From the Fire: A Deeper Look at the Phoenix Stream

Journal Article · 31 January 2022 · Astrophys.J.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac399b · OSTI ID:1845711

Tavangar, K.  ^[1]; Ferguson, P.  ^[2]; Shipp, N.  ^[3]; Drlica-Wagner, A.  ^[4]; Koposov, S.  ^[5]; Erkal, D.  ^[6]; Balbinot, E.  ^[7]; García-Bellido, J.  ^[8]; Kuehn, K.  ^[9]; Lewis, G. F.  ^[10]; Li, T. S.  ^[11]; Mau, S.  ^[12]; Pace, A. B.  ^[13]; Riley, A. H.  ^[14]; Abbott, T. M.C.  ^[15]; Aguena, M. ^[16]; Allam, S.  ^[17]; Andrade-Oliveira, F. ^[18]; Annis, J.  ^[17]; Bertin, E. ^[19] ; Brooks, D.  ^[20]; Burke, D. L.  ^[21]; Carnero Rosell, A.  ^[16]; Carrasco Kind, M.  ^[22]; Carretero, J.  ^[23]; Costanzi, M. ^[24]; da Costa, L. N. ^[25]; Pereira, M. E.S. ^[26]; De Vicente, J.  ^[27]; Diehl, H. T.  ^[17]; Everett, S. ^[28]; Ferrero, I. ^[29]; Flaugher, B.  ^[17]; Frieman, J.  ^[30]; Gaztanaga, E.  ^[31]; Gerdes, D. W.  ^[32]; Gruen, D.  ^[33]; Gruendl, R. A. ^[22]; Gschwend, J.  ^[25]; Gutierrez, G.  ^[17]; Hinton, S. R. ^[34]; Hollowood, D. L. ^[28]; Honscheid, K.  ^[35]; James, D. J.  ^[36]; Kuropatkin, N.  ^[17]; Maia, M. A.G.  ^[25]; Marshall, J. L.  ^[14]; Menanteau, F.  ^[22]; Miquel, R.  ^[37]; Morgan, R. ^[38]; Ogando, R. L.C.  ^[39]; Palmese, A.  ^[30]; Paz-Chinchón, F. ^[40]; Pieres, A.  ^[25]; Plazas Malagón, A. A.  ^[41]; Rodriguez-Monroy, M. ^[27]; Sanchez, E.  ^[27]; Scarpine, V. ^[17]; Serrano, S. ^[31]; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.  ^[27]; Smith, M.  ^[42]; Suchyta, E.  ^[43]; Swanson, M. E.C. ^[44]; Tarle, G.  ^[45]; To, C.  ^[46]; Varga, T. N. ^[47]; Walker, A. R.  ^[15]

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1. Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.; Chicago U., KICP
2. Wisconsin U., Madison; Texas A-M
3. Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.; Chicago U., KICP; MIT, MKI
4. Fermilab; Chicago U., KICP; Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.
5. Edinburgh U., Inst. Astron.; Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron.
6. Surrey U.
7. Kapteyn Astron. Inst., Groningen
8. Madrid, IFT
9. Lowell Observ.; Australian Astron. Observ.
10. Sydney U.
11. Toronto U., Astron. Dept.; Carnegie Inst. Observ.; Princeton U.; Princeton, Inst. Advanced Study
12. Stanford U.; KIPAC, Menlo Park
13. Carnegie Mellon U.
14. Texas A-M
15. La Serena U.
16. LIneA, Rio de Janeiro
17. Fermilab
18. Sao Paulo, IFT; LIneA, Rio de Janeiro
19. Paris, Inst. Astrophys.
20. University Coll. London
21. SLAC; KIPAC, Menlo Park
22. NCSA, Urbana; Illinois U., Urbana, Astron. Dept.
23. Barcelona, IFAE
24. Trieste Observ.; SISSA, Trieste; IFPU, Trieste; INFN, Trieste
25. LIneA, Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro Observ.
26. U. Michigan, Ann Arbor; Hamburg Observ.
27. Madrid, CIEMAT; Madrid, Escuela Tec. Sup. Ing. Ind.
28. UC, Santa Cruz
29. Inst. Theor. Astrophys., Oslo
30. Fermilab; Chicago U., KICP
31. Barcelona, IEEC
32. U. Michigan, Dept. Astron.; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor
33. LMU Munich (main)
34. Queensland U.
35. Ohio State U., CCAPP; Ohio State U.
36. Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. Astrophys.
37. ICREA, Barcelona; Barcelona, Autonoma U.; Barcelona, IFAE
38. Wisconsin U., Madison
39. Rio de Janeiro Observ.
40. NCSA, Urbana; Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron.
41. Princeton U., Astrophys. Sci. Dept.
42. Southampton U.
43. ORNL, Oak Ridge (main)
44. NCSA, Urbana
45. U. Michigan, Ann Arbor
46. Stanford U.; KIPAC, Menlo Park; SLAC
47. Garching, Max Planck Inst., MPE; Munich U.

We use 6 yr of data from the Dark Energy Survey to perform a detailed photometric characterization of the Phoenix stellar stream, a 15° long, thin, dynamically cold, low-metallicity stellar system in the Southern Hemisphere. We use natural splines, a nonparametric modeling technique, to simultaneously fit the stream track, width, and linear density. This updated stream model allows us to improve measurements of the heliocentric distance (17.4 ± 0.1 (stat.) ±0.8 (sys.) kpc) and distance gradient (−0.009 ± 0.006 kpc deg$$^{−1}$$) of Phoenix, which corresponds to a small change of 0.13 ± 0.09 kpc in heliocentric distance along the length of the stream. We measure linear intensity variations on degree scales, as well as deviations in the stream track on ∼2° scales, suggesting that the stream may have been disturbed during its formation and/or evolution. We recover three peaks and one gap in linear intensity along with fluctuations in the stream track. Compared to other thin streams, the Phoenix stream shows more fluctuations and, consequently, the study of Phoenix offers a unique perspective on gravitational perturbations of stellar streams. We discuss possible sources of perturbations to Phoenix, including baryonic structures in the Galaxy and dark matter subhalos.

• Research Organization: Munich U.; Barcelona, IFAE; Wisconsin U., Madison; Carnegie Mellon U.; Edinburgh U., Inst. Astron.; University Coll. London; Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. Astrophys.; Inst. Theor. Astrophys., Oslo; INFN, Trieste; Australian Astron. Observ.; Princeton U.; Surrey U.; Garching, Max Planck Inst., MPE; Princeton U., Astrophys. Sci. Dept.; Carnegie Inst. Observ.; MIT, MKI; La Serena U.; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor; LMU Munich (main); U. Michigan, Dept. Astron.; Stanford U.; NCSA, Urbana; Rio de Janeiro Observ.; Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron.; Trieste Observ.; Lowell Observ.; Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.; UC, Santa Cruz; Toronto U., Astron. Dept.; Paris, Inst. Astrophys.; Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Texas A-M; Sao Paulo, IFT; Sydney U.; Queensland U.; Ohio State U.; Madrid, Escuela Tec. Sup. Ing. Ind.; Ohio State U., CCAPP; Barcelona, Autonoma U.; Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Barcelona, IEEC; SISSA, Trieste; ICREA, Barcelona; Illinois U., Urbana, Astron. Dept.; Hamburg Observ.; Kapteyn Astron. Inst., Groningen; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); IFPU, Trieste; LIneA, Rio de Janeiro; Chicago U., KICP; Princeton, Inst. Advanced Study; Southampton U.; Madrid, CIEMAT; Madrid, IFT
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1845711
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB-21-447-AE; oai:inspirehep.net:1940592; arXiv:2110.03703
• Journal Information: Astrophys.J., Journal Name: Astrophys.J. Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 925
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English