Stellar structures in the outer regions of M33

TL;DR

This study uses deep imaging to analyze stellar populations in M33's outer regions, revealing extended structures, metallicity gradients, and signs of tidal interactions or accretion events.

Contribution

It provides detailed characterization of stellar populations and structures in M33's outskirts, linking stellar features with HI clouds and interaction history.

Findings

Evolved stars detected out to 30 kpc from M33's center.

Metallicity remains around [M/H] = -0.7 in the outer regions.

Evidence of tidal disturbance and accretion in stellar distributions.

Abstract

We present Subaru/Suprime-Cam deep V and I imaging of seven fields in the outer regions of M33. Our aim is to search for stellar structures corresponding to extended HI clouds found in a recent 21-cm survey of the galaxy. Three fields probe a large HI complex to the southeastern (SE) side of the galaxy. An additional three fields cover the northwestern (NW) side of the galaxy along the HI warp. A final target field was chosen further north, at a projected distance of approximately 25 kpc, to study part of the large stellar plume recently discovered around M33. We analyse the stellar population at R > 10 kpc by means of V, I colour magnitude diagrams reaching the red clump. Evolved stellar populations are found in all fields out to 120' (~ 30 kpc), while a diffuse population of young stars (~ 200 Myr) is detected out to a galactocentric radius of 15 kpc. The mean metallicity in the southern fields remains approximately constant at [M/H] = -0.7 beyond the edge of the optical disc, from 40' out to 80'. Along the northern fields probing the outer \hi disc, we also find a metallicity of [M/H] = -0.7 between 35' and 70' from the centre, which decreases to [M/H] = -1.0 at larger angular radii out to 120'. In the northernmost field, outside the disc extent, the stellar population of the large stellar feature possibly related to a M33-M31 interaction is on average more metal-poor ([M/H] = -1.3) and older (> 6 Gyr). An exponential disc with a large scale-length (~ 7 kpc) fits well the average distribution of stars detected in both the SE and NW regions from a galactocentric distance of 11 kpc out to 30 kpc. The stellar distribution at large radii is disturbed and, although there is no clear correlation between the stellar substructures and the location of the HI clouds, this gives evidence for tidal interaction or accretion events.