Bibcode
DOI
Alonso-García, Javier; Mateo, Mario; Aparicio, Antonio
Bibliographical reference
The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 118, Issue 842, pp. 580-589.
Advertised on:
4
2006
Citations
10
Refereed citations
10
Description
We have obtained deep HST imaging of two candidate dwarf systems in the
nearby M81 Group, DDO 44 and UGC 4998. Both are isolated, low surface
brightness systems, but with likely very different star formation
histories based on their mean colors and color fluctuations. The
color-magnitude diagrams of these galaxies have been used to estimate
their distances using the tip of the red giant branch (RGB), and their
mean metallicities from the colors of the RGB. For DDO 44 we find a
distance of D=3.01+/-0.18 Mpc-confirming it to be a member of the M81
Group-and a mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-1.54+/-0.14. We also find from
the properties and numbers of a population of luminous asymptotic giant
branch (AGB) stars that about 20% of the luminous population of DDO 44
consists of ``intermediate-age'' stars (with ages between about 2 and 8
Gyr) that give rise to the observed AGB. There is no difference in the
spatial distribution of the RGB and AGB stars in this galaxy. For UGC
4998 we derive a metallicity of [Fe/H]=-1.58+/-0.21 and a distance of
D=8.24+/-0.43 Mpc. The latter puts UGC 4998 well behind the M81 Group,
confirming results from previous measurements. We find this galaxy to
contain a population of young (<50 Myr old) stars, and there is
evidence of older RGB stars. The young stars are considerably more
centrally concentrated than the older stars. The current star formation
rate in UGC 4998 is ~9×10-4 Msolar
yr-1 over the entire galaxy, or ~5×10-4
Msolar yr-1 kpc-2. Given its H I mass
(1×107 Msolar), this galaxy can continue to
form stars at this rate for another ~11 Gyr.
Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained
at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA
contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with proposal
GO-8137.