Bibcode
Cole, Andrew A.; Skillman, E. D.; Dolphin, A. E.; Gallagher, J. S., III; Tolstoy, E.; Gallart, C.; Weisz, D.; Hidalgo, S. L.; Saha, A.; Stetson, P. B.; Aparicio, A.
Bibliographical reference
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #178.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.1156
Advertised on:
12
2006
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
We present the results of a program to derive the complete
star-formation history of the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy Leo A
(DDO 69). Leo A is a low-luminosity (Mv = -11.7), very gas-rich
(M(HI)/LB = 1.6) galaxy. Our analysis is based on color-magnitude
diagrams derived from deep HST/ACS imaging; the CMDs reach well below
the oldest main-sequence turnoff of Leo A, at I ≈ 28. Over 80% of all
the stars ever created in Leo A were born more recently than 7.7 Gyr ago
(redshift z = 1 in a flat ΛCDM universe). The star-formation rate
from 8-12 Gyr ago is formally consistent with zero, but stars as old as
the oldest globular clusters are present. These results are discussed in
the context of the predicted effects of cosmological reionization on the
evolution of dwarf galaxies.