Extended Data Fig. 5: Apex direction measured from mock samples of K Giant stars located at r > 40 kpc in the SDSS footprint.
From: Detection of the Milky Way reflex motion due to the Large Magellanic Cloud infall
We use live Galaxy models that experience the infall of LMC-like galaxies with masses MLMC/1011M⊙ = 1, 2 and 3 (panels a, b and c respectively). Solid lines denote the infall trajectory of the LMC derived from backwards orbit integration of HST proper motions, while dashed lines show models where the LMC trajectory has been flipped. Red (blue) symbols denote the measurement for mock samples with an LMC-like (flipped) trajectory. Uncertainties are the standard deviation derived from the posteriors of the fit locations. Open circles show the point on the trajectory where the LMC crossed the virial radius of the Galaxy. Note that within statistical uncertainties the apex direction derived from the kinematics of distant stellar halo particles points towards the direction where the MW disk is currently moving (crossed circles). The disk component is currently travelling to an earlier point on the LMC trajectory.
