Characterizing ultra-faint dwarf galaxies with S-PLUS survey

Abstract

Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies are essential objects for studying the early chemical evolution of the Universe, the first stars formed in the Universe, and for restricting models of galaxy formation and evolution. In this sense, the combination of multi-band photometric data and astrometric information from S-PLUS and Gaia, respectively, allows us to resolve these stellar populations of the nearest (within ~100 kpc) dwarf galaxies. The homogeneous determination of the metallicity distributions of these galaxies will significantly improve the statistics regarding the typical metal abundance of these kinds of systems. Moreover, we will be able to investigate the potential existence of internal metallicity gradients within these dwarf galaxies, an exercise made possible only by the combination between Gaia (which is necessary to confidently select member stars) and photometric data from a survey such as S-PLUS that contains metallicity-sensitive filters designed for the purpose of providing reasonable estimates of [Fe/H] for large numbers of stars. Finally, the most interesting targets will be selected for future high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up from the Southern Hemisphere in order to derive detailed elemental abundances of member stars of dwarf galaxies, enabling the reconstruction of their star-formation and chemical-enrichment histories as a whole. (AU)