The Orbits of Isolated Dwarfs in the Local Group from New 3D Kinematics: Constraints on First Infall, Backsplash, and Quenching Mechanisms

Abstract It is commonly supposed that quenched field dwarfs near the edge of the Local Group (LG) are backsplash galaxies, having previously orbited within the Milky Way (MW) or M31’s virial radius, whereas galaxies on first infall should still have gas and star formation. We measured proper motions (PMs) for six dwarf galaxies located 400–1000 kpc from the MW using the Hubble Space Telescope. For four galaxies (Aquarius, Cetus, Pisces, and Tucana), we report the first PMs. For the remaining two (Leo T and Pegasus), we measure PMs with order-of-magnitude precision improvement. We compute orbital histories to assess whether any of the six are backsplash galaxies. While some have nonzero likelihoods of past interaction with the MW or M31, these are weak and typically occur at large distances (i.e., >2 R vir ). The properties of Aquarius, Leo T, Pisces, and Pegasus are consistent with first passage through a massive halo. Cetus, which shows a low probability (∼4%–6%) of interacting with the MW or M31 in the last 6 Gyr, is more likely a backsplash galaxy resulting from an interaction with M31 over 6 Gyr ago, in the regime where rigid orbital models become less reliable. Tucana has been thought to be a backsplash galaxy, but our orbits indicate it cannot have interacted with a massive LG host. Our results highlight the diversity of evolutionary pathways for isolated, intermediate-mass dwarfs ( M * ≈ 10 5 –10 7 M ⊙ ) and the need to reassess quenching mechanisms beyond environmental interactions with massive hosts.