We explore the structural and kinematic properties of the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using data from the Magellanic Edges Survey (MagES) and Gaia EDR3. Even at large galactocentric radii (8° < R < 11°), we find the north-eastern LMC disc is relatively unperturbed: its kinematics are consistent with a disc of inclination ∼36.5° and line-of-nodes position angle ∼145° east of north. In contrast, fields at similar radii in the southern and western disc are significantly perturbed from equilibrium, with non-zero radial and vertical velocities, and distances significantly in front of the disc plane implied by our north-eastern fields. We compare our observations to simple dynamical models of the Magellanic or Milky Way system which describe the LMC as a collection of tracer particles within a rigid potential, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) as a rigid Hernquist potential. A possible SMC crossing of the LMC disc plane ∼400 Myr ago, in combination with the LMC’s infall to the Milky Way potential, can qualitatively explain many of the perturbations in the outer disc. Additionally, we find the claw-like and arm-like structures south of the LMC have similar metallicities to the outer LMC disc ([Fe/H] ∼ −1), and are likely comprised of perturbed LMC disc material. The claw-like substructure is particularly disturbed, with out-of-plane velocities >60 km s−1 and apparent counter-rotation relative to the LMC’s disc motion. More detailed N-body models are necessary to elucidate the origin of these southern features, potentially requiring repeated interactions with the SMC prior to ∼1 Gyr ago.
We use data from the Magellanic Edges Survey (MagES) in combination with Gaia EDR3 to study the extreme southern outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), focussing on a field at the eastern end of a long arm-like structure which wraps around the southern periphery of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Unlike the remainder of this structure, which is thought to be comprised of perturbed LMC disc material, the aggregate properties of the field indicate a clear connection with the SMC. We find evidence for two stellar populations in the field: one having properties consistent with the outskirts of the main SMC body, and the other significantly perturbed. The perturbed population is on average ∼0.2 dex more metal-rich, and is located ∼7 kpc in front of the dominant population with a total space velocity relative to the SMC centre of ∼230 km s−1 broadly in the direction of the LMC. We speculate on possible origins for this perturbed population, the most plausible of which is that it comprises debris from the inner SMC that has been recently tidally stripped by interactions with the LMC.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10379121
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
- Volume:
- 518
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1745-3925
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. L25-L30
- Size(s):
- ["p. L25-L30"]
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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