Program: GN-2014B-Q-26

Globular clusters (GCs) are fossil relics from which we can obtain critical insights into the merger and accretion events that underlie hierarchical galaxy assembly. The Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) has revolutionised our understanding of the outer halo GC system of Andromeda (M31). Many GCs are seen to closely trace narrow stellar debris streams, implying that they were accreted into the M31 halo along with their now defunct host dwarfs. Puzzlingly, however, the outer GC system also exhibits a strong net rotation -- this coherent motion is difficult to reconcile with the chaotic accretion of GCs. The main limitation of PAndAS is that its coverage extends to only half the M31 virial radius. We expect to find GCs well beyond the survey footprint, and these would be extremely useful for addressing a variety of outstanding problems including the origin of the rotation of the GC system. Here we propose a snapshot GMOS program to locate exceptionally remote GCs in M31 from candidates identified in SDSS imaging, along with deep follow-up of any bona fide GCs we may discover.