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The Faint Optical Stellar Luminosity Function in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

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Author

Summary, in English

Analyses of their internal stellar kinematics imply that the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) companion galaxies to the Milky Way are among the most dark matter-dominated systems known. Should there be significant dark matter in the form of faint stars in these systems, the stellar luminosity function must be very different from that of a similar metallicity globular cluster, for which there is no evidence for dark matter. We present the faint stellar luminosity function in the Ursa Minor dSph, down to a luminosity corresponding to ~0.45 M_solar, derived from new deep Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 data. We find a remarkable similarity between this luminosity function, and inferred initial mass function, and those of the globular cluster M92, a cluster of similar age and metallicity to the Ursa Minor dSph.

Publishing year

1999

Language

English

Pages

17-20

Publication/Series

Astrophysical Journal

Volume

516

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Astronomical Society

Topic

  • Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Keywords

  • dark mattergalaxies: individual (Ursa Minor)galaxies: kinematics and dynamicsgalaxies: stellar contentstars: luminosity function
  • mass function

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0004-637X