Physics
Scientific paper
Oct 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004aps..tsf.b3001p&link_type=abstract
American Physical Society, Texas Section Fall Meeting, 7-9 October, 2004, Waco, TX. MEETING ID: TSF04, abstract #B3.001
Physics
Scientific paper
Understanding the orbital motions and star-loss rates of globular clusters provides important insight into the formation history of the Milky Way. The rate at which globular clusters lose stars, and the behavior of these stars after they leave the clusters to form tidal streams, can provide insights into the relationship between globular clusters and the halo stars in the Milky Way. More importantly, these measurements will help define the magnitude and shape of the Galactic gravitational potential field. Star count investigations and surface brightness profiles have been used to show that most globular clusters exhibit tidal tails. As yet no group has followed up their statistical photometric detection of tidal tails with spectroscopic observations of the tails. The spectroscopic observations are crucial to finding the velocity dispersion of the stars in the tails, which will define the gradient in the galactic potential. I plan to positively identify stars that are in the stream photometrically, for follow up observations using spectroscopic means. The resulting data will then be used to develop more accurate computer models of globular clusters as they are disrupted by the galactic potential. As a by-product we will produce very accurate color magnitude diagrams to beyond the main sequence turn-off point for the clusters, and will likely discover several new variable stars. Succinctly, my research will provide a direct measurement of the amount and distribution of matter (including dark) in our galaxy. It will also make clearer the origin of the stars in the halo of our galaxy.
Powell William Lee Jr.
Wilhelm Ronald
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