Horizontal Branch Morphology Research Articles

Isochrone Fitting of Galactic Globular Clusters—VI. High-latitude Clusters NGC 5024 (M53), NGC 5053, NGC 5272 (M3), NGC 5466, and NGC 7099 (M30)

We fit various color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of the high-latitude Galactic globular clusters NGC 5024 (M53), NGC 5053, NGC 5272 (M3), NGC 5466, and NGC 7099 (M30) by isochrones from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database and Bag of Stellar Tracks and Isochrones for α–enrichment [α/Fe] = +0.4. For the CMDs, we use data sets from Hubble Space Telescope, Gaia, and other sources utilizing, at least, 25 photometric filters for each cluster. We obtain the following characteristics with their statistical uncertainties for NGC 5024, NGC 5053, NGC 5272, NGC 5466, and NGC 7099, respectively: metallicities [Fe/H] = −1.93 ± 0.02, −2.08 ± 0.03, −1.60 ± 0.02, −1.95 ± 0.02, and −2.07 ± 0.04 dex with their systematic uncertainty 0.1 dex; ages 13.00 ± 0.11, 12.70 ± 0.11, 11.63 ± 0.07, 12.15 ± 0.11, and 12.80 ± 0.17 Gyr with their systematic uncertainty 0.8 Gyr; distances (systematic uncertainty added) 18.22 ± 0.06 ± 0.60, 16.99 ± 0.06 ± 0.56, 10.08 ± 0.04 ± 0.33, 15.59 ±0.03 ± 0.51, and 8.29 ± 0.03 ± 0.27 kpc; reddenings E(B − V) = 0.023 ± 0.004, 0.017 ± 0.004, 0.023 ± 0.004, 0.023 ± 0.003, and 0.045 ± 0.002 mag with their systematic uncertainty 0.01 mag; extinctions A V = 0.08 ± 0.01, 0.06 ± 0.01, 0.08 ± 0.01, 0.08 ± 0.01, and 0.16 ± 0.01 mag with their systematic uncertainty 0.03 mag, which suggest the total Galactic extinction A V = 0.08 across the whole Galactic dust to extragalactic objects at the North Galactic Pole. The horizontal branch morphology difference of these clusters is explained by their different metallicity, age, mass-loss efficiency, and loss of low-mass members in the evolution of the core-collapse cluster NGC 7099 and loose clusters NGC 5053 and NGC 5466.

A Comparative Study between M30 and M92: M92 is a Merger Remnant with a Large Helium Enhancement

We perform a comparative study of the ex situ second-parameter pair globular clusters (GCs) M30 and M92, having similar metallicities but different horizontal branch morphologies. We obtain similar mean primordial carbon abundances for both clusters. However, M92 shows a large dispersion in carbon due to a more extended C–N anticorrelation, while M30 exhibits a higher primordial nitrogen abundance, suggesting that they have different chemical enrichment histories. Our new results confirm our previous result that M92 is a metal-complex GC showing a bimodal metallicity distribution. We also find that the metal-rich group of stars in M92 shows a helium enhancement as large as ΔY ∼ 0.05 from the red giant branch bump V magnitudes, which can also be supported by (i) a lack of bright red giant branch stars, (ii) synthetic evolutionary horizontal branch population models and (iii) the more extended spatial distribution due to different degree of the diffusion process from their lower masses. We reinterpret the [Eu/Fe] measurements by others, finding that the two metallicity groups of stars in M92 have significantly different [Eu/Fe] abundances with small scatters. This strongly suggests that they formed independently out of well-mixed interstellar media in different environments. We suggest that M92 is a more complex system than a normal GC, most likely a merger remnant of two GCs or an even more complex system. In the Appendix, we address the problems with the recently developed color–temperature relations and the usage of broadband photometry in the populational taggings.

First asteroseismic analysis of the globular cluster M80: multiple populations and stellar mass-loss

ABSTRACT Asteroseismology provides a new avenue for accurately measuring the masses of evolved globular cluster (GC) stars. We present the first detections of solar-like oscillations in 47 red giant branch (RGB) and early asymptotic giant branch (EAGB) stars in the metal-poor GC M80; only the second with measured seismic masses. We investigate two areas of stellar evolution and GC science: multiple populations and stellar mass-loss. We detect a distinct bimodality in the EAGB mass distribution. We suggest that this could be due to sub-population membership. If confirmed in future work with spectroscopy, it would be the first direct measurement of a mass difference between sub-populations. A mass difference was not detected between the sub-populations in our RGB sample. We instead measured an average RGB mass of $0.782\pm 0.009~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }$, which we interpret as the average of the sub-populations. Differing mass-loss rates on the RGB have been proposed as the second parameter that could explain the horizontal branch morphology variations between GCs. We calculated an integrated RGB mass-loss separately for each sub-population: $0.12\pm 0.02~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ (SP1) and $0.25\pm 0.02~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ (SP2). Thus, SP2 stars appear to have enhanced mass-loss on the RGB. Mass-loss is thought to scale with metallicity, which we confirm by comparing our results to a higher metallicity GC, M4. Finally, our study shows the robustness of the Δν-independent mass scaling relation in the low-metallicity (and low surface gravity) regime.

Isochrone fitting of Galactic globular clusters – V. NGC 6397 and NGC 6809 (M55)

ABSTRACT We fit various colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of the Galactic globular clusters NGC 6397 and NGC 6809 (M55) by isochrones from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database (DSED) and Bag of Stellar Tracks and Isochrones (BaSTI) for α–enhanced [α/Fe] = +0.4. For the CMDs, we use data sets from Hubble Space Telescope, Gaia, Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, and other sources utilizing 32 and 23 photometric filters for NGC 6397 and NGC 6809, respectively, from the ultraviolet to mid-infrared. We obtain the following characteristics for NGC 6397 and NGC 6809, respectively: metallicities [Fe/H] = −1.84 ± 0.02 ± 0.1 and −1.78 ± 0.02 ± 0.1 (statistic and systematic uncertainties); distances 2.45 ± 0.02 ± 0.06 and 5.24 ± 0.02 ± 0.18 kpc; ages 12.9 ± 0.1 ± 0.8 and 13.0 ± 0.1 ± 0.8 Gyr; reddenings E(B − V) = 0.178 ± 0.006 ± 0.01 and 0.118 ± 0.004 ± 0.01 mag; extinctions AV = 0.59 ± 0.01 ± 0.02 and 0.37 ± 0.01 ± 0.04 mag; and extinction-to-reddening ratio $R_\mathrm{V}=3.32^{+0.32}_{-0.28}$ and $3.16^{+0.66}_{-0.56}$. Our estimates agree with most estimates from the literature. BaSTI gives systematically higher [Fe/H] and lower reddenings than DSED. Despite nearly the same metallicity, age, and helium enrichment, these clusters show a considerable horizontal branch (HB) morphology difference, which must therefore be described by another parameter. This parameter must predominantly explain why the least massive HB stars (0.58–0.63 solar masses) are only found within NGC 6809. Probably they have been lost by the core-collapse cluster NGC 6397 during its dynamical evolution and mass segregation. In contrast, NGC 6809 has a very low central concentration and, hence, did not undergo this process.

The “Canonical” White Dwarf Cooling Sequence of M5

Recently, slowly cooling white dwarfs (WDs) are a new class of WD that have been identified in two globular clusters (namely M13 and NGC 6752), showing a horizontal branch (HB) morphology with an extended blue tail. The cooling rate of these WDs is reduced by stable thermonuclear hydrogen burning in their residual envelope, and they are thought to originate by stars that populate the blue tail of the HB and then skip the asymptotic giant branch phase. Consistently, no evidence of such kind of WDs has been found in M3, a similar cluster with no blue extension of the HB. To further explore this phenomenon, we took advantage of deep photometric data acquired with the Hubble Space Telescope in the near-ultraviolet and investigated the bright portion of the WD cooling sequence in M5, another Galactic globular cluster with HB morphology similar to M3. The normalized WD luminosity function derived in M5 was found to be impressively similar to that observed in M3, in agreement with the fact that the stellar mass distribution along the HB of these two systems is almost identical. The comparison with theoretical predictions is consistent with the fact that the cooling sequence in this cluster is populated by canonical (fast cooling) WDs. Thus, the results presented in this paper provide further support to the scenario proposing a direct causal connection between the slow cooling WD phenomenon and the horizontal branch morphology of the host stellar cluster.

Digging into the Galactic Bulge: Stellar Population and Structure of the Poorly Studied Cluster NGC 6316

High-resolution Hubble Space Telescope optical observations have been used to analyze the stellar population and the structure of the poorly investigated bulge globular cluster NGC 6316. We constructed the first high-resolution reddening map in the cluster direction, which allowed us to correct the evolutionary sequences in the color–magnitude diagram (CMD) for the effects of differential reddening. A comparison between the CMDs of NGC 6316 and 47 Tucanae revealed strikingly similar stellar populations, with the two systems basically sharing the same turnoff, subgiant branch, and horizontal branch morphologies, indicating comparable ages. The red giant branch in NGC 6316 appears slightly bluer than in 47 Tucanae, suggesting a lower metal content. This has been confirmed by the isochrone fitting of the observed CMD, which provided us with updated values of the cluster age, distance, average color excess, and metallicity. We estimated an absolute age of 13.1 ± 0.5 Gyr, consistent with the age of 47 Tucanae, an average color excess E(B − V) = 0.64 ± 0.01, and a true distance modulus (m − M)0 = 15.27 ± 0.03 that sets the cluster distance at 11.3 kpc from the Sun. In addition, the photometric estimate of the cluster metallicity suggests [Fe/H] ≈ −0.9, which is ∼0.2 dex smaller than that of 47 Tucanae. We also determined the gravitational center and the density profile of the system from resolved stars. The latter is well reproduced by a King model. Our results confirm that NGC 6316 is another extremely old relic of the assembly history of the Galaxy.

Near-infrared observations of RR Lyrae and Type II Cepheid variables in the metal-rich bulge globular cluster NGC 6441

Context. NGC 6441 is a bulge globular cluster (GC) with an unusual horizontal branch morphology and a rich population of RR Lyrae (RRL) and Type II Cepheid (T2C) variables that is unexpected for its relatively high metallicity. Aims. Our goal is to characterize the pulsation properties of the population II RRL and T2C variables in this metal-rich GC and compare them with a sample of variables in more metal-poor clusters, as well as with theoretical predictions. Methods. We present JHKs time-series observations of 42 RRLs, eight T2Cs, and ten eclipsing binary candidate variables in NGC 6441 . The multi-epoch observations were obtained using the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument on the 8-m Gemini South telescope. Multiband data are used to investigate pulsation properties of the RRL and T2C variables, including their light curves, instability strip, period–amplitude diagrams, and period–luminosity and period–Wesenheit relations (PLRs and PWRs) in the JHKs filters. Results. The near-infrared (NIR) pulsation properties of RRL variables are well fitted with theoretical models that have canonical helium content and the mean-metallicity of NGC 6441 ([Fe/H] = −0.44 ± 0.07 dex). The helium-enhanced RRL models predict brighter NIR magnitudes and bluer colors than the observations of RRL in the cluster. We find that the empirical slopes of the RRL PLRs and PWRs in NGC 6441 are statistically consistent with those of RRLs in more metal-poor GCs, as well as the theoretical models. Therefore, we use theoretical calibrations of RRL period–luminosity–metallicity (PLZ) relations to simultaneously estimate the mean reddening, E(J − Ks)=0.26 ± 0.06 mag, and the distance, d = 12.67 ± 0.09 kpc, to NGC 6441. Our mean reddening value is consistent with an independent estimate from the bulge reddening map based on red clump stars. The RRL-based distance agrees well with similar literature measurements based on the PLZ relations, and the Gaia and other independent methods. Our distance and reddening values provide a very good agreement between the PLRs of T2Cs in NGC 6441 and those for RRLs and T2Cs in Galactic GCs that span a broad range of metallicity. Conclusions. We conclude that the NIR colour-magnitude diagrams, pulsation properties, and PLRs for RRLs and T2Cs in NGC 6441 are in good agreement with the predictions of RRL pulsation models with canonical helium content. This suggests that these population II variables are either not significantly helium enhanced, as previously thought, or the impact of such enhancement is smaller in NIR than the predictions of the pulsation models.

Isochrone fitting of Galactic globular clusters – IV. NGC 6362 and NGC 6723

Abstract We present new isochrone fits to the colour–magnitude diagrams of the Galactic globular clusters NGC 6362 and NGC 6723. We utilize 22 and 26 photometric filters for NGC 6362 and NGC 6723, respectively, from the ultraviolet to mid-infrared using data sets from Hubble Space Telescope, Gaia, unWISE, and other photometric sources. We use models and isochrones from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database (DSED) and Bag of Stellar Tracks and Isochrones (BaSTI) for α-enhanced [α/Fe] = +0.4 and different helium abundances. The metallicities [Fe/H] = −1.04 ± 0.07 and −1.09 ± 0.06 are derived from the red giant branch slopes in our fitting for NGC 6362 and NGC 6723, respectively. They agree with spectroscopic estimates from the literature. We find a differential reddening up to ΔE(B − V) = 0.13 mag in the NGC 6723 field due to the adjacent Corona Australis cloud complex. We derive the following for NGC 6362 and NGC 6723, respectively: distances 7.75 ± 0.03 ± 0.15 (statistic and systematic error) and 8.15 ± 0.04 ± 0.15 kpc; ages 12.0 ± 0.1 ± 0.8 and 12.4 ± 0.1 ± 0.8 Gyr; extinctions AV = 0.19 ± 0.04 ± 0.06 and 0.24 ± 0.03 ± 0.06 mag; reddenings E(B − V) = 0.056 ± 0.01 ± 0.02 and 0.068 ± 0.01 ± 0.02 mag. DSED provides systematically lower [Fe/H] and higher reddenings than BaSTI. However, the models agree in their relative estimates: NGC 6723 is 0.44 ± 0.04 kpc further, 0.5 ± 0.1 Gyr older, ΔE(B − V) = 0.007 ± 0.002 more reddened, and with 0.05 ± 0.01 dex lower [Fe/H] than NGC 6362. The lower metallicity and greater age of NGC 6723 with respect to NGC 6362 explain their horizontal branch morphology difference. This confirms age as the second parameter for these clusters. We provide lists of the cluster members from the Gaia Data Release 3.

Slowly Cooling White Dwarfs in NGC 6752

Recently, a new class of white dwarfs (“slowly cooling WDs”) has been identified in the globular cluster M13. The cooling time of these stars is increased by stable thermonuclear hydrogen burning in their residual envelope. These WDs are thought to be originated by horizontal branch (HB) stars populating the HB blue tail that skipped the asymptotic giant branch phase. To further explore this phenomenon, we took advantage of deep photometric data acquired with the Hubble Space Telescope in the near-ultraviolet and investigate the bright portion of the WD cooling sequence in NGC 6752, another Galactic globular cluster with a metallicity, age, and HB morphology similar to M13. The normalized WD luminosity function derived in NGC 6752 turns out to be impressively similar to that observed in M13, in agreement with the fact that the stellar mass distribution along the HB of these two systems is almost identical. As in the case of M13, the comparison with theoretical predictions is consistent with ∼70% of the investigated WDs evolving at slower rates than standard, purely cooling WDs. Thanks to its relatively short distance from Earth, NGC 6752 photometry reaches a luminosity 1 order of a magnitude fainter than the case of M13, allowing us to sample a regime where the cooling time delay, with respect to standard WD models, reaches ∼300 Myr. The results presented in this paper provide new evidence for the existence of slowly cooling WDs and further support to the scenario proposing a direct causal connection between this phenomenon and the HB morphology of the host stellar cluster.

Multiple Populations in Star Clusters

We review the multiple population (MP) phenomenon of globular clusters (GCs): i.e., the evidence that GCs typically host groups of stars with different elemental abundances and/or distinct sequences in photometric diagrams. Most Galactic and extragalactic clusters exhibit internal variations of He, C, N, O, Na, and Al. They host two distinct stellar populations: the first population of stars, which resemble field stars with similar metallicities, and one or more second stellar populations that show the signature of high-temperature H-burning. In addition, a sub-sample of clusters hosts stellar populations with different heavy-element abundances. The MP origin remains one of the most puzzling, open issues of stellar astrophysics. We summarize the scenarios for the MP formation and depict the modern picture of GCs and their stellar populations along with the main evolutionary phases. We show that the MP behavior dramatically changes from one cluster to another and investigate their complexity to define common properties. We investigate relations with the host galaxy, the parameters of the host clusters (e.g., GC’s mass, age, orbit), and stellar mass. We summarize results on spatial distribution and internal kinematics of MPs. Finally, we review the relation between MPs and the so-called second-parameter problem of the horizontal-branch morphology of GCs and summarize the main findings on the extended main sequence phenomenon in young clusters.

Globular Cluster UVIT Legacy Survey (GlobULeS) – I. FUV–optical colour–magnitude diagrams for eight globular clusters

ABSTRACT We present the first results of eight globular clusters (GCs) from the AstroSat/UVIT Legacy Survey programme GlobULeS based on the observations carried out in two far-ultraviolet (FUV) filters (F148W and F169M). The FUV–optical and FUV–FUV colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of GCs with the proper motion membership were constructed by combining the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) data with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV Globular Cluster Survey data for inner regions and Gaia Early Data Release for regions outside the HST’s field. We detect sources as faint as F148W ∼ 23.5 mag, which are classified based on their locations in CMDs by overlaying stellar evolutionary models. The CMDs of eight GCs are combined with the previous UVIT studies of three GCs to create stacked FUV–optical CMDs to highlight the features/peculiarities found in the different evolutionary sequences. The FUV (F148W) detected stellar populations of 11 GCs comprise 2816 horizontal branch (HB) stars [190 extreme HB (EHB) candidates], 46 post-HB (pHB), 221 blue straggler stars (BSSs), and 107 white dwarf (WD) candidates. We note that the blue HB colour extension obtained from F148W − G colour and the number of FUV detected EHB candidates are strongly correlated with the maximum internal helium (He) variation within each GC, suggesting that the FUV–optical plane is the most sensitive to He abundance variations in the HB. We discuss the potential science cases that will be addressed using these catalogues including HB morphologies, BSSs, pHB, and WD stars.

Slowly cooling white dwarfs in M13 from stable hydrogen burning

White Dwarfs (WDs) are the final evolutionary product of the vast majority of stars in the Universe. They are electron-degenerate structures characterized by no stable thermonuclear activity, and their evolution is generally described as a pure cooling process. Their cooling rate is adopted as cosmic chronometer to constrain the age of several Galactic populations, including the disk, globular and open clusters. By analysing high-resolution photometric data of two twin Galactic globular clusters (M3 and M13), we find a clear-cut and unexpected over-abundance of bright WDs in M13. Theoretical models suggest that, consistently with the horizontal branch morphology, this over-abundance is due to a slowing down of the cooling process in ~70% of the WDs in M13, caused by stable thermonuclear burning in their residual hydrogen-rich envelope. This is the first observational evidence of quiescent thermonuclear activity occurring in cooling WDs and it brings new attention on the use of the WD cooling rate as cosmic chronometer for low metallicity environments.

Mass-loss along the red giant branch in 46 globular clusters and their multiple populations

ABSTRACT The location of Galactic globular clusters’ (GC) stars on the horizontal branch (HB) should mainly depend on GC metallicity, the ‘first parameter’, but it is actually the result of complex interactions between the red giant branch (RGB) mass-loss, the coexistence of multiple stellar populations with different helium content, and the presence of a ‘second parameter’ that produces dramatic differences in HB morphology of GCs of similar metallicity and ages (like the pair M3–M13). In this work, we combine the entire data set from the Hubble Space Telescope Treasury survey and stellar evolutionary models, to analyse the HBs of 46 GCs. For the first time in a large sample of GCs, we generate population synthesis models, where the helium abundances for the first and the ‘extreme’ second generations are constrained using independent measurements based on RGB stars. The main results are as follows: (1) The mass-loss of first-generation stars is tightly correlated to cluster metallicity. (2) The location of helium enriched stars on the HB is reproduced only by adopting a higher RGB mass-loss than for the first generation. The difference in mass-loss correlates with helium enhancement and cluster mass. (3) A model of ‘pre-main sequence disc early loss’, previously developed by the authors, explains such a mass-loss increase and is consistent with the findings of multiple-population formation models predicting that populations more enhanced in helium tend to form with higher stellar densities and concentrations. (4) Helium-enhancement and mass-loss both contribute to the second parameter.

Multiple Populations in Globular Clusters: Unified Efforts from Stellar Evolution and Chemical Evolution Models

Abstract Recent stellar evolution models for globular clusters (GCs) in a multiple population paradigm suggest that horizontal-branch (HB) morphology and the mean period of type ab RR Lyrae variables are mostly determined by He and CNO abundances and relative ages for subpopulations. These parameters are also provided by chemical evolution models constructed to reproduce the Na–O anticorrelation. Therefore, a consistency check is possible between the synthetic HB and chemical evolution models. Furthermore, by combining them, a better constraint might be attained for star formation history and chemical abundances of subpopulations in GCs. We find, from such efforts made for four GCs, M4, M5, M15, and M80, that consistent results can be obtained from these two independent studies. In our unified model, He and Na abundances gradually increase over the generation, and, therefore, the various extensions observed in both HB morphology and the Na–O chemical pattern depend on the presence of later generation stars after the second generation. It is schematically shown that this observed diversity, however, would not be naturally explained by the models requiring dilution. Further spectroscopic observations are required, for metal-poor GCs in particular, to obtain a more detailed constraint from this approach.

Horizontal branch morphology: A new photometric parametrization

Context. Theory and observations indicate that the distribution of stars along the horizontal branch of Galactic globular clusters mainly depends on the metal content. However, the existence of globular clusters with similar metal content and absolute age but different horizontal branch morphologies, suggests the presence of another parameter affecting the star distribution along the branch. Aims. To investigate the variation of the horizontal branch morphology in Galactic globular clusters, we define a new photometric horizontal branch morphology index, overcoming some of the limitations and degeneracies affecting similar indices available in the literature. Methods. We took advantage of a sample of 64 Galactic globular clusters, with both space-based imaging data (Advanced Camera for Surveys survey of Galactic globular clusters) and homogeneous ground-based photometric catalogues in five different bands (U, B, V, R, I). The new index, τHB, is defined as the ratio between the areas subtended by the cumulative number distribution in magnitude (I) and in colour (V − I) of all stars along the horizontal branch. Results. This new index shows a linear trend over the entire range in metallicity (−2.35 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ −0.12) covered by our Galactic globular cluster sample. We found a linear relation between τHB and absolute cluster ages. We also found a quadratic anti-correlation with [Fe/H], becoming linear when we eliminate the age effect on τHB values. Moreover, we identified a subsample of eight clusters that are peculiar according to their τHB values. These clusters have bluer horizontal branch morphology when compared to typical ones of similar metallicity. These findings allow us to define them as the ’second parameter’ clusters in the sample. A comparison with synthetic horizontal branch models suggests that they cannot be entirely explained with a spread in helium content.

Is helium the key parameter in the extended colour spread of the first generation stars in M3?

The study of the "chromosome maps" of Galactic Globular Clusters has shown that the stars identified as `first generation' often define an extended sequence in the $m_{F275W}-m_{F814W}$ colour, whose straightforward interpretation, by comparison with synthetic spectra, is that they are inhomogeneous in helium content. The cluster M 3 (NGC 5272) is one of the most prominent example of this phenomenon, since its first generation is distributed on an extended colour range, formally corresponding to a large helium enhancement ($ \sim 0.1$). It is necessary to ask whether the bulk of photometric observations available for this cluster supports or falsifies this interpretation. For this purpose, we examine the horizontal branch morphology, the period and magnitude distributions of the RR Lyrae variables, and the main sequence colour distribution. Simulating the first generation stars with such internal variation of helium content we can not meet all the observational constraints at the same time, concluding that the origin of the first generation colour spread is still without a straightforward explanation.

A unified construction of stellar evolution and chemical evolution models for the multiple populations in globular clusters

AbstractRecent investigations of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters (GCs) suggest that the horizontal-branch (HB) morphology and mean period of type ab RR Lyrae variables are mostly sensitive to helium abundance, while the star formation timescale has the greatest effect on our chemical evolution model constructed to reproduce the Na-O anti-correlation of GCs. Therefore, by combining the results from synthetic HB model with those from chemical evolution model, we could put better constraints on star formation history and chemical evolution in GCs with multiple populations. From such efforts made for four GCs, M4, M5, M15, and M80, we find that consistent results can be obtained from these two independent models.

Understanding the dynamical status of Galactic Globular Cluster NGC 6656

AbstractWe present the study of horizontal branch morphology of the cluster NGC 6656. A blueward shift in temperature of about ~5000 K (nM-jump) in the color-color plot is detected.To explain this feature, we study the presence of stellar-mass black hole by plotting Projected density profile (PDP) in the central HST region. The PDP in the inner region (r < 10″) can be nicely reproduced by the king+BH model. The blue ward shift in temperature can be due the presence of stellar mass black holes in the centre.

Empirical estimates of the Na–O anti-correlation in 95 Galactic globular clusters

Large star-to-star abundance variations are direct evidence of multiple stellar populations in Galactic globular clusters (GCs). The main and most widespread chemical signature is the anti-correlation of the stellar Na and O abundances. The interquartile range (IQR) of the [O/Na] ratio is well suited to quantifying the extent of the anti-correlation and to probe its links to global cluster parameters. However, since it is quite time consuming to obtain precise abundances from spectroscopy for large samples of stars in GCs, here we show empirical calibrations of IQR[O/Na] based on the O, Na abundances homogeneously derived from more than 2000 red giants in 22 GCs in our FLAMES survey. We find a statistically robust bivariate correlation of IQR as a function of the total luminosity (a proxy for mass) and cluster concentration c. Calibrated and observed values lie along the identity line when a term accounting for the horizontal branch (HB) morphology is added to the calibration, from which we obtained empirical values for 95 GCs. Spreads in proton-capture elements O and Na are found for all GCs in the luminosity range from MV = −3.76 to MV = −9.98. This calibration reproduces in a self-consistent picture the link of abundance variations in light elements with the He enhancements and its effect on the stellar distribution on the HB. We show that the spreads in light elements seem already to be dependent on the initial GC masses. The dependence of IQR on structural parameters stems from the well known correlation between c and MV, which is likely to be of primordial origin. Empirical estimates can be used to extend our investigation of multiple stellar populations to GCs in external galaxies, up to M 31, where even integrated light spectroscopy may currently provide only a hint of such a phenomenon.

The Chemical Composition of Globular Clusters of Different Nature in Our Galaxy

A catalog of Galactic globular clusters has been compiled and used to analyze relations between the chemical and kinematic parameters of the clusters. The catalog contains positions, distances, luminosities, metallicites, and horizontal-branch morphology indices for 157~globular clusters, as well as space velocities for 72~globular clusters. For 69~globular clusters, these data are suppleented with the relative abundances of 28~chemical elements produced in various nuclear-synthesis processes, taken from 101~papers published between 1986 and 2018. The tendency for redder horizontal branches in low-metallicity accreted globular clusters is discussed. The discrepancy between the criteria for cluster membership in the thick-disk and halo subsystems based on chemical and kinematic properties is considered. This is manifest through the fact that all metal-rich ($\rm{[Fe/H]} > -1.0$) clusters are located close to the center and plane of the Galaxy, regardless of their kinematic membership in particular Galaxy subsystems. An exception is three accreted clusters lost by a dwarf galaxy in Sagittarius. At the same time, the fraction of more distant clusters is high among metal-poorer clusters in any kinematically selected Galactic subsystem.