Discovery of a Candidate Hypervelocity Star Originating from the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Abstract

In this Letter, we report the discovery of an intriguing hypervelocity star (HVS; J1443+1453) candidate that is probably from the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph). The star is an old and very metal-poor low-mass main-sequence turn-off star (age ∼14.0 Gyr and [Fe/H] = -2.23 dex) and has a total velocity of ${559.01}_{-87.40}^{+135.07}$ km s^-1 in the Galactic rest frame and a heliocentric distance of ${2.90}_{-0.48}^{+0.72}$ kpc. The velocity of J1443+1453 is larger than the escape speed at its position, suggesting that it is a promising HVS candidate. By reconstructing its trajectory in the Galactic potential, we find that the orbit of J1443+1453 intersects closely with that of Sgr dSph ${37.8}_{-6.0}^{+4.6}$ Myr ago, when the latter has its latest pericentric passage through the Milky Way. The encounter occurs at a distance ${2.42}_{-0.77}^{+1.80}$ kpc from the center of Sgr dSph, a distance that is smaller than the size of the Sgr dSph. The chemical properties of this star are also consistent with those of an Sgr dSph-associated globular cluster, or of the Sgr stream member stars. Our finding suggests that J1443+1453 is an HVS that is either tidally stripped from the Sgr dSph or ejected from the Sgr dSph by the gravitational slingshot effect, requiring a (central) massive/intermediate-mass black hole or a (central) massive primordial black hole in the Sgr dSph.