Ultra-Deep imaging of the starless galaxy candidate Cloud-9

Abstract

We report the non-detection of stellar light associated with the dark galaxy candidate Cloud-9. Ultra-deep imaging obtained with HiPERCAM at the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) reaches surface-brightness limits of 31.4 and 31.0 mag/arcsec${}^2$ in g and r, respectively, approximately ten times deeper than previous deep imaging of the region. No stellar emission is detected within the central 1'$\times$1' ($\sim$1.3$\times$1.3 kpc) region of Cloud-9. Assuming an old, metal-poor stellar population, these limits imply a stellar surface mass density of no more than $\sim$0.01 M${}_{\odot }$/pc${}^2$ and an upper limit on the total stellar mass of 1.6$\times$10${}^4$ M${}_{\odot }$. This independent constraint from integrated light complements previous limits based on resolved-star counts and strengthens the case for Cloud-9 as a candidate starless galaxy.

Accepted for publication in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society