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Issue A&A
Volume 467, Number 3, June I 2007
Page(s) 1025 - 1036
Section Extragalactic astronomy
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20066788



A&A 467, 1025-1036 (2007)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20066788

Near-infrared observations of the Fornax dwarf galaxy

I. The red giant branch
M. Gullieuszik1, 2, E. V. Held1, L. Rizzi3, I. Saviane4, Y. Momany1, and S. Ortolani2

1  Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, INAF, vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
    e-mail: marco.gullieuszik@oapd.inaf.it
2  Dipartimento di Astronomia, Università di Padova, vicolo dell'Osservatorio 2, 35122 Padova, Italy
3  Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
4  European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile

(Received 22 November 2006 / Accepted 6 March 2007)

Abstract
Aims.We present a study of the evolved stellar populations in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Fornax based on wide-area near-infrared observations, aimed at obtaining new independent estimates of its distance and metallicity distribution. Assessing the reliability of near-infrared methods is most important in view of future space- and ground-based deep near-infrared imaging of resolved stellar systems.
Methods.We have obtained JHK imaging photometry of the stellar populations in Fornax. The observations cover an 18.5$\times$18.5 arcmin2 central area with a mosaic of SOFI images at the ESO NTT. Our data sample all the red giant branch (RGB) for the whole area. Deeeper observations reaching the red clump of helium-burning stars have also been obtained for a 4.5$\times$4.5 arcmin2 region.
Results.Near-infrared photometry led to measurements of the distance to Fornax based on the K-band location of the RGB tip and the red clump. Once corrected for the mean age of the stellar populations in the galaxy, the derived distance modulus is (m-M)0 = 20.74$\pm$0.11, corresponding to a distance of 141 Kpc, in good agreement with estimates from optical data. We have obtained a photometric estimate of the mean metallicity of red giant stars in Fornax from their (J-K) and (V-K) colors, using several methods. The effect of the age-metallicity degeneracy on the combined optical-infrared colors is shown to be less important than for optical or infrared colors alone. By taking age effects into account, we have derived a distribution function of global metallicity [M/H] from optical-infrared colors of individual stars. Our photometric Metallicity Distribution Function covers the range -2.0 < [M/H] < -0.6, with a main peak at [M/H]$\simeq $-0.9 and a long tail of metal-poor stars, and less metal-rich stars than derived by recent spectroscopy. If metallicities from $\ion{Ca}{ii}$ triplet lines are correct, this result confirms a scenario of enhanced metal enrichment in the last 1-4 Gyr.


Key words: galaxies: dwarf -- galaxies: individual: Fornax -- Local Group -- galaxies: stellar content



© ESO 2007

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