Bibcode
Nidever, D. L.; Olsen, Knut A.; Gruendl, Robert A.; Besla, Gurtina; Saha, Abi; Olszewski, Edward; Munoz, Ricardo; Gallart, C.; Monelli, M.; Walker, Alistair R.; Blum, Robert D.; Kaleida, Catherine C.; Vivas, Kathy; Majewski, Steven R.; Zaritsky, Dennis F.; van der Marel, Roeland P.; Bell, Eric F.; Conn, Blair; Stringfellow, Guy S.; Jin, Shoko; Monteagudo Nervion, L.; Cioni, Maria-Rosa; Noel, Noelia; Martin, Nicolas; Monachesi, Antonela; de Boer, Thomas; Chu, You-Hua; Kim, Hwihyun; Martinez-Delgado, David; Johnson, Lent C.; Kunder, Andrea; Smash
Bibliographical reference
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #225, #113.01
Advertised on:
1
2015
Citations
1
Refereed citations
0
Description
Clear observational signatures of hierarchical galaxy formation have
been found around the Milky Way and other nearby massive galaxies.
However, the build-up of smaller dwarf galaxies and the extent to which
they harbor relics of past interactions such as stellar halos and
substructure is not well-known. In an effort to observationally
constrain structure formation on small scales, SMASH (Survey of the
MAgellanic Stellar History), an approved NOAO community DECam survey, is
imaging ~2400 square degrees (at 20% filling factor) to 24th mag in gri
(uz~23) allowing us to map the expected stellar debris and extended
stellar populations of the Clouds with unprecedented fidelity. SMASH
will (a) search for the stellar components of the Magellanic Stream and
Leading Arm, (b) detect and map the extended smooth components and
substructure of the Magellanic Clouds, and (c) derive spatially
resolved, precise star formation histories out to large radii. Our first
year of data reveal (1) Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) stellar populations
extending out to a radius of at least 19 deg (~17 kpc) in several
directions, (2) clear signatures of two dominant LMC star formation
episodes at intermediate radii as revealed by multiple subgiant
branches, and (3) evidence for an expansive stellar substructure in the
Milky Way halo at a distance of ~30 kpc.