Mina Koleva

ULySS: a full spectrum fitting package

Aims. We provide an easy-to-use full-spectrum fitting package and explore its applications to (i) the determination of the stellar atmospheric parameters and (ii) the study of the history of stellar populations. Methods. We developed ULySS, a package to fit spectroscopic observations against a linear combination of non-linear model components convolved with a parametric line-of-sight velocity distribution. The minimization can be either local or global, and determines all the parameters in a single fit. We use χ 2 maps, convergence maps and Monte-Carlo simulations to study the degeneracies, local minima and to estimate the errors. Results. We show the importance of determining the shape of the continuum simultaneously to the other parameters by including a multiplicative polynomial in the model (without prior pseudo-continuum determination, or rectification of the spectrum). We also stress the usefulness of using an accurate line-spread function, depending on the wavelength, so that the line-shape of the models properly matches the observation. For simple models, i.e., to measure the atmospheric parameters or the age/metallicity of a singleage stellar population, there is often a unique minimum, or when local minima exist they can be recognized unambiguously. For more complex models, Monte-Carlo simulations are required to assess the validity of the solution. Conclusions. The ULySS package is public, simple to use and flexible. The full spectrum fitting makes optimal use of the signal.

Spectroscopic ages and metallicities of stellar populations: validation of full spectrum fitting

Fitting whole spectra at intermediate spectral resolution (R= 1000–3000), to derive physical properties of stellar populations, appears as an optimized alternative to methods based on spectrophotometric indices: it uses all the redundant information contained in the signal. This paper addresses the validation of the method and it investigates the quality of the population models together with the reliability of the fitting procedures. Our method compares observed optical spectra with models to derive the age, metallicity and line broadening due to the internal kinematics. It is insensitive to the shape of the continuum and the results are consistent with Lick indices but three times more precise. We are using two algorithms: steckmap, a non-parametric regularized program and nbursts a parametric non-linear minimization. We compare three spectral synthesis models for single stellar populations (SSPs): Pegase-HR, Galaxev and Vazdekis/Miles, and we analyse spectra of Galactic clusters whose populations are known from studies of colour–magnitude diagrams (CMD) and spectroscopy of individual stars. We find the following. (1) The quality of the models critically depends on the stellar library they use, and in particular on its coverage in age, metallicity and surface gravity of the stars. Pegase-HR and Vazdekis/Miles are consistent, while the comparison between Pegase-HR and Bruzual & Charlot shows some systematics reflecting the limitations of the stellar library (STELIB) used to generate the latter models. (2) The two fitting programs are consistent. (3) For globular clusters and M67 spectra, the method restitutes metallicities in agreement with spectroscopy of stars with a precision of 0.14 dex. (4) The spectroscopic ages are very sensitive to the presence of a blue horizontal branch (BHB) or of blue stragglers. A BHB morphology results in a young SSP-equivalent age. Fitting a free amount of blue stars in addition to the SSP model to mimic the BHB improves and stabilizes the fit and restores ages in agreement with CMDs studies. This method is potentially able to disentangle age or BHB effects in extragalactic clusters. Full spectrum fitting is reliable method to derive the parameters of a stellar population.

Coudé-feed stellar spectral library – atmospheric parameters

Context. Empirical libraries of stellar spectra play an important role in different fields. For example, they are used as reference for the automatic determination of atmospheric parameters, or for building synthetic stellar populations to study galaxies. The CFLIB (Coude-feed library, Indo-US) database is at present one of the most complete libraries, in terms of its coverage of the atmospheric parameters space (Teff ,l ogg and [Fe/H]) and wavelength coverage 3460–9464 A at a resolution of ∼ 1A FWHM. Although the atmospheric parameters of most of the stars were determined from detailed analyses of high-resolution spectra, for nearly 300 of the 1273 stars of the library at least one of the three parameters is missing. For the others, the measurements, compiled from the literature, are inhomogeneous. Aims. In this paper, we re-determine the atmospheric parameters, directly using the CFLIB spectra, and compare them to the previous studies. Methods. We use the ULySS program to derive the atmospheric parameters, using the ELODIE library as a reference. Results. Based on comparisons with several previous studies we conclude that our determinations are unbiased. For the 958 F, G, and K type stars the precision on Teff ,l ogg ,a nd [Fe/ H] is respectively 43 K, 0.13 dex and 0.05 dex. For the 53 Ms tars they are 82 K, 0.22 dex and 0.28 dex. And for the 260 OBA type stars the relative precision on Teff is 5.1%, and on log g ,a nd [Fe/H] the precision is respectively 0.19 dex and 0.16 dex. These parameters will be used to re-calibrate the CFLIB fluxes and to produce synthetic spectra of stellar populations.

Formation and evolution of dwarf elliptical galaxies – II. Spatially resolved star formation histories

We present optical Very Large Telescope spectroscopy of 16 dwarf elliptical galaxies (dEs) comparable in mass to NGC 205, and belonging to the Fornax cluster and to nearby groups of galaxies. Using full-spectrum fitting, we derive radial profiles of the SSP-equivalent ages and metallicities. We make a detailed analysis with ulyss and steckmap of the star formation history in the core of the galaxies and in an aperture of one effective radius. We resolved the history into one to four epochs. The statistical significance of these reconstructions was carefully tested; the two programs give remarkably consistent results. The old stellar population of the dEs, which dominates their mass, is likely coeval with that of massive ellipticals or bulges, but the star formation efficiency is lower. Important intermediate age (1–5 Gyr) populations and frequently tails of star formation until recent times are detected. These histories are reminiscent of their lower mass dwarf spheroidal counterparts of the Local Group. Most galaxies (10/16) show significant metallicity gradients, with metallicity declining by 0.5 dex over one half-light radius on average. These gradients are already present in the old population. The flattened (or discy), rotating objects (6/16) have flat metallicity profiles. This may be consistent with a distinct origin for these galaxies or it may be due to their geometry. The central single stellar population equivalent age varies between 1 and 6 Gyr, with the age slowly increasing with radius in the vast majority of objects. The group and cluster galaxies have similar radial gradients and star formation histories. The strong and old metallicity gradients place important constraints on the possible formation scenarios of dEs. Numerical simulations of the formation of spherical low-mass galaxies reproduce these gradients, but they require a longer time for them to build up. A gentle depletion of the gas, by ram pressure stripping or starvation, could drive the gas-rich, star-forming progenitors to the present dEs.

COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses - IX. Time delays, lens dynamics and baryonic fraction in HE 0435-1223

We present accurate time delays for the quadruply imaged quasar HE 0435-1223. The delays were measured from 575 independent photometric points obtained in the R-band between January 2004 and March 2010. With seven years of data, we clearly show that quasar image A is affected by strong microlensing variations and that the time delays are best expressed relative to quasar image B. We measured ΔtBC = 7.8 ± 0.8 days, ΔtBD = -6.5 ± 0.7 days and ΔtCD = -14.3 ± 0.8 days. We spacially deconvolved HST NICMOS2 F160W images to derive accurate astrometry of the quasar images and to infer the light profile of the lensing galaxy. We combined these images with a stellar population fitting of a deep VLT spectrum of the lensing galaxy to estimate the baryonic fraction, fb, in the Einstein radius. We measured fb = 0.65-0.10+0.13 if the lensing galaxy has a Salpeter IMF and fb = 0.45-0.07+0.04 if it has a Kroupa IMF. The spectrum also allowed us to estimate the velocity dispersion of the lensing galaxy, σap = 222 ± 34 km s-1. We used fb and σap to constrain an analytical model of the lensing galaxy composed of an Hernquist plus generalized NFW profile. We solved the Jeans equations numerically for the model and explored the parameter space under the additional requirement that the model must predict the correct astrometry for the quasar images. Given the current error bars on fb and σap, we did not constrain H0 yet with high accuracy, i.e., we found a broad range of models with χ2 < 1. However, narrowing this range is possible, provided a better velocity dispersion measurement becomes available. In addition, increasing the depth of the current HST imaging data of HE 0435-1223 will allow us to combine ourconstraints with lens reconstruction techniques that make use of the full Einstein ring that is visible in this object. Based on observations made with the 1.2 m Euler Swiss Telescope, the 1.5 m telescope of Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan, and with the 1.2 m Mercator Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma by the Flemish Community, at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope data was obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS-5-26555.Light curves are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/536/A53

The atmospheric parameters and spectral interpolator for the MILES stars

Context. Empirical libraries of stellar spectra are used to classify stars and synthetize stellar populations. MILES is a medium spectralresolution library in the optical domain covering a wide range of temperatures, surface gravities and metallicities. Aims. We redetermine the atmospheric parameters of these stars in order to improve the homogeneity and accuracy. We build an interpolating function that returns a spectrum as a function of the three atmospheric parameters, and finally we characterize the precision of the wavelength calibration and stability of the spectral resolution. Methods. We used the ULySS program with the ELODIE library as a reference and compared the results with those in the literature. Results. We obtain precisions of 60 K, 0.13, and 0.05 dex, respectively, for Teff ,l ogg ,a nd [Fe/H] for the FGK stars. For the M stars, the mean errors are 38 K, 0.26, and 0.12 dex and 3.5%, 0.17, and 0.13 dex for the OBA. We construct an interpolator that we test against the MILES stars themselves. We test it also by measuring the atmospheric parameters of the CFLIB stars with MILES as reference and find it to be more reliable than the ELODIE interpolator for the evolved hot stars, like those of the blue horizontal branch in particular.

Stellar population models in the UV I. Characterisation of the New Generation Stellar Library

Context. The spectral predictions of stellar population models are not as accurate in the ultra-violet (UV) as in the optical wavelength domain. One of the reasons is the lack of high-quality stellar libraries. The New Generation Stellar Library (NGSL), recently released, represents a significant step towards the improvement of this situation. Aims. To prepare NGSL for population synthesis, we determined the atmospheric parameters of its stars, we assessed the precision of the wavelength calibration and characterised its intrinsic resolution. We also measured the Galactic extinction for each of the NGSL stars. Methods. For our analyses we used ULySS, a full spectrum fitting package, fitting the NGSL spectra against the MILES interpolator. Results. We find that the wavelength calibration is precise up to 0.1 px, after correcting a systematic effect in the optical range. The spectral resolution varies from 3 angstrom in the UV to 10 angstrom in the near-infrared (NIR), corresponding to a roughly constant reciprocal resolution R = lambda/delta lambda approximate to 1000 and an instrumental velocity dispersion sigma(sins) approximate to 130 km s(-1). We derived the atmospheric parameters homogeneously. The precision for the FGK stars is 42 K, 0.24 and 0.09 dex for T-eff, logg and [Fe/H], respectively. The corresponding mean errors are 29K, 0.50 and 0.48 dex for the M stars, and for the OBA stars they are 4.5 percent, 0.44 and 0.18 dex. The comparison with the literature shows that our results are not biased.

Stellar orbits and the survival of metallicity gradients in simulated dwarf galaxies

We present a detailed analysis of the formation, evolution and possible longevity of metallicity gradients in simulated dwarf galaxies. Specifically, we investigate the role of potentially orbit-changing processes such as radial stellar migration and dynamical heating in shaping or destroying these gradients. We also consider the influence of the star formation scheme, investigating both the low-density star formation threshold of 0.1 a.m.u. cm-3, which has been in general use in the field, and the much higher threshold of 100 cm-3, which, together with an extension of the cooling curves below 104 K and increase of the feedback efficiency, has been argued to represent a much more realistic description of star-forming regions. The N-body-SPH models that we use to self-consistently form and evolve dwarf galaxies in isolation show that, in the absence of significant angular momentum, metallicity gradients are gradually built up during the evolution of the dwarf galaxy, by ever more centrally concentrated star formation adding to the overall gradient. Once formed, they are robust and can easily survive in the absence of external disturbances, with their strength hardly declining over several Gyr, and they agree well with observed metallicity gradients of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. The underlying orbital displacement of stars is quite limited in our models, being of the order of only fractions of the half-light radius over time-spans of 5-10 Gyr in all star formation schemes. This is contrary to the strong radial migration found in massive disc galaxies, which is caused by scattering of stars off the corotation resonance of large-scale spiral structures. In the dwarf regime, the stellar body only seems to undergo mild dynamical heating, due to the lack of long-lived spiral structures and/or discs. The density threshold, while having profound influences on the star formation mode of the models, has only an minor influence on the evolution of metallicity gradients. Increasing the threshold 1000-fold causes comparatively stronger dynamical heating of the stellar body due to the increased turbulent gas motions and the scattering of stars off dense gas clouds, but the effect remains very limited in absolute terms.

Gaseous infall triggering starbursts in simulated dwarf galaxies

Using computer simulations, we explored gaseous infall as a possible explanation for the starburst phase in Blue Compact Dwarf galaxies. We simulate a cloud impact by merging a spherical gas cloud into an isolated dwarf galaxy. We investigated which conditions were favourable for triggering a burst and found that the orbit and the mass of the gas cloud play an important role. We discuss the metallicity, the kinematical properties, the internal dynamics and the gas, stellar and dark matter distribution of the simulations during a starburst. We find that these are in good agreement with observations and depending on the set-up (e.g. rotation of the host galaxy, radius of the gas cloud), our bursting galaxies can have qualitatively very different properties. Our simulations offer insight in how starbursts start and evolve. Based on this, we propose what postburst dwarf galaxies will look like.

NBursts: Simultaneous Extraction of Internal Kinematics and Parametrized SFH from Integrated Light Spectra

We present a novel approach for simultaneous extraction of stellar population parameters and internal kinematics from the spectra integrated along a line of sight. We fit a template spectrum into an observed one in a pixel space using a non-linear χ 2 minimization in the multidimensional parameter space, including characteristics of the line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) and parametrized star formation history (SFH). Our technique has been applied to IFU and multi-object spectroscopy of low-luminosity early type galaxies.