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1. A Search for Faint Resolved Galaxies Beyond the Milky Way in DES Year 6: A New Faint, Diffuse Dwarf Satellite of NGC 55

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad07d0  

   McNanna, M.; Bechtol, K.; Mau, S.; Nadler, E. O.; Medoff, J.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Cerny, W.; Crnojević, D.; Mutlu-Pakdıl, B.; Vivas, A. K.; et al (January 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We report results from a systematic wide-area search for faint dwarf galaxies at heliocentric distances from 0.3 to 2 Mpc using the full 6 yr of data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Unlike previous searches over the DES data, this search specifically targeted a field population of faint galaxies located beyond the Milky Way virial radius. We derive our detection efficiency for faint, resolved dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume with a set of synthetic galaxies and expect our search to be complete toM_V∼ (−7, −10) mag for galaxies atD= (0.3, 2.0) Mpc. We find no new field dwarfs in the DES footprint, but we report the discovery of one high-significance candidate dwarf galaxy at a distance of ${2.2}_{-0.12}^{+0.05}\mathrm{Mpc}$, a potential satellite of the Local Volume galaxy NGC 55, separated by 47′ (physical separation as small as 30 kpc). We estimate this dwarf galaxy to have an absoluteV-band magnitude of $-{8.0}_{-0.3}^{+0.5}\mathrm{mag}$and an azimuthally averaged physical half-light radius of ${2.2}_{-0.4}^{+0.5}\mathrm{kpc}$, making this one of the lowest surface brightness galaxies ever found with $\mu =32.3\mathrm{mag}{\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}$. This is the largest, most diffuse galaxy known at this luminosity, suggesting possible tidal interactions with its host. 

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2. Signatures of Tidal Disruption of the Hercules Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy*

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad2f27  

   Ou 欧, Xiaowei 筱葳; Chiti, Anirudh; Shipp, Nora; Simon, Joshua D.; Geha, Marla; Frebel, Anna; Mardini, Mohammad K.; Erkal, Denis; Necib, Lina (April 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract The Hercules ultrafaint dwarf galaxy (UFD) has long been hypothesized to be tidally disrupting, yet no conclusive evidence has been found for tidal disruption owing partly to difficulties in identifying Hercules member stars. In this work, we present a homogeneous reanalysis of new and existing observations of Hercules, including the detection of a new potential member star located ∼1° (∼1.7 kpc) west of the center of the system. In addition to measuring the line-of-sight velocity gradient, we compare predictions from dynamical models of stream formation to these observations. We report an updated velocity dispersion measurement based on 28 stars, ${1.9}_{-0.6}^{+0.6}$km s⁻¹, which is significantly lower than previous measurements. We find that the line-of-sight velocity gradient is ${1.8}_{-1.8}^{+1.8}$km s⁻¹kpc along the major axis of Hercules, consistent with zero within 1σ. Our dynamical models of stream formation, on the other hand, can reproduce the morphology of the Hercules UFD, specifically the misalignment between the elongation and the orbital motion direction. Additionally, these dynamical models indicate that any radial velocity gradient from tidal disruption would be too small, ${0.00}_{-0.91}^{+0.97}$km s⁻¹kpc, to be detectable with current sample sizes. Combined with our analysis of the tidal radius evolution of the system as a function of its orbital phase, we argue that it is likely that Hercules is indeed currently undergoing tidal disruption in its extended stellar halo with a line-of-sight velocity gradient too small to be detected with current observational data sets. 

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3. Three Quenched, Faint Dwarf Galaxies in the Direction of NGC 300: New Probes of Reionization and Internal Feedback

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad927c  

   Sand, David J; Mutlu-Pakdil, Burçin; Jones, Michael G; Karunakaran, Ananthan; Andrews, Jennifer E; Bennet, Paul; Crnojević, Denija; Donatiello, Giuseppe; Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Fielder, Catherine; et al (December 2024, The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Abstract We report the discovery of three faint and ultrafaint dwarf galaxies—Sculptor A, Sculptor B, and Sculptor C—in the direction of NGC 300 (D= 2.0 Mpc), a Large Magellanic Cloud–mass galaxy. Deep ground-based imaging with Gemini/GMOS resolves all three dwarf galaxies into stars, each displaying a red giant branch indicative of an old, metal-poor stellar population. No young stars or Higas are apparent, and the lack of a GALEX UV detection suggests that all three systems are quenched. Sculptor C (D= 2.04 ${}_{-0.13}^{+0.10}$Mpc;M_V=  −9.1 ± 0.1 mag orL_V= (3.7 ${}_{-0.3}^{+0.4}$) × 10⁵L_⊙) is consistent with being a satellite of NGC 300. Sculptor A (D= 1.35 ${}_{-0.08}^{+0.22}$Mpc;M_V= −6.9 ± 0.3 mag orL_V= (5 ${}_{-1}^{+1}$) × 10⁴L_⊙) is likely in the foreground of NGC 300 and at the extreme edge of the Local Group, analogous to the recently discovered ultrafaint Tucana B in terms of its physical properties and environment. Sculptor B (D= 2.48 ${}_{-0.24}^{+0.21}$Mpc;M_V= −8.1 ± 0.3 mag orL_V= (1.5 ${}_{-0.4}^{+0.5}$) × 10⁵L_⊙) is likely in the background, but future distance measurements are necessary to solidify this statement. It is also of interest due to its quiescent state and low stellar mass. Both Sculptor A and B are ≳2–4r_virfrom NGC 300 itself. The discovery of three dwarf galaxies in isolated or low-density environments offers an opportunity to study the varying effects of ram-pressure stripping, reionization, and internal feedback in influencing the star formation history of the faintest stellar systems. 

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4. Spectroscopic Analysis of Milky Way Outer Halo Satellites: Aquarius II and Boötes II

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acc943  

   Bruce, Jordan; Li, Ting S.; Pace, Andrew B.; Heiger, Mairead; Song, Ying-Yi; Simon, Joshua D. (June 2023, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract In this paper, we present a chemical and kinematic analysis of two ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), Aquarius II (Aqu II) and Boötes II (Boo II), using Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy. We present the largest sample of member stars for Boo II (12), and the largest sample of red giant branch members with metallicity measurements for Aqu II (eight). In both UFDs, over 80% of targets selected based on Gaia proper motions turned out to be spectroscopic members. In order to maximize the accuracy of stellar kinematic measurements, we remove the identified binary stars and RR Lyrae variables. For Aqu II, we measure a systemic velocity of −65.3 ± 1.8 km s⁻¹and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = $-{2.57}_{-0.17}^{+0.17}$. When compared with previous measurements, these values display a ∼6 km s⁻¹difference in radial velocity and a decrease of 0.27 dex in metallicity. Similarly for Boo II, we measure a systemic velocity of $-{130.4}_{-1.1}^{+1.4}$km s⁻¹, more than 10 km s⁻¹different from the literature, a metallicity almost 1 dex smaller at [Fe/H] = $-{2.71}_{-0.10}^{+0.11}$, and a velocity dispersion 3 times smaller at ${\sigma }_{v_{\mathrm{hel}}}={2.9}_{-1.2}^{+1.6}$km s⁻¹. Additionally, we derive systemic proper-motion parameters and model the orbits of both UFDs. Finally, we highlight the extremely dark-matter-dominated nature of Aqu II and compute the J-factor for both galaxies to aid searches of dark matter annihilation. Despite the small size and close proximity of Boo II, it is an intermediate target for the indirect detection of dark matter annihilation due to its low-velocity dispersion and corresponding low dark matter density. 

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5. Mapping Obscuration to Reionization with ALMA (MORA): 2 mm Efficiently Selects the Highest-redshift Obscured Galaxies

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac2eb4  

   Casey, Caitlin M.; Zavala, Jorge A.; Manning, Sinclaire M.; Aravena, Manuel; Béthermin, Matthieu; Caputi, Karina I.; Champagne, Jaclyn B.; Clements, David L.; Drew, Patrick; Finkelstein, Steven L.; et al (December 2021, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present the characteristics of 2 mm selected sources from the largest Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) blank-field contiguous survey conducted to date, the Mapping Obscuration to Reionization with ALMA (MORA) survey covering 184 arcmin²at 2 mm. Twelve of 13 detections above 5σare attributed to emission from galaxies, 11 of which are dominated by cold dust emission. These sources have a median redshift of $〈z_{2\mathrm{mm}}〉={3.6}_{-0.3}^{+0.4}$primarily based on optical/near-infrared photometric redshifts with some spectroscopic redshifts, with 77% ± 11% of sources atz> 3 and 38% ± 12% of sources atz> 4. This implies that 2 mm selection is an efficient method for identifying the highest-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). Lower-redshift DSFGs (z< 3) are far more numerous than those atz> 3 yet are likely to drop out at 2 mm. MORA shows that DSFGs with star formation rates in excess of 300M_⊙yr⁻¹and a relative rarity of ∼10⁻⁵Mpc⁻³contribute ∼30% to the integrated star formation rate density at 3 <z< 6. The volume density of 2 mm selected DSFGs is consistent with predictions from some cosmological simulations and is similar to the volume density of their hypothesized descendants: massive, quiescent galaxies atz> 2. Analysis of MORA sources’ spectral energy distributions hint at steeper empirically measured dust emissivity indices than reported in typical literature studies, with $〈\beta 〉={2.2}_{-0.4}^{+0.5}$. The MORA survey represents an important step in taking census of obscured star formation in the universe’s first few billion years, but larger area 2 mm surveys are needed to more fully characterize this rare population and push to the detection of the universe’s first dusty galaxies. 

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