# The RAVE survey : the Galactic escape speed and the mass of the Milky Way

@article{Piffl2014TheRS,
title={The RAVE survey : the Galactic escape speed and the mass of the Milky Way},
author={Tilmann Piffl and Cecilia Scannapieco and James Binney and Matthias Steinmetz and R. Scholz and M. E. K. Williams and Roelof de Jong and Georges Kordopatis and Gal Matijevi{\vc} and Olivier Bienaym{\'e} and J. Bland-Hawthorn and Corrado Boeche and Kenneth C. Freeman and Brad K. Gibson and Gerard Gilmore and Eva K. Grebel and Amina Helmi and U. Munari and Julio F. Navarro and Quentin A. Parker and Warren A. Reid and George Mitchell Seabroke and Fred G. Watson and Rosemary F. G. Wyse and Toma{\vz} Zwitter},
journal={Astronomy and Astrophysics},
year={2014},
volume={562}
}
• T. Piffl, +22 authors T. Zwitter
• Published 17 September 2013
• Physics
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
We made new estimates of the Galactic escape speed at various Galactocentric radii using the latest data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE DR4). Compared to previous studies we have a database that is larger by a factor of 10, as well as reliable distance estimates for almost all stars. Our analysis is based on statistical analysis of a rigorously selected sample of 90 highvelocity halo stars from RAVE and a previously published data set. We calibrated and extensively tested our… Expand
216 Citations

#### Figures and Tables from this paper

The escape speed curve of the Galaxy obtained from Gaia DR2 implies a heavy Milky Way
We measure the escape speed curve of the Milky Way based on the analysis of the velocity distribution of ~2850 counter-rotating halo stars from the Gaia Data Release 2. The distances were estimatedExpand
The need for speed: escape velocity and dynamical mass measurements of the Andromeda galaxy
• Physics
• 2018
Our nearest large cosmological neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy (M31), is a dynamical system, and an accurate measurement of its total mass is central to our understanding of its assembly history, theExpand
Weighing the local dark matter with RAVE red clump stars
We determine the Galactic potential in the solar neigbourhood from RAVE observations. We select red clump stars for which accurate distances, radial velocities, and metallicities have been measured.Expand
Determination of the escape velocity of the Milky Way using a halo sample selected based on proper motion
• Physics
• 2021
The {\it Gaia} mission has provided the largest catalogue ever of sources with tangential velocity information. However, using this catalogue for dynamical studies is difficult because most of theExpand
Gaia DR2 in 6D: searching for the fastest stars in the Galaxy
• Physics
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 2018
We search for the fastest stars in the subset of stars with radial velocity measurements of the second data release (DR2) of the European Space Agency mission Gaia. Starting from the observedExpand
Characterizing the high-velocity stars of RAVE: the discovery of a metal-rich halo star born in the Galactic disc
We aim to characterize high-velocity (HiVel) stars in the solar vicinity both chemically and kinematically using the fourth data release of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE). We used a sample ofExpand
The Mass Profile of the Milky Way to the Virial Radius from the Illustris Simulation
• Physics
• 2016
We use particle data from the Illustris simulation, combined with individual kinematic constraints on the mass of the Milky Way (MW) at specific distances from the Galactic Centre, to infer theExpand
The fastest travel together: chemical tagging of the fastest stars in Gaia DR2 to the stellar halo
• Physics
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 2018
The fastest moving stars provide insight into several fundamental properties of the Galaxy, including the escape velocity as a function of Galactocentric radius, the total mass, and the nature andExpand
The mass distribution and gravitational potential of the Milky Way
We present mass models of the Milky Way created to fit observational constraints and to be consistent with expectations from theoretical modelling. The method used to create these models is thatExpand
On the Shoulders of Giants: Properties of the Stellar Halo and the Milky Way Mass Distribution
• Physics
• 2014
Halo stars orbit within the potential of the Milky Way, and hence their kinematics can be used to understand the underlying mass distribution. However, the inferred mass distribution dependsExpand

#### References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 76 REFERENCES
The RAVE survey: constraining the local Galactic escape speed
New constraints on the local escape speed of the Galaxy are reported, finding that the escape velocity lies within the range 498 <v(esc) <608 km s (-1) (90 per cent confidence), with a median likelihood of 544 km s(-1). Expand
Distance determination for RAVE stars using stellar models - III. The nature of the RAVE survey and Milky Way chemistry
We apply the method of Burnett & Binney (2010, MNRAS, 407, 339) for the determination of stellar distances and parameters to the internal catalogue of the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE; SteinmetzExpand
KINEMATICS OF THE STELLAR HALO AND THE MASS DISTRIBUTION OF THE MILKY WAY USING BLUE HORIZONTAL BRANCH STARS
• Physics
• 2012
Here we present a kinematic study of the Galactic halo out to a radius of ∼ 60 kpc, using 4664 blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars selected from the SDSS/SEGUE survey, to determine key dynamicalExpand
The Masses of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies
We present a family of robust tracer mass estimators to compute the enclosed mass of galaxy haloes from samples of discrete positional and kinematical data of tracers, such as halo stars, globularExpand
Distance determination for RAVE stars using stellar models . II. Most likely values assuming a standard stellar evolution scenario
The RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) is a spectroscopic survey of the Milky Way which already collected over 400000 spectra of ∼330000 different stars. We use the subsample of spectra withExpand
The mass of the Milky Way galaxy
We use the Jaffe model as a global mass distribution for the Galaxy and determine the circular velocity $v_c$ and the Jaffe radius $r_j$ using the satellites of the Galaxy, estimates of the localExpand
The present and future mass of the Milky Way halo
• Physics
• 1999
A simple model for the Milky Way halo is presented. It has a flat rotation curve in the inner regions, but the density falls off sharply beyond an outer edge. This truncated, flat rotation curve (TF)Expand
THE MASS PROFILE OF THE GALAXY TO 80 kpc
• Physics
• 2010
The Hypervelocity Star Survey presents the currently largest sample of radial velocity measurements of halo stars out to 80 kpc. We apply spherical Jeans modeling to these data in order to derive theExpand
Discovery of an Unbound Hypervelocity Star in the Milky Way Halo
• Physics
• 2005
We have discovered a star, SDSS J090745.0+024507, leaving the Galaxy with a heliocentric radial velocity of 853 ± 12 km s-1, the largest velocity ever observed in the Milky Way halo. The star isExpand
AN ALTERNATIVE ORIGIN FOR HYPERVELOCITY STARS
• Physics
• 2009
Halo stars with unusually high radial velocity (hypervelocity stars, or HVS) are thought to be stars unbound to the Milky Way that originate from the gravitational interaction of stellar systems withExpand