Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Aug 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006iaujd..13e..42d&link_type=abstract
Exploiting Large Surveys for Galactic Astronomy, 26th meeting of the IAU, Joint Discussion 13, 22-23 August 2006, Prague, Czech
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The two-degree-field (2dF) multi-fibre spectrograph of the Anglo-Australian Telescope has been used to search for possible members of the unusual globular cluster Omega Centauri at and beyond the cluster tidal radius. At total of 3822 stars with 15 ≤ V ≤ 16.7 were observed from a sample selected to lie in the vicinity of the cluster giant branch in the colour-magnitude diagram and which covered a 2.4 x 3.9 deg area centred on the cluster. Velocities with an accuracy of better than 10 kms-1 were obtained from the spectra by cross-correlation techniques, and line strength parameters were also measured from the spectra. Cluster member stars within the tidal radius (57 arcmin) were then used to define membership criteria for the observed radial velocity and line strength distributions. Through this process only 25 stars were found to be possible cluster "members" lying beyond the tidal radius. This number indicates that at most approximately 1% of the present cluster mass lies in stars beyond the tidal radius. Consequently, if Omega Centauri has its origin as the nucleus of a tidally stripped dwarf galaxy, the stripping process must have been largely complete at early epochs as there is little to suggest that the present cluster is surrounded by a `cloud' or `tidal tails' of former members.
Coleman Matthew G.
Da Costa Gary S.
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