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We present a new catalog and results for the cluster system of the starburst galaxy NGC 4449, based on multiband imaging observations taken as part of the LEGUS and Hα-LEGUS surveys. We improve the spectral energy fitting method used to estimate cluster ages, and find that the results, particularly for older clusters, are in better agreement with those from spectroscopy. The inclusion of Hα measurements, the role of stochasticity for low-mass clusters, the assumptions about reddening, and the choices of SSP model and metallicity all have important impacts on the age dating of clusters. A comparison with ages derived from stellar color–magnitude diagrams for partially resolved clusters shows reasonable agreement, but large scatter in some cases. The fraction of light found in clusters relative to the total light (i.e., TL) in the U, B, and V filters in 25 different ≈ kiloparsec-size regions throughout NGC 4449 correlates with both the specific region luminosity, RL, and the dominant age of the underlying stellar population in each region. The observed cluster age distribution is found to decline over time as dN/dτ ∝ τγ, with γ = −0.85 ± 0.15, independent of cluster mass, and is consistent with strong, early cluster disruption. The mass functions of the clusters can be described by a power law with dN/dM ∝ Mβ and β = −1.86 ± 0.2, independent of cluster age. The mass and age distributions are quite resilient to differences in age-dating methods. There is tentative evidence for a factor of 2–3 enhancement in both the star and cluster formation rate ≈100–300 Myr ago, indicating that cluster formation tracks star formation generally. The enhancement is probably associated with an earlier interaction event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The far side of the Milky Way’s disk is one of the most concealed parts of the known universe due to extremely high interstellar extinction and point-source density toward low Galactic latitudes. Large time-domain photometric surveys operating in the near-infrared hold great potential for the exploration of these vast uncharted areas of our Galaxy. We conducted a census of distant classical and type II Cepheids along the southern Galactic midplane using near-infrared photometry from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea survey. We performed a machine-learned classification of the Cepheids based on their infrared light curves using a convolutional neural network. We have discovered 640 distant classical Cepheids with up to ∼40 mag of visual extinction and over 500 type II Cepheids, most of them located in the inner bulge. Intrinsic color indices of individual Cepheids were predicted from sparse photometric data using a neural network, allowing their use as accurate reddening tracers. They revealed a steep, spatially varying near-infrared extinction curve toward the inner bulge. Type II Cepheids in the Galactic bulge were also employed to measure robust mean selective-to-absolute extinction ratios. They trace a centrally concentrated spatial distribution of the old bulge population with a slight elongation, consistent with earlier results from RR Lyrae stars. Likewise, the classical Cepheids were utilized to trace the Galactic warp and various substructures of the Galactic disk and uncover significant vertical and radial age gradients of the thin disk population at the far side of the Milky Way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the photometric data from the Next Generation Fornax Survey, we find a significant radial alignment signal among the Fornax dwarf galaxies. For the first time, we report that the radial alignment signal of nucleated dwarfs is stronger than that of non-nucleated ones at the 2.4σ confidence level, and the dwarfs located in the outer region (R > Rvir/3; Rvir is the Fornax virial radius) show a slightly stronger radial alignment signal than those in the inner region (R < Rvir/3) at the 1.5σ level. We also find that the significance of the radial alignment signal is independent of the luminosities or sizes of the dwarfs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new moderately r-process-enhanced metal-poor star, RAVE J093730.5−062655, has been identified in the Milky Way halo as part of an ongoing survey by the R-Process Alliance. The temperature and surface gravity indicate that J0937−0626 is likely a horizontal branch star. At [Fe/H] = −1.86, J0937−0626 is found to have subsolar [X/Fe] ratios for nearly every light, α, and Fe-peak element. The low [α/Fe] ratios can be explained by an ∼0.6 dex excess of Fe; J0937−0626 is therefore similar to the subclass of “iron-enhanced” metal-poor stars. A comparison with Milky Way field stars at [Fe/H] = −2.5 suggests that J0937−0626 was enriched in material from an event, possibly a Type Ia supernova, that created a significant amount of Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni and smaller amounts of Ca, Sc, Ti, and Zn. The r-process enhancement of J0937−0626 is likely due to a separate event, which suggests that its birth environment was highly enriched in r-process elements. The kinematics of J0937−0626, based on Gaia DR2 data, indicate a retrograde orbit in the Milky Way halo; J0937−0626 was therefore likely accreted from a dwarf galaxy that had significant r-process enrichment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the detection of a pair of dwarf galaxies at z = 0.30 that may be in the early stages of an interaction. Both galaxies have stellar masses of <109M⊙ and display a projected separation of ∼29 kpc and a physical separation of ∼240 kpc. Evidence of ongoing star formation has been found in both galaxies, with neither one showing an enhanced star formation rate that would be expected if they were already interacting. One galaxy displays a disturbed morphology but shows ordered gas rotation, which may reflect a previous minor merger event in the recent history of that system. The nearest spectroscopically confirmed neighbor lies at a distance of 38 Mpc. These results indicate that these dwarf galaxies have no neighboring massive galaxies; however, with the data available we have been unable to determine whether these galaxies are isolated in the field or belong to a group of low-mass galaxies. As a detection of a rare dwarf–dwarf pair beyond the local universe, this system provides an uncommon opportunity to explore the properties of galaxy groups in the low-galaxy mass regime as a function of redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new Galaxy population synthesis Model, GalMod. GalMod is a star-count model featuring an asymmetric bar/bulge as well as spiral arms and related extinction. The model, initially introduced in Pasetto et al., has been here completed with a central bar, a new bulge description, new disk vertical profiles, and several new bolometric corrections. The model can generate synthetic mock catalogs of visible portions of the Milky Way, external galaxies like M31, or N-body simulation initial conditions. At any given time, e.g., at a chosen age of the Galaxy, the model contains a sum of discrete stellar populations, namely the bulge/bar, disk, and halo. These populations are in turn the sum of different components: the disk is the sum of the spiral arms, thin disks, a thick disk, and various gas components, while the halo is the sum of a stellar component, a hot coronal gas, and a dark-matter component. The Galactic potential is computed from these population density profiles and used to generate detailed kinematics by considering up to the first four moments of the collisionless Boltzmann equation. The same density profiles are then used to define the observed color–magnitude diagrams in a user-defined field of view (FoV) from an arbitrary solar location. Several photometric systems have been included and made available online, and no limits on the size of the FoV are imposed thus allowing full-sky simulations, too. Finally, we model the extinction by adopting a dust model with advanced ray-tracing solutions. The model's Web page (and tutorial) can be accessed at www.GalMod.org and support is provided at Galaxy.Model@yahoo.com. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of 271 previously undetected dwarf galaxies in the outer Fornax cluster regions at radii rvir/4 < r < rvir/2 using data from the Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS) with deep coadded u′, g′, and i′ images obtained with Blanco/DECam at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. From the 271 dwarf candidates, we find 39 to be nucleated. Together with our previous study of the central Fornax region, the new dwarfs detected with NGFS data number 392, of which 56 are nucleated. The total Fornax dwarf galaxy population from NGFS and other catalogs rises, therefore, to a total of 643 with 181 being nucleated, yielding an overall nucleation fraction of 28%. The absolute i′-band magnitudes for the outer NGFS dwarfs are in the range −18.80 ≤ Mi′ ≤ −8.78 with effective radii reff,i′ = 0.18–2.22 kpc and an average Sérsic index . Nonnucleated dwarfs are found to be fainter and smaller by mag and than the nucleated dwarfs. We demonstrate a significant clustering of dwarf galaxies on scales ≲100 kpc, and projected surface number density profile estimates, ΣN(r), show a concentration of dwarfs in the Fornax core region within r ≲ 350 kpc. ΣN(r) has a flat distribution up to ∼350 kpc, beyond which it declines for the nonnucleated dwarfs. The nucleated dwarfs have a steeper ΣN(r) distribution, are more concentrated toward NGC 1399, and are decreasing rapidly outwards. This is the first time the transition from cluster to field environment has been established for the very faint dwarf galaxy population with robust sample statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) are tracers of the Milky Way’s fossil record, holding valuable information on its formation and early evolution. Owing to the high interstellar extinction endemic to the Galactic plane, distant RRLs lying at low Galactic latitudes have been elusive. We attained a census of 1892 high-confidence RRLs by exploiting the near-infrared photometric database of the VVV survey’s disk footprint spanning ∼70° of Galactic longitude, using a machine-learned classifier. Novel data-driven methods were employed to accurately characterize their spatial distribution using sparsely sampled multi-band photometry. The RRL metallicity distribution function (MDF) was derived from their Ks-band light-curve parameters using machine-learning methods. The MDF shows remarkable structural similarities to both the spectroscopic MDF of red clump giants and the MDF of bulge RRLs. We model the MDF with a multi-component density distribution and find that the number density of stars associated with the different model components systematically changes with both the Galactocentric radius and vertical distance from the Galactic plane, equivalent to weak metallicity gradients. Based on the consistency with results from the ARGOS survey, three MDF modes are attributed to the old disk populations, while the most metal-poor RRLs are probably halo interlopers. We propose that the dominant [Fe/H] component with a mean of −1 dex might correspond to the outskirts of an ancient Galactic spheroid or classical bulge component residing in the central Milky Way. The physical origins of the RRLs in this study need to be verified by kinematical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RR Lyrae variables are widely used tracers of Galactic halo structure and kinematics, but they can also serve to constrain the distribution of the old stellar population in the Galactic bulge. With the aim of improving their near-infrared photometric characterization, we investigate their near-infrared light curves, as well as the empirical relationships between their light curve and metallicities using machine learning methods. We introduce a new, robust method for the estimation of the light-curve shapes, hence the average magnitudes of RR Lyrae variables in the KS band, by utilizing the first few principal components (PCs) as basis vectors, obtained from the PC analysis of a training set of light curves. Furthermore, we use the amplitudes of these PCs to predict the light-curve shape of each star in the J-band, allowing us to precisely determine their average magnitudes (hence colors), even in cases where only one J measurement is available. Finally, we demonstrate that the KS-band light-curve parameters of RR Lyrae variables, together with the period, allow the estimation of the metallicity of individual stars with an accuracy of ∼0.2–0.25 dex, providing valuable chemical information about old stellar populations bearing RR Lyrae variables. The methods presented here can be straightforwardly adopted for other classes of variable stars, bands, or for the estimation of other physical quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a photometric study of the dwarf galaxy population in the core region (≲rvir/4) of the Fornax galaxy cluster based on deep u′g′i′ photometry from the Next Generation Fornax Cluster Survey. All imaging data were obtained with the Dark Energy Camera mounted on the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. We identify 258 dwarf galaxy candidates with luminosities −17 ≲ Mg′ ≲ −8 mag, corresponding to typical stellar masses of , reaching ∼3 mag deeper in point-source luminosity and ∼4 mag deeper in surface brightness sensitivity compared to the classic Fornax Cluster Catalog. Morphological analysis shows that the dwarf galaxy surface-brightness profiles are well represented by single-component Sérsic models with average Sérsic indices of and average effective radii of . Color–magnitude relations indicate a flattening of the galaxy red sequence at faint galaxy luminosities, similar to the one recently discovered in the Virgo cluster. A comparison with population synthesis models and the galaxy mass–metallicity relation reveals that the average faint dwarf galaxy is likely older than ∼5 Gyr. We study galaxy scaling relations between stellar mass, effective radius, and stellar mass surface density over a stellar mass range covering six orders of magnitude. We find that over the sampled stellar mass range several distinct mechanisms of galaxy mass assembly can be identified: (1) dwarf galaxies assemble mass inside the half-mass radius up to , (2) isometric mass assembly occurs in the range , and (3) massive galaxies assemble stellar mass predominantly in their halos at and above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dwarf irregular galaxies, DDO 187 and NGC 3738, exhibit a striking pattern of star formation: intense star formation is taking place in a large region occupying roughly half of the inner part of the optical galaxy. We use data on the H i distribution and kinematics and stellar images and colors to examine the properties of the environment in the high star formation rate (HSF) halves of the galaxies in comparison with the low star formation rate halves. We find that the pressure and gas density are higher on the HSF sides by 30%–70%. In addition we find in both galaxies that the H i velocity fields exhibit significant deviations from ordered rotation and there are large regions of high-velocity dispersion and multiple velocity components in the gas beyond the inner regions of the galaxies. The conditions in the HSF regions are likely the result of large-scale external processes affecting the internal environment of the galaxies and enabling the current star formation there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present deep optical images of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) using a low cost telephoto lens with a wide field of view to explore stellar substructure in the outskirts of the stellar disk of the LMC (<10° from the LMC center). These data have higher resolution than existing star count maps, and highlight the existence of stellar arcs and multiple spiral arms in the northern periphery, with no comparable counterparts in the south. We compare these data to detailed simulations of the LMC disk outskirts, following interactions with its low mass companion, the SMC. We consider interaction in isolation and with the inclusion of the Milky Way tidal field. The simulations are used to assess the origin of the northern structures, including also the low density stellar arc recently identified in the Dark Energy Survey data by Mackey et al. at ∼15°. We conclude that repeated close interactions with the SMC are primarily responsible for the asymmetric stellar structures seen in the periphery of the LMC. The orientation and density of these arcs can be used to constrain the LMC’s interaction history with and impact parameter of the SMC. More generally, we find that such asymmetric structures should be ubiquitous about pairs of dwarfs and can persist for 1–2 Gyr even after the secondary merges entirely with the primary. As such, the lack of a companion around a Magellanic Irregular does not disprove the hypothesis that their asymmetric structures are driven by dwarf–dwarf interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In area and depth, the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) 3π survey is unique among many-epoch, multi-band surveys and has enormous potential for the all-sky identification of variable sources. PS1 has observed the sky typically seven times in each of its five bands (grizy) over 3.5 years, but unlike SDSS, not simultaneously across the bands. Here we develop a new approach for quantifying statistical properties of non-simultaneous, sparse, multi-color light curves through light curve structure functions, effectively turning PS1 into a ∼35-epoch survey. We use this approach to estimate variability amplitudes and timescales (ωr, τ) for all point sources brighter than rP1 = 21.5 mag in the survey. With PS1 data on SDSS Stripe 82 as “ground truth,” we use a Random Forest Classifier to identify QSOs and RR Lyrae based on their variability and their mean PS1 and WISE colors. We find that, aside from the Galactic plane, QSO and RR Lyrae samples of purity ∼75% and completeness ∼92% can be selected. On this basis we have identified a sample of ∼1,000,000 QSO candidates, as well as an unprecedentedly large and deep sample of ∼150,000 RR Lyrae candidates with distances from ∼10 to ∼120 kpc. Within the Draco dwarf spheroidal, we demonstrate a distance precision of 6% for RR Lyrae candidates. We provide a catalog of all likely variable point sources and likely QSOs in PS1, a total of 25.8 × 106 sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have discovered a luminous light echo around the normal Type II-Plateau Supernova (SN) 2012aw in Messier 95 (M95; NGC 3351), detected in images obtained approximately two years after explosion with the Wide Field Channel 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope by the Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey. The multi-band observations span from the near-ultraviolet through the optical (F275W, F336W, F438W, F555W, and F814W). The apparent brightness of the echo at the time was ∼21–22 mag in all of these bands. The echo appears circular, although less obviously as a ring, with an inhomogeneous surface brightness, in particular, a prominent enhanced brightness to the southeast. The SN itself was still detectable, particularly in the redder bands. We are able to model the light echo as the time-integrated SN light scattered off of diffuse interstellar dust in the SN environment. We have assumed that this dust is analogous to that in the Milky Way with . The SN light curves that we consider also include models of the unobserved early burst of light from the SN shock breakout. Our analysis of the echo suggests that the distance from the SN to the scattering dust elements along the echo is pc. The implied visual extinction for the echo-producing dust is consistent with estimates made previously from the SN itself. Finally, our estimate of the SN brightness in F814W is fainter than that measured for the red supergiant star at the precise SN location in pre-SN images, possibly indicating that the star has vanished and confirming it as the likely SN progenitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the influence of stellar migration caused by minor mergers (mass ratio from 1:70 to 1:8) on the radial distribution of chemical abundances in the disks of Milky-Way-like galaxies during the last 4 Gyr. A GPU-based pure N-body tree-code model without hydrodynamics and star formation was used. We computed a large set of mergers with different initial satellite masses, positions, and orbital velocities. We find that there is no significant metallicity change at any radius of the primary galaxy in the case of the accretion of a low-mass satellite of 109 (mass ratio 1:70) except for the special case of a prograde satellite motion in the disk plane of the host galaxy. The accretion of a satellite of mass ≳3 × 109 (mass ratio 1:23) results in an appreciable increase of the chemical abundances at galactocentric distances larger than ∼10 kpc. The radial abundance gradient flattens in the range of galactocentric distances from 5 to 15 kpc in the case of a merger with a satellite with mass ≳3 × 109 . There is no significant change in the abundance gradient slope in the outer disk (from ∼15 kpc up to 25 kpc) in any merger while the scatter in metallicities at a given radius significantly increases for most of the satellite’s initial masses/positions compared to the case of an isolated galaxy. This argues against attributing the break (flattening) of the abundance gradient near the optical radius observed in the extended disks of Milky-Way-like galaxies only to merger-induced stellar migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]