting galaxies IC 1727 and NGC 672

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for an isolated pair of interacting galaxies, IC 1727 and NGC 672, and constructed their Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams. The galaxy IC 1727 exhibits a strong asymmetry in the apparent distribution of young stars. The distribution of old stars is smoother and less asymmetric. In the galaxy NGC672, there is no noticeable asymmetry in the distribution of stars of different ages. Based on the TRGB method, we have determined an accurate distance to each galaxy for the first time: D = 7.14 ± 0.10 Mpc for IC 1727 and D = 7.22 ± 0.10 Mpc for NGC 672, confirming that these galaxies are closely spaced. The luminosity functions of red supergiants and peripheral AGB stars in both galaxies have positionally coincident local maxima, suggesting the simultaneous enhancement of star formation in the two galaxies occurred in the intervals 20–30 and 450–700 Myr ago. The results obtained point to an enhancement of star formation processes in the interacting galaxies.     

The resolved red giant branches of E/S0 galaxies

Formation paradigms for massive galaxies have long centered around two antipodal hypotheses – the monolithic-collapse and the accretion/merger scenarios. Empirical data on the stellar contents of galaxy halos is crucial in order to develop galaxy formation and assembly scenarios which have their root in observations, rather than in numerical simulations. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has enabled us to study directly individual stars in the nearby E/S0 galaxies Cen A, NGC 3115, NGC 5102, and NGC 404. We here present and discuss HST single-star photometry in V and I bands. Using color-magnitude diagrams and stellar luminosity functions, we gauge the galaxies' stellar contents. This can be done at more than one position in the halo, but data with deeper limiting magnitudes are desired to quantify the variation of metallicity with galactocentric radius. We here compare the color distributions of red giant stars with stellar isochrones, and we intercompare the galaxies' halo populations, noting that their total absolute V magnitudes cover the range from about –21.5 to –17.5. In the future, we plan to model the stellar metallicity distributions with the aim to constrain chemical enrichment scenarios, a step towards unravelling the evolutionary history of elliptical and lenticular galaxies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Young stellar populations in the local group: an HST and GALEX comprehensive study

The study of the stellar constituents of star-forming sites in a wide variety of conditions yields the key to interpreting wide-field UV-optical imaging of extended nearby galaxies, and of distant galaxies. We obtained six-band imaging (from far-UV to I) with HST-WFPC2 of 67 sites of recent star formation in eight Local Group galaxies. HST pointings were selected from GALEX wide-field FUV imaging, which traces the young stellar populations. The HST observations were optimized to characterize the hottest, most massive stars in these regions. From the HST photometry, analyzed with stellar model colors, we derived the physical parameters of the massive stars in each field, and of the extinction by interstellar dust. The HST results are used to interpret GALEX UV measurements of SF across the entire galaxies. Our comprehensive photometric study at HST resolution (sub-pc scale in these galaxies) also provides an ideal selection of targets for follow-up spectroscopy with large ground-based telescopes, and in the UV with HST- or WSO-class telescopes, to clarify the influence of metallicity on the properties and the evolution of massive stars.     

Multiwavelength study of M33's giant H ii regions NGC 588 and NGC 592

We present a detailed multiwavelength photometric study of giant H  ii regions NGC 592 and NGC 588 in the nearby small spiral galaxy M33. We use data taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ). We detect several massive stars in both ionizing clusters. Six Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars are known to exist within those regions and we are able to constrain their physical properties by comparing their photometry to the latest grid of model atmospheres for WR stars of the nitrogen sequence (WN subclass). We estimate the age and mass of both regions by fitting our photometry to models of integrated stellar populations.     

Stellar content of the interacting galaxies of the M51 system

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for more than 0.6 million stars in the interacting galaxies NGC 5194 and NGC 5195 of the M51 system. Stars of various ages have been identified on the constructed Hertzsprung-Russell diagram: blue and red supergiants, AGB stars, and red giants. The distance to M51 has been measured from the position of the tip of the red giant branch, D = 9.9 ± 0.7 Mpc. We have determined the change in the metallicity of red supergiants along the galactic radius in NGC 5194. Despite the gravitational interaction, the distribution of stars in NGC 5194 does not differ from that in isolated galaxies. The asymmetric stellar structures of NGC5195 (the so-called “feathers”) formed through the interaction of two galaxies have been found to consist mostly of AGB stars.     

Stellar Disks and Halos of Edge-on Spiral Galaxies: NGC 891, NGC 4144, and NGC 4244

Stellar photometry of images from the ACS and WFPC2 cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is used to study the star composition and spatial distribution of stars in three edge-on visible spiral galaxies: NGC 891, NGC 4144, and NGC 4244. Measurements of the surface number density of old stars revealed two stellar subsystems in these galaxies: a thick disk and a halo. The boundaries of these subsystems, which consist mainly of red giants, are determined from the change in the gradient of the number density of the stars. The halos are flattened at the poles of the galaxies and extend to distances of 8–25 kpc from the planes of the galaxies. The present results on the number density distribution of stars with different ages perpendicular to the planes of these galaxies make it possible to improve our model for the stellar structure of spiral galaxies. The distances to these galaxies are calculated using a determination of the tip of the red giant branches (the TRGB method): D = 9.82 Mpc (NGC 891), D = 7.24 Mpc (NGC 4144), and D = 4.29 Mpc (NGC 4244).__________Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 261–280 (May 2005).     

The dynamical evolution of stellar superclusters

Recent images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) of the interacting disc galaxies NGC 4038/4039 (the Antennae) reveal clusters of many dozens and possibly hundreds of young compact massive star clusters within projected regions spanning about 100 to 500 pc. It is shown here that a large fraction of the individual star clusters merge within a few tens to a hundred Myr. Bound stellar systems with radii of a few hundred parsecs, masses ≲ 10⁹ M⊙ and relaxation times of 10¹¹ − 10¹² yr may form from these. These spheroidal dwarf galaxies contain old stars from the pre-merger galaxy and much younger stars formed in the massive star clusters, and possibly from later gas accretion events. The possibility that star formation in the outer regions of gas-rich tidal tails may also lead to superclusters is raised. The mass-to-light ratio of these objects is small, because they contain an insignificant amount of dark matter. After many hundred Myr such systems may resemble dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies with large apparent mass-to-light ratios, if tidal shaping is important.     

Study of the galaxy DDO 68: New evidence for its youth

DDO 68 (UGC 5340) is the second most metal-poor star-forming galaxy (12 + log(O/H) = 7.14). Its peculiar optical morphology and its HI distribution and kinematics are indicative of a merger origin. We use the u, g, r, and i photometry based on the SDSS images of DDO 68 to estimate its stellar population ages. The Hα images of DDO 68 were used to select several representative regions without nebular emission. The derived colors were analyzed by comparison with the PEGASE2 evolutionary tracks for various star formation (SF) scenarios, including the two extreme cases: (i) an instantaneous starburst and (ii) continuous SF with a constant rate. The (u − g) and (g − r) colors for all of the selected regions are consistent with the scenario of several “instantaneous” SF episodes with ages between ∼0.05 and ∼1 Gyr. The total mass of the visible stars in DDO 68 was estimated by comparing the colors and fluxes of the observed stellar subsystems with PEGASE2 models to be ∼2.4 × 10⁷ M _⊙. This accounts for ∼6% of the total baryonic mass of the galaxy. All of the available data are consistent with the fact that DDO 68 is a very rare candidate for young galaxies. The bulk of its stars were formed during the recent (with the first encounter ∼1 Gyr ago) merger of two very gas-rich disks. DDO 68 is closest in its properties to cosmologically young low-mass galaxies. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Stellar content and distances to the isolated spiral galaxies NGC 6503 and NGC 6946

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have performed stellar photometry of several fields in the isolated spiral galaxies NGC 6503 and NGC 6946 with high peculiar velocities. Based on the TRGB method, we have determined the distances to the galaxies: D = 6.30 ± 0.10 Mpc for NGC 6503 and D = 6.72 ± 0.15 Mpc for NGC 6946. The current stellar content of the galaxies does not differ from that of other similar galaxies. The metallicity for young stars in NGC 6503 is Z = 0.02 (corresponding to the solar metallicity), while the metallicity for stars in NGC 6946 reaches Z = 0.05. Very few old globular clusters have been found in NGC 6946, while they have not been found at all in NGC 6503. The number density distribution of stars with different ages in NGC 6503 does not differ from the analogous distributions in other galaxies. The large sizes of the thick disk in NGC 6503, which is clearly seen up to 6 kpc from the galactic disk plane and whose possible extension is noticeable up to 8.6 kpc from the plane, are a difference. The sizes of the region occupied by red giants of the disk in NGC 6503 are 51 × 17 kpc, which are not much larger than the sizes of this galaxy from H I radio observations.     

Nuclear star formation in the hotspot galaxy NGC 2903

We present high-resolution near-infrared imaging obtained using adaptive optics and HST /NICMOS, and ground-based spectroscopy of the hotspot galaxy NGC 2903. Our near-infrared resolution imaging enables us to resolve the infrared hotspots into individual young stellar clusters or groups of these. The spatial distribution of the stellar clusters is not coincident with that of the bright H  ii regions, as revealed by the HST /NICMOS Pa α image. Overall, the circumnuclear star formation in NGC 2903 shows a ring-like morphology with an approximate diameter of 625 pc.
The star formation properties of the stellar clusters and H  ii regions have been studied using the photometric and spectroscopic information in conjunction with evolutionary synthesis models. The population of bright stellar clusters shows a very narrow range of ages, 4–7×10⁶ yr after the peak of star formation, or absolute ages 6.5–9.5×10⁶ yr (for the assumed short-duration Gaussian bursts), and luminosities similar to the clusters found in the Antennae interacting galaxy. This population of young stellar clusters accounts for some 7–12 per cent of the total stellar mass in the central 625 pc of NGC 2903. The H  ii regions in the ring of star formation have luminosities close to that of the supergiant H  ii region 30 Doradus, they are younger than the stellar clusters, and they will probably evolve into bright infrared stellar clusters similar to those observed today. We find that the star formation efficiency in the central regions of NGC 2903 is higher than in normal galaxies, approaching the lower end of infrared luminous galaxies.     

Stellar subsystems of the young tidal dwarf galaxy Ho IX

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for the young tidal dwarf galaxy Ho IX. We have determined that star formation in Ho IX began 110 Myr ago and ended 20 Myr ago. We have identified 20 young star clusters in the galaxy with ages from 25 to 100 Myr. For the main star-forming region of Ho IX along one direction, we have determined the change in the number density of stars with three ages: 30, 50, and 90 Myr. A relation has been found between the ages of stars and the spatial sizes of the subsystem formed by them. This relation can be explained by expansion of the stellar subsystems. Under this assumption, the expansion velocity is 9.8 km s^?1 as the age changes from 50 to 90 Myr. Edge-on low-mass late-type galaxies have similar relations between the ages and sizes of their stellar subsystems.     

Powerful CMD:a tool for color-magnitude diagram studies

We present a new tool for color-magnitude diagram(CMD) studies, Powerful CMD. This tool is built based on the advanced stellar population synthesis(ASPS) model, in which single stars, binary stars, rotating stars and star formation history have been taken into account. Via Powerful CMD, the distance modulus, color excess, metallicity, age, binary fraction, rotating star fraction and star formation history of star clusters can be determined simultaneously from observed CMDs. The new tool is tested via both simulated and real star clusters. Five parameters of clusters NGC 6362, NGC 6652, NGC 6838 and M67 are determined and compared to other works. It is shown that this tool is useful for CMD studies, in particular for those utilizing data from the Hubble Space Telescope(HST). Moreover, we find that inclusion of binaries in theoretical stellar population models may lead to smaller color excess compared to the case of single-star population models.     

M 101 group galaxies

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have performed stellar photometry for the galaxy M 101 and other neighboring galaxies located at a small angular distance from M 101 and having radial velocities similar to that of M 101: M 51, M 63, NGC 5474, NGC 5477, UGC 9405, Ho IV, KUG1413+573, and others. Based on the TRGB method, we have determined the distances to these galaxies. We have found that the M 101 group lies at a distance of 6.8 Mpc and is a small compact galaxy group consisting of four galaxies: NGC 5474, NGC 5477, UGC 9405, and Ho IV. The bright massive galaxies M 51 and M 63 are considerably farther (D = 9.0 and 9.3 Mpc, respectively) than the M 101 group and do not belong to it. Applying the virial theorem to 27 objects (H II regions and galaxies),M 101 satellites located at different distances from the galaxy, has revealed an increase in the dynamical mass of M 101 with increasing sizes of the system of satellites used in calculating the mass. The maximum calculated mass of M 101 is 7.5 × 10¹¹ M _⊙. The dynamical mass of M 101 calculated on the basis of the four galaxies constituting the group is 6.2 × 10¹¹ M _⊙. The mass-to-light ratio for this mass is M/L = 18 (at the adopted luminosity of M 101, M _B = ?20.8).     

On the Distance to Nearby Dwarf Galaxy NGC 1569

We present stellar photometry of two HST/WFPC2 fields situated at the far periphery of the poststarburst galaxy NGC 1569. Their F606W and F814W images have been taken from the HST data archive. Judging by the obtained color-magnitude diagrams, we suggest presence of the old disk population (old red giants) of NGC 1569, which extends as far as Field I at 6 kpc from the galaxy center. We use the tip of the red giant branch to estimate the galaxy distance. There are two possible solutions, one leading to a short distance, D = 1.95 ± 0.2 Mpc, and the other one to a longer distance, D = 2.8 ± 0.2 Mpc.     

A Critical Review of the Evidence for M32 being a Compact Dwarf Satellite of M31 rather than a More Distant Normal Galaxy

Since Baade's photographic study of M32 in the mid 1940s, it has been accepted as an established fact that M32 is a compact dwarf satellite of M31. The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of our investigation into the nature of the existing evidence. We find that the case for M32 being a satellite of M31 rests upon Hubble Space Telescope (HST) based stellar population studies which have resolved red-giant branch (RGB) and red clump stars in M32 as well as other nearby galaxies. Taken in isolation, this recent evidence could be considered to be conclusive in favour of the existing view. However, the conventional scenario does not explain M32's anomalously high central velocity dispersion for a dwarf galaxy (several times that of either NGC 147, NGC 185 or NGC 205) or existing planetary nebula observations (which suggest that M32 is more than twice as distant as M31) and also requires an elaborate physical explanation for M32's inferred compactness. Conversely, we find that the case for M32 being a normal galaxy, of the order of three times as distant as M31, is supported by: (1) a central velocity dispersion typical of intermediate galaxies, (2) the published planetary nebula observations, and (3) known scaling relationships for normal early-type galaxies. However, this novel scenario cannot account for the high apparent luminosities of the RGB stars resolved in the M32 direction by HST observations. We are therefore left with two apparently irreconcilable scenarios, only one of which can be correct, but both of which suffer from potentially fatal evidence to the contrary. This suggests that current understanding of some relevant fields is still very far from adequate.     

Co-evolution of nuclear rings,bars and the central intensity ratio of their host galaxies

Using a sample of 13 early-type spiral galaxies hosting nuclear rings,we report remarkable correlations between the properties of the nuclear rings and the central intensity ratio(CIR) of their host galaxies.The CIR,a function of intensity of light within the central 1.5 and 3 arcsec region,is found to be a vital parameter in galaxy evolution,as it shares strong correlations with many structural and dynamical properties of early-type galaxies,including mass of the central supermassive black hole(SMBH).We use archival HST images for aperture photometry at the centre of the galaxy image to compute the CIR.We observe that the relative sizes of nuclear rings and ring cluster surface densities strongly correlate with the CIR.These correlations suggest reduced star formation in the centres of galaxies hosting small and dense nuclear rings.This scenario appears to be a consequence of strong bars as advocated by the significant connection observed between the CIR and bar strengths.In addition,we observe that the CIR is closely related with the integrated properties of the stellar population in the nuclear rings,associating the rings hosting older and less massive star clusters with low values of CIR.Thus,the CIR can serve as a crucial parameter in unfolding the coupled evolution of bars and rings as it is intimately connected with both their properties.     

Stars and clusters of the coma galaxies NGC 4921 and NGC 4923

Based on deep Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for the spiral and lenticular galaxies NGC 4921 and NGC 4923 in the Coma cluster. The derived Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams show that, apart from the stellar population, NGC 4921 has several thousand globular clusters. The asymmetry of their apparent distribution proves that NGC 4921 is in close spatial proximity to NGC 4923. We have determined the positions of the peaks for the luminosity functions of globular clusters in the two galaxies, which has allowed us to measure the distance to this pair (D = 97±5 Mpc). In many cases, compact star-forming regions at the periphery of NGC 4921 are located at the ends of extended (up to 1.5 kpc) radial gas and dust filaments. The metallicity of young stars in these star-forming regions is close to that of the Sun (Z = 0.02).     

The evolution of star clusters: the resolved-star approach

We present the first results of a new technique to detect, locate, and characterize young dissolving star clusters. Using Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys archival images of the nearby galaxy IC2574, we performed stellar PSF photometry and selected the most massive stars as our first test sample. We used a group-finding algorithm on the selected massive stars to find cluster candidates. We then plot the color-magnitude diagrams for each group, and use stellar evolutionary models to estimate their age. So far, we found 79 groups with ages of up to about 100 Myr, displaying various sizes and densities.