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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,279 records · Page 71
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Inferring the gravitational potential of the Milky Way with a few precisely measured stars

The dark matter halo of the Milky Way is expected to be triaxial and filled with substructure. It is hoped that streams or shells of stars produced by tidal disruption of stellar systems will provide precise measures of the gravitational potential to test these predictions. We develop a method for inferring the Galactic potential with tidal streams based on the idea that the stream stars were once close in phase space. Our method can flexibly adapt to any form for the Galactic potential: it works in phase-space rather than action-space and hence relies neither on our ability to derive actions nor on the integrability of the potential. Our model is probabilistic, with a likelihood function and priors on the parameters. The method can properly account for finite observational uncertainties and missing data dimensions. We test our method on synthetic data sets generated from N-body simulations of satellite disruption in a static, multi-component Milky Way, including a triaxial dark matter halo with observational uncertainties chosen to mimic current and near-future surveys of various stars. We find that with just eight well-measured stream stars, we can infer properties of a triaxial potential with precisions of the order of 5%-7%. Without proper motions, we obtain 10% constraints on most potential parameters and precisions around 5%-10% for recovering missing phase-space coordinates. These results are encouraging for the goal of using flexible, time-dependent potential models combined with larger data sets to unravel the detailed shape of the dark matter distribution around the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Red giant stars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. The general field

We have obtained a sample of ∼22,000 red giant branch (RGB) stars based on stellar parameters, provided by the ninth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the CH(G)/MgH indices, measured from the included spectra. The Galactic rest-frame velocity of V {sub gsr} versus longitude for the sample shows the existence of several groups of stars from globular clusters and known streams. Excluding these substructures, a sample of ∼16,000 RGB stars from the general field is used to investigate the properties of the thick disk, the inner halo, and the outer halo of our Galaxy. The metallicity and rotational velocity distributions are investigated for stars at 0 kpc < |Z| < 10 kpc. It is found that the canonical thick disk dominates at 0 kpc < |Z| < 2 kpc and its contribution becomes negligible at |Z| > 3 kpc. The MWTD is present and overlaps with the inner halo at 1 kpc < |Z| < 3 kpc. The inner halo starts at 2 kpc < |Z| < 3 kpc and becomes the dominated population for 4 kpc < |Z| < 10 kpc. For halo stars with |Z| > 5 kpc, bimodal metallicity distributions are found for 20 kpc < |Z| < 25 kpc and 35 kpc < RR < 45 kpc, which suggests a dual halo, the inner and the outer halo, as reported in Carollo et al. at low |Z| values. The peak of metallicity for the inner halo is at [Fe/H] ∼ –1.6 and appears to be at [Fe/H] ∼ –2.3 for the outer halo. The transition point from the inner to the outer halo is located at |Z| ∼ 20 kpc and RR ∼ 35 kpc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Milky Way mass and potential recovery using tidal streams in a realistic halo

We present a new method for determining the Galactic gravitational potential based on forward modeling of tidal stellar streams. We use this method to test the performance of smooth and static analytic potentials in representing realistic dark matter halos, which have substructure and are continually evolving by accretion. Our FAST-FORWARD method uses a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to compare, in six-dimensional phase space, an 'observed' stream to models created in trial analytic potentials. We analyze a large sample of streams that evolved in the Via Lactea II (VL2) simulation, which represents a realistic Galactic halo potential. The recovered potential parameters are in agreement with the best fit to the global, present-day VL2 potential. However, merely assuming an analytic potential limits the dark matter halo mass measurement to an accuracy of 5%-20%, depending on the choice of analytic parameterization. Collectively, the mass estimates using streams from our sample reach this fundamental limit, but individually they can be highly biased. Individual streams can both under- and overestimate the mass, and the bias is progressively worse for those with smaller perigalacticons, motivating the search for tidal streams at galactocentric distances larger than 70 kpc. We estimate that the assumption of a static and smooth dark matter potential in modeling of the GD-1- and Pal5-like streams introduces an error of up to 50% in the Milky Way mass estimates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

revealing H{sub 2}D{sup +} depletion and compact structure in starless and protostellar cores with ALMA

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the submillimeter dust continuum and H{sub 2}D{sup +} 1{sub 10}-1{sub 11} emission toward two evolved, potentially protostellar cores within the Ophiuchus molecular cloud, Oph A SM1 and SM1N. The data reveal small-scale condensations within both cores, with mass upper limits of M ≲ 0.02 M {sub ☉} (∼20 M {sub Jup}). The SM1 condensation is consistent with a nearly symmetric Gaussian source with a width of only 37 AU. The SM1N condensation is elongated and extends 500 AU along its major axis. No evidence for substructure is seen in either source. A Jeans analysis indicates that these sources are unlikely to fragment, suggesting that both will form single stars. H{sub 2}D{sup +} is only detected toward SM1N, offset from the continuum peak by ∼150-200 AU. This offset may be due to either heating from an undetected, young, low-luminosity protostellar source or first hydrostatic core, or HD (and consequently H{sub 2}D{sup +}) depletion in the cold center of the condensation. We propose that SM1 is protostellar and that the condensation detected by ALMA is a warm (T ∼ 30-50 K) accretion disk. The less concentrated emission of the SM1N condensation suggests that it is still starless, but we cannot rule out the presence of a low-luminosity source, perhaps surrounded by a pseudodisk. These data observationally reveal the earliest stages of the formation of circumstellar accretion regions and agree with theoretical predictions that disk formation can occur very early in the star formation process, coeval with or just after the formation of a first hydrostatic core or protostar.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A TALE OF A RICH CLUSTER AT z ∼ 0.8 AS SEEN BY THE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF ITS EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

We present a detailed stellar population analysis for a sample of 24 early-type galaxies (ETGs) belonging to the rich cluster RX J0152.7-1357 at z = 0.83. We have derived the age, metallicity, abundance pattern, and star formation history (SFH) for each galaxy individually to further characterize this intermediate-z reference cluster. We then study how these stellar population parameters depend on the local environment. This provides a better understanding on the formation timescales and subsequent evolution of the substructures in this cluster. We have also explored the evolutionary link between z ∼ 0.8 ETGs and those in the local universe by comparing the trends that the stellar population parameters followed with galaxy velocity dispersion at each epoch. We find that the ETGs in Coma are consistent with being the (passively evolving) descendants of the ETG population in RX J10152.7-1357. Furthermore, our results favor a downsizing picture, where the subclumps centers were formed first. These central parts contain the most massive galaxies, which formed the bulk of their stars in a short, burst-like event at high z. On the contrary, the cluster outskirts are populated with less-massive, smaller galaxies that show a wider variety of SFHs. In general, they present extended star formation episodes over cosmic time, which seems to be related to their posterior incorporation into the cluster around 4 Gyr after the initial event of formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE HERSCHEL EXPLOITATION OF LOCAL GALAXY ANDROMEDA (HELGA). VI. THE DISTRIBUTION AND PROPERTIES OF MOLECULAR CLOUD ASSOCIATIONS IN M31

In this paper we present a catalog of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the Andromeda (M31) galaxy extracted from the Herschel Exploitation of Local Galaxy Andromeda (HELGA) data set. GMCs are identified from the Herschel maps using a hierarchical source extraction algorithm. We present the results of this new catalog and characterize the spatial distribution and spectral energy properties of its clouds based on the radial dust/gas properties found by Smith et al. A total of 326 GMCs in the mass range 10{sup 4}-10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} are identified; their cumulative mass distribution is found to be proportional to M {sup –2.34}, in agreement with earlier studies. The GMCs appear to follow the same correlation of cloud mass to L {sub CO} observed in the Milky Way. However, comparison between this catalog and interferometry studies also shows that the GMCs are substructured below the Herschel resolution limit, suggesting that we are observing associations of GMCs. Following Gordon et al., we study the spatial structure of M31 by splitting the observed structure into a set of spiral arms and offset rings. We fit radii of 10.3 and 15.5 kpc to the two most prominent rings. We then fit a logarithmic spiral with a pitch angle of 8.°9 to the GMCs not associated with either ring. Last, we comment on the effects of deprojection on our results and investigate the effect different models for M31's inclination will have on the projection of an unperturbed spiral arm system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

KINEMATICS IN PARTIALLY IONIZED MOLECULAR CLOUDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRANSITION TO COHERENCE

A previous paper by Bailey and Basu shows analysis of density and mass-to-flux ratio maps for simulations with either an ionization profile which takes into account photoionization (step-like profile) or a cosmic ray only ionization profile. We extend this study to analyze the effect of these ionization profiles on velocity structures, kinematics, and synthetic spectra. Clump regions are found to occur at the convergence of two flows with a low velocity region and velocity direction transition occurring at the junction. Models with evident substructure show that core formation occurs on the periphery of these velocity valleys. Analysis of synthetic spectra reveals the presence of large non-thermal components within low-density gas, especially for models with the step-like ionization profile. All cores show small, sub-thermal relative motions compared to background gas. Large deviations within this analysis are due to the line of sight intersecting low- and high-density regions across the velocity switch transition. Positive deviations correspond to a foreground core moving away from the observer while negative deviations correspond to a background core moving toward the observer. Comparison of velocities resulting from different ionization profiles suggest that high ionization fractions yield supersonic velocities, up to two times the sound speed, while regions with low ionization fractions tend to be subsonic or mildly supersonic. This suggests that the transition to coherence within cores could be a transition between high and low ionization fractions within the gas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

IN-SYNC. II. VIRIAL STARS FROM SUBVIRIAL CORES—THE VELOCITY DISPERSION OF EMBEDDED PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS IN NGC 1333

The initial velocity dispersion of newborn stars is a major unconstrained aspect of star formation theory. Using near-infrared spectra obtained with the APOGEE spectrograph, we show that the velocity dispersion of young (1-2 Myr) stars in NGC 1333 is 0.92 ± 0.12 km s{sup –1} after correcting for measurement uncertainties and the effect of binaries. This velocity dispersion is consistent with the virial velocity of the region and the diffuse gas velocity dispersion, but significantly larger than the velocity dispersion of the dense, star-forming cores, which have a subvirial velocity dispersion of 0.5 km s{sup –1}. Since the NGC 1333 cluster is dynamically young and deeply embedded, this measurement provides a strong constraint on the initial velocity dispersion of newly formed stars. We propose that the difference in velocity dispersion between stars and dense cores may be due to the influence of a 70 μG magnetic field acting on the dense cores or be the signature of a cluster with initial substructure undergoing global collapse.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE ROLE OF TURBULENCE AND MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SIMULATED FILAMENTARY STRUCTURE

We use numerical simulations of turbulent cluster-forming regions to study the nature of dense filamentary structures in star formation. Using four hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations chosen to match observations, we identify filaments in the resulting column density maps and analyze their properties. We calculate the radial column density profiles of the filaments every 0.05 Myr and fit the profiles with the modified isothermal and pressure-confined isothermal cylinder models, finding reasonable fits for either model. The filaments formed in the simulations have similar radial column density profiles to those observed. Magnetic fields provide additional pressure support to the filaments, making “puffier” filaments less prone to fragmentation than in the pure hydrodynamic case, which continue to condense at a slower rate. In the higher density simulations, the filaments grow faster through the increased importance of gravity. Not all of the filaments identified in the simulations will evolve to form stars: some expand and disperse. Given these different filament evolutionary paths, the trends in bulk filament width as a function of time, magnetic field strength, or density are weak, and all cases are reasonably consistent with the finding of a constant filament width in different star-forming regions. In the simulations, the mean FWHM lies between 0.06 and 0.26 pc for all times and initial conditions, with most lying between 0.1 to 0.15 pc; the range in FWHMs is however, larger than seen in typical Herschel analyses. Finally, the filaments display a wealth of substructure similar to the recent discovery of filament bundles in Taurus.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DIFFERENT DYNAMICAL AGES FOR THE TWO YOUNG AND COEVAL LMC STAR CLUSTERS, NGC 1805 AND NGC 1818, IMPRINTED ON THEIR BINARY POPULATIONS

The two Large Magellanic Cloud star clusters, NGC 1805 and NGC 1818, are approximately the same chronological age (∼30 Myr), but show different radial trends in binary frequency. The F-type stars (1.3–2.2 M{sub ⊙}) in NGC 1818 have a binary frequency that decreases toward the core, while the binary frequency for stars of similar mass in NGC 1805 is flat with radius, or perhaps bimodal (with a peak in the core). We show here, through detailed N-body modeling, that both clusters could have formed with the same primordial binary frequency and with binary orbital elements and masses drawn from the same distributions (defined from observations of open clusters and the field of our Galaxy). The observed radial trends in binary frequency for both clusters are best matched with models that have initial substructure. Furthermore, both clusters may be evolving along a very similar dynamical sequence, with the key difference that NGC 1805 is dynamically older than NGC 1818. The F-type binaries in NGC 1818 still show evidence of an initial period of rapid dynamical disruptions (which occur preferentially in the core), while NGC 1805 has already begun to recover a higher core binary frequency, owing to mass segregation (which will eventually produce a distribution in binary frequency that rises only toward the core, as is observed in old Milky Way star clusters). This recovery rate increases for higher-mass binaries, and therefore even at one age in one cluster, we predict a similar dynamical sequence in the radial distribution of the binary frequency as a function of binary primary mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SELECTING SAGITTARIUS: IDENTIFICATION AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAGITTARIUS STREAM

Wrapping around the Milky Way, the Sagittarius stream is the dominant substructure in the halo. Our statistical selection method has allowed us to identify 106 highly likely members of the Sagittarius stream. Spectroscopic analysis of metallicity and kinematics of all members provides us with a new mapping of the Sagittarius stream. We find correspondence between the velocity distribution of stream stars and those computed for a triaxial model of the Milky Way dark matter halo. The Sagittarius trailing arm exhibits a metallicity gradient, ranging from −0.59 to −0.97 dex over 142°. This is consistent with the scenario of tidal disruption from a progenitor dwarf galaxy that possessed an internal metallicity gradient. We note high metallicity dispersion in the leading arm, causing a lack of detectable gradient and possibly indicating orbital phase mixing. We additionally report on a potential detection of the Sextans dwarf spheroidal in our data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dark matter halo models of stellar mass-dependent galaxy clustering in PRIMUS+DEEP2 at 0.2 < z < 1.2

We utilize ΛCDM halo occupation models of galaxy clustering to investigate the evolving stellar mass dependent clustering of galaxies in the PRIsm MUlti-object Survey (PRIMUS) and DEEP2 Redshift Survey over the past eight billion years of cosmic time, between 0.2<z<1.2. These clustering measurements provide new constraints on the connections between dark matter halo properties and galaxy properties in the context of the evolving large-scale structure of the universe. Using both an analytic model and a set of mock galaxy catalogs, we find a strong correlation between central galaxy stellar mass and dark matter halo mass over the range M{sub halo}∼10{sup 11}–10{sup 13} h{sup −1} M{sub ⊙}, approximately consistent with previous observations and theoretical predictions. However, the stellar-to-halo mass relation and the mass scale where star formation efficiency reaches a maximum appear to evolve more strongly than predicted by other models, including models based primarily on abundance-matching constraints. We find that the fraction of satellite galaxies in halos of a given mass decreases significantly from z∼0.5 to z∼0.9, partly due to the fact that halos at fixed mass are rarer at higher redshift and have lower abundances. We also find that the M{sub 1}/M{sub min} ratio, a model parameter that quantifies the critical mass above which halos host at least one satellite, decreases from ≈20 at z∼0 to ≈13 at z∼0.9. Considering the evolution of the subhalo mass function vis-à-vis satellite abundances, this trend has implications for relations between satellite galaxies and halo substructures and for intracluster mass, which we argue has grown due to stripped and disrupted satellites between z∼0.9 and z∼0.5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE ODD OFFSET BETWEEN THE GALACTIC DISK AND ITS BAR IN NGC 3906

We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S{sup 4}G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and photometric center of the stellar disk; the bar center coincides with the kinematic center of the disk determined from previous HI observations. Although the undisturbed shape of the disk suggests that NGC 3906 has not undergone a significant merger event in its recent history, the most plausible explanation for the observed offset is an interaction. Given the relatively isolated nature of NGC 3906 this interaction could be with dark matter substructure in the galaxy's halo or from a recent interaction with a fast moving neighbor that remains to be identified. Simulations aimed at reproducing the observed offset between the stellar bar/kinematic center of the system and the photometric center of the disk are necessary to confirm this hypothesis and constrain the interaction history of the galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The relation between luminous AGNs and star formation in their host galaxies

We study the relation of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to star formation in their host galaxies. Our sample includes 205 Type-1 and 85 Type-2 AGNs, 162 detected with Herschel, from fields surrounding 30 galaxy clusters in the Local Cluster Substructure Survey. The sample is identified by optical line widths and ratios after selection to be brighter than 1 mJy at 24 μm. We show that Type-2 AGN [O iii]λ5007 line fluxes at high z can be contaminated by their host galaxies with typical spectrograph entrance apertures (but our sample is not compromised in this way). We use spectral energy distribution (SED) templates to decompose the galaxy SEDs and estimate star formation rates (SFRs), AGN luminosities, and host galaxy stellar masses (described in an accompanying paper). The AGNs arise from massive black holes (∼3×10{sup 8}M{sub ⊙}) accreting at ∼10% of the Eddington rate and residing in galaxies with stellar mass >3×10{sup 10}M{sub ⊙}; those detected with Herschel have IR luminosity from star formation in the range of L{sub SF,IR}∼10{sup 10}−10{sup 12}L{sub ⊙}. We find that (1) the specific SFRs in the host galaxies are generally consistent with those of normal star-forming (main sequence) galaxies; (2) there is a strong correlation between the luminosities from star formation and the AGN; and (3) the correlation may not result from a causal connection, but could arise because the black hole mass (and hence AGN Eddington luminosity) and star formation are both correlated with the galaxy mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Simulated photoevaporative mass loss from hot jupiters in 3D

Ionizing stellar photons heat the upper regions of planetary atmospheres, driving atmospheric mass loss. Gas escaping from several hot, hydrogen-rich planets has been detected using UV and X-ray transmission spectroscopy. Because these planets are tidally locked, and thus asymmetrically irradiated, escaping gas is unlikely to be spherically symmetric. In this paper, we focus on the effects of asymmetric heating on local outflow structure. We use the Athena code for hydrodynamics to produce 3D simulations of hot Jupiter mass loss that jointly model wind launching and stellar heating via photoionization. Our fiducial planet is an inflated, hot Jupiter with radius R{sub p}=2.14R{sub Jup} and mass M{sub p}=0.53M{sub Jup}. We irradiate the initially neutral, atomic hydrogen atmosphere with 13.6 eV photons and compute the outflow’s ionization structure. There are clear asymmetries in the atmospheric outflow, including a neutral shadow on the planet’s nightside. Given an incident ionizing UV flux comparable to that of the Sun, we find a steady-state mass loss rate of ∼2×10{sup 10} g s{sup −1}. The total mass loss rate and the outflow substructure along the substellar ray show good agreement with earlier 1D models, for two different fluxes. Our 3D data cube can be used to generate the outflow’s extinction spectrum during transit. As a proof of concept, we find absorption of stellar Lyα at Doppler-shifted velocities of up to ±50 km s{sup −1}. Our work provides a starting point for further 3D models that can be used to predict observable signatures of hot Jupiter mass loss.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RECOLLIMATION SHOCKS IN MAGNETIZED RELATIVISTIC JETS

We have performed two-dimensional special-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of non-equilibrium over-pressured relativistic jets in cylindrical geometry. Multiple stationary recollimation shock and rarefaction structures are produced along the jet by the nonlinear interaction of shocks and rarefaction waves excited at the interface between the jet and the surrounding ambient medium. Although initially the jet is kinematically dominated, we have considered axial, toroidal, and helical magnetic fields to investigate the effects of different magnetic-field topologies and strengths on the recollimation structures. We find that an axial field introduces a larger effective gas pressure and leads to stronger recollimation shocks and rarefactions, resulting in larger flow variations. The jet boost grows quadratically with the initial magnetic field. On the other hand, a toroidal field leads to weaker recollimation shocks and rarefactions, significantly modifying the jet structure after the first recollimation rarefaction and shock. The jet boost decreases systematically. For a helical field, instead, the behavior depends on the magnetic pitch, with a phenomenology that ranges between the one seen for axial and toroidal magnetic fields, respectively. In general, however, a helical magnetic field yields a more complex shock and rarefaction substructure close to the inlet that significantly modifies the jet structure. The differences in shock structure resulting from different field configurations and strengths may have observable consequences for disturbances propagating through a stationary recollimation shock.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RESONANT ABSORPTION OF TRANSVERSE OSCILLATIONS AND ASSOCIATED HEATING IN A SOLAR PROMINENCE. II. NUMERICAL ASPECTS

Transverse magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere and may be responsible for generating the Sun’s million-degree outer atmosphere. However, direct evidence of the dissipation process and heating from these waves remains elusive. Through advanced numerical simulations combined with appropriate forward modeling of a prominence flux tube, we provide the observational signatures of transverse MHD waves in prominence plasmas. We show that these signatures are characterized by a thread-like substructure, strong transverse dynamical coherence, an out-of-phase difference between plane-of-the-sky motions and line-of-sight velocities, and enhanced line broadening and heating around most of the flux tube. A complex combination between resonant absorption and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities (KHIs) takes place in which the KHI extracts the energy from the resonant layer and dissipates it through vortices and current sheets, which rapidly degenerate into turbulence. An inward enlargement of the boundary is produced in which the turbulent flows conserve the characteristic dynamics from the resonance, therefore guaranteeing detectability of the resonance imprints. We show that the features described in the accompanying paper through coordinated Hinode and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observations match the numerical results well.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The radial profile and flattening of the Milky Way’s stellar halo to 80 kpc from the SEGUE K-giant survey

We characterize the radial density, metallicity, and flattening profile of the Milky Way’s stellar halo, based on the large sample of spectroscopically confirmed giant stars from SDSS/SEGUE-2, spanning galactocentric radii 10 kpc ≤ r{sub GC} ≤ 80 kpc. After excising stars that were algorithmically attributed to apparent halo substructure (including the Sagittarius stream), the sample has 1757 K giants, with a typical metallicity precision of 0.2 dex and a mean distance accuracy of 16%. Compared to blue horizontal branch stars or RR Lyrae variables, giants are more readily understood tracers of the overall halo star population, with less bias in age or metallicity. The well-characterized selection function of the sample enables forward modeling of those data, based on ellipsoidal stellar density models, ν{sub *}(R, z), with Einasto profiles and (broken) power laws for their radial dependence, combined with a model for the metallicity gradient and the flattening profile. Among models with constant flattening, these data are reasonably well fit by an Einasto profile of n = 3.1 ± 0.5 with an effective radius r{sub eff}=15±2 kpc and a flattening of q = 0.7 ± 0.02, or comparably well by an equally flattened broken power law, with radial slopes of α{sub in} = 2.1 ± 0.3 and α{sub out} = 3.8 ± 0.1, with a break radius of r{sub break} = 18 ± 1 kpc; this is largely consistent with earlier work. We find a modest but significant metallicity gradient within the “outer” stellar halo, [Fe/H] decreasing outward. If we allow for a variable flattening q=f(r{sub GC}), we find the distribution of halo giants to be considerably more flattened at small radii, q(10 kpc) = 0.55 ± 0.02, compared to q(>30 kpc) = 0.8 ± 0.03. Remarkably, the data are then very well fit by a single power law with index of 4.2 ± 0.1 on the variable r{sub q}≡√(R{sup 2}+(z/q(r)){sup 2}). In this simple and better-fitting model, there is a break in flattening at ∼20 kpc, instead of a break in the radial density function. While different parameterizations of the radial profile vary in their parameters, their implied density gradient, ∂lnν{sub ∗}/∂lnr, is stable along a direction intermediate between major and minor axis; this gradient is crucial in any dynamical modeling that uses halo stars as tracers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗