Three-dimensional structure of the Sagittarius dSph core from RR Lyrae

TL;DR

This study determines the three-dimensional shape of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy's core using RR Lyrae stars, revealing a triaxial structure aligned nearly parallel to the sky plane, which informs models of its dark matter distribution.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed 3D shape measurement of Sagittarius dSph's core using RR Lyrae data, showing a triaxial structure with specific axis ratios and orientation.

Findings

The stellar distribution is triaxial with axis ratios 1:0.76:0.43.

A prolate spheroid model is statistically rejected.

The major axis is nearly parallel to the sky plane and perpendicular to the Galactic center.

Abstract

We obtain distances to a sample of RR Lyrae in the central core of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy from OGLE data. We use these distances, along with RR Lyrae from \emph{Gaia} DR2, to measure the shape of the stellar distribution within the central $\sim$ 2 kpc. The best-fit stellar distribution is triaxial, with axis ratios 1 : 0.76 : 0.43. A prolate spheroid model is ruled out at high statistical significance relative to the triaxial model. The major axis is aligned nearly parallel to the sky plane as seen by an Earth-based observer and is nearly perpendicular to the direction of the Galactic center. This result may be compared to cosmological simulations which generally predict that the major axis of the dark matter distribution of subhalos is aligned with the Galactic center. The triaxial structure that we obtain can provide important constraints on the Sagittarius progenitor, as well as the central dark matter distribution under the assumption of dynamical equilibrium.