NGC 1851的色星等图（CMD）呈现出两个次巨星分支（SGB），可能是由于存在两个总CNO含量不同的星群。我们测试的想法，总CNO的差异可能会模拟年龄差异时，比较CMD的集群，以获得相对年龄。我们比较了NGC 1851和NGC 6121（M4），一个非常相似的[Fe/H]星系团。我们发现，适当的CMD位移使两个红巨星水平分支处于同一星等水平，未演化的主序星和红巨星分支匹配，但NGC 6121的SGB及其红巨星分支“bump”比NGC 1851的暗。特别是，NGC 6121的SGB甚至比NGC 1851中微弱的SGB还要微弱。如果NGC 6121的总CNO大于NGC 1851，即使这两个星团是同时代的，这两个特征也可以得到解释。我们的结论是警告，不同的初始C+N+O丰度之间的两个集群，否则类似的金属丰度和年龄，可能会导致差异的关断形态，可以很容易地归因于年龄差异。
英文摘要：
The color magnitude diagram (CMD) of NGC 1851 presents two subgiant branches (SGB), probably due the presence of two populations differing in total CNO content. We test the idea that a difference in total CNO may simulate an age difference when comparing the CMD of clusters to derive relative ages. We compare NGC 1851 with NGC 6121 (M4), a cluster of very similar [Fe/H]. We find that, with a suitable shift of the CMDs that brings the two red horizontal branches at the same magnitude level, the unevolved main sequence and red giant branch match, but the SGB of NGC 6121 and its red giant branch "bump" are fainter than in NGC 1851. In particular, the SGB of NGC 6121 is even slightly fainter than the the faint SGB in NGC 1851. Both these features can be explained if the total CNO in NGC 6121 is larger than that in NGC 1851, even if the two clusters are coeval. We conclude by warning that different initial C+N+O abundances between two clusters, otherwise similar in metallicity and age, may lead to differences in the turnoff morphology that can be easily attributed to an age difference.
Globular cluster ages provide both an important test of models of globular cluster formation and a powerful method to constrain the assembly history of galaxies. Unfortunately, measuring the ages of unresolved old stellar populations has proven challenging. Here, we present a novel technique that combines optical photometry with metallicity constraints from near-infrared spectroscopy in order to measure ages. After testing the method on globular clusters in the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies, we apply our technique to three massive early-type galaxies using data from the SLUGGS Survey. T…
In this work a search was carried out for globular clusters belonging to the Sagittarius (Sgr) tidal stream using the analysis of spatial positions, radial velocities relative to the Galactic Standard of Rest (V_{GSR}),proper motions and ratio of "age -- metallicity" ([Fe/H]) for globular clusters and for stars in the tidal stream. As a result, three categories of globular clusters were obtained: A -- most certainly in the stream: Terzan 8, Whiting 1, Arp 2, NGC 6715, Terzan 7, Pal 12; B -- kinematic outliers: Pal 5, NGC 5904, NGC 5024, NGC 5053, NGC 5272, NGC 288; C -- lowest rank candidates:…
Passing through the Galactic disk, a massive object such as a globular cluster, can trigger star formation process leading to the birth of open clusters. Here, we analyze such possible evolutionary relationship between globular and open clusters. To search for the closest rapprochement between objects we computed backwards the orbits of 150 Galactic globular and 232 open clusters (younger than 100 Myr) with proper motions, derived from the Gaia DR2 Catalog. The orbits were computed using the recently modified three-component (disk, bulge and halo) axisymmetric Navarro-Frenk-White potential, wh…
Based on a large sample of 133 Galactic globular clusters we obtained a new estimate of the frequency of globular-cluster impacts onto the Galactic plane, which we found to be equal to three events per 1 Myr. Our computations involving new kinematical data do not support the well-known hypothesis about the possible origin of the open cluster Stephenson~2 as a result of the massive globular cluster $ω$ Cen crossing the Galactic disk. Our results also do not support the well-known hypothesis that the globular cluster NGC6397 could trigger the formation of the open cluster NGC6231. We found for t…
Even after decades of research, the origin of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters remains enigmatic. The question as to whether the galaxy environment plays a role in their formation remains unanswered. To that extent, we analysed two classical (> 10 Gyr old) Large Magellanic Cloud globular clusters namely, NGC 1786 and NGC 1898, using imaging data from Hubble Space Telescope to compare and contrast them with ancient Galactic globular clusters to assess systematic differences that might exist between their abundance variations. We calculated their Red Giant Branch width, subtract…
We present a new photometric study of NGC 3258 and NGC 3268 globular cluster systems (GCSs), using images in filters $B,C,V,R,I$ and $z'$, obtained from four different telescopes. The wide spatial coverage allow us to estimate the whole extension of both GCSs more precisely than in previous works, and new values for the richness of GCs subpopulations. We find differences in the azimuthal distribution between blue (metal-poor) and red (metal-rich) globular clusters (GCs), and confirm that radial profiles flatten towards the centre of the galaxies. In both cases we detected a radial gradient in …
Globular clusters are prone to lose stars while moving around the Milky Way. These stars escape the clusters and are distributed throughout extended envelopes or tidal tails. However, such extra-tidal structures are not observed in all globular clusters, and yet there is no structural or dynamical parameters that can predict their presence or absence. NGC\,6864 is an outer halo globular cluster with reported no observed tidal tails. We used Dark Energy Camera (DECam) photometry reaching $\sim$ 4 mag underneath its main sequence turnoff to confidently detect an extra-tidal envelope, and stellar…
An intermediate-band photometric study of the "Globular Cluster" NGC 2419
NGC 2419是银河系晕中最遥远的星团之一，它的确切性质尚不清楚：虽然它具有让人想起球状星团（GC）的特征，但它的大半径和丰度分布的建议引发了关于它起源于河外环境的讨论，可能是矮星系吸积的残余物。在这里，我们提出的第一个结果，从深中间波段测光的NGC 2419，这使我们能够寻找化学（轻元素）丰度的变化，金属丰度的蔓延，从而多个恒星星族通过良好校准的Stroemgren指数。
We study the globular clusters (GCs) in the spiral galaxy NGC~5907 well-known for its spectacular stellar stream -- to better understand its origin. Using wide-field Subaru/Suprime-Cam $gri$ images and deep Keck/DEIMOS multi-object spectroscopy, we identify and obtain the kinematics of several GCs superimposed on the stellar stream and the galaxy disk. We estimate the total number of globular clusters in NGC 5907 to be $154\pm44$, with a specific frequency of $0.73\pm0.21$. Our analysis also reveals a significant, new population of young star cluster candidates found mostly along the outskirts…
Based upon the kinematics of ten globular clusters, it has recently been claimed that the ultra-diffuse galaxy, NCD 1052-DF2, lacks a significant quantity of dark matter. Dynamical analyses have generally assumed that this galaxy is pressure supported, with the relatively small velocity dispersion of the globular cluster population indicating the deficit of dark matter. However, the presence of a significant rotation of the globular cluster population could substantially modify this conclusion. Here we present the discovery of such a signature of rotation in the kinematics of NGC 1052-DF2's gl…
Aims. We present a new technique to estimate the relative ages of multiple stellar populations hosted by five globular clusters: NGC 104 (47 Tuc), NGC 6121 (M4), NGC 6352, NGC 6362 and NGC 6723. Methods. We used the catalogs of the database "HST UV Globular cluster Survey (HUGS)" to create color-magnitude and two-color diagrams of the Globular Clusters. We identified the multiple populations within each globular cluster, and we divided them into two main stellar populations: POPa or first generation (1G) and POPb, composed of all the successive generations of stars. The new technique allows us…
We explore the possibility of searching for extratidal features around the Galactic globular cluster NGC362 using the Gaia DR2 together with a modified version of a classical statistical decontamination algorithm. Our results suggest that an important stellar component is associated with this globular cluster, which is perfectly distinguishable from the populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud and that of the nearby NGC104 (47 Tucanae). We thus confirm once again the power of Gaia to disentangle different stellar components along the same line-of-sight.
Recently, Kundu et al (2019) reported that the globular cluster NGC 5024 (M53) possesses five extra-tidal RR Lyrae. In fact, four of them were instead known members of a nearby globular cluster NGC 5053. The status of the remaining extra-tidal RR Lyrae is controversial depending on the adopted tidal radius of NGC 5024. We have also searched for additional extra-tidal RR Lyrae within an area of $\sim8$~deg$^2$ covering both globular clusters. This includes other known RR Lyrae within the search area, as well as stars that fall within the expected range of magnitudes and colors for RR Lyrae (and…
The Peculiar Chemical Inventory of NGC 2419 -- An Extreme Outer Halo "Globular Cluster"
NGC 2419是一个巨大的外晕星系球状星团，其恒星先前已被证明具有某种特殊的丰度模式。我们用Keck/HIRES在合理的信噪比下观测到了NGC 2419的7颗亮巨星。其中一颗巨行星非常特殊，[Mg/Fe]极低，[K/Fe]极高，但大多数其他元素的丰度正常。丰度模式与任何超新星模型的核合成产率都不匹配。其他六颗恒星的丰度比是典型的内晕星系球状星团，图中以附近球状星团M30中的巨星为代表。虽然我们的测量表明NGC 2419在某些方面是不寻常的，但它的整体性质并没有提供令人信服的证据来证明内晕和外晕球状星团之间的差异。
We present metallicities for red giant stars in the globular cluster NGC 6273 based on intermediate resolution GMOS-S spectra of the calcium triplet region. For the 42 radial velocity members with reliable calcium triplet line strength measurements, we obtain metallicities, [Fe/H], using calibrations established from standard globular clusters. We confirm the presence of an intrinsic abundance dispersion identified by Johnson et al. (2015). The total range in [Fe/H] is ~1.0 dex and after taking into account the measurement errors, the intrinsic abundance dispersion is σ[Fe/H] = 0.17 dex. Among…
Impact of the low solar abundance on the ages of globular clusters
本文介绍了Asplund及其合作者（2004）关于低太阳丰度对基于等时线拟合的最古老星团年龄的影响的研究结果。我们已经建立了新的恒星模型和相应的等时线使用这种新的太阳混合适当的太阳校准。我们发现使用Asplund et al.（2004）的金属丰度会导致银河系中老球状星团的典型年龄大约增加10%。虽然这可能看起来很小，但它对解释银河系球状星团的形成时代有重要影响。Asplund等人（2004）的丰度可能不一定会威胁到目前的和谐宇宙学，但会表明银河系球状星团在再电离之前和主星系体开始形成之前形成。这与目前对星系形成的理解形成对比。
Exploring the nature and synchronicity of early cluster formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud: II. Relative ages and distances for six ancient globular clusters
The internal dynamics of multiple stellar populations in Globular Clusters (GCs) provides unique constraints on the physical processes responsible for their formation. Specifically, the present-day kinematics of cluster stars, such as rotation and velocity dispersion, seems to be related to the initial configuration of the system. In recent work (Milone et al. 2018), we analyzed for the first time the kinematics of the different stellar populations in NGC0104 (47Tucanae) over a large field of view, exploiting the Gaia Data Release 2 proper motions combined with multi-band ground-based photomet…
Context. Extratidal stars are stellar bodies that end up outside the tidal radius of a cluster as a result of internal processes or external forces acting upon it. The presence and spatial distribution of these stars can give us insights into the past evolution of a cluster inside our Galaxy. Aims. Previous works suggest that globular clusters, when explored in detail, show evidence of extratidal stars. We aim to search for possible extratidal stars in the Galactic globular clusters NGC 6397, NGC 2808, and NGC 6266 using the photometry and proper motion measurements from Gaia DR2 database (Gai…
In the present work we analyzed seven globular clusters selected from their location in the Galactic bulge and with metallicity values in the range $-1.30\lesssim\rm{[Fe/H]}\lesssim-0.50$. The aim of this work is first to derive cluster ages assuming single stellar populations, and secondly, to identify the stars from first (1G) and second generations (2G) from the main sequence, subgiant and red giant branches, and to derive their age differences. Based on a combination of UV and optical filters used in this project, we apply the Gaussian mixture models to distinguish the multiple stellar pop…
We have performed photometric analysis of four Galactic globular clusters (GGCs): NGC 4147, NGC 4590, NGC 5053 and NGC 7492 using far-UV and near-UV filters of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on-board AstroSat. With the help of color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), we have identified 150 blue horizontal branch stars (BHBs), and 40 blue straggler stars (BSS) in the four GGCs. We study the temperature and radial distribution of BHBs and BSS for the four GGCs.
In this work we present a method to identify possible members of globular clusters using data from Gaia DR2. The method consists of two stages: the first one based on a clustering algorithm, and the second one based on the analysis of the projected spatial distribution of stars with different proper motions. In order to confirm that the clusters members extracted by the method correspond to actual globular clusters, the spatial distribution, the vector point diagram of the proper motions and the colour-magnitude diagrams are analysed. We apply the developed method to eight clusters: NGC 1261, …
FORS2/VLT survey of Milky Way globular clusters I. Description of the method for derivation of metal abundances in the optical and application to NGC 6528, NGC 6553, M 71, NGC 6558, NGC 6426 and Terzan 8
