On the Nature of Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy Candidates. I. DES1, Eridanus III, and Tucana V

We use deep Gemini/GMOS-S g, r photometry to study the three ultra-faint dwarf galaxy candidates DES1, Eridanus III (Eri III), and Tucana V (Tuc V). Their total luminosities, M _V (DES1) = -1.42 ± 0.50 and M _V (Eri III) = -2.07 ± 0.50, and mean metallicities, [{Fe}/{{H}}]=-{2.38}_-0.19^+0.21 and [{Fe}/{{H}}]=-{2.40}_-0.12^+0.19, are consistent with them being ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, as they fall just outside the 1σ confidence band of the luminosity-metallicity relation for Milky Way satellite galaxies. However, their positions in the size-luminosity relation suggest that they are star clusters. Interestingly, DES1 and Eri III are at relatively large Galactocentric distances, with DES1 located at {D}_{GC}=74+/- 4 {kpc} and Eri III at {D}_{GC}=91+/- 4 {kpc}. In projection, both objects are in the tail of gaseous filaments trailing the Magellanic Clouds and have similar 3D separations from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): {{Δ }}{D}_{SMC,{DES}1}=31.7 kpc and {{Δ }}{D}_{SMC,{Eri}{III}}=41.0 kpc, respectively. It is plausible that these stellar systems are metal-poor SMC satellites. Tuc V represents an interesting phenomenon in its own right. Our deep photometry at the nominal position of Tuc V reveals a low-level excess of stars at various locations across the GMOS field without a well-defined center. An SMC Northern Overdensity-like isochrone would be an adequate match to the Tuc V color-magnitude diagram, and the proximity to the SMC (12.°1 {{Δ }}{D}_{SMC,{Tuc}{{V}}}=13 kpc) suggests that Tuc V is either a chance grouping of stars related to the SMC halo or a star cluster in an advanced stage of dissolution.