Willman 1 Revisited: The Kinematics, Chemistry, and Orbital Properties of a Potentially Disrupting Dwarf Galaxy

Abstract The ultra-faint Milky Way satellite Willman 1 (W1; M V = −2.6; r half ∼ 27 pc) was the first stellar overdensity found via resolved stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, yet its classification as a dwarf galaxy or star cluster remains ambiguous. Using new Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy, Hubble Space Telescope photometry, and orbital modeling, we re-examine the nature of W1. From our updated member sample of 56 stars, we find that past analyses included four binaries and seven nonmembers, identified using Gaia proper motions and updated velocities. We continue to find a velocity dispersion consistent with previous analyses, measuring σ v = 4 . 7 − 1.3 + 1.5 km s −1 from 49 stars out to 3 r half . If W1 is in equilibrium, this suggests a dynamical mass of 5 . 9 − 3.4 + 3.7 × 1 0 5 M ⊙ and mass-to-light ratio of (M/L) V = 660 ± 590. Based on Ca II triplet measurements, we estimate an iron abundance of Fe/H = − 2.4 5 − 0.13 + 0.12 and metallicity dispersion of σ Fe / H = 0.3 0 − 0.11 + 0.15 dex. We confirm that W1 does not exhibit mass segregation inside ∼1 r half . Our best-fit orbital model predicts that W1 is at apocenter, implying that W1 has been closer to the Milky Way in the recent past with a pericentric passage ≲25 kpc from the Galactic center ∼0.3 Gyr ago. Given its internal kinematics, metallicity spread, and lack of mass segregation, we conclude that W1 is a galaxy. However, given its orbit and structural properties, which suggest that W1 might be tidally disrupted, as well as the difficulty in identifying a pure member sample, we caution that the measured internal velocity dispersion may not accurately reflect the dynamical mass of this system.