Program: GN-2011B-Q-61

Globular clusters (GCs) are fossil relics from which we can obtain critical insights into the merger and accretion events that underlie hierarchical galaxy assembly. As part of the ongoing Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) we have discovered several groups of GCs that closely trace narrow stellar debris streams in the outer halo of M31. These clearly represent distinct accreted families of GCs - the only known examples apart from the few Milky Way objects arriving via the Sagittarius dwarf. We are undertaking a detailed program of study of these families, including investigation of their dynamics via radial velocity measurements. Here we target those objects that are sufficiently faint and/or diffuse to require the capabilities of Gemini/GMOS. Our kinematic measurements will determine unambiguous family memberships, and will provide strong constraints on both the infall trajectories of the now-defunct progenitor systems of the host streams as well as on some properties of the progenitors themselves (e.g., masses). With appropriate modelling our full sample of GC velocities will also allow us to derive a new dynamical mass for M31.