Dark Matter Constraints from the Sagittarius Dwarf and Tail System
Abstract
2MASS has provided a three-dimensional map of the >360 degree, wrapped tidal tails of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy, as traced by M giant stars. With the inclusion of radial velocity data for stars along these tails, strong constraints exist for dynamical models of the Milky Way-Sgr interaction. N-body simulations of Sgr disruption with model parameters spanning a range of initial conditions (e.g., Sgr mass and orbit, Galactic rotation curve, halo flattening) are used to find parameterizations that match almost every extant observational constraint of the Sgr system. We discuss the implications of the Sgr data and models for the orbit, mass and M/L of the Sgr bound core as well as the strength, flattening, and lumpiness of the Milky Way potential.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0311522,
title = {Dark Matter Constraints from the Sagittarius Dwarf and Tail System},
author = {Steven R. Majewski and David R. Law and Kathryn V. Johnston and Michael F. Skrutskie and Martin D. Weinberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0311522},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
6 pages, 0 figures. Contribution to proceedings of ``IAU Symposium 220: Dark Matter in Galaxies'', eds. S. Ryder, D.J. Pisano, M. Walker, and K. Freeman