Tidal streams from existing and destroyed satellite galaxies populate the outer regions of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). This inhomogeneous debris can be studied without many of the obstacles that plague Milky Way research. We review the history of tidal stream research in M31, and in its main satellite galaxies. We highlight the numerous tidal streams observed around M31, some of which reside at projected distances of up to 120 kpc from the center of this galaxy. Most notable is the Giant Stellar Stream, a signature of the most recent significant accretion event in the M31 system. This event involved an early-type progenitor of ~10^9 solar masses that came within a few kpc of M31's center roughly a gigayear ago; almost all of the inner halo debris (within 50 kpc) in M31 can be tied either directly or indirectly to this event. We draw attention to the fact that most of M31's outer halo globular clusters lie preferentially on tidal streams and discuss the potential this offers to use these systems as probes of the accretion history. Tidal features observed around M33, M32, NGC 205 and NGC 147 are also reviewed. We conclude by discussing future prospects for this field.
翻译:来自现有和被摧毁的卫星星系(M31)的潮流从现有和被摧毁的卫星星系的潮流中弥散出安卓美达星系(M31)的外部区域。这种不相容的碎片可以在不设置银河研究的许多障碍的情况下加以研究。我们回顾M31及其主要卫星星系中潮流研究的历史。我们强调在M31周围观测到的无数潮流,其中一些潮流与该星系中心相距预计高达120 kpc。最显著的是Giant Stellar Stream,这是M31系统中最近一个重大排泄物事件的标志。这个事件涉及一个早期型的~10 ⁇ 9太阳质的原始体,它大约在一年前出现在M31的中心的几 kpc之内;M31中几乎所有的内海浪碎片(在50 kpc之内)都可以直接或间接地与这一天体相连接。我们提请注意这一事实,即M31的外海藻团群群群大多优先位于潮流上,并讨论了利用这些系统作为47年历史探测器的可能性。我们还观察了M33号的实地。