New planetary nebulae in the outskirts of the Andromeda Galaxy discovered with the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST)

Planetary nebulae （PNe） are good tracers of the stellar populations, chemical composition and dynamics of their host galaxies. This paper reports the discovery of new PNe in the outskirts of the Andromeda Galaxy （M31） with the Guoshoujing Telescope （GSJT, formerly named the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope-LAMOST） during its early commissioning phase. In total, 36 candidates selected from SDSS photometry are confirmed in terms of their PN nature, including 17 new discoveries and another 19 previously known emission line objects. Their positions, spectra, radial velocities and m5007 magnitudes are presented. We discuss the potential for detecting more PNe in M 31 with GSJT＇s multi-object spectroscopy and the related applications in studies of the dynamics and chemistry of M 31 and its assemblage history.

New background quasars in the vicinity of the Andromeda Galaxy discovered with the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST)

We present preliminary analyses of spectra of quasar candidates in two Guoshoujing Telescope （GSJT, formerly named the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope - LAMOST） test fields near M 31 where one is close to the optical center of the disk and the other is towards the northeastern outskirts of the halo, obtained during the early stage of the GSJT commissioning in the last season of 2009. Both fields contain background low-redshift quasar candidates selected from the SDSS photometry. In total, 14 new quasars with redshifts up to 2 and i magnitudes between 16.7 and 19.2, are discovered, including 7 within the 2.5° central region of M 31. We briefly discuss the potential applications of these newly discovered bright quasars.

Kinematics and stellar population properties of the Andromeda galaxy by using the spectroscopic observations of the Guoshoujing Telescope

The Andromeda galaxy was observed by the Guoshoujing Telescope （formerly named the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope -- LAMOST）, during the 2009 commissioning phase. Due to the absence of standard stars for flux calibration, we use the photometric data of 15 intermediate bands in the Beijing-Arizona-Taipei-Connecticut （BATC） survey to calibrate the spectra. In to- tal, 59 spectra located in the bulge and disk of the galaxy are obtained. Kinematic and stellar population properties of the stellar content are derived with these spectra. We obtain the global velocity field and calculate corresponding rotation velocities out to about 7 kpc along the major axis. These rotation velocity measurements comple- ment those of the gas content, such as the H I and CO. The radial velocity dispersion shows that the stars in the bulge are more dynamically thermal and the disk is more rotationally-supported. The age distribution shows that the bulge was formed about 12 Gyr ago, the disk is relatively younger and the ages of some regions along the spi- ral arms can reach as young as about 1 Gyr. These young stellar populations have a relatively richer abundance and larger reddening. The overall average metallicity of the galaxy approximates the solar metallicity and a very weak abundance gradient is gained. The reddening map gives a picture of a dust-free bulge and a distinct dusty ring in the disk.

A New Method to Determine the Thickness of Spiral Galaxies:Apply to M31

A new method is presented to determine the thickness of spiral galaxies.Based on the rigorous solution of the Poisson equation for logarithmic density disturbance in three-dimensional spiral galaxies,we have derived an accurate dispersion relation for the stellar and gaseous disk with a finite thickness.From this relation,a new method is put forward here for determining the thickness of galaxies.We apply this way to M31 and get the thickness of about 0.7kpc,which is in good agreement with the previous results.

Structure and Inclination Angle of the Spiral Galaxy M31

The mathematical form, the symmetry of the spiral structure, and the projection of the galactic disc on the image of the spiral galaxy M31 have been directly studied. It is found that M31 has two symmetric arms, i.e. the pitch angles of the two arms are nearly equal;these are 7.7° and 8.0°, respectively. Using the method proposed in this letter, the inclination angle of the galactic disc ofM31 is also obtained, which is 77.5° and is in good agreement with previously published results.

〔C II〕Continuum Intensity Ratio in the Far-Infrared Toward the Central Kiloparsec of the Nearby Spiral Galaxy M31

We observed the nearby galaxy M31 in the 〔C II〕158 μm emission line. An extended component was detected over the central 1 5 kpc region with a line-to-continuum ratio of 〔C II〕/〔40-120μm〕6×10 -3 . This ratio is 3 times larger than that of the Galactic counterpart and is comparable to that in the general Galactic Plane. We expect that the difference between the two central regions are due to different gas densities; the self-shielding of CO molecules decreases the C + abundance at the higher density in the Galactic case.

A catalogue of Hα emission-line point sources in the vicinity fields of M31 and M33 from the LAMOST survey

We present a catalogue of 3305 Hα emission-line point sources observed with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope(LAMOST) in the vicinity fields of M31 and M33 during September 2011 and January 2016.The catalogue contains 1487 emission-line stars,532 emission-line nebulae including 377 likely planetary nebulae(PNe),83 H Ⅱ region candidates and 20 possible supernova remnants(SNRs) and 1286 unknown objects.Among them,24 PN candidates,19 H Ⅱ region candidates,10 SNR candidates and one symbiotic star candidate are new discoveries.Radial velocities and fluxes estimated from the Hα line and those quantities of seven other major emission lines including Hβ,[O Ⅲ] A4959,[O Ⅲ] A5007,[N Ⅱ] A6548,[N Ⅱ] A6583,[S Ⅱ] A6717 and [S Ⅱ] A6731 lines of all the catalogued sources yielded from the LAMOST spectra are also presented in our catalogue.Our catalogue is an ideal starting point to study the chemistry properties and kinematics of M 31 and M 33.

The LAMOST spectroscopic survey of globular clusters in M31and M33.I.catalog and new identifications

We present a catalog of 908 objects observed with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope（LAMOST） in fields in the vicinity of M31 and M33, targeted as globular clusters（GCs） and candidates. The targets include known GCs and candidates selected from the literature, as well as new candidates selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey（SDSS）. Analysis shows that 356 of them are likely GCs with various confidence levels, while the remaining ones turn out to be background galaxies and quasars, stars and H II regions in M31 or foreground Galactic stars. The 356 likely GCs include 298 bona fide GCs and 26 candidates known in the literature. Three candidates, selected from the Revised Bologna Catalog of M31 GCs and candidates（RBC） and one possible cluster from Johnson et al., are confirmed to be bona fide clusters. We search for new GCs in the halo of the M31 among the new candidates selected from the SDSS photometry. Based on radial velocities yielded by LAMOST spectra and visual examination of the SDSS images, we find 28 objects, 5bona fide and 23 likely GCs. Among the five bona fide GCs, three have been recently discovered independently by others, and the remaining 25 are our new identifications,including two bona fide ones. The newly identified objects fall at projected distances ranging from 13 to 265 kpc from M31. Of the two newly discovered bona fide GCs,one is located near M33, probably a GC belonging to M33. The other bona fide GC falls on the Giant Stream with a projected distance of 78 kpc from M31. Of the 23 newly identified likely GCs, one has a projected distance of about 265 kpc from M31 and could be an intergalactic cluster.

Planetary nebulae in the circumnuclear region of M31:a spectroscopic sample

Planetary nebulae(PNe) are an important tool for studying the dynamics and chemical evolution of galaxies in the Local Universe, given their characteristic bright emission line spectra. The Andromeda Galaxy(M31) provides a unique laboratory for studying PNe in the circumnuclear region,thanks to its proximity and almost uniformly low line-of-sight extinction that ensures observations with high resolution and sensitivity. Using the WIYN/Hydra multi-fiber spectrograph, we have obtained optical(4119–6882 A?) spectra of 77 PN candidates selected from Hubble Space Telescope narrow-band imaging, which are located within the central ~500 pc region of M31. Among these candidates, 49(64%) are spectroscopically observed for the first time. The spectra of 300 previously known PNe and H Ⅱ regions, which primarily reside in the disk, are also taken for comparison. All 77 circumnuclear PN candidates exhibit prominent emission lines, including [O Ⅲ] λ5007, [N Ⅱ] λ6583, Hα and Hβ,strongly suggesting that they are genuine PNe. We measured the line fluxes, radial velocities and line widths for all objects, and found that the radial velocities of the circumnuclear PNe generally trace rotation of the inner bulge. We also estimated a dynamical mass of ~6.4±0.5×10~9 M_⊙ enclosed within an effective galactocentric radius of 340 pc, which is compatible with the previously estimated total stellar mass in this region.

The LAMOST survey of background quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33–Ⅲ.results from the 2013 regular survey

In this work, we report new quasars discovered in fields in the vicinity of the Andromeda（M31） and Triangulum（M33） galaxies with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope（LAMOST, also called the Guo Shou Jing Telescope） during the 2013 observational season, the second year of the regular survey. In total, 1330 new quasars are discovered in an area of ～133 deg2 around M31and M33. With i magnitudes ranging from 14.79 to 20.0 and redshifts from 0.08 to4.85, the 1330 new quasars represent a significant increase in the number of identified quasars in fields in the vicinity of M31 and M33. Up to now, there have been a total of 1870 quasars discovered by LAMOST in this area. The much enlarged sample of known quasars in this area can potentially be utilized to construct a precise astrometric reference frame for the measurement of minute proper motions of M31, M33 and their associated substructures, which are vital for understanding the formation and evolution of M31, M33 and the Local Group of galaxies. Moreover, in the sample,there are a total of 45, 98 and 225 quasars with i magnitudes brighter than 17.0, 17.5and 18.0 respectively. In the aforementioned brightness bins, 15, 35 and 84 quasars are reported here for the first time, and 6, 21 and 81 are reported in our pervious work. In addition, 0, 1 and 6 are from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 24, 41 and 54 are from the NED database. These bright quasars provide an invaluable sample to study the kinematics and chemistry of the interstellar/intergalactic medium of the Local Group.

Multicolor photometric study of M31 globular clusters

We present the photometry of 30 globular clusters （GCs） and GC candidates in 15 intermediate-band filters covering the wavelength region from - 3000 to 10000A using the archival CCD images of M31 observed as part of the Beijing - Arizona - Taiwan - Connecticut （BATC） Multicolor Sky Survey. We transform these intermediate-band photometric data into the photometry in the standard U BV RI broadbands. These M31 GC candidates are selected from the Revised Bologna Catalog （RBC V.3.5）, and most of these candidates do not have any photometric data. Therefore, the presented photometric data are a supplement to the RBC V.3.5. We find that 4 out of 61 GCs and GC candidates in RBC V.3.5 do not show any signal on the BATC images at their locations. By applying a linear fit of the distribution in the color-magnitude diagram of blue GCs and GC candidates using data from the RBC V.3.5, in this study, we find the ＂blue-tilt＂ of blue M31 GCs with a high confidence at 99.95% or 3.47cr for the confirmed GCs, and 〉 99.99% or 4.87e for GCs and GC candidates.

2MASS photometry and age estimation of the globular clusters in the outer halo of M31

We present the first photometric results in J, H and Ks from 2MASS （Two Micron All Sky Survey） imaging of 10 classical globular clusters （GCs） in the far outer regions of M31. Combined with the V and I photometric data from previous literature, we constructed a color-color diagram between J - Ks and V - Ⅰ. By comparing the integrated photometric measurements with evolutionary models, we estimate the ages of these clusters. The results showed that all of these clusters are older than 3 × 109 yr, and among them four are older than 10 Gyr and the other six have intermediate ages between 3 - 8 Gyr. The masses for these outer-halo GCs are from 7.0 × 104 M to 1.02 × 10^6 M. We argued that GC2 and GC3, whose ages, metallicities and distance moduli are almost the same, were accreted from the same satellite galaxy, if they did not form in situ. The statistical results show that the ages and metallicities of these 10 M31 outer-halo GCs do not vary with projected radial position, and a relationship between age and metallicity does not exist.

Spectroscopic study of globular clusters in the halo of M31 with the Xinglong 2.16 m telescope Ⅱ: dynamics, metallicity and age

In Paper I, we performed spectroscopic observations on 11 confirmed glob- ular clusters （GCs） in M31 with the Xinglong 2.16 m telescope. We mainly focused on the fitting method and the metallicity gradient for the M31 GC sample. Here, we analyze and further discuss the dynamics, metallicity and age, and their distributions, as well as the relationships between these parameters. In our work, eight more con- firmed GCs in the halo of M31 were observed, most of which lack previous spectro- scopic information. These star clusters are located far from the galactic center at a projected radius of ~ 14 to ~ 117 kpc, which is more spatially extended than that in the previous work. Firstly, we measured the Lick absorption-line indices and the ra- dial velocities. Then the ages and metallicity values of [Fe/H] and [a/Fe] were fitted by comparing the observed spectral feature indices and the Single Stellar Population model of Thomas et al. in the Cassisi and Padova stellar evolutionary tracks, respec- tively. Our results show that most of the star clusters in our sample are older than 10 Gyr except B290, which is ~ 5.5 Gyr, and most of them are metal-poor with metallicity [Fe/H] 〈 - 1, suggesting that these clusters were born at the early stage of the galaxy＇s formation. We find that the metallicity gradient for the outer halo clusters with rp 〉 25 kpc may have an insignificant slope of -0.005 ＋ 0.005 dex kpc-1 and if the outliers G001 and H11 are excluded, the slope does not change significantly, with a value of -0.002 ~ 0.003 dex kpc-1. We also find that the metallicity is not a function of age for the GCs with age 〈 7 Gyr, but for the old GCs with age 〉 7 Gyr, there seems to be a trend that the older ones have lower metallicity. Additionally, we plot metallicity distributions with the largest sample of M31 GCs so far and show the bimodality is not significant, and the number of metal-poor and metal-rich groups be- comes comparable. The spatial distributions show that the metal-rich group is more centrally concentrated but the metal-poor group occupies a more extended halo. In ad- dition, the young population is centrally concentrated but the old population is more spatially extended towards the outer halo.

ASTROSAT/UVIT Near and Far Ultraviolet Properties of the M31 Bulge

AstroSat has surveyed M31 with the UVIT telescope from 2017 to 2019. The central bulge of M31 was observed in 2750 - 2850 A, 2000 - 2400 A, 1600 - 1850 A, 1450 - 1750 A, and 1200 - 1800 A filters. A radial profile analysis, averaged along elliptical contours which approximate the bulge shape, was carried out in each filter. The profiles follow a Sersic function with an excess for the inner ~8" in all filters, or can be fitted with two Sersic functions (including the excess). The ultraviolet colours of the bulge are found to change systematically with radius, with the center of the bulge bluer (hotter). We fit the UVIT spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the whole bulge and for 10 elliptical annuli with single stellar population (SSP) models. A combination of two SSPs fits the UVIT SEDs much better than one SSP, and three SSPs fit the data best. The properties of the three SSPs are age, metallicity (Z) and mass of each SSP. The best fit model is a dominant old, metal-poor (1010 yr, , with the solar metallicity) population plus a 15% contribution from an intermediate (109.5 yr, ) population plus a small contribution (~2%) from a young high-metallicity (108.5 yr, ) population. The results are consistent with previous studies of M31 in optical: both reveal an active merger history for M31.

Old stellar population synthesis:new age and mass estimates for Mayall II = G1

Mayall Ⅱ = G1 is one of the most luminous globular clusters （GCs） in M31. Here, we determine its age and mass by comparing multicolor photometry with theoretical stellar population synthesis models. Based on far- and near-ultraviolet GALEX photometry, broad-band UBVRI, and infrared JHKs 2MASS data, we construct the most extensive spectral energy distribution of G 1 to date, spanning the wavelength range from 1538 to 20 000A. A quantitative comparison with a variety of simple stellar population （SSP） models yields a mean age which is consistent with G1 being among the oldest building blocks of M31 and having formed within ～1.7 Gyr after the Big Bang. Irrespective of the SSP model or stellar initial mass function adopted, the resulting mass estimates （of order 10^7M⊙） indicate that GI is one of the most massive GCs in the Local Group. However, we speculate that the cluster＇s exceptionally high mass suggests that it may not be a genuine GC. Our results also suggest that G1 may contain, on average, （1.65±0.63） × 10^2L⊙ far-ultraviolet-bright, hot, extreme horizontal-branch stars, depending on the adopted SSP model. In addition, we demonstrate that extensive multi-passband photometry coupled with SSP analysis enables one to obtain age estimates for old SSPs that have similar accuracies as those from integrated spectroscopy or resolved stellar photometry, provided that some of the free parameters can be constrained independently.

Detailed study of B037 based on HST images

B037 is of interest because it is both the most luminous and the most highly reddened cluster known in M31. Deep observations and high spatial resolution images with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope （HST） first showed that this cluster is crossed by a dust lane. Photometric data in the F606W and F814W filters obtained in this paper indicate that colors of （F606W - F814W） in the dust lane are redder-0.4 mag than ones in the other regions of B037. The HST images show that this dust lane seems to be contained in B037, instead of in the M31 disk or the Milky Way. As far as we know, the formation of dust requires gas with a rather high metallicity. However, B037 has a low metallicity of [Fe/H] =→1.07 ±0.20. So, it seems improbable that the observed dust lane is physically associated with B037. It is clear that the origin of this dust lane is worthy of future study. In addition, based on these images, we present the precise variation of ellipticity and position angle, and of surface brightness profile, and determine the structural parameters of B037 by fitting a single-mass isotropic King model. In the F606W filter, we derive the best-fitting scale radius r0 = 0.56±0.02＂ （= 2.16±0.08 pc）, a tidal radius rt = 8.6±0.4I＂ （= 33.1±1.5 pc）, and a concentration index c = log（rt/ro） = 1.19±0.02. In the F814W filter, we derive r0 = 0.56 4± 0.01H （_=2.16 ±0.04 pc）, rt = 8.9 ±0.3＂ （= 34.3±1.2 pc）, and c = log（rt/ro） = 1.20±0.01. The extinction-corrected central surface brightness is μ0 = 13.53±0.03 mag arcsec^-2 in the F606W filter, and 12.85±0.03 mag arcsec^-2 in the F814W filter. We also calculate the half-light radius at rh = 1.05±0.03＂（= 4.04±0.12 pc） in the F606W filter and rh =1.07±0.01＂（= 4.12±0.04 pc） in the F814W filter. In addition, we derived the complete magnitudes of B037 in the V and I bands by transforming the magnitudes from the ACS system to the standard system, which are in good agreement with previous ground-based broad- band photometry studies.

Frequency Decay through Electromagnetic Radiation Absorption and Re-Emission by Inter-Galactic Dark Matter as an Alternate Explanation for the Hubble Constant

There is an alternate cause for the decay rate defined by Edwin Hubble’s Cosmological Constant Theory. It can be proposed because inward motion is observed in the local Galaxies||Star groups around the Milky Way. The recession velocity of Galaxies farther out of is reasoned entirely from the increasing redshift in the frequency. The smaller the image of observed Galaxy/Cluster objects, the greater the downward shift in frequency of all Electro-Magnetic signals [EM]. An alternate cause for that downward shift could be through the absorption and re-emission through matter, leading to the absorption of some fraction of the energy quanta. There is nowhere in our Local Universe that is both absolutely devoid of matter and the continual formation of objects of all scales. If redshift was because of space expansion, it would increase the distance that signal had to travel. So a signal from GN-z11 stellar structure at 13.4 billion light years [LY] would take 13.4 billion years to travel. Assuming 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang would mean GN-z11 object travelled 13.4 billion LY in 400 million years. A current value for the Hubble constant is: H0=(67.8 ± 0.77) km s -1 Mpc -1 a frequency is shift of 67.8/c over a single Mpc. An alternate expression would be a shift factor 2.261560E-5 over a distance of 3.08567E22 m or a redshift of 7.32923E-28 over a metre because of passage through a medium. Dark matter is a currently accepted phenomenon. It is proposed that properties include redshift’s all normal matters that are put upon EM||Boson signals at the fraction stated above. The signal reduction|| frequency distortion happens at a quantum level for each occurrence, and so is not detectable until passage through millions of LY of Dark Matter. Support for this alternate supposition is reasoned from the fact that the M31 Galaxy and the NGC 300 Galaxy are at distances inconsistent with their Hubble recession velocity.