GD-1: The Relic of an Old Metal-poor Globular Cluster

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 869; no. 2; pp. 122 - 136
• Main Authors: Li, Guang-Wei, Yanny, Brian, Wu, Yue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia The American Astronomical Society 20.12.2018; IOP Publishing; Institute of Physics (IOP)
• Subjects: ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Astrophysics; Coordinates; Dark matter; Eccentric orbits; Galaxy: abundances; Galaxy: kinematics and dynamics; Galaxy: structure; globular clusters: general; Horizontal branch stars; Inclination; Stellar age
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaed29

Combining data from Gaia DR2, SDSS DR14, and LAMOST DR6, we update the fit to model of the properties of the stellar stream GD-1 and find that it has an age of ∼13 Gyr, [Fe/H] of −2.2 0.12, and a distance from the Sun of ∼8 kpc. We tabulate six-dimensional (6D) phase-space fiducial points along the GD-1 stream orbit over a 90° arc. The fitted orbit shows that the stream has an eccentricity e ∼ 0.3, perigalacticon of 14.2 kpc, apogalacticon of 27.0 kpc, and inclination i ∼ 40°. There is evidence along the arc for four candidate stellar overdensities, one candidate gap, two candidate stellar underdensities, and that the stream is cut off at φ1 ∼ 2° (in the stream-aligned (φ1, φ2) coordinate system of Koposov et al.). The spur originating at φ1 ∼ −40° implies stars were pulled away from the stream trace by an encounter (potentially a dark matter subhalo). The narrowest place (FWHM ∼ 44.6 pc) of the GD-1 trace is at (φ1, φ2c) ∼ (−14°, 0 15), which is ∼(178 18, 52 19) in (R.A., decl.), where the progenitor is possibly located. We also find six blue horizontal branch and 10 blue stragglers spectroscopic stars in the GD-1 stream.