Repository logo
 

Measuring the Mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud with Stellar Streams Observed by

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Authors

Erkal, D 
Drlica-Wagner, Alex  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8251-933X
Li, TS 
Pace, AB 

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title> jats:pStellar streams are excellent probes of the underlying gravitational potential in which they evolve. In this work, we fit dynamical models to five streams in the Southern Galactic hemisphere, combining observations from the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (jats:italicS</jats:italic> jats:sup5</jats:sup>), Gaia EDR3, and the Dark Energy Survey, to measure the mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With an ensemble of streams, we find a mass of the LMC ranging from ∼14–19 × 10jats:sup10</jats:sup> jats:italicM</jats:italic> jats:sub⊙</jats:sub>, probed over a range of closest approach times and distances. With the most constraining stream (Orphan–Chenab), we measure an LMC mass of jats:inline-formula jats:tex-math

</jats:tex-math> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> mml:msubsup mml:mrow mml:mn18.8</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> mml:mrow mml:mo−</mml:mo> mml:mn4.0</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> mml:mrow mml:mo+</mml:mo> mml:mn3.5</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> mml:mo×</mml:mo> mml:msup mml:mrow mml:mn10</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> mml:mrow mml:mn10</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> <mml:mspace width="0.25em" /> mml:msub mml:mrow mml:miM</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> mml:mrow mml:mo⊙</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> <jats:inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="apjac2e93ieqn1.gif" xlink:type="simple" /> </jats:inline-formula>, probed at a closest approach time of 310 Myr and a closest approach distance of 25.4 kpc. This mass is compatible with previous measurements, showing that a consistent picture is emerging of the LMC’s influence on structures in the Milky Way. Using this sample of streams, we find that the LMC’s effect depends on the relative orientation of the stream and LMC at their point of closest approach. To better understand this, we present a simple model based on the impulse approximation and we show that the LMC’s effect depends both on the magnitude of the velocity kick imparted to the stream and the direction of this kick.</jats:p>

Description

Keywords

5109 Space Sciences, 51 Physical Sciences

Journal Title

Astrophysical Journal

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0004-637X
1538-4357

Volume Title

923

Publisher

American Astronomical Society