Omega Centauri as a Disrupted Dwarf Galaxy: Evidence from Multiple Stellar Populations

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dc.creatorLee, Young-Wook
dc.creatorRey, Soo-Chang
dc.creatorRee, Chang H.
dc.creatorJoo, Jong-Myung
dc.creatorSohn, Young-Jong
dc.creatorYoon, Suk-Jin
dc.creatorWalker, Alistair
dc.date2001-10-31
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T02:01:07Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T02:01:07Z
dc.descriptionOur recent CCD photometry (Lee et al. 1999) has shown, for the first time, that omega Cen has several distinct stellar populations, which is reminiscent of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. Here we present more detailed analysis of the data along with the population models. We confirm the presence of several distinct red-giant-branches (RGBs) with a red metal-rich sequence well separated from other bluer metal-poor ones. Our population models suggest the red clump associated with the most metal-rich RGB is about 4 Gyr younger than the dominant metal-poor component, indicating that omega Cen was enriched over this timescale. These features, taken together with this cluster's other unusual characteristics, provide good evidence that omega Cen was once part of a more massive system that merged with the Milky Way, as the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy is in the process of doing now. Mergers probably were much more frequent in the early history of the Galaxy and omega Cen appears to be a relict of this era.
dc.description7 pages, 4 figures, newpasp.sty included, to appear in the "Omega Centauri : a unique window into astrophysics" (Cambridge, Aug. 2001), ASP Conf. Ser. edited by F. van Leeuwen, G. Piotto, and J. Hughes. Full resolution postscript file available at http://csaweb.yonsei.ac.kr/paper/OmegaCen/Lee.ps
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0110688
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0110688
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/3636
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleOmega Centauri as a Disrupted Dwarf Galaxy: Evidence from Multiple Stellar Populations
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