Third-Epoch Magellanic Cloud Proper Motions II: The Large Magellanic Cloud Rotation Field in Three Dimensions

Understand

We present the first detailed assessment of the large-scale rotation of any galaxy based on full three-dimensional velocity measurements.

• We do this for the LMC by combining our HST average proper motion (PM) measurements for stars in 22 fields, with existing line-of-sight (LOS) velocity measurements for 6790 individual stars.
• We interpret these data with a model of circular rotation in a flat disk.
• The PM and LOS data paint a consistent picture of the LMC rotation and their combination yields several new insights.