Antlia Dwarf Galaxy: Distance, quantitative morphology and recent formation history via statistical field correction

TL;DR

This study determines the distance and morphology of the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy using HST imaging, applying a novel statistical correction method, and finds it to be a classic dwarf elliptical with ongoing star formation.

Contribution

It introduces a new statistical field correction technique for galaxy membership determination and applies quantitative morphology analysis to a Local Group galaxy.

Findings

Distance to Antlia is 1.31 Mpc

Antlia is a classic dwarf elliptical with ongoing star formation

Galaxy shows no signs of tidal disturbance

Abstract

We apply a statistical field correction technique originally designed to determine membership of high redshift galaxy clusters to Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy; a galaxy at the very edge of the Local Group. Using the tip of the red giant branch standard candle method coupled with a simple Sobel edge detection filter we find a new distance to Antlia of 1.31 +/- 0.03 Mpc. For the first time for a Local Group Member, we compute the concentration, asymmetry and clumpiness (CAS) quantitative morphology parameters for Antlia from the distribution of resolved stars in the HST/ACS field, corrected with a new method for contaminants and complement these parameters with the Gini coefficient (G) and the second order moment of the brightest 20 per cent of the flux (M_20). We show that it is a classic dwarf elliptical (C = 2.0, A = 0.063, S = 0.077, G = 0.39 and M_20 = -1.17 in the F814W band), but has an appreciable blue stellar population at its core, confirming on-going star-formation. The values of asymmetry and clumpiness, as well as Gini and M_20 are consistent with an undisturbed galaxy. Although our analysis suggests that Antlia may not be tidally influenced by NGC 3109 it does not necessarily preclude such interaction.