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The magellanic inter-cloud project (magic). I. evidence for intermediate-age stellar populations in between the magellanic clouds

Noel, N. E. D.; Conn, Blair; Carrera, R; Read, J I; Rix, Hans-Walter; Dolphin, Andrew

Description

The origin of the gas in between the Magellanic Clouds (MCs)—known as the "Magellanic Bridge" (MB)—is puzzling. Numerical simulations suggest that the MB formed from tidally stripped gas and stars in a recent interaction between the MCs. However, the apparent lack of stripped intermediate- or old-age stars associated with the MB is at odds with this picture. In this paper, we present the first results from the MAGellanic Inter-Cloud program (MAGIC) aimed at probing the stellar populations in...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorNoel, N. E. D.
dc.contributor.authorConn, Blair
dc.contributor.authorCarrera, R
dc.contributor.authorRead, J I
dc.contributor.authorRix, Hans-Walter
dc.contributor.authorDolphin, Andrew
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-29T22:52:27Z
dc.date.available2018-11-29T22:52:27Z
dc.identifier.issn0004-637X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/152177
dc.description.abstractThe origin of the gas in between the Magellanic Clouds (MCs)—known as the "Magellanic Bridge" (MB)—is puzzling. Numerical simulations suggest that the MB formed from tidally stripped gas and stars in a recent interaction between the MCs. However, the apparent lack of stripped intermediate- or old-age stars associated with the MB is at odds with this picture. In this paper, we present the first results from the MAGellanic Inter-Cloud program (MAGIC) aimed at probing the stellar populations in the inter-Cloud region. We present observations of the stellar populations in two large fields located in between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC/SMC), secured using the WFI camera on the 2.2 m telescope in La Silla. Using a synthetic color-magnitude diagram technique, we present the first quantitative evidence for the presence of intermediate-age and old stars in the inter-Cloud region. The intermediate-age stars—which make up ~28% of all stars in the region—are not present in fields at a similar distance from the SMC in a direction pointing away from the LMC. This provides potential evidence that these intermediate-age stars could have been tidally stripped from the SMC. However, spectroscopic studies will be needed to confirm or rule out the tidal origin for the inter-Cloud gas and stars.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.publisherIOP Publishing
dc.sourceThe Astrophysical Journal
dc.titleThe magellanic inter-cloud project (magic). I. evidence for intermediate-age stellar populations in between the magellanic clouds
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume768
dc.date.issued2013
local.identifier.absfor020199 - Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified
local.identifier.ariespublicationa383154xPUB8459
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationNoel, N. E. D., Department of Physics, University of Surrey
local.contributor.affiliationConn, Blair, College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationCarrera, R, Universidad de La Laguna
local.contributor.affiliationRead, J I, University of Surrey
local.contributor.affiliationRix, Hans-Walter, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
local.contributor.affiliationDolphin, Andrew, Raytheon Company
local.bibliographicCitation.issue2
local.identifier.doi10.1088/0004-637X/768/2/109
dc.date.updated2018-11-29T07:46:05Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84877033399
local.identifier.thomsonID000318228400012
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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