This study focuses on the spatial distribution of the M31 satellite system. A new Bayesian technique for determining object distances from the Tip of their Red Giant Branch is developed and used to obtain distance probability distributions for M31and 27 of its satellite galaxies. These distances are then used to calculate the satellite positions in three dimensions. Subsequent analysis of the resulting spatial distribution reveals striking inhomogeneity, with roughly half of the satellites confined to a curiously oriented thin disk. The distribution is also markedly asymmetric, with the majority of satellites lying on the Milky Way side of M31.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CCSD/oai:tel.archives-ouvertes.fr:tel-01012081 |
| Date | 07 February 2013 |
| Creators | Conn, Anthony Rhys |
| Publisher | Université de Strasbourg |
| Source Sets | CCSD theses-EN-ligne, France |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PhD thesis |
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