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arXiv 0801.4795astro-ph
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双星分数-年龄关系是球状星团中缺少EHB双星的原因吗?

Is a binary fraction-age relation responsible for the lack of EHB binaries in globular clusters?

C. Moni Bidin, M. Catelan, M. Altmann

摘要:

最近发现的银河系球状星团中的极水平支(EHB)星缺乏近距离双星,迄今为止已经构成了一个主要的难题,鉴于蓝亚矮星-星团EHB星的场对应物-是众所周知的呈现高双星比例。在这封信中,我们提供了新的结果,确认缺乏密切的EHB双星在球状星团,并提出了第一个方案来解释场和集群EHB星之间的差异。首先,为了证实球状星团中缺乏EHB双星是一个统计上可靠的结果,我们对NGC 6752中的145颗水平分支星进行了新的分析,其中41颗属于EHB。为了寻找径向速度随时间的变化,我们重复了所有恒星的高分辨率(R=18500)光谱,在一个晚上的观测中进行了四次。我们检测到一个单一的,热(25000 K),径向速度变星作为一个近双星候选人。根据这些结果,我们估计NGC 6752 EHB恒星中近距离(周期P < 5天)双星分数f的上限为16%(95%置信水平),最可能的值为f= 4%。因此,我们的研究结果清楚地证实了缺乏密切的双星之间的热HB恒星在这个集群。我们认为,确认的差异之间的字段和集群EHB星的二进制分数是一个F-年龄关系的后果,与密切的二进制更可能在年轻的系统的情况下。我们分析了文献中的理论和观测结果,这些结果支持这种情况。如果是这样的话,在田间和集群中的EHB祖细胞之间的年龄差异,前者年轻(平均)高达几个Gyr,自然会解释两个种群之间二元分数的惊人差异。

英文摘要:

The recently-discovered lack of close binaries, among extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars in Galactic globular clusters, has thus far constituted a major puzzle, in view of the fact that blue subdwarf stars - the field counterparts of cluster EHB stars - are well-known to present a high binary fraction. In this Letter, we provide new results that confirm the lack of close EHB binaries in globular clusters, and present a first scenario to explain the difference between field and cluster EHB stars. First, in order to confirm that the lack of EHB binaries in globular clusters is a statistically robust result, we undertook a new analysis of 145 horizontal branch stars in NGC6752, out of which forty-one belong to the EHB. To search for radial-velocity variations as a function of time, we repeated high-resolution (R=18500) spectroscopy of all stars, four times during a single night of observations. We detected a single, hot (25000 K), radial-velocity variable star as a close-binary candidate. From these results, we estimate an upper-limit for the close (period P < 5 day) binary fraction f among NGC6752 EHB stars of 16% (95% confidence level), with the most probable value being f=4%. Thus our results clearly confirm the lack of close binaries among the hot HB stars in this cluster. We suggest that the confirmed discrepancy between the binary fractions for field and cluster EHB stars is the consequence of an f-age relation, with close binaries being more likely in the case of younger systems. We analyze theoretical and observational results available in the literature, which support this scenario. If so, an age difference between the EHB progenitors in the field and in clusters, the former being younger (on average) by up to several Gyr, would naturally account for the startling differences in binary fraction between the two populations.

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