TOUCHING THE VOID: A STRIKING DROP IN STELLAR HALO DENSITY BEYOND 50 kpc

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 787; no. 1; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Deason, A J, Belokurov, V, Koposov, S E, Rockosi, C M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 20.05.2014
• Subjects: Accretion; Alpha rays; Astronomical models; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; DENSITY; DISTRIBUTION; Halos; MASS; MILKY WAY; PHOTOMETRY; Slopes; STARS

We use A-type stars selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 9 photometry to measure the outer slope of the Milky Way stellar halo density profile beyond 50 kpc. A likelihood-based analysis is employed that models the ugr photometry distribution of blue horizontal branch and blue straggle...