Puragra (Raja) GuhaThakurta (UCO/Lick Observatory)

Title: Dissecting Andromeda's Enigmatic Inner Spheroid: The SPLASH and PHAT Surveys


Abstract: I will present a comparative study of the kinematics and
spectra of different stellar populations in the inner R ~ 2 - 20 kpc
region of M31.  The spectra were obtained using Keck/DEIMOS as part of
the SPLASH (Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda's
Stellar Halo) survey.  The division of stars into sub-populations is
based on HST ACS and WFC3 images and photometry in 6 filters spanning
the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared obtained as part of the
PHAT (Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury) survey.  The excellent
synergy between HST and Keck provides insight into the relationship
between the dynamical, star formation, and chemical enrichment
histories of the structural sub-components of M31 (bulge/inner
spheroid, disk and halo) and, by association, other large spiral
galaxies.  The main emphasis will be on M31's inner spheroid which is
unlike any structural subcomponent of the Milky Way.