Kinematics and metallicity of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Andromeda XVIII

Andromeda XVIII is an isolated dwarf galaxy 579 kpc away from the nearest large galaxy, M31. It is a candidate "backsplash galaxy" that might have been affected by a close passage to M31. We present new Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of Andromeda XVIII to assess the likelihood that it is a backsplash galaxy. We estimated the velocities, metallicities ([Fe/H]), and α-enhancements ([α/Fe]) for 56 probable members. Based on the abundances of 38 stars with low errors (δ [Fe/H] < 0.3), parameters for the simplest chemical evolution models were estimated using maximum likelihood coupled with an MCMC. The metallicity distribution is inconsistent with these models due to a sharp metal-rich cut-off. We estimated Andromeda XVIII's mean heliocentric velocity, rotation velocity, position angle of the rotation axis, and velocity dispersion using maximum likelihood coupled with a Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC). There is no evidence for bulk rotation, though sub-populations might be rotating. The mean heliocentric velocity is -337.2 km s⁻¹, so that the line-of-sight velocity relative to M31 is lower than the escape velocity from M31. Together, the metallicity distribution and the mean velocity are consistent with a sudden interruption of star formation. For possible causes for this quenching, we considered gas loss due to ram pressure stripping during a close passage by M31, and due to a past major merger. However, we cannot rule out internal feedback (i.e., a terminal wind).