The Pristine survey -- XVI. The metallicity of 26 stellar streams around the Milky Way detected with the STREAMFINDER in Gaia EDR3

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Martin, Nicolas F, Ibata, Rodrigo A, Starkenburg, Else, Yuan, Zhen, Malhan, Khyati, Bellazzini, Michele, Viswanathan, Akshara, Aguado, David, Arentsen, Anke, Bonifacio, Piercarlo, Carlberg, Ray, González Hernández, Jonay I, Hill, Vanessa, Jablonka, Pascale, Kordopatis, Georges, Lardo, Carmela, McConnachie, Alan W, Navarro, Julio, Sánchez-Janssen, Rubén, Sestito, Federico, Thomas, Guillaume F, Venn, Kim A, Vitali, Sara, Voggel, Karina T
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 25.08.2022
• Subjects: Algorithms; Archaeology; Distribution functions; Dwarf galaxies; Galactic clusters; Galactic evolution; Globular clusters; Iron; Luminosity; Metallicity; Milky Way; Photometry; Physics - Astrophysics of Galaxies; Reliability engineering; Structural reliability
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2201.01310

We use the photometric metallicities provided by the panoramic Pristine survey to study the veracity and derive the metallicities of the numerous stellar streams found by the application of the STREAMFINDER algorithm to the Gaia EDR3 data. All 26 streams present in Pristine show a clear metallicity distribution function, which provides an independent check of the reality of these structures, supporting the reliability of STREAMFINDER in finding streams and the power of Pristine to measure precise metallicities. We further present 6 candidate structures with coherent phase-space and metallicity signals that are very likely streams. The majority of studied streams are very metal-poor (14 structures with [Fe/H]<-2.0) and include 3 systems with [Fe/H]<-2.9 (C-11, C-19, and C-20). These streams could be the closest debris of low-luminosity dwarf galaxies or may have originated from globular clusters of significantly lower metallicity than any known current Milky Way globular cluster. Our study shows that the promise of the Gaia data for Galactic Archeology studies can be substantially strengthened by quality photometric metallicities, allowing us to peer back into the earliest epochs of the formation of our Galaxy and its stellar halo constituents.