Galactic Archeology with RAVE and TGAS

TL;DR

This paper presents the RAVE DR5 data release, combining spectroscopic and astrometric data from RAVE and TGAS, enabling detailed galactic archaeology and disk structure analysis, and previews future Gaia data releases.

Contribution

It provides the largest combined spectroscopic and astrometric dataset from RAVE and TGAS, facilitating galactic structure studies and setting the stage for Gaia's upcoming data releases.

Findings

Identification of wave-like patterns in the galactic disk

Demonstration of the combined dataset's potential for galactic archaeology

First applications of RAVE+TGAS data to disk structure analysis

Abstract

The 5th RAVE data release is based on 520,781 spectra ($R\approx7500$ in the CaT region at $8410$ - $8795$\AA) of 457,588 unique stars. RAVE DR5 provides radial velocities, stellar parameters and individual abundances for up to seven elements and distances found using isochrones for a considerable subset of these objects. In particular, RAVE DR5 has 255,922 stellar observations that also have parallaxes and proper motions from the Tycho-Gaia astrometric solution (TGAS) in Gaia DR1. The combination of RAVE and TGAS thus provides the currently largest overlap of spectroscopic and space-based astrometric data and thus can serve as a formidable preview of what Gaia is going to deliver in coming data releases. Basic properties of the RAVE+TGAS survey and its derived data products are presented as well as first applications w.r.t wave-like patterns in the disk structure. An outlook to the 6th RAVE data release is given.