Is the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy tidally disrupted?

摘要

We present a new survey of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy taken with the Wide Field Camera at, the Isaac Newton Telescope. These new data, which cover approximately 2.8 deg(2) around this galaxy, probe significantly deeper than previous wide field surveys. The goal of this study is to try to find substructures in the halo of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy, and in particular to search for evidence of tidal disruption. The photometric measurements were taken in the V and i bands, and reach i = 23.5. We find tentative evidence for an extratidal component, approximately aligned with the major axis of the Draco dSph. A more careful analysis of our data is required, however, before strong conclusions can be drawn.