# An intuitive 3D map of the Galactic warp’s precession traced by classical Cepheids

@article{Chen2019AnI3,
title={An intuitive 3D map of the Galactic warp’s precession traced by classical Cepheids},
author={Xiaodian Chen and Shu I. Wang and Licai Deng and Richard de Grijs and Chao Liu and Hao Tian},
journal={Nature Astronomy},
year={2019},
volume={3},
pages={320-325}
}
The Milky Way’s neutral hydrogen (H i) disk is warped and flared1,2. However, a dearth of accurate H i-based distances has thus far prevented the development of an accurate Galactic Disk model. Moreover, the extent to which our Galaxy’s stellar and gas disk morphologies are mutually consistent is also unclear. Classical Cepheids, primary distance indicators with distance accuracies of 3–5% (ref. 3), offer a unique opportunity to develop an intuitive and accurate three-dimensional picture. Here… Expand

#### Figures and Tables from this paper

A 3D map of the Milky Way’s disk as traced by classical Cepheids
• Physics
• Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
• 2019
Abstract We have collected 2330 Cepheids to establish an intuitive 3D map of the Milky Way’s disk. As regards the warp amplitude, the Cepheid disk agrees well with the gas disk for radii up to 15Expand
Gaia kinematics reveal a complex lopsided and twisted Galactic disc warp
• Physics
• Astronomy & Astrophysics
• 2019
Context. There are few warp kinematic models of the Galaxy able to characterise both structure and kinematics, since these require high accuracy at large distances. These models are necessary to shedExpand
The structure of the Milky Way based on unWISE 3.4 μm integrated photometry
• Physics
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 2021
We present a detailed analysis of the Galaxy structure using an unWISE wide-field image at $3.4\,\mu$m. We perform a 3D photometric decomposition of the Milky Way taking into account (i) theExpand
Galactic warp from the kinematics of OB stars
• Physics
• EPJ Web of Conferences
• 2020
The warp in Milky Way seen through the young stellar disk shows the complex structures. Its spatial distribution reveals the asymmetry in the vertical distance to the galactic midplane, whereas theExpand
Into the Darkness: Classical and Type II Cepheids in the Zona Galactica Incognita
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal
• 2019
The far side of the Milky Way's disk is one of the most concealed parts of the known Universe due to extremely high interstellar extinction and point source density toward low Galactic latitudes.Expand
The Rotation Curve, Mass Distribution, and Dark Matter Content of the Milky Way from Classical Cepheids
• Physics
• 2020
With the increasing numbers of large stellar survey projects, the quality and quantity of excellent tracers to study the Milky Way is rapidly growing, one of which is the classical Cepheids.Expand
The SEDIGISM survey: First Data Release and overview of the Galactic structure
The SEDIGISM (Structure, Excitation and Dynamics of the Inner Galactic Interstellar Medium) survey used the APEX telescope to map 84 deg2 of the Galactic plane between  = −60◦and  = +31◦ in severalExpand
A holistic review of a galactic interaction
• Physics
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 2021
Our situation as occupants of the Milky Way (MW) Galaxy, bombarded by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, provides an intimate view of physical processes that can lead to the dynamical heating of aExpand
A Kinematically Cold Structure of Candidate Young OB Stars toward the Anticenter.
• Medicine, Physics
• The Astrophysical journal
• 2019
The structure's vertical extent, mean kinematics, and asymmetry with respect to the plane indicate that its origin is more akin to a wobble generated by a massive satellite perturbing the Galaxy's disk. Expand
A Case against a Significant Detection of Precession in the Galactic Warp
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal
• 2021
Recent studies of warp kinematics using Gaia DR2 data have produced detections of warp precession for the first time, which greatly exceeds theoretical predictions of models. However, this detectionExpand

#### References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 65 REFERENCES
Outer structure of the Galactic warp and flare: explaining the Canis Major over-density
Aims. In this paper we derive the structure of the Galactic stellar warp and flare. Methods. We use 2MASS red clump and red giant stars, selected at mean and fixed heliocentric distances ofExpand
Characterizing the Galactic warp with Gaia - I. The tilted ring model with a twist
• Physics
• 2014
We explore the possibility of detecting and characterizing the warp of the stellar disc of our Galaxy using synthetic Gaia data. The availability of proper motions and, for the brightest stars radialExpand
Galactic warps induced by cosmic infall
• Physics
• 2006
Recent ideas for the origin and persistence of the warps commonly observed in disc galaxies have focused on cosmic infall. We present N-body simulations of an idealized form of cosmic infall on to aExpand
Cepheid variables in the flared outer disk of our galaxy
• Physics, Medicine
• Nature
• 2014
Five possible Cepheid stars in the direction of the Galactic bulge are reported, finding the presence of these relatively young (less than 130 million years old) stars so far from the Galactic plane is puzzling, unless they are in the flared outer disk. Expand
Evolution over time of the Milky Way's disc shape
• Physics
• 2017
Context. Galactic structure studies can be used as a path to constrain the scenario of formation and evolution of our Galaxy. The dependence with the age of stellar population parameters would beExpand
The Galactic warp revealed by Gaia DR2 kinematics
• E. Poggio, +14 authors G. Seabroke
• Physics
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
• 2018
Using Gaia DR2 astrometry, we map the kinematic signature of the Galactic stellar warp out to a distance of 7 kpc from the Sun. Combining Gaia DR2 and 2MASS photometry, we identify, via aExpand
TRIGONOMETRIC PARALLAXES OF HIGH MASS STAR FORMING REGIONS: THE STRUCTURE AND KINEMATICS OF THE MILKY WAY
Over 100 trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for masers associated with young, high- mass stars have been measured with the Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy Survey, a Very Long Baseline ArrayExpand
Three-dimensional Structure of the Milky Way Disk: The Distribution of Stars and Dust beyond 0.35 R☉
• Physics
• 2001
We present a three-dimensional model for the Milky Way fitted to the far-infrared (FIR) and near-infrared (NIR) data from the COBE/DIRBE instrument for Galactic latitudes |b| < 30° and to within 20°Expand
The Vertical Structure of the Outer Milky Way H I Disk
• Physics
• 2006
We examine the outer Galactic H i disk for deviations from the b ¼ 0 � plane by constructing maps of disk surface density, mean height, and thickness. We find that the Galactic warp is well describedExpand
RULES OF BEHAVIOR FOR GALACTIC WARPS
An analysis conducted for 12 galaxies with extended, warped H I disks in a variety of reference frames has led to the formulation of clear empirical criteria for galactic warp behavior. In view ofExpand