REVIEW
Strong RR Lyrae excess in the Hercules-Aquila Cloud
Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.
SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event
T0 review · schema-true
One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.
pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp
read the original abstract
We map the large-scale sub-structure in the Galactic stellar halo using accurate 3D positions of ~14,000 RR Lyrae reported by the Catalina Sky Survey. In the heliocentric distance range of 10-25 kpc, in the region of the sky approximately bounded by 30{\deg} < l < 55{\deg} and -45{\deg} < b < -25{\deg}, there appears to be a strong excess of RRab stars. This overdensity, peaking at 18 kpc, is most likely associated with the so-called Hercules-Aquila Cloud, previously detected using Main Sequence tracers at similar distances in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. Our analysis of the period-amplitude distribution of RR Lyrae in this region indicates that the HAC is dominated by the Oosterhoff I type population. By comparing the measured RR Lyrae number density to models of a smooth stellar halo, we estimate the significance of the observed excess and provide an updated estimate of the total luminosity of the Cloud's progenitor.
Discussion (0). Sign in to comment.