ITC Seminar: Ivanna Escala (Caltech)

Date: 

Tuesday, October 8, 2019, 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Phillips
First Alpha and Iron Element Abundances in the Outer Disk, Giant Stellar Stream, and Inner Halo of Andromeda
 
Measurements of chemical abundances ([Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe]) in individual stars can probe the formation history of a galaxy. In contrast to the Milky Way, relatively little is known about [alpha/Fe] of individual red giant branch stars in Andromeda (M31). To make progress with existing telescopes, we have measured abundances from deep, low- and medium-resolution DEIMOS spectroscopy of individual M31 RGB stars using spectral synthesis. I will present measurements of [alpha/Fe] and [Fe/H] for 91 M31 RGB stars across 5 fields spanning the inner halo, Giant Stellar Stream, and outer disk. Prior to this work, only 4 M31 halo stars had such measurements. I will discuss what the abundance distributions reveal about the progenitor(s) of M31’s halo, including the Giant Stellar Stream progenitor, and the formation of M31’s disk.
See also: Seminars, 2019 - 20