The Faint Optical Stellar Luminosity Function in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy | Zendy

S. Feltzing | Zendy; G. Gilmore | Zendy; Rosemary F. Ġ. Wyse | Zendy

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The Faint Optical Stellar Luminosity Function in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Author(s) -

S. Feltzing,

G. Gilmore,

Rosemary F. Ġ. Wyse

Publication year - 1999

Publication title -

the astrophysical journal

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376

H-Index - 489

eISSN - 1538-4357

pISSN - 0004-637X

DOI - 10.1086/311988

Subject(s) - globular cluster , physics , astrophysics , astronomy , luminosity function , milky way , dwarf galaxy , dwarf spheroidal galaxy , metallicity , luminosity , mass to light ratio , galaxy , interacting galaxy

Analyses of their internal stellar kinematics imply that the dwarf spheroidal(dSph) companion galaxies to the Milky Way are among the most dark-matterdominated systems known. Should there be significant dark matter in the form offaint stars in these systems, the stellar luminosity function must be verydifferent from that of a similar metallicity globular cluster, for which thereis no evidence for dark matter. We present the faint stellar luminosityfunction in the Ursa Minor dSph, down to a luminosity corresponding to roughly0.45 M_sun, derived from new deep HST/WFPC2 data. We find a remarkablesimilarity between this luminosity function, and inferred initial massfunction, and that of the globular cluster M92, a cluster of similar age andmetallicity to the Ursa Minor dSph.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

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