Spectroscopy of Globular Clusters in the Fornax dwarf galaxy

Abstract

We present low resolution, integrated Keck spectra of the five globular clusters (GCs) of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We find a tentative age spread among the clusters, with the GC H5 younger by 2-3 Gyr than the others. The clusters generally appear to be very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ~ -1.8), with the cluster H4 slightly more metal-rich at [Fe/H] = -1.5. We speculate that cluster H4 is similar to the Galactic GC Ruprecht 106, which lacks the [alpha/Fe] enhancement typical among metal-poor GCs in the Milky Way. High-resolution spectroscopy of individual cluster and field stars will be needed to sort out the surprisingly complex history of GC formation and evolution in this galaxy.

21 pages, including 3 figures. To appear in AJ, March 2003

References in corpus (2)

• Proper Motions of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging. I: Method and a Preliminary Measurement for Fornax
• Keck Spectroscopy of Globular Clusters in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610

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• Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Globular Cluster Candidates in Low Surface Brightness Dwarf Galaxies
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• RR Lyrae stars in four globular clusters in the Fornax dwarf galaxy
• An old, metal-poor globular cluster in Sextans A and the metallicity floor of globular cluster systems
• Spitzer Space Telescope spectral observations of AGB stars in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy
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• Virgo's Intracluster Globular Clusters as Seen by the Advanced Camera for Surveys
• Insights from the Outskirts: Chemical and Dynamical Properties in the outer Parts of the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
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• The test for suppressed dynamical friction in a constant density core of dwarf galaxies
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• Stalling of Globular Cluster Orbits in Dwarf Galaxies
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• Corrective effect of many-body interactions in dynamical friction
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• Assessing the Fornax globular cluster timing problem in different models of dark matter
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of the Sixth Globular Cluster in the Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
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