A Low-Mass Stellar-Debris Stream Associated with a Globular Cluster Pair in the Halo

TL;DR

This paper identifies a new low-mass stellar debris stream linked to a globular cluster pair in the Milky Way halo, revealing insights into galaxy formation and the origins of globular clusters.

Contribution

It introduces the discovery of LMS-1, a new stellar debris stream associated with a globular cluster pair, using neural-network analysis of combined stellar data.

Findings

Discovery of LMS-1, a low-mass stellar debris stream.

NGC 5024 likely the nucleus of a disrupted dwarf galaxy.

Identification of known streams like Sagittarius, GES, and Sequoia.

Abstract

There are expected to be physical relationships between the globular clusters (GCs) and stellar substructures in the Milky Way, not all of which have yet been found. We search for such substructures from a combined halo sample of SDSS blue horizontal-branch and SDSS+LAMOST RR Lyrae stars, cross-matched with astrometric information from $Gaia$ DR2. This is a sample of old stars which are also excellent tracers of structures, ideal for searching for ancient relics in the outer stellar halo. By applying the neural-network-based method StarGO to the full 4D dynamical space of our sample, we rediscover the Sagittarius Stream, and find the debris of the $Gaia$-Enceladus-Sausage (GES) and the Sequoia events in the outer halo, as well as their linkages with several GCs. Most importantly, we find a new, low-mass, debris stream associated with a pair of GCs (NGC 5024 and NGC 5053), which we dub LMS-1. This stream has a very polar orbit, and occupies a region between 10 to 20 kpc from the Galactic center. NGC 5024 (M53), the more-massive of the associated GC pair, is very likely the nuclear star cluster of a now-disrupted dwarf galaxy progenitor, based on the results from N-body simulations.